The weekly Moon class I’m teaching on-line and over the phone is half-way through its 9 weeks and I’m enjoying it so much! There is so much to learn and share about the amazing moon.
I thought I would share the topic from the Moon class this week because Fall is such a perfect time of year to create or spruce up your altar.
An altar is pretty much a place where you put things that are special or important to you. Having them in one place reminds you of their importance and brings you back to that as you move throughout your day.
It can be a tiny altar, on a corner of a bureau or desk. (One woman I found on-line actually uses a cutting board to hold her altar so she can move it around the house and keep it out of the way of her children.) Or it can be a larger area, even a whole room, like a meditation room. Placing things that are special to you in a certain place imbues that place with power. Just by having the intention that something is sacred; it is sacred.
Taking a moment to breathe, pray, meditate, be thankful, visualize your future or make wishes in the same spot allows it to become more of a habit and gives you somewhere to go if you need some inspiration.
It also gives you somewhere to put the beautiful Owl feather you found or the special stone you found on the beach. It brings nature inside. And brings what is special to you
front and center.
You can put anything on an altar:
photos
crystals
stones
shells
candles
incense
post cards
statues
things found in nature (acorns, leaves, seed pods)
flowers
food
pretty cloths
essential oils or blends
really, anything that calls to you!
In our Moon class we’ve been talking about the power of taking a moment to connect with the moon; either as a symbol of the divine goddess (as it is seen in many cultures) or as a symbol of the powerful workings of nature. Using the Moon as an anchor to a bigger picture takes us out of our busy worrying heads, which is marvelous medicine -like mindfulness, meditation and aromatherapy.
An altar is also a bridge between the mundane and the mysterious, a place to be creative and express yourself as well as a place to reconnect with your own deep longings and to the powerful sacred of the divine or the rhythms of nature.
Think of all the beautiful altars around the world; the marigolds and bright flowers at Hindu temples, the candles and food offerings at a Buddhist shrine, the candles, flowers and a statue of Mother Mary in an alcove of a church.
(check out my pinterest page for some beautiful altar images. You have to sign up to pinterest to see, but pinterest is so fun – you should do it!https://www.pinterest.com/crowladyhealing/images/)
Making and tending to your own altar is a practical and simple way to tend to the spiritual in your busy life. It gives you somewhere to go and a place to put things as you process and celebrate the days of your life.
Many of us have altars all around our house or in our gardens; it’s how we decorate – with a cluster of photos and maybe a shell on a bookshelf. And some of us have elaborate altars with candles and crystals.
So, this week either take some time to create a sacred space, no matter how tiny-even in the bathroom if that’s the only room you’ve got. (It would be great have in there for taking a quiet soothing bath!) Or, if you’ve got an altar, take some time to clear out the old and bring in some new items that remind you to re-connect to your dreams and have gratitude for all that you do have. (And email me a pic of your altar if you want to show it off!)
Have a great week!
xoxo
Katherine
