From humankind’s earliest days creating sacred spaces has been a part of all cultures. Not only in churches, or temples, but also in homes worldwide, we’re drawn to establish personal sanctuaries for devotion, reflection, meditation, and prayer.
In my home, I have an altar set up on a small table in a corner of my bedroom. This holds my mala (Indian rosary), dried rose petals blessed by a saint, sacred images, flowers, and an essential oil diffuser, which also gives off a faint glow of light. It’s simple, but over time has taken on a feeling of deep, meditative calm.
Personal Sanctuaries
Increasingly, people are creating sacred spaces in their homes – places of rest and renewal apart from the fast and often discordant pace of life. These can be a corner, a table, or a room that contains objects sacred to the individual; a space that invites both a pause for reflection, and a place to meditate and pray. These dedicated spaces bring the sacred into everyday life instead of compartmentalizing it as something we attend to on Saturday or Sunday.
Home altars offer a place of transition, between the mundane and the sacred. Small rituals like lighting a candle, or burning incense signal our intention to connect with spirit. Over time these rituals grow in their potency and ability to ease us into prayer and meditation. As well, the spaces we occupy for our devotional practices take on a spiritual charge that can aid us by building up a sacred atmosphere.
Throughout the Globe
Throughout the globe there are some similarities in home altar arrangement. While traveling in India years ago, I found the practice of setting up sacred space was commonplace, and every home had an altar to display the family’s Isha Devi (the favorite divine figure) as well as other inspirational images. These might include pictures of the many Indian gods and goddesses, or images of saintly figures.
Altars displaying the Buddha’s image are widespread throughout much of the world even in the west. With the Tibetan diaspora, images of the Dalai Lama are frequently placed on home altars.
While not strictly altars, it’s common to see images of Jesus and Mary, as well as crucifixes, in many Christian homes which offer a constant reminder of the occupant’s faith.
Home altars can be small and humble, occupying only a tiny nook, shelf, or table, while others are more grand, often taking up an entire room, lavishly decorated with gorgeous art: imposing statues and ornate paintings, bells, or singing bowls.
What an Alter Holds
Altars always include devotional images of beloved spiritual figures – Jesus, a guru, gods, goddesses, or a saint – and sometimes a photo of a loved one who has passed on. Instinctively, we bring objects from nature that reflect the beauty of creation into our sacred spaces.
Incorporating the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and space is both a common practice, and simple one: a feather, wind chime or incense for air; for water it can be as uncomplicated as a container of clean water, or a vase of fresh flowers. (Be mindful to keep the water fresh and dispose of dying flowers).
The earth element can include a rock, a shell, crystals, and semi-precious stones, even a piece of bark. Fire is represented by a candle, an aromatherapy lamp, or incense. A flat surface in the middle of the altar represents the space element. A plate or small dish will do for this. You can then put the written words, or a symbol of your spiritual intention, or prayers upon this.
Basic Guidelines
The Chopra Center advises that the ancient Indian practice of correct directional placement of objects in the shrine area is important, and bringing in items to feed the five senses is recommended as well. For example a bell or singing bowl for the ears, incense, a scented candle, or essential oils to feed the sense of smell, and the cushion upon which you sit, or perhaps a special shawl, only worn in meditation, reflect the sense of touch.
Beautiful, sacred images that invoke the divine feed the eyes and prasad, the sacred offering of food, feeds the sense of taste.
A home altar can be as simple, or as ornate, as each person desires. After all, it’s not the space, or the items, as much as the sense of devotion the space evokes that is important, and this is personal. For some, a small, holy image, or prayer written on a piece of paper placed before a candle may be all it takes to invoke the divine. And this, of course, is the point.
Let’s Have a Chat:
What practices do you bring into your home to connect more easily with your chosen path? Do you find it helpful to have a dedicated space or ritual that aids you to slip into a meditative state or prayer? I’d love to hear what works for you.
