CREATING YOUR HOME ALTAR

When you decide to install an altar in your home it means that you have listened to an inner calling to literally “elevate” spiritual ideals—making them the priority in your life and the focal point of your home.

A home altar serves many purposes. It is:

• The focal point for your devotional practices
• The spiritual center of your house
• A reminder of spiritual principles
• A spot where the mind is dragged into the Heart
• A place of spiritual power and support
• A sacred space where your spiritual aspiration is nurtured and reinforced
• A hub for your spiritual practice.

Therefore, it is very important to create your altar consciously and to charge it again and again through your practice and devotion. In this way, it becomes a portal to elevated states of consciousness, to Divine Love and Grace.

What should I offer on my home altar?

Offerings made on your altar are expressions of love, devotion, and gratitude to the aspect of the Divine you are worshipping. When you fall in love with someone, you are inspired to give gifts and plan surprises for your lover. These are the offerings of love. In the same way, offerings made on your altar are an expression of the love you feel for your Eternal Lover, the Divine.

Basic devotional offerings usually comprise goods associated with the five elements.

These include:

Earth element:

Foods such as fresh fruit, nuts, and rice, or scented items like sandalwood paste

Water element:

Water (placing containers of fresh or spring water on the altar or sprinkling it with water from the Ganges or another sacred source)

Fire element:

Burning candles

Wind element:

Burning incense or frankincense

Ether (space) element:

Flowers, ringing bells

Important note: Never place rotten food or faded flowers on your altar!