Samadhi Rush Episode 181// Creating Sacred Space with an Altar

Hi loves,
SO happy to be together. I love you all so much.
Today’s podcast originated through a conversation I am having with super-soul heart listener Louise. I adore the conversations we have between and among each other in this community of yogis; to that end, keep in touch! Tell me what is stoking your fire lately or what you’ve always been curious about. We will explore together!

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What is an altar?

My personal working definition of an altar is as follows:

• An intentionally created space that reminds me of my connection to the divine, and a place to make an offering to the collective divine essence.

The altar itself is a sensory experience that slows me down enough to connect with presence. And it allows me a physical space to practice pouring out all of my love and devotion. This practice makes it more likely that I am able to pour that same love and devotion into my daily interactions with others, into my work, into my-own-self. It is necessary for my own practice.

The form of the altar (what it looks like, what the elements are) is a place-holder for its substance, the intention and essence behind it. Along those lines, we can build altars anywhere and with anything.  In her book Healthy Happy Sexy, Katie Silcox talks about creating a shrine in the kitchen to as a reminder “of the sacred connection between my body, soul and the food that is being prepared.”  And “a shrine is an external reminder of the sacred inside us.”

How do I make an altar?

You can make altars anywhere! Some of my favorite altars have emerged during walks through the woods with my daughter, where we gather leaves and sticks and arrange them with love around the base of a tree trunk. Nature altars are ephemeral and can connect us deeply with the inevitable changes that comprise a life. You can set up an altar in your meditation space: filled with the things that feel meaningful or inspirational to you in the moment: words, photos, crystals, locks of hair, whatever. Personally, I like to make the altar a multi-sensory experience:

• Something to see// a photo of an archetype, person who inspires me or needs extra care, some element of nature that can help me through a particular challenge;
• Something to smell// incense, palo santo, an amazing smelling candle;
• Something to touch// a crystal, a tuft of moss;
• Something to hear// this could be an actual sound-maker like a bell or a mantra to repeat silently or aloud;
• Something to taste// this is some seriously potent stuff here– place chocolates on your altar for a little bit of time and then offer them to a loved one.

Adding shiny elements to my altars really makes me happy, too.

How do I care for my altar?

Let your altar be a living organism. Care for it. Wash it. Feed it. Let it change. In order to really get the altar humming, you must attend to it. A dusty altar is not indicative of a mindful, living devotional practice. Wash your crystals. Dust your photos. Give the altar’s elements a break from time to time: charge them up in nature.

Here are a few photos of the altars in my home:

The family altar

The kitchen altar

A desk altar

A cedar tree altar

My heart altar

Traveling altars

Your turn! Tell us about your altar! Send a photo! Also, check out the hashtag #littlealtarseverywhere on instagram for inspiration.

Reading: Yukti verse 28 from The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche.