One of the ways that people in every setting can honor the sacred as part of daily living is to create an altar for their home. An altar need not be elaborate or expensive. It is a place in your home that you designate as a place of honor and respect, a place where you take the time to acknowledge the spirit of your home, thanking it for the gifts it offers you, and recognizing that it is part of the same life force as you.
Here’s an audio version of the written information below, if you prefer to listen to it.
As you listen, please press pause when you need additional time to do take in the ritual.
And, please remember never to listen to these recordings when driving or using machinery.
An altar may contain anything that, for you, represents the sacred. Some people prefer to have candles and sacred objects from particular traditions. Other people choose crystals, feathers, leaves, flowers, and other objects that have personal meaning for them as aspects of their altars. The key thing is that you place on your altar those objects that speak to your heart, speak to your deeper sense of “something more” than the three-dimensional physicality of your home.
The objects on your altar reflect your awareness that the spirit of your home is a living presence that collaborates with you to create the quality and tone of your living space. What matters is the meaning you put into the objects you choose.
Part of the ritual of having a home altar is to approach the altar as you leave your home, perhaps bowing to it and thanking the spirit of your home as you leave for the day. Then, when you return, you again bow to the altar to again honor the spirit of your home as you enter. You may want to have a candle to light when you are home, or as part of a brief ritual where you light a candle, honor the spirit of your home, and watch the candle burn for a few minutes before blowing it out.
When creating rituals for honoring the sacred in your life, there are no hard and fast rules. The key thing is to allow the sense of the sacred to become a more vividly enlivened aspect of your everyday experience, and to remember that your home is enfolded in the living presence of a spirit that embodies the essence and qualities of the place you inhabit. When you enter your home, you become enfolded within the presence of that spirit, and your home altar allows you to more vividly remember and express the collaboration that unfolds between you and this living spirit.
And, doing this ritual allows you another opportunity to share your gratitude and blessings with the spirit of your home.
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