Do you have an altar?

Little Altars Everywhere

“…I can set a little altar, in the world or in my heart.  I can stop what I am doing long enough to see where I am, who I am there with, and how awesome the place is.  I can flag one more gate to heaven…”

                                                            Barbara Brown Taylor

                                                            An Altar in the World

“Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place---and I did not know it!”

                                                            Genesis 28:16

            I have an altar in my house.  On it I have placed photographs of all the members of my family as well as a cross, a small Buddha, several icons of the Virgin Mary, a rosary made from compressed rose petals, two cornucopia book ends, a poem written by my friend, Isie, a little string of Tibetan prayer flags and several shells, including a nautilus and a sand dollar.  I like to cover all my bases when it comes to veneration.  I don’t really worship at my altar, but it is a constant reminder of Spirit’s presence in my life.  Each time my eyes fall upon my altar, I am prompted to remember the sacredness of each day, of each person who blesses my life, and whom I have to thank for the sweetness that my days offer.  When something of importance or difficulty is happening with someone I love, I light the Virgin of Guadalupe candle and place their photo next to it.  I ask the Virgin to watch over them and bless them. 

            In the Genesis story, Jacob fashioned an altar from the stone he had used for a pillow.  He consecrated it with oil and named it Bethel, or ‘house of God, gate of heaven.’  An altar can be made of anything, or can simply be a space that feels sacred.  I live in an older neighborhood that has alleys behind the rows of houses.  Every day when I walk my dogs, we head for the alleyways because walking there is a little like walking on a country road.  There are no green swaths of manicured lawns and pristine flowerbeds.  Instead there are rambling wild roses, jasmine and purple morning glories growing with wild abandon among the tall trees.  One place I especially like to linger is a small grotto formed between the stucco wall of a carriage house and a dense bank of evergreens.  Inside, someone has created a secret space with all the things she or he loves—a blue bottle, a small earthenware bowl that holds water, several pieces of pretty glass and painted pottery.  There is a small wrought iron chair and several bird feeding dishes nested in the crooks of low branches.  I always feel a quiet sense of holiness there. 

            Having sacred space is an important part of acknowledging the presence of God in every day life.  I encourage you to create a personal altar in your home or somewhere that is holy ground for you.  It will help you remember that you too are consecrated, that your life is a unique expression of grace and that you have the authority, just as Jacob did, to sanctify a gate to heaven.

           

                                                                        In the spirit,

                                                                        Jane