If
you didn't grow up with an altar in your home,
having an altar now may seem like an exotic and
unattainable idea. Yet having an altar does not
have to be complicated or difficult, nor does
it need to be based on a religion or a set of
ideas that don't seem to relate to you. An altar
can be a simple, personal expression of what you
want to focus on right now. You do not have to
build anything or take up a lot of space. You
do not have to buy anything new or follow a complex
set of instructions to create your altar. All
you have to do is have a general understanding
of what an altar is and the willingness to allow
yourself access to this wonderful, ancient tool
of transformation.
At its most essential, an altar is simply a raised
structure that serves as a resting place for meaningful
objects. It focuses the eye and provides a place
for contemplation and, if so desired, ritual.
All of these elements can be quite simple. One
idea for a simple altar is a pot with a bulb planted
in it, set on a box. This altar to growth can
act as a reminder to you that all living things
bloom in their time. A simple ritual might be
to write down dreams you would like to see come
to fruition on scraps of paper. You might place
these scraps of paper in the box, or under the
flowerpot, or in an envelope you prop against
the pot. As the flower grows, so will your dreams.
If you look around your home, you may find that
you have already created altarlike arrangements
without even really thinking about it; this is
something we humans do quite naturally. A candle,
a decorative box, and a vase of flowers are just
a few of the common household objects that lend
themselves naturally to the creation of an altar.
Simply add intention and intuition, and you have
created your first altar. Remember that it isn't
necessarily about the objects you place at your
altar-it is the time you spend with it daily,
taking the time to be with it for your sacred
time.
Celia Straus is the author of,
Prayers On My Pillow, Inspiration for
Girls on The Threshold of Change (Ballantine
1998) and More Prayers On My Pillow, Words
of Comfort and Hope for Girls On The Journey
To Self, (Ballantine 2000) and The
Mother Daughter Circle, Making Lifelong Connections
With Your Teenager (Ballantine 2003.) She
is also a scriptwriter of documentaries and
educational television. Straus lives in Washington,
D.C. with her husband, Richard Straus and their
two daughters, Julia and Emily. |
