An altar has always been a fixture in my life. I remember the special elevated niche in my childhood home where the statues of Jesus and the Blessed Mother held court. In those impressionable young years, someone told me that if I wrote a note to God or His Mother, I might get my wish. I remember writing a letter and leaving the folded paper under the statue, but today I have no memory of what it was about!
People might have differing definitions of an altar. Mine is a sacred place on a raised platform, where an image of my Heavenly Father and Mother are displayed. The altar in the home can’t be anything but sacred because in all churches, the altar is the place where the important rituals and ceremonies are performed.
Until recent years, nothing much was written about altars in the home. But I know for a fact that it exists in many households that have a devotion to Christian and non-Christian faith. The altar is a focal point of reverence in the home, where prayers are said and where spiritual energy is spent on a daily basis.
Just like in the church, the home altar is a very important area as it serves as a place of worship. Therefore, it should provide a special sanctum where a person can have a mental shift from the busy life routines to the realm of spiritual energy. An altar is traditionally on an elevated piece of structure. It can be located inside or outside the house (preferably under a roof), but should be situated in a quiet area, if possible far away from the sounds of outside traffic, to make it conducive for prayer and meditation. An altar should inspire the winding down from the busy energy of the day. It should be a place that provides comfort and relief, hope and peace.
Just like in the church, the home altar is a very important area as it serves as a place of worship. Therefore, it should provide a special sanctum where a person can have a mental shift from the busy life routines to the realm of spiritual energy. An altar is traditionally on an elevated piece of structure. It can be located inside or outside the house (preferably under a roof), but should be situated in a quiet area, if possible far away from the sounds of outside traffic, to make it conducive for prayer and meditation. An altar should inspire the winding down from the busy energy of the day. It should be a place that provides comfort and relief, hope and peace.
The altar area provides boundaries that indicate its purpose as the personal sanctuary and spiritual space in the home. Just looking at this sacred zone should emphasize its separation from the goings-on of daily living. My altar at home is on a three feet glass-topped walnut sofa table that displays the images of the Infant Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and the Crucified Jesus. The assembly of the holy figures never fails to bring a sense of peace every time I catch a glimpse of it. It is the first and last view I see when I open and close my front door.
Items to put on the altar depend on one’s spiritual purpose. People put holy objects, icons, food offerings, photos of deceased loved ones, candles, flower or plant arrangements and incense. It is appropriate to include anything that is symbolic because the items make the space a special area in the home. Therefore the construction or furniture in that space is not as important as what the area represents in our house when we interact with it.
In feng shui, the most auspicious location for an altar is in the area that faces the entrance of the home so that it is the first thing that greets us when we open our front door. Symbolically, it means protection for the home and people living in it. An altar should never be located under a staircase or under an exposed beam or directly under the upstairs bathroom or in the bedroom. It should not face the staircase landing or the bathroom door or share the wall of the bathroom. Such arrangements are considered disrespectful and inauspicious.
The benefit of having an altar is the enjoyment of positive energy it inspires every time we’re in that sacred zone. It should resonate the away-from-the-maddening-crowd feeling as we wind down from the busyness of life outside. Once we’ve been used to having an altar in our comfort zone, we’ll never ever want to live anywhere without it.
