This week I wanted to talk about these sacred spaces we have seen in the kitchen of our aguelita's house growing up or even seeing them every week on Sundays in Churches all over the world. What is the significance of these sacred spaces? What does everything on an altar mean? How do these items bring significance? Have you ever questioned yourself and asked the purpose of every item added on these altars? If so, I'm here to help you understand more of the significance and power that every item added on these altars have as they come with purpose and meaning. Every practice and or religion around the world has some type of altar that venerates their preferred "GOD", Saint, Goddess, Angel, Religious Leaders, Ancestor etc. however, most of the altars consist of the same foundation in creating these sacred spaces that helps us aligned more during communion and prayer.
Firstly, what is an altar and why do we create them? Altars are sacred spaces created to anchor in energy from their preferred spirit or energy that we can find in our surroundings using the elements. I personally use my altar to help me bring healing into the collective others use it to honor their ancestors. These sacred spaces were meant to be sanctuaries in where we pray, petition, venerate in order to have that spiritual link to the spiritual world in a very mundane society. For centuries we have used and created these altars and continue to be seen in a society that is now more "woke" or because we have more freedom of expression in where in the past altars were meant to be seen only in catholic churches or were always hidden from the public eye. If you get called or even have an altar in your home, it is because you were called to a specific sprit and chose to devote yourself to this spirit spiritually. I myself have a Santa Muerte Altar, pictured above, and it has grown over the years with me and have devoted myself deeply that I was curious about everything found on my altar and of how I was intuitively asked to honor it. Therefore, below I will be breaking down the more specific and very basic items found in every altar in hopes to bring in more enlightenment towards your own devotion in these sacred spaces.
Altar Cloths:
In every church you'll always find a white cloth covering their altars and at first when I constructed my own altar, I wouldn't place a cloth until I was called to do so. This was when I started to create altar cloths for the collective and for my own altar as it was always the foundation of the energy that my altar created/anchored in. Although, the church only uses white I was called to use all the colors or have all colors available to the collective as color is energy and the color of your altar can help you anchor in more energy of your preferred intention. For instance, churches use white only as white represents purity, holiness, innocence, new beginnings etc. in which they believe it represents their god's energy. This is the reason why I like to play or add colors to my altar like this week I placed a yellow altar cloth because I wanted my altar to help me tap into my power, creativity, happiness, sun energy, masculine, solar plexus and it has totally helped me anchor in that energy. It's like color therapy and the chakras shows us how they are also stimulated and healed through colors, as within as with out.
Meanings of cloths,
protection
blanket of wisdom
each color different meaning
energy points/portals
they carry connections/stories
a sense of warmth coming from/to deity
security blanket
altar cloths are like the cloaks that the head spirit wear in statues
Therefore, when you place and use on altar cloth you are laying a foundation for them to anchor in that energy or displace the wisdom you are in need for that day, week, month etc.
Offerings:
offerings can be given in any form as long as they come from the heart. Offering offerings is like a form of feeding our spirits so that they may continue to bless and protect us through this energy exchange. Again, I will be mentioning the basic offerings we mostly find on altars and the wisdom they bring through those offerings.
Water
intuition
wisdom
knowledge
memory
wishing well if no water that wisdom can't be poured into you
you place intention in water spirit drinks and carries your petition
light
Alcohol
symbolic to "blood of Christ'
representation of your blood line (wine= blood)
dark
The alcohol and water offered and placed on altars are a representation of polarities between "light and dark" therefore it helps anchor in the pillars of balance between logic and intuition.
Smoke
smoke is your intention/prayer being sent
smoke is logic
clears connection with head spirit
represents the communion between you and spirit
smoke is the presentation of the element air
Candles
the light that the head of spirit uses to find you and or guide you
light of enlightenment
power/passion/element fire
the candle on altar resembles our own sacred power
purifies negative energy
Flowers/Plants
earth element
beauty
feminine energy
nurturing
attracting
balance/grounding
Music/sound
music is frequency
helps tune into desired frequency
commune with head spirit
connection with natural elements because everything carries its own vibration
helps connect to heart space
used as a way of calling spirit to sacred space
Money/Ancestral Money
blessings
abundance
monetary wealth
attracting business/clients
Deity/Ancestor
the head of altar
the spirit you come to commune with
the power sources
Elements:
If you haven't noticed by now almost everything, I mentioned above has an elemental principal and extra charge towards your altar. Sometimes these altars only carry the elements of earth, fire, water, and air because we are also made out of the same components. I make sure to always have the elements on my altar and I use water for water, candle for fire, feathers for air, and food for earth. Sometimes I really go out of my way and get fresh water from my local mountains as a form of devotion towards my altar.
Discarding of offerings:
One of the most frequent asked questions I always receive is "what do I do with the offerings" and my answer is very simple "use your intuition". Sometimes we may get called to leave it at a crossroads or to bury it however there is no right or wrong way to discard your offerings. I usually like to return most edible offerings back to mother earth therefore I simply through it away in the trash because all trash always ends up on a land field full of trash. It's also very important to not leave food rotting on your altar as this tends to drain your altar of its energy since it is decaying. Over time I've also noticed how some foods don't rot on my altar, like red apples, either because my head spirit like the offering or simply because it's their favorite. I've also noticed how some offerings have their vitality removed or "sucked" out of the food like bread or candy. That is why when I get asked if its ok to eat the food off of your altar and witch you technically can however the offering can be very bland in taste because again its vitality was removed by spirit. Also, if food goes bad and or rotten very quicky it is a sign for two reasons. One, spirit did not like or wanted. Two, it was given in bad faith meaning not from the heart as the food is mirroring this back to you. You can sometimes see this in their alcohol offerings.
Places to discard offerings
bodies of water like a lake, ocean, river
throwing it away
burring it back into mother earth
leaving at a crossroads
following your own intuition
You can try my theory above by leaving an apple or choice of food offering on your altar and another one close by your altar and examine it over the days you will be very surprised.
Altar Hygiene:
Spiritual hygiene is very important not only to the body but as well as your altars hygiene and it's so important to be constantly shifting its energies. Always create a cleansing regime in where you clear out everything and replace everything with fresh new items and whipping down our spiritual objects. Our altars are like a filtration system and often pick up all the negative energy that is brought into our home or that is dump onto altar by us when we go to release emotions and energies. Always set new intentions when cleansing and placing items back on altar this will help you have a better connection with your head spirit and in keeping the energy cycling instead of becoming stagnant just how it occurs within. I tend to cleanse my Altar once a week sometimes sooner since I do a lot of spiritual healing for clients on my altar.
In conclusion, I hope that through reading this passage it helped you create your own rite of passage of greater devotion towards your own altar or maybe just maybe help you create your own altar. Creating my altar has helped me tremendously in creating that spiritual back bone in my own practice and through its own growth showing me how much I've grown too. Feel free to ask any questions below.