Creating your Sacred Space

Altar Basics

Altars have been used for centuries as sacred places or spaces to perform rituals and connect with Source. Many religions have altars or sacred spaces to perform rituals, for example in the Catholic Church, the altar is in the front of the church, where Mass is performed and the body and blood of Christ is received.

Your altar is your own sacred space that allows for you to honor yourself and have a safe space that represents your inner values.

Setting & Basic Set Up

You can have your altar in whatever space you have right now, the angels, ancestors and guides will understand. It can be a side table, or on top of a bookcase or small table. Whatever you have right now will work and you can always expand on it over time.

To start with, you can choose a picture(s) you would like to display. It can be of your parents, a teacher, mentor or someone special. You can have a picture of yourself as a child to represent your inner child and a hand drawn picture of what you think your higher self looks like (check out my post about creating a higher self artwork) as well as a mirror to represent your present self.

Incorporate the 5 elements of nature, earth, water, air, fire and space. For example, a live bamboo plant represents earth and water and candles represent for fire, air and space. I have a vase with flowers that I replace weekly, a live plant, candles, and incense.

If you can add something to trigger the 5 senses, this will help you step into the vibration of your sacred space. A singing bowl for sound, a fruit bowl for taste, a cushion or mat for touch, scented candles or incense for smell and everything will be a part of the sight element.

Anything you consider sacred also deserves a spot on your altar, it could be memorabilia from your childhood, a gift you received, or even photo. You can also put these things in a box or container, I suggest checking out your local thrift store. I’ve always found the exact thing I was looking for, just go with the intention and assumption that you will find it.

Sacred texts or books can also be on the altar. I personally have the Power of Psalms on my altar to help with inspiration for prayers as well as the prayers that already are in there. I also have my Reiki & Chakra books on the altar as well, as I work frequently with those. I found that any texts that you will reference frequently in your work belong on my altar as I am constantly getting new insights and downloads since doing so.

Optionally, you can add any statues or symbolism you may have for any deities you are working with or wanting to work with. Yantras are also great, yantras are geometric shapes and symbols of Hindu deities to help with meditation. Always do your research thoroughly and have respect when interacting with any deities.

You can also include crystals that you like or that you’ve researched and want their energy to be a part of your sacred space. Amethyst is great for intuition, psychic abilities, meditation and working with your abilities. It’s deep purple color corresponds with the third eye and crown chakras, and I’ve found that it syncs the two to help with receiving and deciphering divine messages. My personal favorite is Labradorite, it has really helped with me honing in on my abilities as well as keep my energy protected during readings and when I’m out and about.

Using your Sacred Space

Honestly, your sacred space can be used as often or little as you please, however it requires for your intentions, actions and for you to breathe life into the space otherwise, it is just specific decor. I personally use my altar space to journal, meditate, pray and play my sound bowls, as well as perform rituals occasionally. The important thing is to use it as you feel called to and for you to follow your intuition. This is your journey and your sacred space, use it to serve you.