3 Simple Steps To Create An Altar In Your Home

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3 Simple Steps To Create An Altar In Your Home

By Tara Mullarkey
February 5, 2013 2:07 PM EST

Creating an altar is a sacred way to call spiritual energies into your home. It reinforces your intention to invite more peace, serenity, and love into your space.

It can be used for prayer, meditation, chanting, or just a place of sheer beauty and connection to the Divine.

3 tips for creating an altar in your home:

1. Clear the space.

Select a prominent space in your home, one that you will see regularly, to remind you to take time to meditate or pray. Clear the dedicated altar space with incense or a sage stick. Make choosing and cleansing the physical and energetic area a ceremony. In this way you are sending a message that you are committed to holding space for Spirit.

2. Select sacred items.

Choose items that you feel connected to. You may feel close to the elemental properties of nature or Hindu, Buddhist, or Christian deities. My personal altar holds a Buddha, Ganesha, Shiva Nataraj, Goddess Tara, Saraswati, a picture of Lakshmi, Jesus, Krishna & Radha, a Guadalupe candle, rose quartz and amethyst crystals, shells and feathers from around the world, and lots of candles and incense. Your altar should be full of items that you feel connected to. Be creative and play.

3. Arrange.

The way I like to arrange my altar is to sit in front of the space and pick up each item that intuitively calls me, hold it in my hand and say a short prayer of intention to a deeper spiritual connection, and place it on the altar. There is no right or wrong way. You can also follow feng shui, chakra alignment, or directional design based on the elements. Light candles and place fresh flowers and fruit as treats for the Gods. Keep the space clean and fresh. Follow your heart.

Every morning, I light a candle and a stick of incense to clear and invoke the light of the adornments and treasures. I meditate, stretch, chant & play my harmonium, and write near my altar. My dog is even drawn to lay near the sacred space.

Once you create your altar, make a daily ritual to meditate or pray near it. Use the sacred energy you've created to remind you of your highest spiritual intentions as you start and end your day.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

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About the Author

Tara Mullarkey

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Tara is a yoga and spiritual teacher, lifestyle mentor, intuitive healer, entrepreneur, aspiring author, and speaker. She is an ex-NYC corporate finance analyst who embarked on a spiritual sabbatical that took her around the world for 3 years living and traveling through India, Thailand, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco and Europe.

She now coaches and mentors women and men who are ready for a major spiritual transformation. She believes connecting to the Divine essence within is the pathway to living an abundant lifestyle of love, wellness, purpose and prosperity.

Tara writes a spiritual lifestyle blog, leads online courses, provides one-on-one mentoring, and speaks to audiences interested in matters of leaving corporate America, spiritual entrepreneurship, mindfulness, and living from the heart. Watch for her forthcoming book about her journey.

Her nomadic heart is currently living by the Caribbean Sea in Tulum, Mexico with her beloved pitbull Diesel.