image credit Clifton John Galasinao
Creating an Altar or Sacred Space
Creating and maintaining an altar can be a simple and effective way of shifting our focus from an outer world of doing to an inner world of being. An altar is any surface or area dedicated as sacred space that provides for a focus of spiritual intention. An altar doesn’t need to be fancy or ornate. Simplicity can actually help you to create focused intention.
Our intention for Soul Bridging is to create a place of rest, replenishment, delight, and discovery – in that way Soul Bridging itself could be considered an altar for Michelle and I. We carefully choose what contributes to it, in order that it holds the highest vibration possible. Through the energy of our intention we support connection, both for you internally through your personal work, but also through connection to wonderful and ordinary people doing soul work in the world.
Michelle and I want to share our personal altars with you in hopes that you will do the same. Let’s start a conversation about how we create sacred space in our everyday lives!
Michelle’s Altar
I have several altars in my home. Each of them hold sacred space that always reminds and calls me to remember who I am, and who I am called to be.
The altar in my creative workspace has a cloth from my Grandmother which represents all my ancestors. Placed on the cloth are two clay pieces; one, a woman representing the Divine Feminine and the other, a hand representing the Divine Masculine. Between them is a small basket that holds small gemstones that I use to offer prayers and intentions. I am committed to uniting these two energies within me.
Behind the cloth is a braid of sweet grass. Said to be the hair of Mother Earth, it is made of three braided strands representing love, kindness, and honesty, known by some as walking the Beauty Way. With the sweet grass is a sage stick. Sage medicine purifies and dispels negative energy. Quan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion, is to the left and she holds the door of compassion open always for me. On the right is a horse , a very important energy in my life – my journey with the horse invites me deeper into self discovery around true power, presence, friendship, and an indescribable love. Above my altar space I have placed my drum. It represents a renewed connection to rhythm and relationship that transports me in to greater connection to all that is.
My candles represent Spirit and serve as a reminder of my eternal connection to the light, as well as my commitment to continue to transform my darkness and bring the light to those places.
May you be inspired to create your own altar.
With love, depth, and beauty;
Michelle
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Therese’s Altar
My altar space is a very simple table in my workspace at home. A statue of Quan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is seated on a violet silk cloth with a candle behind her. Violet is the energy of bringing heaven to earth, and the candle is symbolic for bringing light into the world. Quan Yin carries the divine feminine (Sophia) energy of wisdom and loving kindness. I chose her to be the centerpiece of my alter to support me in being kind. I have a quick nature and this can be experienced by others as abruptness and impatience. Quan Yin’s presence serves as a reminder for me that I must always work through compassion and kindness to bring light into the world. Beneath the silk cloth and the alter are crystals that I sometimes use during meditation.
Next to the alter is my meditation space and burning bowl. During times of anxiety or stress, I will write my worries, fears, or unfulfilled hopes on a small piece of paper and place it in the bowl. When I am ready to let it go, I take the bowl outside and release them with fire.
We hope you will share your altar story. Sacred practices inspire others and your story may inspire someone else to make room for the sacred in their lives.
Love, light, and blessings;
Therese
Create Your Own Altar
A personal altar can be very easy to create. Choose a quiet space – a table, shelf, room, or even an area in nature will do. As you establish your altar space, it is important to set an intention that the space will be used to hold the energy of the divine. Light a candle, or burn incense to sanctify the energy of the space. As you select objects for your altar, choose meaningful items that represent, for you, your focused intention. They will serve as a regular reminder of what you are attempting to accent in your life. You may choose to cover your altar with a cloth, select a color or texture to the cloth that is symbolic or representative of intention. As you place the objects on your alter, focus your intention and infuse them with the power of your thoughts. Don’t be afraid to change your altar items over time. When new changes and challenges present, bring them to the altar for focused intention and inspiration.
Going to the Heart for a New Perspective - "Nothing But Itself", by Heidi Rose Robbins
Mindfulness is a practice of being purposefully aware of ourselves and being fully present in the moment. Through practicing mindfulness we strive to become fully attentive to our thoughts, actions, sensations, and feelings in the moment. Mindfulness is a path to developing deliberate consciousness.
Love holds the power of connection and understanding. While it is harder to hold loving kindness in some relationships, anchoring interactions in the heart can make a difference. Follow these quick and simple steps to connect to the power of your heart and uplift all your interactions. Breathe slowly and deeply into your heart center and down into your abdomen. Continue deep breaths until you feel a quieting and steadying of your emotions. Focus your attention at your heart center in the middle of your chest. It may help to actually touch the center of your chest with your fingertips, but it's not necessary. Consciously breathe into your heart center and connect to the energy there. Think of something that helps you to feel loving connection. This can be a person, experience, or place that brings you to love and connection. Hold that feeling of loving connection during your interaction. Try practicing these steps when you are not stressed. It will make them familiar and easy to use in those high energy moments when they are really needed. The HeartMath Institute has wonderful tools and training to harness the power of the heart. Check them out.
The Seventh House of the horoscope represents the areas of life associated with Marriage, Committed Relationships, and Partnerships. Relationships and partnerships show up in our lives in many different ways. Committed relationships such as marriage, significant business relationships, contracts, negotiations, and any of the legal parameters concerning these connections, are all represented by the 7th house. As an ‘air’ house, the activities here are associated with connecting to and relating with others. The tone and nature of the connection between two people sets the boundaries, or establishes the container, for the relationship. One’s interpersonal style of relating and communicating, as well as one’s intellect and perspective on relationships is characterized by the particular sign on the cusp of the house.
Going to the Heart for a New Perspective - "Nothing But Itself" by Heidi Rose Robbins
Cycles are sequences of events, ever repeating but never the same. Expressed as the in-breath and the out-breath, night following day, summer making way for fall, markets that boom and slump, and the cycle of life ~ birth through death. These small and large cycles create a dynamic equilibrium over time. What is now will pass with the end of the cycle and a new and fresh day will awaken for each of us. How do you see cycles within the rhythm and pattern of your life? When we begin to understand our lives as the ongoing expression of small and large cycles, we begin to alter our expectations when periods of darkness, contraction, or slowing present in our lives.