For as long as I can remember I have always been curious about religion and different acts of faith that bring you closer to God and yourself. I remember my mother looking at my strangely when I was little because I told her I would love to have my very own therapist. To me, having a therapist wouldn’t mean that I was trying to find out what was wrong with me, but it would allow me to view myself from an angle I had not yet seen.

Every year that gets added onto my life is another year in whichI learn more about who I really am, and about things that do or don’t work for me on a spiritual level. Recently I was introduced to home altar building through one of Lissa’s Owning Pink posts with a video from the Home Altar Building Workshop she led with Carmela Carlyle.

The concept of building a home altar was exciting to me although but was unaware of what revelations I would actually experience. I didn’t want to go into building my home altar blind, so I asked for a tool to help guide me through this process and was led to a book, Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines Into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn. At first I was taken aback by the word "shrine," but decided to put my previous judgments aside and give it a go.

This book was just what I needed. It explained what altars are, how they help you, and how to build them. It also gives a vast number of examples of all the different kinds of altars you can build for different occasions in your life. Or maybe you have been struggling finding a way to combine all of your ‘slashes.’ Believe it or not, there is an altar you can build to help integrate the many talents of you and have them all work together in a sacred balance.

Creating Your Altar

Step 1: Decide What Your Altar Will Represent

It is important that your home altar represents who you are and what you live your life for. Whether you are wishing to transition something new in your life, find a new career, a new passion, meet a new significant other, or bring peace to your home, it is important that you are clear around your intentions so that the altar is at its most powerful. You can test this after the altar is created by sitting near the altar as if you were about to pray or meditate, and feel with your heart the energy it is conveys. You will know intuitively if you have completed your space.

Step 2: Pick A Location For Your Altar

The location of your altar is another important decision. Finding the space for your altar is just as important as the objects upon it. Make sure you choose a location that speaks to you -- a place where you feel comfortable, safe and secluded. A high-traffic area would not be ideal for a meditation space. If your altar symbolizes bringing wealth to your household, you would place it in the far left corner (as you are looking into the room from the doorway). Love and marriage altars would go on the far right wall; fame, the wall opposite the doorway; career, somewhere near the door; self actualization, the near left corner.

Step 3 Choose Objects For Your Altar

I encourage altar building because it is a fabulous way to express your inner most desires, all the while having a blessed, sacred space for prayer and meditation. Depending on what kind of altar you create, you might include a variety of objects, all symbolizing different things. Bells- carry your past mind into your soul, Garlic- offers protection, Apples- health and vitality, Copper- transformation, Jasmine- beauty and joy, Octopus-ancient wisdom, Cedarwood-relaxing, Green- healing and balance, White- purity, and the list goes on and on. The object doesn’t necessarily need to have a textbook definition - you can create the symbolism yourself.

Where My Home Altar Took Me

It wasn’t until recently that I actually began praying. After creating my home altar, prayer took me to a whole other level. It was as if, when I created my altar, I made a place just for me and God. When I go there, I am attentive and express myself clearly.

I encourage you Pinkies to journey into creating your very own home altars. If you are unsure about what-all it entails (this post barely grazes the surface!), I would recommend purchasing Altars by Denise Linn. She will tell you all you need to know to create your perfect home altar.

Happy journeying Pinkies! Have a great Mojo Monday.

Sacredly yours,
Megan