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.
The Fifth House of the horoscope is most often identified as the house of Children and Creativity. Within this realm we also find Sports, Leisure, and Romance. So, what do each of these areas of life have in common? This is the natural house of Leo, so those things that make one shine have front and center stage. They each represent our creative self-expression, what we want to offer up, and how we want to be recognized. These are things we feel proud of and want to shout out to the world, “this is mine”, “it’s my baby”, “I did it”!
Full moons always heighten our awareness. Whatever is not in balance and integrity is challenged to evolve or dissolve. With the Sun in Cancer, representing the Mother principle, and the moon in Capricorn, representing the Father, we are asked to bring into balance the masculine and feminine energies within ourselves. We must learn to integrate assertiveness with cooperation, and bring our head and heart into alignment.
Home and Family, along with psychological roots and ancestry, are the areas of life represented in the Fourth House. Naturally ruled by the sign of Cancer and the Moon, matters of inner security, comfort, nurturing and mother is found here. This is a “water house” and so one can naturally assume there is a great deal of emotion reflected with many of the undercurrents present in family, representative of our ancestral roots and flavoring our individual experiences. The cusp of the Fourth House is at the base of the chart, where our past and our roots are anchored. It is from this location that everything in one’s life tends to flow, or at least begin.
I am certified Singing bowl Massage therapist, sound therapist and Reiki Master. I am is a native of Scotland, now living in Virginia USA. My passion for helping people started many years ago when I went to college to study Health and fitness. I earned my Diploma and went on to become a PT and fitness coach. I was born with natural healing abilities, as was my mother and grandmother. A few years ago I decided to use these abilities to help others. At this time I met a Monk from Nepal and began my journey with singing bowls.I set off on a journey of learning, not only about Vibrational healing, but about myself and the ability we all have when we set the right intention to encourage and motivate others. I now have a thriving practice and I am thankful every day. The people I meet and have met inspire me to learn all I can and continue to share with them and the world how we can heal through vibration. You can find me on FB@ Healing Benefits of Tibetan and Crystal singing bowls. Blessings Sarah Holbrook
I‘m attracted to comfort. There’s a magnetic pull towards comfort that’s so pervasive I’m hardly aware of its influence. What I’m discovering, however, is that my peak life experiences are never found squarely in comfort. They aren’t found in discomfort either. Rather, my peak experiences are found somewhere balanced on the edge. Peak experiences are those times that excite me and scare the heck out of me. It’s something I want to experience, but I’m anxious or scared – not sure I’m up to the challenge or discomfort. It’s usually something I’m excited about and boldly say, “Heck yes! I’m all in.” And then days or weeks later wonder, “What was I thinking? Why did I agree to this? Am I really going to do this?”