How do you create an altar that doesn’t look like an altar?
People who ask this question have
concerns ranging from the fact that they live with non-Pagans to not
wanting to upset visitors to their homes to just wanting something to
honor their gods without making their house look like an old-timey
witch’s hut. So, how do you do this? With an empty shelf, a table of
correspondences and a little creativity, you can create an altar that no
one could object to!
I mention an empty shelf, because this is the easiest way. Of course,
you could always use a mantle, or an occasional table for the setting of
your altar, but since you probably don’t want your altar messed with,
you might want it in a place that isn’t easily accessible to the casual
visitor to your home. (One couple that I knew had a bookshelf with a
built in cabinet. They decorated the inside of the cabinet and set up a
full, traditional altar- complete with all their tools, and when company
came, they simply closed the cabinet doors.) The important thing is that
you want your altar where you can see it. The purpose of such an altar
is to remind you of your own spirituality and to connect you to your gods.
The second thing you need is a table of correspondences. There are
literally hundreds of tables available on the world wide web, and books
galore on the subject. (Most beginning wiccan-or-witch/">Wicca books will have a table of
correspondences someplace in that book.) The easiest objects to
“disguise” are natural objects- like a stone, feathers, shells, etc.,
but there are many more objects that you can use to represent the
elements and your gods. For instance, the element of Air is associated
with communication. What about using an old dictionary, or a favorite
book for that element? Fire can be a difficult element to represent, but
nearly anything a red color, or that indicates movement can represent
Fire. The important thing is to keep in mind as you look through these
correspondences that you want to find objects that you associate with
each element and your gods.
Finding correspondences for your gods can be just as easy. If you simply
want to add masculine and feminine symbols, that can easily be done. A
flower (for the female), and an acorn or other phallic symbol can be
added to your altar. One idea that I have overlooked for a long time is
a lamp as representing the Sun! You can also find symbols relating to
your specific deities as well. Reading about your specific deities can
reveal all sorts of symbols that can “hide” in plain sight!
Most of all, when you are creating your altar, you need to use your
creative muscles. Gather up what you have decided to use as your
correspondences, and arrange them in a manner that is meaningful to you,
and pleasing to the eye. If you want to keep everything in it’s proper
quarter on your altar, and you don’t have the room, or it’s otherwise
impossible to place your objects in that way, consider making left
“West” and “North” and right, “East” and “South.” And then look over
your arrangement with a critical eye to see if someone might guess the
purpose of your arrangement. Chances are, they won’t.
With a little bit of creativity, an empty space filled with objects that
correspond to the elements and your gods can become an altar that won’t
upset the neighbors, is pleasing to your eye, and more importantly, is
pleasing to your gods.
We talked about alters at the last craft class and I thought this was appropriate.
Loki
Altar Devotion
Author Unknown
*Put your representations of the elements on the altar. The bowl of salt in
the North, the incense in the East, The candle in the South, and the bowl of
water in the West. First light the incense. Hold your hands over the
incense and say:
Creature of Air, i cleanse and consecrate you in the name of the
Lord and the Lady, may their blessings reside within you.
Then put your hands over the candle, hold the candle up and say:
Creature of Fire, work your will by my desire.
Put the candle down, hold your hands over the flame and say:
I cleanse and consecrate you in the name of the Lord and the Lady.
May their blessings reside within you.
Hold your hands over the bowl of water and say:
Creature of Water, i cleanse and consecrate you in the name of the Lord and
the Lady.
May their blessings reside within you.
Finally, move your hands over the salt and say:
Creature of Earth, i cleanse and consecrate you in the name of the Lord and
the Lady.
May their blessings reside within you.
While you say the words envision white light circulating around each
element. Take three pinches of salt and put it in the bowl of water. Hold up
the bowl of water and imagine that Spirit enters the water. When you feel
that the water has reached empowerment, place the bowl back on the altar.
With your dominant hand, draw four clockwise circles in the air over the
altar, then tap the altar with the heel of your hand four times.
Your altar is the place where you hold rituals, and keep or display
your ritual tools. It can be a coffee table, bookshelf, TV tray,
computer desk, or any other flat surface. An unattractive table can
be spruced up with a decorative cloth.
Depending on your space or living arrangements, you may have to keep
your altar small and portable. If you are unable to have a permanent
altar because of friends or family members, you can just set it up
and take it down whenever you need to. Using small items can make
this easier. Or you can create an altar space that can camouflage as
just a group of decorative items. Use your creativity.
There will be things you keep on your altar all the time, but during
the Sabbats, you can decorate with appropriate items. Your altar need
not be a static display. Changing it throughout the year can reflect
your own frame of mind as the seasons change.
One thing to consider when setting up an altar is the direction it
faces. It is traditional to have your altar facing North, but if that
is just not possible due to the size or arrangement of your living
space, then you may need to place it elsewhere.
If you choose to have items to represent the 4 elements, they are
usually placed at their corresponding direction:
. Fire - South (athame, candles)
. Water - West (chalice, sea shells)
. Earth - North (pentacle, bowl of salt or earth)
. Air - East (incense, wand, feathers)
Including images to represent the God and/or Goddess are also ideal,
like statues or artwork. Sometimes extra candles are used to
represent the Deities. Overall, the items you choose to have on your
altar is up to you.
Those following an eclectic path should feel free to create an altar
that represents their own spirituality. If you are a member of a
specific tradition, you may find that a certain altar layout is
expected.
Once your altar is in place, remember that it is a sacred place and
should be treated with respect. Whether or not you let other people
touch the items is up to you, but some people feel that other people
will bring ‘outside’ energy to your tools. Keep your altar dusted and
clean too.
This altar may be for you, another person or a pet in need of healing. In
fact, you can arrange groups of photos of friends and family who need divine
energies. This altar may be an ongoing, changeable altar that becomes a
source of hope and inspiration to many. Examples of altar objects. Status or
pictures of a dog or phoenix, symbols of caduceus, arrows, ring, jar or
yin/yang; colours light blue and green stones of Hematite and clear Quartz
crystal, the tree Holly or Oak, the herb Rue, the oil and incense Pine, the
flower Bachelor’s Button or Lilac. Examples of deities: Brigit, Yao-Shih,
Imhotep, Raphael, St. Cosmas and St. Damian. Suggested arrangement: If you
have only one photo of someone needing healing, place it in the center of
the altar. If you have several photos, arrange them in a line across the
altar so you can clearly see each one. Place the animal statue, stones,
herbs, incense, candles, flowers and symbols
around or among these photos. This will keep the flow of healing energy
moving among sick people at all times. from A Little Book of Altar Magic by
D.J. Conway
Developing a talent such as psychometric touch (or the sensory interpretation of an object’s vibrations), you must patiently practice, just like any other pursuit. However, in the long run the effort is well worth it as you become more and more able to read a person’s emotions, personality traits and often, the coming events of that person’s life, through an object of theirs.
When you work with the method described here, you will need both a candle, and a piece of crystal which has been stored in the freezer for a time. It does not matter in what order you do this exercise, but remember that it may take several attempts to distinguish between the heat of the flame and the cold of the crystal. You will eventually know which you are picking up, but as with all learning, it takes time. Be patient with yourself and follow the method.
Sit quietly in a semi-dark room with a table in front of you. Place the candle or crystal on a piece of white cloth or the table. White cloth is preferred because it will reflect rather than absorb the energy. Place your hands on either side of the candle or crystal, far enough away so they feel nothing. Rest your arms on the table and get comfortable, as you must now focus carefully. Take a deep breath and exhale completely. Continue to breath your Self into the relaxed and receptive Alpha state. Focus your attention on the palms of your hands and completely slip into that spot. Feel and imprint on your mind what the palms of your hands feel. Remain focused on this for a good length of time. The longer you can maintain this, the better the next try will be.
Now, move your hands just a little toward each other. Do the palms of your hands feel the same? Make note of any change in your impressions or have someone who might assist you, write the impressions down. Continue to move your hands a bit closer and note the sensations you feel. Do this until you either feel the temperature of the flame or stone, or until you are weary. I cannot give you any detailed description of what you will experience when you are drawing in energy rather than the temperature. The change is subtle so you must keep an eye. But I guarantee that you will know. Awareness comes with patience and practice. Psychic abilities are no different than any other form of training. They take time.
After you begin to feel the actual vibration from the flame or the stone, practice on items from people around you. The energy of the person added to the energy of the item, becomes an interesting mix to focus upon. This will further develop your ability and will demonstrate to you the wide variety of emanations that come from objects and people.
Psychic work is a must for anyone studying the occult sciences, no matter the path. “Visualization” is the psychic architecture. Your psyche must take in information that your conscious mind feeds it and build a picture of what is required. It takes focus and stamina, but is ultimately well worth the effort.
love votive candle
a passion flower plant or a miniture rose bush
spring water
house plant food love spell oil love spell incense
a large, pretty flower pot
a journal
On the evening of the Full Moon, set up an area where you can leave the
ceremonial items undisturbed, overnight (an altar). Place your plant in the
center. Contemplate this plant, admire it, and with love repeat this Earth
prayer:
I am grounded and rooted firmly in the earth, like this plant. I draw nourishing
energy from the Earth, the Sun, the Air, and Water, like this plant. The
elements of life sustain me.
Add the recommended amount of plant food to the spring water, and say this Water
prayer:
Cool water, symbol of emotion, sometimes still, sometimes turbulent, but always
moving. Like a great river, the deep ocean, the gentle stream, I will not grow
stagnant, and I ask the powers that protect and guide me to bless and purify
this offering.
Place this water to the left of your plant. Inside the pot, with a permanent
marker, write your name. Then write your incantation:
I am a living, growing being, just like this plant, always changing, always
growing, reaching for my own fertile, emotional maturity. Reaching Heavenwards,
I nourish and nurture this beautiful plant, the symbol of the love I have to
give, and the love I deserve to receive. Everyday the love in my life grows a
little bigger, a little greener, more lush, and soon it will blossom and bear
fruit. I am grateful to God and the Universe for the love I receive from this
plant I care for, from the people in my life, both familiar and new, from
animals and nature, and most importantly from myself.
Make sure you get a pot big enough to write all this!
Now, take the love votive candle, and anoint it with the love spell oil. Dab
some of the love spell oil on the love spell incense, and on yourself, too.
Place the candle on a small saucer or candle holder, and then put it inside the
pot, and set it to the right of the plant. As you light the candle, say the Fire
prayer:
Candle flame, element of fire, burn away the unhappiness I no longer need.
Allow yourself to relax, and clear your mind. (I suggest you use the meditation
techniques on this website.) Imagine yourself to be like the candle- feel the
line of energy running up through your center, like a wick, and feel the aura
about your head like a flame. Then repeat the incantation you wrote in the pot.
This is your personal incantation. Say it over til you feel satisfied, then
light the incense with the candle. Say this Air prayer with a sense of joy:
My prayers, my hopes, my dreams are carried like smoke on the wind, to Heaven.
The element of Air is everywhere, yet unseen, and like God, it sustains, and
connects, all life. My breath is my connection to all life and God, and I
remember to breathe life in deeply, as my constant, sustaining prayer.
Spend the rest of your evening quietly, play gentle music, relax, and
contemplate the meaning of the words you have said for the spell. Let the candle
burn down all the way. PLEASE, make sure it is in a place where nothing can
catch on fire!
In the morning, after you’ve had breakfast and feel awake, remove the candle
from the pot, and plant your plant. As you are working, admire the beauty of the
plant, smell its fragrance, feel and smell the soil, and say the Earth prayer.
Say your incantation as you work. Say the Water prayer as you water the plant
with the spring water. Find a nice, sunny place for your plant, and say the Air
prayer. Then light some more incense, say the Fire prayer, and be done with the
ritual. It is very important that you feel finished!
As you sustain and grow your plant, so you will sustain and grow the spell. But
it is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not obsess on it! Just know that it is
happening, and allow yourself to relax.
Make a habit of wearing a little of the Love spell oil as a perfume, and when
you really need to relax, drink a cup of herb tea, and contemplate the prayers.
Don’t think about the prayers, or obsessively repeat them in your head, but
contemplate, which means to meditate on the meaning behind the words. Use the
prayers as positive affirmations.
When your passion flower is mature enough, you can harvest a few leaves to make
tea, and you may even get lucky, and your plant will bear edible fruit! If your
plant dies, don’t worry, or take it as a bad omen! It could be the plant has
absorbed and removed a lot of negativity. Just repeat the ritual, and if you
think a passion flower plant just isnt going to do well in your home, try a
miniture rose, or maybe a hibiscus. The flowers of these plants can also be used
to make tea!
Know that you and your life will now begin to change, perhaps quickly, maybe
slowly, but change it will! Be patient, the amount of emotional healing you
require will determine how quickly the spell will work. Spells don’t work
overnight- it might be a week, a month, maybe even a year before you really
notice a difference, so be patient with yourself. Use the journal to vent your
feelings, good and bad, and use it to define the qualities of the person you
hope to meet.
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he’s not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars — all in the same day.
Dick’s also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much — except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
“He’ll be a vegetable the rest of his life,” Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an institution.”
But the Hoyts weren’t buying it. They noticed the way Rick’s eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,” Dick says he was told. “There’s nothing going on in his brain.”
“Tell him a joke,” Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? “Go Bruins!” And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, “Dad, I want to do that.”
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described “porker” who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. “Then it was me who was handicapped,” Dick says. “I was sore for two weeks.”
That day changed Rick’s life. “Dad,” he typed, “when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!”
And that sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
“No way,” Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren’t quite a single runner, and they weren’t quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?”
How’s a guy who never learned to swim and hadn’t ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.
Now they’ve done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don’t you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you’d do on your own? “No way,” he says. Dick does it purely for “the awesome feeling” he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 — only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don’t keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.
“No question about it,” Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the Century.”
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. “If you hadn’t been in such great shape,” one doctor told him, “you probably would’ve died 15 years ago.”
So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other’s life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father’s Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
“The thing I’d most like,” Rick types, “is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once.”
And the video is below…
If you would like to support Team Hoyt, please visit their site and let them know that Sacred Paths is helping spread their story.
Developing a talent such as psychometric touch (or the sensory interpretation of an object’s vibrations), you must patiently practice, just like any other pursuit. However, in the long run the effort is well worth it as you become more and more able to read a person’s emotions, personality traits and often, the coming events of that person’s life, through an object of theirs.
When you work with the method described here, you will need both a candle, and a piece of crystal which has been stored in the freezer for a time. It does not matter in what order you do this exercise, but remember that it may take several attempts to distinguish between the heat of the flame and the cold of the crystal. You will eventually know which you are picking up, but as with all learning, it takes time. Be patient with yourself and follow the method.
Sit quietly in a semi-dark room with a table in front of you. Place the candle or crystal on a piece of white cloth or the table. White cloth is preferred because it will reflect rather than absorb the energy. Place your hands on either side of the candle or crystal, far enough away so they feel nothing. Rest your arms on the table and get comfortable, as you must now focus carefully. Take a deep breath and exhale completely. Continue to breath your Self into the relaxed and receptive Alpha state. Focus your attention on the palms of your hands and completely slip into that spot. Feel and imprint on your mind what the palms of your hands feel. Remain focused on this for a good length of time. The longer you can maintain this, the better the next try will be.
Now, move your hands just a little toward each other. Do the palms of your hands feel the same? Make note of any change in your impressions or have someone who might assist you, write the impressions down. Continue to move your hands a bit closer and note the sensations you feel. Do this until you either feel the temperature of the flame or stone, or until you are weary. I cannot give you any detailed description of what you will experience when you are drawing in energy rather than the temperature. The change is subtle so you must keep an eye. But I guarantee that you will know. Awareness comes with patience and practice. Psychic abilities are no different than any other form of training. They take time.
After you begin to feel the actual vibration from the flame or the stone, practice on items from people around you. The energy of the person added to the energy of the item, becomes an interesting mix to focus upon. This will further develop your ability and will demonstrate to you the wide variety of emanations that come from objects and people.
Psychic work is a must for anyone studying the occult sciences, no matter the path. “Visualization” is the psychic architecture. Your psyche must take in information that your conscious mind feeds it and build a picture of what is required. It takes focus and stamina, but is ultimately well worth the effort.
A picture of the recipient (If you don’t have one, write the
recipient’s name and birthdate on a piece of paper, and visualize
him/her)
A quartz crystal (optional)
Rose, Eucalyptus, Gardenia or Peppermint incense, for healing>
The Irish Goddess Brigid is a healing Goddess, as is the Sumerian
Goddess Nanna. You can invoke Her with either of these names before
this rite for extra healing power.
The Ritual
Light the candles in a semi-circle in front of you.
Place the incense off to one side, and place the picture inside the
semi-circle, facing you, with the crystal on it.
Breathe deeply to center and then raise energy however works best
for you - chanting, singing, drumming, dancing, whatever
When you have reached your peak energy, direct it to the picture or
the piece of paper.
Directing it through a piece of quartz enhances the distance the
energy can travel.
Visualize the candles forming a protective ring of fire around the
recipient, blocking all harm and pain.
Visualize the healing light coming through you and finding the
source of the illness or pain in the recipient, coating it,
relieving the pain and filling the recipient with energy and life.
You probably will be very tired after this, so eat a piece of fruit
or bread and drink some juice or wine to ground and revive yourself.
Thank the Goddess, if you invoked her.
It is done.
Note: this ritual is an action whose end result affects another.
Please make sure the recipient of these healing energies actually
wants them.
