EARTH By Renée McCready Lady Pachamama, Earth Wisdom Keeper
Altars as a Place of Right Relationship and Honouring the Sacred in the Everyday
"For thousands of years we have gathered in circle--around fires, around bodies, around altars-because we can't do this alone." ~ Wayne Muller There are so many ways to create altars. Altars are a very individual expression of your connection to spirit, the great mystery, ancestors and the earth. There is no right or wrong way to make an altar. They can be large or small, permanent or transitory, in your home and outside on the land. They can be for your personal use, or for use in group and ceremonial work. Altars are created and used by many people around the world. By indigenous, religious, and many people who have a strong spiritual practice. There is a common experience of creating sacred spaces for prayers to be focused, sent and received to and from the great mystery. Native Americans, Peruvians, Hindus, Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Celtic Druids, and many more find sacred objects for sacred spaces, in order to create an altar to speak to Great Spirit, God, Goddess, and the Divine.
Altars are a sanctuary, a sacred space. I see them as a portal, connecting us to the great mystery and the spirit that resides within all things. An altar space allows us to interact with totems, special meaningful objects, plants, crystals, stones, shells, photos or images of loved ones or teachers, seed pods, candles, incense or sacred herbal smoke, medicines, the elements, our ancestors. They are a place for meditation, daily focus or prayer, ceremony and ritual.
Altars are a microscopic container of the macroscopic biome ~ it’s a living relationship in your home that needs tending, being sure to always feed the spirit of place. I see my altars as the forest I live in and the lakes, rivers and mountains I was born to. I will always serve these spaces and places, in my heart
and in my prayers and offerings. I see nature as the temple and Earth as our altar. So when I collect sacred objects together to place in a considered way, I’m honouring through these objects my own physical and spiritual ancestors and also the indigenous ancestors of the land I’m living and breathing upon. An altar can be right were we are, in an open field, in your parked car, by the river, on a forest walk, in a hotel room, even just for a moment, in its ephemeral creation. Use this sacred space to ground and recalibrate yourself with whatever objects you have on hand, or natural objects you can collect from around you like a rock, seedpod, flower or leaf gathered in a meaningful and respectful manner.
How do I create a personal altar in my home? There are many ways to set up an altar. My offerings here are from a shamanic and earth wisdom perspective. You can also research other methods, or create your own intuitively. Firstly, set aside a place in your home that you feel drawn too. It might be in your bedroom on the bedside table, or on the top of a bookshelf in the living room. It might be a window sill or a special table you purchase specifically for this purpose. You can place a piece of beautiful fabric over it, or leave it as is, whatever feels
