Creating A Personal Altar (And Why You Should)

So you wake up every morning with intentions, goals, and expectations. Some days unfold according to plan, but some are completely off.

These are the moments in which you may feel like giving up on your goals. Thus, it’s helpful to have a designated space that allows you to reflect and make necessary adjustments. A personal altar offers you a place to focus and get clarity on your situation.

Why You Need a Personal Altar

When you’re overthinking a situation, it’s because there’s inner turmoil. A personal altar is a physical expression of the kind of clarity you can achieve when you reconnect with your deeper, higher self.

A personal altar creates an environment of calm. It’s an accessible source of clear, positive energy. Use it when you want a place to express gratitude for what’s going right– or when you need a place to explore your frustrations in a peaceful environment.

4 Factors In Building a Personal Altar

Altars have existed over history, across many beliefs. However, altars are also a space that offers a sense of grounding, no matter your belief system. Personal altars allow you to stop and be present.

They don’t have to be elaborate. Your altar can be a space in your house or another spot that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to take up much space. If you only have a place in the garden, that can be your altar.

Now ask yourself the following questions to build one that works for you and keeps the energy positive:

Do you like the spot?

Tap into things that already make you happy. While you can build a personal altar from scratch, start with the familiar. Ask yourself how each space in your home makes you feel. Start there.

Next, add things that make you happy, whether that’s a book, photo, or other sentimental objects. Adding something from nature, like a plant or flower, is also a great idea.

How much time do you plan to spend there?

How often will you be using your altar? You can go there as often as you want but strive for a regular time. This builds consistency, which is crucial to grounding your energy. You can visit your altar in the morning or evening, maybe both — but strive for regularity.

Privacy

Create your altar somewhere where you can sit without interruptions and distractions.

Have a conversation with the people who live with you and let them know when you need some quiet time. If that’s tricky, make a “portable” altar, something you can carry with you to wherever you can get some quiet time.

Intention

Deciding to build a place for private time, reflection and grounding is excellent. However, make an intention to actually utilize your altar.  This means that you don’t do other things in this space. Designate it to yourself entirely.

Feel free to change up the things you place on the altar as time goes by. As you grow, adapt your personal altar to items that are meaningful and that make you happy.

-Wahu Kariuki

Photo by Paul Milasan on Unsplash