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CREATING AN ALTAR
by Renee Bledsoe

Creating a sacred space to focus your mind, still your thoughts and go within is becoming increasingly important to more and more people. As many of us begin to work with and experience the benefits of meditation, prayer and ritual, creating a special place within our homes is coming to the top of the priority list. We've put this resource together to offer some suggestions to help you create power places and altars in your home and even your office or workspace.

If you don't have time for an hour or 30 minutes of meditation, just bowing and offering candles and incense can make quite a difference to your state of mind.

The basic altar is a focus of spiritual inspiration and beauty: it could consist of simply a candle or candelabra, or a flower or flowers, a crystal, a holy icon, a picture of a saint or religious leader, or an object endowed with personal meaning, placed, with reverence, in a clean and high place.

Since an altar is a focusing tool, it is important that everything on the altar holds great meaning for you. You can have more than one altar. Many people have altars and shrines in their home that they aren't even aware of. Altars do not have to be traditional to be effective.

What do you collect? What do you gravitate towards? Do you connect with nature or knights....buddha's or saints... mystical creatures, angels or butterflies? Whatever makes your heart sing will only help you go deeper within. However, following tried and true practices if you are seeking to create a certain kind of altar can be very helpful.

Often just stepping into the sacred space or standing before your altar can trigger deep peace within you very rapidly.

An altar can provide a special place that is set aside and dedicated to connecting with our own soul and with universal powers. It is important to remember that the highest function of an altar is to help heal, empower and enlighten ourselves. All the instructions for altar making in the world will only help if you can connect. So most of all make an altar or a space that is sacred to YOU and use it to find your own truth!

JUMP TO:

All About Altars - Beliefnet
This article will appeal to those who resonate more with Eastern philosophy.

Four Elements Altar
This article will appeal to those who resonate more with Wiccan/Pagan or earth based philosophy.

Altar-Making
A comprehensive article on both indoor and outdoor altars.

Harmony In Design
Visit this site for articles on using the ancient art of Feng Shui.

Feng Shui - IDD
A repository of articles from the Interior Design Industry perspective.

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