All My Sacred Corners
This week I was organizing my house and putting away all the holiday decorations that may have gone unnoticed with the first round of cleaning. As I was doing this, I noticed all the beautiful corners I have created in our home without even being conscious of it. Designing a cozy and intentional home comes naturally to me when it’s my space. I mostly loved the years I spent living with roommates, but there is something special about blessing your own space. Often you don’t even notice you’ve created altars until you take time to notice. I have dried flowers in the corners of my shelves, crystals arranged with intention, photographs of my family next to incense burners, and special pouches carrying small sacred totems.
The altar is a sacred space that has been used for thousands of years to honor rites of passage, offer food to the ancestors, or create focal points for prayer. Traditionally, an altar is a raised platform or stone that is used as a sacred space for offerings, sacrifices, or objects. The word “altar” is derived from the Latin word “altus,” meaning “high.” Altars were originally designed to honor gods or religious figures and very much taken by the Catholic church; however, altars have been used in many faiths, spiritual spaces, and also secular personal practices for as long as humans have believed in something.
We can remember that religion is a social institution found in all cultures. The systems of beliefs, ethics, values, and practices will differ depending on those cultures. However, most of these communities can provide a sense of belonging or cultural identity, although we know that some do have dangerous intentions. This is a good time to remember that there are many paths to love and ways to honor that love.
Altars are at the center of many faiths and paths. They tend to display things like statues, candles, incense, bells, crystals, symbols, journals, food, and photographs.
My Papou is in the party hat and I don't think I have ever seen him smile this big in my life. He is no longer with us, so I like to keep this photo on one of my altar spaces. My YiaYia is on his right, whom I never met, but I still feel so connected to her.
Because humans have been building altars for so long, much has changed and much has stayed the same. Altars can come in all shapes and sizes, and they can serve many purposes. You can express your own beliefs and create an altar that feels special to you; it is a spiritual and personal space, so align it to your needs. Your altar does not have to be at the center of your home; in fact, it can be anywhere! Find an intention and roll with it. Perhaps ask yourself, “what is sacred to me?” and start there!
A winter altar I created the other day to bless the land outside my home.
You can have seasonal altars and nature altars made of leaves, flowers, sticks, or rocks. Fire is often a key part of elemental magic and comes through in burning incense, oils, and candles. Specific aromas of incense and oil have symbolic meaning. Sage can be used for cleansing or Sweetgrass to call in good energy. Candles in different colors reflect the changing seasons, amongst other aspects of the natural world. Water can be poured into a small vessel to represent purification. Photographs of ancestors are widely used on altars to welcome their spirits. Below are a few altars I have created myself and with others, and just looking back at each one brings me so much peace. I would love to see the altars you come up with. Send me a photo if you feel called to create one!
