All About Altars
Altars are a great way to focus your energy on something. The dictionary definition says “used as the focus for a religious ritual, especially for making sacrifices or offerings to a deity.” I want to note here that a sacrifice can also be seen as an offering. The money you spent on the offering is a sacrifice. The food you make for your altar is a sacrifice because it’s food that you won’t be eating.
Let’s talk about the different types of altars. There are a few that come to mind.
Ancestral altars
If you follow me on Instagram you know that I’m always talking about ancestral altars. This is the altar that helps you reconnect to your lineage. Sign up for my newsletter to receive a free copy of my ebook on ancestor veneration. All you need is a shelf or table you do not use for anything else, a white candle and a glass of water. Be sure to change the water once a week to keep the energy from becoming stagnant. as your connection grows with your ancestors, you can add offerings you think they would like, for example ancestor money, coffee (no sugar), their jewelry, tobacco favorite things to eat etc. if you do add coffee and food, be sure to change it out every few days. You don’t want things to get moldy.
Personal Working Altars
There are no rules with personal/working altars. You can create an altar for the season and switch it up for each season. You can create a money altar with your favorite symbols to attract money. You can create a space where you can create your personal conjure oils, fixed candles etc. You can create a love altar, healing altar, whatever your mind and spirit draws you to. The possibilities are endless.
Deity altars
Deity altars can be put together for your personal deity you are working with, to concentrate your energy into connecting with that deity, as well as a space to make offerings, etc. Some altars shouldn’t be created for a deity unless you are initiated into a religion, but others like Isis, or other Egyptian deities, can be created without initiation. I’m not the deity police, but just throwing the warning out there.
Temporary altars
You can create a temporary altar for a deity that you’d like to recognize on their feast day, or doing a special working say a love working for valentine’s day or any kind of temporary work so that after the work is done you can take it down. I love using TV tray tables for this kind of work. They fold nicely for storage when not in use.
Your body
Yes that’s not a type-o. Your body is a temple, treat it as such. Make sure to drink your water, eat your veggies and treat yourself with love and grace. Everything else will click! You can also wear your ancestors jewelry if you have any, clothing, scarf etc.
Do you have any altars at home?
