Tips on how to create a home altar to connect with the divine.
An altar is a place to connect with the divine, a sacred space to focus energies, reflect, empower and manifest what you want to bring into your life, amongst other things. On your altar you place sacred tools, images and objects that help you to connect and feel good. Your altar is a reminder of your magical nature, symbolised by the objects you place on it.
Below I am going to share a few pointers on creating your own altar in your home.
Ultimately, everything is an altar, your body is your first altar – it includes all the elements – earth (physical), water (emotions), fire (spirit) and air (mind) – what you put in it, what you place on it, what thoughts you entertain, what energies you connect with, create and influence your altar. Your home is also an altar, Mother Earth is the biggest altar… But, here we are going to focus on creative a sacred space in your home to invite in connection to spirit and all that is sacred.
Creating an altar in your home
It’s a really beautiful practice to create a sacred space in your home with intention. Somewhere with purpose to focus and harness energies. Some pointers below, based on my experience.
- Create your altar in a clear and clean space. You can place it on a small table, or you can put it on a shelf or dresser, or something else that works for you and the purpose of your altar.
- Add a cloth to cover the table
- Set the directions and gather your objects for each direction. Below are the directions I work with, some directional elements may differ, based on the wheel you resonate with -
– East is wind (for mind) – this represents new beginnings, cleaning our thoughts and thinking higher, the space where the Sun rises new every day – can be represented by a feather or incense.
– South is fire (for spirit) – this represents our spirit and transformation, shedding layers and coming closer to the truth of who we are – can be represented by a candle.
– West is water (for emotions) – this represents the clarity off our emotions, how they flow like water – can be represented by a glass of water or a shell.
– North is earth (for physical body) – this represents strength and health in our bodies, also the place of our ancestors and letting go – can be represented by a stone, crystal or plant.
Then you can add objects that you love on your altar – pictures or statues of deities that empower you. Crystals (I like to put certain crystals on the area I am focusing on – i.e. I may put rose quartz in the centre for love and the heart). You can add a pyramid, which represents a solid foundation and grounding to the earth, whilst connecting to the higher realms. You can also place a photo of yourself looking happy and healthy on the altar, or your family and loved ones. You can add flowers and fruits and if you are wanting to bring something into your life, place that on your altar.
Keep your altar clean! I like to change my altar on the new and full moon and also clean it when I am having a bit of a stuck moment and need a little energy shift. Change the water regularly.
Know that when the candle is lit, you are in a deeper connection with spirit and your intention of that altar.
Creating an altar is an intuitive practice and can be done to suit your needs. I had intentional altars in every room of my last home, and I really worked with noticing what worked where – for me. Everyone is different, so experiment with what works for you.
If you travel a lot, it’s good to have a portable altar with you. Whenever I set my altar out, when travelling, I immediately ground myself and connect.
When I hold yoga classes, cacao or sound and moon ceremonies, or the Cosmic Pineapple events, I love to create altars with the intention of our gathering. Here you can add more flowers, fruits, whatever feels good depending on the intention, and sometimes I invite the people taking part to add their sacred object to receive a charge and add to it. I learnt once that every altar tells the tale of the ceremony that took place.
An altar is a devotional space of focus, for connection and communion with the divine and magical forces… A place to honour the sacred in all things. To come back home to yourself and your spirit and all elements harmonising together.
Read also: Earth Altar – A Sacred Prayer – by Melinda Nina Garcia
This post was written by Kim Booth