Last week, I talked a little about using an altar for meditation, and having a mixed-use prayer/meditation altar.
Creating this altar can itself be meditative. Before choosing each element, take a deep breath, still your thoughts, and allow yourself to focus fully on the task of creating this altar.
What are some practical considerations?
It should be in a location where it is physically accessible for you. I had an altar I knelt at, and I had to rearrange everything after my knee injury made kneeling inaccessible. It should also be in a location that is easy to keep clean.
Some people like austere, simple altars, and some like a huge array of sensory stimuli. These are personal choices. Be sure you have everything you need at hand. If you prefer an austere look, then a drawer or storage box is helpful. You’ll want candles, incense, incense holder, and matches. You may want crystals or stones or other meditation objects, a rosary, a book of prayers or meditations, and perhaps symbols of the four elements.
Because this is a prayer space, you will want an idol or representative of the deity to whom you pray. This may be a devotional altar to a specific deity, but because it is a mixed-use space, you should be able to move things around, to move your focus for that prayer or that meditation before you.
This is my prayer altar. You’ll notice right away I like the cluttered look. It is primarily a Kali altar, and you can see that She has central position, many symbols, and many things that belong to Her. But you’ll also see Bast represented (lower right)—I added Her when my cat went missing. There’s a tiny little spot of red in the lower left, which is actually Radha’s skirt; the “love” portion of my altar didn’t fit in the frame.
Thing is, when I’m focused on Bast or on love, I can move things around. If I need to pray to Shiva, I can bring Him forward. The black mirror that serves as a base to my altar pulls focus, so whatever I move on and off the mirror determines my meditation or prayer subject.
This altar is on my dresser. I can stand comfortably, and I can pull up a rocking chair. I have different types and colors of candles, and the red box that Shiva is on top of has additional supplies in it.
All this clutter tends to get dusty, but cleaning the altar is itself a meditation.
