Types of Altars

Types of Altars/Sacred Spaces
There is no limit to the kinds of altars which can be created. Some people decide to have one main altar, which may change over time as different needs or occasions arise. Others choose to create a special altar with one particular focus. Some may construct a multi-purpose altar that combines a variety of themes. Whatever yearning you hold in your heart, whatever you hope for and dream of—these will server as guides for deciding how you want to use your altar.

THE SUBLIMINAL ALTAR:
Each item displayed in our homes, whether we realize it or not, makes a statement about which of our values and family traditions we wish to emphasize.

Carefully placed photos, trinket, jewelry, books or inherited objects reveal to others some of the values which are cherished by the home's occupants. For example, by grouping together family photos in a niche on the wall, you may have unknowingly created a memorial or ancestral altar which communicates to others the message that family is important to you.

A shelf with small figurines might be a subliminal return to the native custom of exhibiting symbols of animal totems on an altar. Clustering special items around your computer monitor or desk can be an unintentional way of establishing an altar.

The value of consciously creating an altar is substantial. Your consciously created altar can fill a void in the human psyche that yearns for the mysterious and the wondrous, fulfilling and sustaining. Adapt your altar to your everyday life and welcome the mystical and spiritual experience.

INTEGRATION ALTAR:
This type of altar can help to deepen your connection to Spirit by the placement of the objects that represent parts of yourself next to one another. This will subliminally intensify your link to the Creator. Here you can gain a sense of wholeness and unity.

HEALING ALTAR:
This type of altar will provide powerful focus to send healing energy to yourself and others and to receive nurturing energies from the Spirit. The body, mind (including our emotions) and the soul are not separate. This type of altar is where all can be healed.

Objects on your healing altar must be brightly colored and should sing with vibrant light and energy. You might want to include an object that represents the person that you want to heal (photo, drawing). If it is dedicated to self-healing then you should use a photo of yourself in good physical and emotional health. If it is dedicated to global health, place a globe or a picture of the earth on the altar. Also, place something that symbolizes the spiritual realms in the center to provide a subliminal reminder that you are not alone in your journey to wholeness.

Use metaphors for the type of healing you would like to do. If it is physical health you need, put a vigorous plant on the altar; if it is emotional help you need wire together pieces of heart shaped glass to signify a broken heart healing. If healing from the loss of a pet, put the pets photo or toy on the altar. If trying to heal anger, let's say road rage, put a toy car on the altar and place a white dove next to the car to signify peace and serenity. If you need to heal from an emotion, write the emotion on a piece of paper and burn it at the altar and hold on to the intention that you will heal from that emotion.

In a hospital, a healing altar can offer solace to someone who is ill. By placing some very special items on a window sill, shelf, dresser or bedside table representing excellent health and another to represent the Spirit it can instantly shift the energy of the room from sterile and cold to warm and healing.

ANCESTRAL ALTAR:
In the past, home altars were used as a place to honor ancestors, strengthen relationships, and send love to descendants. The ancestral altar served as a reminder that we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and creates a feeling of being part of the continuum. This type of altar can help us to reconnect with our distant past and remember our connection to the sacred whole—to those who came before us and to those who will follow.

SPIRIT ALTAR:
One of the most profound uses of an altar is as a sacred place to deepen your connection with the Divine. This serves as a bridge between reality of the mundane and spiritual realms. It is where you can pray and untangle the brambles of your mind, quiet your thoughts, call back your nature, and listen to messages from the Creator.

Infuse your Spirit altar with energy, care and mindfulness, going very slowly and pointedly so that everything feels right before going on to the next step. There is no prescription for this type of altar, except fill it with love and the clarity of your intent to make it hallowed.

The spirit altar should have these three things:
1. something that signifies the Divine
2. Something that signifies you or humans in general
3. Something that represents the gateway or doorway between the two realms.

Example:
a feather to represent the heavens, a stone to represent the earth and humans, and a candle to represent the transcendental doorway between the two.

DIVINE FEMININE ALTAR:
This altar can be though of as signifying the Mother Earth's regenerative womb. Goddess shrines or altars were usually placed near the threshold, the hearth, in a sacred grove, or by the well. You can bring the Goddess qualities into your life by creating an altar dedicated to the purposes of representing wisdom, compassion and the life-force in all things.

Original sculptures of the goddess figure date back to 30,000 B.C. and were found all across Europe from Siberia to the Ukraine made from bone, stone, clay and coal. They usually had fully shaped breasts, bellies and buttock, representing their fertile potential. A bowl, basket, cauldron or chalice on your altar can represent the receptive energy of the feminine spirit. As soon as you set up and begin to use your Divine Feminine altar, the creative forces of the universe take you under their wing and gradually allow you to soar into vast inner spaces of your being. MANIFESTATION ALTARS:
There are several types of manifestation altars:
1. Love
2. Abundance
3. Fertility
4. Courage and Faith
5. Creativity
6. Affirmation

Love Altar:
Begin this altar by finding a representation of what divine love means to you. This object or picture can serve as a reminder that your higher power always wants you to have and to give love. Next, fill your altar with whatever images, fabrics, natural objects, jewels, flowers, scents or colors that symbolize the love you want to manifest.

Rich velvets in shades of purple and red, gauzy silk, dried rose petals, fresh flowers, the scent of musk, rose quartz crystals, photos of loved ones past and present—all of these can stimulate the love centers in your heart and mind. While meditating on these things, your frame of mind will become more loving and in turn make you more receptive toward love. If you are desiring romantic love, put pairs of things on your altar to symbolize couples such as a pair of lovebird figurines, pictures of couples embracing, statuettes of Venus, Aphrodite or Cupid, and use incense such as Ylang-ylang for romantic love and pink candles.

Abundance Altar:
The first step in creating your Abundance Altar is to evaluate what wealth, abundance and prosperity mean to you. When assembling your Abundance Altar, it is valuable to include some symbolic elements that represent what you already enjoy in life.

In a spirit of gratitude, take time to make an inventory of the good things in your life. When you have finished, decide what additional things you need or desire to feel abundant. Does being prosperous mean having more time to do things you love? Having more furniture? Or having the means to travel to exotic places? Take time to visualize clearly whatever images come up for you around words like luxury, abundance and wealth. The pictures and sensations which fill your mind will guide you in the selection of objects for your Abundance Altar. Make sure that when the objects are assembled, you altar feels abundant. For one person the color gold and richly patterned fabrics, beautiful stones, rich scents and heavy, embossed picture frames might be associated with luxury, so these would be good for her Abundance Altar.

The Fertility Altar:
Fertility Altars are among the most traditional and ancient kinds of altars. Fertility Altars can be used for affirming a highly productive, prolific or fruitful time in your life. Fruit, rice, a lingam stone and a figurine of a goddess with ample breasts are symbols of fecundity that you could place on your altar.

However, if you are trying to become pregnant, creating a Fertility Altar is a very special and conscious way to begin the life of a new being. The energy which you put into this process will ensure that your child will feel your desire and love even before it is conceived. Representations of fresh new growth and the colors of springtime are also associated with fertility and new birth. Pictures of babies, mothers, young animals, 6he abundance of the earth, new grass and the buds of flowers—all these images call forth within you the forces of new life, of beginnings and of fertility.

The Courage and Faith Altar:
There are times in every life which call for courage and exceptional strength and faith. Everyone goes through times of difficulty which can test their ability to hold on through pain and loss and other personal trials. For people who have a strong religious affiliation, it can be helpful to use icons or photos or small statures of deities and saint, Buddhas or religious teachers. For other, totem animals or objects representing universal symbols of strength, such as mountains, oceans, or the cosmos, can feel fortifying.

You can include symbols of earth, which has endured for so many millions of years, and of creatures which are traditionally associated with strength, such as lions, whales and elk. Choose objects that make you feel stronger just by looking at them. Let the power of the objects you have chosen sink into your awareness. Allow them to become one with you and know that their symbolic strength and endurance are becoming a part of your consciousness.

Know that you will not be given situations which you cannot find the courage to face and move through. Let the energy of faith and courage and strength flow through our body and soul, making you ready to handle whatever needs to be faced and overcome in your life.

The Creativity Altar:
This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something will eventually happen.

Creativity is the heart and soul, the very essence of Spirit. The possibilities for joyful self-statement are limitless when creating this type of altar. Have you always wanted to try painting, writing, sewing, carpentry, pottery or a new statement of fashion? Don't be afraid to express yourself and tell your hidden dreams here. No one has to see this but you, if that is the way you want it. This is a safe place for uninhibited statement, for trying out the ideas of which you have only dreamed.

To use your altar to resolve blocks, find objects which represent the fulfillment of an unachieved dream. Perhaps your parents told you that you were clumsy and you'd never be able to be a good dancer, and yet your creative spirit yearns to dance wild and free. You might find a picture of a dancer or a well-used pair of dance shoes to place on your altar. This will attune your altar to the attainment of your dreams. Your altar then becomes a template for you to begin to express yourself more creatively. Remember that the longings of your heart are often your higher self asking to be born.

The Affirmation Altar:
An Affirmation Altar is somewhat like the Creativity Altar, but it can also address specific areas of our life which may not be directly related to creative endeavors. This type of altar can help you through a difficult time or can assist you to accomplish a specific goal. You Affirmation Altar can help you achieve your goals and dreams. The Affirmation Altar can be devoted to any goal, hope or problem that you want to address. This altar can be very effective in helping you to realize the goals that you have for transforming yourself and your reality. Be sure to state your affirmations as though they have already become real. This prepares your mind to grow into this new awareness. Find objects and pictures, textures, colors and scents which symbolically correspond to the situation or attitudes which you want to change. Meditate in the presence of these things, saying aloud the affirmations which you have chosen for yourself.

Home
Back to Altars
To Create An Altar
To Altar Pieces