The urge to create sacred spaces is so deep in the human psyche that, even when there is no formalized intent to make an altar, we often create them subconsciously by the way we gather our photos on a piano, or by the way that we carefully arrange objects on a desk or around a computer. This practice of deliberately grouping objects together may indeed be a descendant of the tradition of the home altar. The artful arrangements of books, flowers, candles and objets d'art commonly seen on coffee tables, fireplace mantels, dresser tops and other places throughout many homes and offices are perhaps an outer manifestation of an inner urge to establish hallowed and holy spaces in our environment.

Each item we display in the home, whether or not we realize it, makes a statement about which of our values and family traditions we wish to emphasize in our lives. Carefully placed groups of photos or displays of trinkets, jewelry, books or inherited objects reveal to the observer some of the values which are cherished by the home's occupants. For example, by grouping together old family photos in a niche in the wall, you may be unknowingly creating a memorial or ancestral altar which communicates the message that your family is important to you. A shelf filled with small animal figures might be a subliminal return to the native custom of exhibiting symbols of animal totems on an altar. Clustering special items around a computer monitor or on a desk can be an unintentional way of establishing an altar. However, because this process of creating an altar is a subconscious one, may of the spiritual benefits derived from the deliberate creation of the home altar are lost.

The value of consciously creating an altar is substantial. It can fill a void in the human psyche that yearns for the mysterious and the wondrous. By reinstating some of the customs from the past that were so sustaining and fulfilling, such as the purposeful creation of home altars (and adapting them to modern use), we welcome mystical and spiritual experiences into our lives.

Why Have an Altar?

Making and using a home altar is a tradition that anyone can follow, regardless of philosophical beliefs, and there is enormous value in returning to this time-honored custom. Present-day home shrines and altars can serve many functions. They not only bring a sense of the sacred into our living spaces, but in a deeper way they can provide a focal point so that we can connect with the spiritual realms within ourselves.

A home altar is like a small temple in your house. It can assist on the journey toward healing and self-integration, and serve as a place to honor celebrations and holidays.

It can also be used as a centerpoint for honoring rites of passage and life transitions. An altar can help bring a sense of order and meaning to key moments in life, such as births, baptisms, graduations, marriages, career changes, deaths, holidays, the changing of the seasons and other important turning points.

Creating a home altar can help strengthen family relationships. It is through initiating the process of remembering our connection to the sacred whole, to those who came before us as well as to those who will follow, that we can find the courage and human resources necessary to face the problems of the future. An altar can assist in this process and encourage an ongoing sense of continuity by being a place to honor past, present and future family members.

The home altar can also be used as a site for celebration and manifestation. Adorning an altar with fresh flowers, ripe fruit, aromatic candles and special objects creates a wonderful metaphor for joy and happiness.

Why Altars Work

In many ways the power of the altar lies in its visible appearance. The structure and objects of the altar appeal to our psyche because they give form to the formless and provide a visual representation of the Divine. It is difficult to comprehend the spiritual realm because of its unseeable nature. However, when objects are thoughtfully placed on an altar, they physically represent things which by their very essence are invisible, thus giving substance to faith.

Just looking at an altar can influence the way that you are feeling. You may be conscious of the pleasing colors, pleasant smells and beautiful images, and this can have an effect on you. However, in a much deeper sense, it is the subconscious mind, which is the part of the brain that dictates our beliefs, that becomes profoundly imprinted with the symbolic meanings of the objects, yet each one represents an ideal, belief, relationship, concept or idea. Together these objects become not separate symbols, but a synthesis that is far more than the sum of its parts. It is an altar's coherent and whole gestalt that so effectively impacts the subconscious mind.

The various components of the altar are not usually considered to be idols commanding worship, but rather reflections of the spiritual side of our lives. For example, a rose on a home altar might represent love. In some cultures, however, symbolic objects and representations are taken literally. In the ancient Hindu tradition, for example, objects representing the gods were not considered to be merely symbolic. When people encountered such an object, they believed that they were actually in the presence of the divinity so represented and would, therefore, be in a position to receive blessings from the god or goddess. While most people today do not share this literal view, nonetheless symbolic objects play a very important role in shaping our beliefs, which in turn can greatly determine the reality of life as we experience it. All the objects on an altar work as catalysts for the inner knowing places within us.

The visible form of an altar can also help strengthen our connection to our past and our future. This can occur through the use of ceremony which accompanies the use of altars. Whether the ritual used is thousands of years old, or whether it is a simple act like lighting a candle, ritual and ceremony are filled with the substance of life and carry us to the essence of being.

Most of our ancestors utilized ceremonial practices in every aspect of their lives, honoring the milestones in life, from birth to death. These rituals, performed solemnly in front of an altar, reinforced the fact that an individual was not alone but rather an integral part of a larger community which extended both backward and forward in time. Using the objects on the altar as focal points of ceremony helped put ordinary experiences into perspective within the greater panorama of life, and provided a way to step out of ordinary reality into sacred and spiritual realms.




Copyright © 1999 by Denise Lynn

From Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Lynn (New York: Ballantine Wellspring, 1999). Used by arrangement with Ballantine Books, Inc.