Aside from comfort and convenience, secular altars have few requirements. If you're creating a meditation space, all you need is a comfortable location to sit or lay down. If you're going to use your altar for reading and journaling, it'll need to have a place to keep your books and pens, as well as be well-lit.
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Choose a Space for Your Altar
It can be as large as a spare room or as small as a bookshelf or a windowsill.
You should also think about the cardinal direction your altar faces. Some Christian groups, for example, position altars on the eastern side of the church to symbolize the rising sun and resurrection. You may also want your altar to face a direction that is special to you at home. Some people place their altars facing the direction of their motherland and ancestors.
If erecting a fixed altar in your home seems impractical right now, keep reading to the end of the post, where I provide a fun and ingenious suggestion for creating a pocket altar that is both movable and unobtrusive.
Consider a peaceful location with some seclusion. If you live with others, attempt to choose a spot that won't get in the way of others or be easily knocked over.
Examine whether the area is suitable for your requirements and feels ‘right'. Is it or can you make it calm, tranquil, and private? Is the energy in the room clear, bright, and friendly?
You can energetically ‘clear' the location you chose by burning incense or essential oils if you want to add a little enchantment.
If you're interested in doing a smoke cleanse (using white sage smudge sticks), make sure you get your herbs from Native American and Indigenous vendors. Many Native American countries regard smudging to be sacred medicine, and practice was illegal in the United States until 1978.
Gather Tools and Objects for Your Altar
Collect any tools or objects you'd like to keep on your altar using your intuition. Gather anything that speaks to your heart and'sparks joy,' as Marie Kondo would say, unless you're pursuing a certain spiritual path with precise restrictions on what to include.
- Photographs of your forefathers and mothers (when showing images of the deceased is appropriate in your culture)
- Souvenirs and memorabilia from significant spiritual or political turning points (e.g., an object from your first rally, a gift from a mentor, etc.)
- Flowers and plants (especially if the altar intends to reflect and celebrate the changing seasons)
- A shot glass of bourbon, fruits, or a little dish of rice and grains are examples of food offerings.
- Tarot cards, runes, oracle cards, or a crystal ball are examples of divination equipment.
What you keep on your altar has no criteria or limitations. You should never feel obligated to purchase altar accoutrements or believe that your altar isn't ‘complete' until it includes a cauldron, censer, chalice, wand, crystals, eighteen pillar candles in various colors, and other such items.
If you've never kept an altar before, I recommend starting simply with a single candle and a photograph of someone who represents something you want to grow more of in your life.
If and when it feels right to you, you can gradually add to your altar throughout the weeks, months, and years.
Arrange Your Altar
After you've cleansed your altar space (physically and/or spiritually), consider how you'd want to arrange the precious things you've collected on your altar.
Simple is better here, as having fewer artifacts will make it easy for them to find a place on your new altar.
If you want to protect the surface of your altar from incense ash or candle wax, start by laying down an altar cloth or a plate.
Many spiritual practices for altar building follow the rule of symmetry. Consider starting with the largest or tallest item and working your way outwards. You can also use plants/flowers, candles, and photos to symbolically match your favorite thing in the middle.
Work With Your Altar
If you're overwhelmed, starting with only one modest ritual per season is perfectly acceptable. Perhaps you clean and repaint your altar at the start of each season, putting out objects that signify the new season. For example, in the spring, you may put out a vase of fresh flowers, in the summer, sand and seashells, in the fall, pumpkins, and in the winter, holly and white candles.
Consider spending at least five minutes a day or fifteen minutes a week at your altar to meditate, journal, or set intentions if your goal with your altar is to build a more frequent practice of spiritual self-care.
My new moon and full moon rituals are two activities you can begin conducting at your altar every lunar cycle to give yourself time to check in with yourself.
The more you use your altar, the more it will become a sacred focal point in your daily life, amplifying warm, wonderful vibes throughout your house.
Because we all exist in the same universe, it's important to remember that we're all the same behind the layers of race, color, and gender. The gift of stars has been bestowed upon you.
What is a spiritual altar?
Simply described, an altar is a physical object or combination of objects that have spiritual importance to you, or that reflect an element, archetype, or energy whose influence you would like to have present in your spiritual practice, arranged in a meaningful fashion and in a purposeful place.
Where should you place an altar in your house?
A solid foundation is required for any home altar. Feng shui altars are traditionally made of wood, but any firm foundation would suffice. Typically, a shelf, table, mantle, or desk are excellent possibilities. Some Feng Shui practitioners believe that the altar should always be over your shoulders, but if you're using it for meditation, it's more practical to have it closer to the ground, so altars that are hip-height or knee-height can suffice.
When should I raise my altar?
You are supposed to build an altar whenever God reveals Himself to you. Whenever God speaks to you in a dream or in any other way, you must secure those blessings by going straight to your established altar or by erecting an altar at that location and sealing the revelation with a sacrifice offering. You can make a promise by sacrificing your money, your time, your food, your worship, and so on. But, for the love of God, do anything. Allowing that divine visitation to pass you by without making the most of it is a mistake. As a result, it isn't a physical altar.
When God's angel appeared to Manoah and her husband, Sampson's parents, they wasted no time in erecting an altar and offering a sacrifice: (Jud. 13:19). When Gideon had an angelic experience, he did the same. “Depart not, I implore thee, until I return unto thee and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee,” he said to the angel. (Judges 6:18a & 6:19a & 6:19a & 6:19
Every morning, Jesus, our forerunner, went to His customary spot of prayer on the Mount of Olives. That was His own private altar. He had constant open heavens as a result of everyday visitation to His altar (Mk.1:35).
What are the seven levels of an altar?
Every year on November 2nd, Mexico commemorates Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a celebration that is one of our culture's most enduring symbols. Going to the cemetery where loved ones are laid to rest and paying tribute to them with elaborate altars is usually part of a day's activities.
Altars represent a people's beliefs; they are a physical representation of their attitude toward death. The concept that the deceased's spirit returns to the world of the living to console them for their loss gives them their significance.
Altars are divided into two to seven levels, each with its own set of symbols. Heaven and earth are represented by two-level altars, with a third level added to represent purgatory. The seven levels reflect the seven steps that must be taken to reach paradise.
- Dedicated to the souls who are trapped in purgatory. The images are put so that the deceased can quickly leave purgatory if they end themselves there.
- A cross composed of seeds or fruits, symbolizing the ceremony's religious beliefs.
Incense, candles, water, alcoholic beverages, and marigold flowers are some of the most frequent offerings during Dia de los Muertos. The pan de muerto (special bread cooked for the day), sugar skulls, and colorful cut paper decorations are unquestionably the three most important aspects.
The origins of the bread of the dead can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times, when men sacrificed princesses' hearts and placed them in pots with amaranth. They'd then bite them to express gratitude to the gods for excellent harvests or the ability to overcome the adversary.
The conquering Spaniards did not completely accept these customs; instead, they invented an anatomical heart-shaped bread to reflect the rite, which they covered in red sugar to simulate blood. The skull is represented by the circle in the middle, while the bones are represented by the lines on the bread's sides.
Another common practice was to offer a sacrifice to the gods “tzompantli” is an altar with a string of skulls. Sugar skulls created from alfeique, a Spanish cane sugar confection, were used by the Spanish to modify this tradition.
Sugar, hot water, and a little lemon juice are used in the traditional Mexican dish. The mixture forms a putty that is poured into a mold and shaped into a skull. The eyes and a smile are then added with colored icing sugar.
This traditional decorative art expresses happiness via the use of colors, each of which has its own meaning.
These well-known “Tissue paper is used to construct “small flags,” which may be made in a variety of ways and designs.
What is the altar of prayer?
Altars were used in the Bible for sin atonement sacrifices as well as to commemorate a meeting with God. In Genesis 12, for example, God meets with Abraham and pledges to bless him. Abraham constructed an altar to the Lord as a memorial to this experience.
It's a place where we may reflect on all that he's done for us and ask for forgiveness for our transgressions. It's a location where we can commune with God through the Holy Spirit and present ourselves as living sacrifices.
Who built an altar to the Lord?
In the Hebrew Bible,, mizbea, “a place of slaughter or sacrifice”) were typically fashioned of earth (Exodus 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25). Altars were usually built in prominent locations (Genesis 22:9; Ezekiel 6:3; 2 Kings 23:12; 16:4; 23:8). Noah's altar is the first one mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 8:20). Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:4; 13:18;22:9), Isaac (Genesis 26:25), Jacob (33:20; 35:13), Moses (Exodus 17:15), and Saul (Genesis 26:25) all built altars (1 Samuel 14:35).
How can I make my altar more powerful?
Upgrades. Various blocks and items can be placed on the top face of the structure, as well as around it, to energize the Altar. In the conversation log, current power/maximum power (recharge rate) shows how much power the altar presently has, the maximum power it can have, and the rate at which it recharges.