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.
Virgo is the second sign of the zodiac to have Mercury as the ruling planet, the other is Gemini. At first glance, Virgo and Gemini seem vastly different, one is an earth sign and the other an air sign. They are both however, mutable signs which means there is a high degree of flexibility and adaptability with each. When I began my studies in Astrology, I often wondered why these signs shared the smallest planet in the solar system as their ruler. The key to understanding this rulership is to consider the qualities of Mercury itself, rather than comparing the particular qualities of the signs.
The Sixth House of the horoscope relates to the areas of life concerned with Health, Service, Work and ‘day-to-day’ tasks and responsibilities. This is an ‘earth’ house so the activities that occur here are practical and relate to the underlying structure of one’s daily life. Naturally ruled by the sign of Virgo, some related concepts include areas of service and devotion, refinement (improvement), analysis, discernment and systems. Mercury is the planetary ruler drawing in the elements of skills, craftsmanship, intellect, ‘busy-ness’ and those things which require hands-on attention in one’s daily routine.
Eclipses are known as evolutionary gateways, giving us the opportunity to grow up in new ways, to wipe clean the slate of old patterns, and to emerge somewhere different than when we entered. They also signify that something has completed itself, something is ending to make way for the new. To take advantage of these powerful energies we need to examine what changes may be needed in our lives. We are dealing with an aspect, Sun trine Uranus, which will offer us the support that we need to adjust to the changes that may occur in our lives or on our planet. Even though this is a harmonious aspect, with Uranus in the picture we must be prepared for the unexpected, the explosive, the unpredictable change.
Heidi Rose Robbin's Wednesday Poem - Home
I Can No Longer be Contained Permission, permission, permission. Answering that once in a lifetime call to live your authentic life! Poem [s3bubbleHlsVideoJs bucket="soul-bridging-poetry" track="i_can_no_longer_be_contained/poem/master.m3u8" aspect="16:9" autoplay="false" advert_link="https://s3bubble.com" disable_skip="false" /] Commentary [s3bubbleHlsVideoJs bucket="soul-bridging-poetry" track="i_can_no_longer_be_contained/commentary/master.m3u8" aspect="16:9" autoplay="false" advert_link="https://s3bubble.com" disable_skip="false" /] If you love Heidi's poetry like we do, check out her collection.
Now, anyone reading the news understands that President Trump enjoys being at the center of attention. Well, the “Great American Eclipse” is certainly part of the script to “Make America Great,” and Trump may have been the man destined to make it happen. For starters, the Aug. 21 eclipse occurs conjunct the fixed star Regulus. As the lion’s heart of the constellation Leo, Regulus since ancient times has been associated with kings and kingship. A solar eclipse conjunct Regulus would have been an omen for the fall of the king. (And most certainly not news a court astrologer would want to have to deliver to his royal patron.) And, if that weren’t enough, the Great American Eclipse falls directly on the point that was rising over the horizon at the moment of President Trump’s birth (assuming the birth certificate released by the campaign is accurate).