AltArs
What They
Are & What They Are Not
Why We Have Them
Why We Have Them
Animal Sacrifice?
Many people have misconceptions about altars.
Over the years I have heard it all from, “Isn’t an altar a place where you
sacrifice animals?” to “It’s sacrilegious to have an altar!”
So, let’s get this cleared up. No. I do not
sacrifice animals or anything else on my altar or anywhere! Second, it is not
only not sacrilegious but it is in
fact a way to honor where you came from and all that is important to you.
Why Have an Altar
But now you are wondering why? Or maybe,
hopefully, “Should I have an altar?” Yes,
you definitely should. I have several but to the untrained eye it just looks
like I have decorated shelves and table tops.
The “Why?” is easy; because an altar is a
reminder to you when you pray, and all throughout your day, of what means the
most to you. It helps to bring your mind, heart and your very priorities back
to focus! Isn’t that something we should
all do then?
What is an Altar? You Ask...
So what is an altar and how do you make your
own? I’m so glad you asked. Very simply it is just an area, (table top, night
stand, shelf, even an area on the floor), where you assemble some things that
are sentimental and remind you of what is important to you. Think of it as a
physical manifestation of your mission statement. You DO have a mission statement, don’t you?
What Do I Place on My Altar?
For instance you may want a
picture or several pictures of loved ones, living or passed on. An altar is a
great place for a picture or statue of your deity, whether it is Christ, Buddha
or whomever. You may want a piece of jewelry with sentimental value, something
someone made for you, a souvenir from a wonderful vacation. It can be anything
of significance to you. It is also a great place to put pictures of things that
you are working on manifesting in your life. If you need a new car, put a
picture, or better yet, a small model of the car you are going to get. In
addition to these things you should also have a white candle and some sort of
living plant or a cut flower in a vase. You can make it look nice by putting a decorative
cloth or scarf under everything.
Where Should My Altar Be?
Ideally your
altar should be in a place of solitude where you can kneel and pray, uninterrupted,
whenever you wish. This may be challenging for young mothers since no place is
off limits to kids but you get the idea. Just do the best you can. The altar
will remind you to kneel in prayer, not just once, but perhaps a few times
throughout the day. We all need all the help we can get so why do we forget to
ask the most powerful resource we have for His/Her help? And since you are
kneeling there anyway why don’t you also give thanks for all that you have? I
know if someone was always asking me for favors but never thanked me when I did
things for them I might get a bit tired of it. Ha ha! I guess I’m not as
patient as God, but I still think that thanks are always in order!
It's Simple, So Just Do It!
Remember, an altar is simple. It represents
you, your priorities and what you love. It is a simple reminder for you, in
your daily life, to slow down, take a breath and PRAY.
Check out my YouTube channel @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu23MlIEUbvytwOLQ62UZGQ
or by looking me up by name; Karma Cristie
I have a series of 10 short videos titled: "Learning to Love Yourself" and the first topic is "How to have a meditation practice in just 5 minutes a day!" I hope you enjoy it!
www.aMeditationCelebration.com
No comments:
Post a Comment