The great Joseph Campbell once said that an altar is “Your sacred space where you can find yourself again and again.”
And as someone who sits with her altar on a daily basis, I must say I agree. Now you might be asking yourself “what exactly is an altar?” and “why do I need one?” And we will get around to answering that but first, let me give you a brief background.
Altars have been used for many thousands of years, most commonly in religious practices or ceremonies where offerings are made to God or other spiritual deities. But at home personal altars are becoming more and more common, especially for those who seek to have a dedicated space for their own spiritual practices and/or self care rituals.
Most people, whether they realize it or not, crave a sense of holiness in their lives. This is why churches are filled every Sunday and every religious and holy place is constantly packed with visitors.
Having an altar in your home is a great way to bring that sense of holiness into the sanctity of your space where you can connect to God and yourself on a daily basis.
What is an altar?
An altar is a dedicated space where you show up for yourself, honor yourself, practice your self care rituals, and connect on a deeper level to your spirituality. It is a place in your home that feels holy and sacred.
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Your altar is your special place that you can access anytime to get in touch with your soul and just be at peace with God and source energy. Simply being in your sacred altar space can change your energy, power up your intentions, and lighten up your mood.
Personally, I have had countless healing experiences and tons of transformations in front of my altar.
It’s very magical, to say the least.
3 reasons why you need an altar
- Having an altar of your own is the perfect place where you can connect with your spirituality and conduct your self care rituals. An altar is representative of your sacred space where you can meditate, pray, journal, set powerful intentions, give thanks and gratitude, and get in touch with your soul.
- An altar will keep you accountable to your self care rituals. If you want to commit to daily self care rituals or having a consistent spiritual practice, creating an altar is the best way to do it as it is a visual reminder to come home to yourself and give your soul the attention it needs. An altar is also a tangible representation of your commitment to yourself. Related Read: Finding Time For Self Care: A Self Care Guide for Working Women and Busy Moms
- Your altar will become a source and location of positive energy in your home. And who couldn’t use more positivity in their homes?!?!
How to create your altar space
The first step is to find a space to place your altar. You’re gonna want to pick a spot where your altar won’t be disturbed by anyone physically OR energetically. This is your sacred space remember?!?!
If you don’t have much room do not worry, your altar doesn’t have to take up to much space. Big transformations can still happen in tiny spaces! A small corner of your room will work perfectly fine.
Next, you will want to cleanse the space before you begin your set up. Clean up any clutter in or around the space, sweep, vacuum, dust, and just give it a good tidying up. After you physically cleanse, it’s time to energetically cleanse. You can do this with sage, palo santo, or holy water.
Setting up your altar
Because each altar item will be representative of something that holds special meaning, no altar will look the same. Personal at home altars and altar items are based on each person’s preference, ideals, and spiritual goals.
Altars can be created on a table, shelf, plate, tray, or even on the floor. Here are a few options I like:
Now it’s time to choose the actual items you want on your altar. Here are some ideas:
Crystals and gemstones
Note: There are many crystals to choose from, these are just some of my favorites.
Amethyst for protection, healing, and peace
Citrine for positivity, creativity, and prosperity
Rose Quartz For Love, Compassion, and Joy
Candles
Beads and/or a Rosary
A Mala Beads Necklace can be used for chanting or just general placement. It’s great for peace and positive energy. A rosary is another item that can be commonly found on an altar.
Statues of deities
Deities are spiritual teachers or beings who have qualities you seek or teachings that you follow. These statues will work to help you embody their qualities, bring you blessings and guidance, and power up your manifestations and intentions. Some common deities are:
Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune
Ganesha, the remover of obstacles
Kuan Yin, the goddess of compassion
Sacred text, cards, or books
Sacred texts like the bible or any other religious texts can be kept on your altar along with any books that inspire you. Journals and oracle cards can also be kept on your altar.
Incense, sage, or palo santo
You’ll want to keep these consistently on your altar so that you can cleanse the energy of your sacred space every time you use it. I personally love to use white sage, but palo santo, incense, and even holy water can be used for cleansing your altar.
Nature Elements
If you want to work with nature energy, you can add items that represent the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. On my altar, I have a bottle of sand for earth, a bottle of holy water for water, a candle for fire, and a feather to represent air.
If you want to know more about working with the elements click here: WHAT ARE THE 4 ELEMENTS AND HOW TO USE THEM
Essential Oils
Much like crystals, there are lots of essential oils to choose from. I like lavender for calmness and peace and ylang-ylang for tension and stress relief.
Meditation Tools
You’ll be happy to have a meditation pillow to sit on while you complete your self care rituals and spiritual practices. If you want to work with sound energy a meditation bowl is another tool you might want to incorporate into your altar.
Other altar options
- Photos
- Flowers
- Plants
- Jewelry
- Any items that carry special meaning to you
Final thoughts on how to create an altar for your self care rituals
Setting up a personal altar in your home can bring a sense of holiness to your space, something that you are already craving which is why you are reading this. An altar can also give you a dedicated space to complete your self care rituals and spiritual practices.
It can also hold you accountable to your commitment to your spiritual journey and self care routine. The items on your altar can be anything that has a special meaning in your life. I hope this has encouraged you to create an at home altar of your own! I’d love to hear all about it if you do. Comment below!