Creating Altars in the World

Altar in the Center of Life

“Altars mark the potential for communication and exchange between different but necessarily connected worlds, the human and the Divine. They make visible that which is invisible and bring near that which is far away.”

Kay Turner (Beautiful Necessity)

Years ago, in the 1990's, I was part of a Spirituality Group that met monthly to explore the many ways of touching the Divine. One of the best features of those gatherings was the altar we created in the center of our circle. We began by simply throwing a pretty scarf or two on the floor in the middle, and placing a few candles and perhaps a jug of flowers or pretty leaves. The participants provided everything else. They brought photos, rocks, crystals, jewelry; whatever represented the topic of the night for them. Suddenly the real meaning of Altar—a sacred site for ritual—came into being. Over the course of our time together, each person told the story of the object they brought, how it had come into their lives and what it meant to them. Everything on the altar was blessed by the group and returned home. At each meeting the altar changed, but it was always in the Center and ever beautiful.

For as long as human beings have walked the earth, we have had an innate desire to bring meaningful objects to sacred places. From our cave days forward, we have brought everything from bear claws, arrow heads, and wooly mammoth tusks to gold and semi-precious stones to altars around the world for blessing and as offerings to the sacred in our midst. I watched the Mayan people of Guatemala bring beautiful tapestries and hand woven clothing to small shrines in the mountains to give thanks for their blessings and to offer them as gifts. The Jewish people in the middle east and native people all over the world create stacks of stones (cairns) to commemorate their visits to holy sites. Native Americans create stone circles (Medicine Wheels) aligned with the rising and setting sun in their sacred places. Usually these sites are located over the Earth's energy centers, but even when they're not, they create their own energy; people experience them as holy ground.

I hope you will create an altar for yourself in some place that feels sacred to you. Visit it often; take small objects that have some meaning for you. You may find that others will follow with their gifts, too. This is one small step toward bringing spiritual awareness into everyday reality.

In the spirit,

Jane