updated altar

I posted awhile back about how I was having difficulties with my altars: Creating one that was functional as well as aesthetically pleasing, making it something I could connect to, and most importantly, finding a place to actually put it! After a great deal of rearranging I was able to carve out a corner of the bedroom, and this is how it has looked for the past couple months. I am pleased.

On the wall above are pictures of God and Goddess forms I've felt an attraction to. From left to right: Persephone, Hekate, the Star Goddess, Freyja, Thor, Artemis, Shiva/Shakti, Dionysos, Durga. Framed are pictures representing God and Goddess, male/female duality, and the cycle of the seasons.

This altar feels a lot more personal and "me" than the last one, and I'm really happy with it. I feel very comfortable sitting in front of it -- and now it's actually at a position where I can sit, finally! I like all of the little trinkets. The goddess candle made for me (and other coven members) as a Yule gift by the head priestess of our coven, as well as a stone she gave me during my training period. A found key. A small wooden Artemis figure carved just for me, for winning a candle-making contest that was held to honor her light-bringing aspects.

I still plan to work on it a bit more, but now it has room to grow organically.

altars, as they were, and thoughts on the future

My main altar, as it was back in May of 2007. It was pretty, but I didn't use it as often as I wanted to -- partially because I was feeling something of a disconnect spiritually, and also partially because it felt more ornamental. A friend suggested that I meditate on what gods and goddesses I really wanted to have a relationship with, and also reminded me that my altar is as much for me as it is for them. I think that was a big part of my problem with this altar... it didn't contain much of myself.

A separate problem is the position of the altar (on my dresser), which is a bit awkward since I have to be standing the whole time I'm doing something. I would like an altar that I can kneel in front of of just for comfort's sake, but have no place in the house to set something like that up. I've been working on changing this altar around (it's quite deconstructed at the moment), but I'm also thinking I might need to have some tools and supplies stashed someplace in the living room too where I can just set them up on the floor as needed. It's the only area large enough to have a full circle anyway, so I think that's how it'll be. The bedroom altar will have to just be for devotionals.




I love my Aphrodite shrine, however. It's good as it is. :-)

thoughts on prayer

Although I honor both God and Goddess, I am definitely more drawn towards the Goddess (in all her forms). I joined The Order of the White Moon about a year and a half ago and have been slowly... very slowly... going through their training process ever since. I'm in Level II of the courses now, and the latest lesson had a choice between continuing on the Path of Magick or the Path of Prayer (whatever the student wants to learn more about). I chose prayer, and had to answer these questions:

How has prayer been a part of your past spiritual practice?

What have been the positive aspects of prayer for you?

The negative?

What and whom have you prayed for in the past?

Have you used any of the following in your prayer practice:candles, incense, chanting, bells, drums, visualization?

How would you like this practice to change, to grow?

How does prayer work?

How does your belief and energy mingle with the Divine?

What are your beliefs about the Divine?

My responses:

Prayer has been a big part of my past spiritual practice. Its my primary mode of interacting with the Divine. I mostly pray for things for myself, though I occasionally say a prayer for a friend or a family member if they’re going through a rough time. Sometimes I say a prayer along with an offering of incense, or light a candle and just talk to whichever deity about my concerns.

Prayer is generally a positive experience for me because it makes me feel connected to my deities. It helps me to calm my mind, and feel more peaceful. Generally, if I go too long without talking to them I am more likely to get stressed and irritable. That feeling of connection to the divine is very important to me. As for negative aspects… well, sometimes I have the fear that I’m just talking to myself. Not in the sense of questioning the existence of a deity, but questioning whether the divine listens or cares or acts in the world. That feeling doesn’t usually last long, but is just a part of my eternal skepticism.

I’d like to deepen and expand my experience with prayer though. My prayers are usually very short and simple. Simplicity is good most of the time, but I wouldn’t mind learning how to better add spontaneous complexity, and just to vary my practice in general.

I think prayer works because the divine hears and responds. Things like raising energy I associate more with magickal work, though I think that can be combined with prayer for good effect, especially in ritual.

I believe that the divine is within everyone, within nature, and within the universe – though not limited to any of these things. It is male and female and neither. Like facets of a gem, I believe deity has many distinct and separate faces that are still part of one whole. I’ve been reading Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries, and there was a quote by the author that I felt describes my belief well: “The Goddess exists within and without simultaneously. In calling Her forward, I am awakening Her within myself and asking that She come into my conscious awareness. At the same time, I am calling Her from Her own realm where She exists independently of me… It is a multi-layered process. I am a part of Her; She is a part of me. Once I invoke Her, I open myself to embody Her. This is different than becoming Her. For me to experience Her presence, She must already live within me, so that I can recognize Her energetic presence when She arrives.”