Pagan Altars :)

[habbalah]

Re: Pagan Altars

I only really feel comfortable posting a picture of my big, work altar:

Spoiler!

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[Briton]

Re: Pagan Altars

It's been five months and since my plan, I have not been able to build my shrine.

However, I have managed to get started! I have gathered four sturdy, thick hazel posts and I have some oak which I have started cleaving for shingles. I need to make nearly eighty. I had originally planned for a roof that required nearly 140, I'll see how I feel once I get to 80. So far I'm closer to eighteen, but hey, who's counting?

I am. I'm counting. Ugh. But oak is remarkably enjoyable to cleave because it's so straight grained.

These are for an outdoor shrine.

Eventually, when I get my own woodland, I will build a new one, with walls made out of dry stone walling, hopefully, and use as many shingles as are remaining from this first shrine.

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I promise, I won't post here again until I'm finished and actually got a shrine to show for it!

[Jembru]

Re: Pagan Altars

I'm so ashamed. My altar is still dressed for the autumn equinox! I have been celebrating the sabbats since then but I decorate the fireplace in the livingroom and ignore my altar.

I think part of the problem is that my altar is in the study and JP's pc is in there so it's kinda become his own private space. Maybe I need to find a shelf in the bedroom or something...

[noface0711]

Re: Pagan Altars

I currently have a few little alters throughout the house, although looking to build a main one in our art/music room... just trying to find a space that our kitten can't reach

[Louisvillian]

Re: Pagan Altars

My main altar and shrine area, in my apartment, is literally my fireplace. It's not quite cold enough to justify having a fire roaring in the fireplace, so the wife's letting me use the stone area as the placement for an indoor altar. It's basically a stool with a bowl for burning offerings; I have a small photograph of my wife and I in front of it, from our wedding, because all offerings are made both to the relevant figure and to the genii of the heads of our household--i.e., me wife and I. The mantel functions like a very wide shrine. At the centre is the 'lararium' portion, being focused on the lar familiaris (represented by the human monolith until I figure out something better) and the manes or ancestral ghosts (represented by the skull). Both flanks hold an incense burner paddle, a candleholder, and a fragrant oil warmer. The left side also contains a cup for libations, basket containing some incense powder and bag of barley groats for Greek rites, and an incense cone burner. The right side holds a statue of Hekate and a depository container for offscourings.

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The terra cotta bowl on the altar used to be out front, before the wife started wigging out about the potential for our neighbours to see me burning animal bones out in front of the townhouse/apartment. Which I think is silly to worry about, but I did as she asked and brought it inside. I washed it out and currently use it to hold a candle into which I place certain burnt offerings: powder incense, food materials, and herbs or flowers.

[njsquarebear]

Re: Pagan Altars

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So hopefully you'll be able to see these photos, OK! I decided to create a shrine to the many cat friends I've had so far in my lifetime. Two things were going on: (1) That I had the ashes from my last cat, my little 'princess' Ginny, just stuck on a CD shelf for about 2-3 years and felt I wanted to do something meaningful with (until the day I can be buried with them in my casket) to honor her; and (2) I'd started collecting black cat figurines since my latest cat is, you guessed it, a black short-hair, Joey. So I decided to combine the two together, and also add the photos of the other cat friends who I've loved and enjoyed their company since childhood (in order): Mitten (a stray who never got his photo taken unfortunately), and the ones I do have photos for here (Thanks Mom!): Smokey, Dusty and Rusty, Missy and Muffy, Ginny, and finally my very bad boy, Joey!

The shrine is on the top shelf of a bookcase in my Dining Room (I actually have 3 other separate altars in my DR, a luxury that I'm taking advantage of, believe me). Since these photos were taken, I found a lovely little antique cast-iron cat face plate, that will be great for offerings, and have added a small battery-operated candle (memorial flame) since I don't want to do an open flame with a bookshelf filled with books! LOL

[anunitu]

Re: Pagan Altars

I am thinking you really like our feline friends..I have a statuette of a winged black and white cat.

Actually found an online picture of it..this is exactly how it looks.


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I bought mine many years back in a shop In San Francisco.

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From this site.
They seem a bit expensive,but I suppose depending on your taste interesting.

[njsquarebear]

Re: Pagan Altars

I am thinking you really like our feline friends..I have a statuette of a winged black and white cat.

Actually found an online picture of it..this is exactly how it looks.


- - - Updated - - -

I think Joey (a.k.a. Catzilla) would rather I spend my $80 on a better brand of canned food and cat treats for him than this statue!

[anunitu]

Re: Pagan Altars

I agree,though these days I can't have a cat with me..I really miss having one around me.

[njsquarebear]

Re: Pagan Altars

I am very interested in Druidry. I thought that it would be helpful in my spiritual / religious practices to create an altar which encompassed my devotion to the Gods, to the Nature Spirits, and to the Ancestors. Immediately though in trying to 'build' my main altar - which at the present also encompasses my 'Christo' (for lack of a better word) Pagan beliefs - I found my altar to be too complicated and 'busy' to be of use for me spiritually. So I instead decided to separate out my worship of the Ancestors into two separate shrines.


The first is dedicated to my late life-partner, Bob, who passed away at the early age of 50 after a 7-year battle with Pulmonary Hypertension. Besides being my life-partner for 13 years, he was also my mentor in many ways, and a great positive influence in my life. So after years - he died in 2001 - of having pictures around the apartment, then hiding them away in drawers, I decided to take my favorite ones and create this memorial shrine for him as he does remain a positive influence in my life to this day.

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I build the shrine on an old wooden school desk that Bob had salvaged off a local NYC street. It was one of his most favorite finds! It is in the corner of my Dining Room. On it I have a few pictures of him from over the years, as well as a picture of 'our' grave stone (since it is quite a distance away and because of health-mobility reasons I've not been at 'our' grave to lay flowers in a few years now). I also have small Celtic cross sculptural piece since he was (non-practicing but culturally) Irish Catholic. There's also a real votive candle that I light when I want to spend some time 'connecting' with him, as well as 'battery'-lit candle on the desk top since it is slanted and anything heavy will slip off (or get knocked off by the cat). I also added a small ivy plant - one of only two plants I seem to not have killed! - which adds a bit of life to the set-up. I'm pleased with how this looks... and works as a fitting memorial, and place to 'connect' with Bob.

[njsquarebear]

Re: Pagan Altars

This is my Ancestors' Altar. It is built upon the metal cover of the hot water radiator in the north-western corner of my Dining Room. It is right next to a window. I kept it simple. It stands on a forest green terry cotton towel.

At the moment, on one side there is a photo of my parents' wedding portrait (they were married right before my father entered basic Air Force training in WWII). There is also a picture of my maternal grandparents in front. [Unfortunately my father didn't have a photograph of his parents in his photo album... I know his mother died at a very young age during an influenza outbreak, and so his father sent him to live with his sister who owned a farm in the same town where my maternal grandparents lived. My paternal grandfather lived a hard life on his own, working in a shoe factory, and sadly died in his 40s, not really having known, or supporting financially, his son at all.]

On the other side of the altar is a large photo of an old boyfriend who died relatively young at the age of 52 from a sudden heart attack. In front of that picture, is one of my old bosses (also a very good friend) who died at age 40 from AIDS during that terrible time period the 1980s. Both of these men were very instrumental in shaping my life in a positive way to this day, so I choose to honor them.

In the center are two Royal Tara China pieces, based upon designs from the Book of Kells: There's a candleholder (right now there's a green candle, which I happened to just have because it matches the room's decor, but which I understand a white candle is the more appropriate color for the Ancestors' Altar?) There is also a small scalloped offering dish as well. For the longest time all my Tara dishes - part of my inheritance from my late life-partner Bob - were locked away in the china closet, it is nice to have a few of the pieces out and being actively used now.

[In going through my family's photo album passed down to me from my deceased parents, I did find a few pictures of 1 or 2 of my father's side of the family (summer BBQ reunions) which I will will probably alternate over time. I expect that my Ancestors' Altar will change over time with different pictures added/subtracted.] Above the altar happens to be a framed poster from a William Morris exhibit from the Arts & Crafts exhibit, "The Earthly Paradise" (it just happened to be there before I created the altar, but it's an interesting correlation I think since my ancestors' remains are part of the earth).] IMG_4511.JPG

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Pagan Altars

Looks very nice. Honoring ancestors plays an important part in my faith as well. We inclde those who have entered our lives outside of family but the family is the core on our altar as well.

[njsquarebear]

Re: Pagan Altars

Looks very nice. Honoring ancestors plays an important part in my faith as well. We inclde those who have entered our lives outside of family but the family is the core on our altar as well.

It was difficult for me to give honor to my ancestors if only because I lost contact with my maternal side of the family when my grandmother passed away (I was in the 4th grade) and our extended family decided not to celebrate the major holidays together anymore. My father's side as well were not particularly close - we'd only see 'em once a year at a summer BBQ some family member would host. Despite this, it's actually my older brother who many years ago did the family genealogy and traced my mother's side back to Germany (as expected) but my father's side back to ENGLAND (not Ireland, as was thought). My brother found out through old records that our family name's spelling was changed by a Catholic priest on the birth certificate of a great-great-great uncle or grandfather (can't remember which) from the original genuine spelling, Odell to O'Dell. (Believe me, our father was not happy to be told that... I was surprised how upset he was, actually.)

Anyways, I think it's easiest for me to think of my ancestors as all those - related by blood, or not, as is mostly the case - who have impacted my life over the years in a positive way... whether I've ever known them, or more likely, never known them.

[njsquarebear]

Re: Pagan Altars

This is my Ancestors' Altar.

Attached are pictures of my MAIN working altar-shrine. This is my first try at doing this, so it will definitely be a work in progress! (I took these pictures at least a month ago, so already I've done some adjusting by removing things and moving other things around so the altar is easier to practice my path at).

For starters, I am a practicing a Celtic Druidic "Christo"-Pagan. (My path is a work in progress, as my altar is!) Politcally, I hate the things Christianity and many "Christians" have done in the past and present in Jesus' name, but still find some beauty and meaning in the faith I've been raised in for 57 years. Two year ago I felt myself drawn to both Irish culture, mythology, paganism and Celtic Christianity (what is known in all these areas) and have decided to follow a blended path that venerates a God(dess), Jesus, Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Sophia (Divine Wisdom). I 'do' plan to incorporate Irish Gods and Goddesses, once I figure out which I'm called to follow (or s/he calls to me!) so that's why there is no imagery representing any of them on my altar at present.

This altar-shrine is also in my Dining Room. It dominates the East-facing side of the room (by chance). It is on a rugged sideboard which is 4-1/2' long and 17" wide. It had a shelf [not shown] below which holds other offering plates, candle holders, magickal and spiritual supplies.

Like most of us the vast majority of items on my altar have been either things I've collected over the years for mundane purposes and now put to spiritual use. Or gifts given to me or my late partner over the years... or by other dear friends. Or that I found in yard/rummage sales. I think the only thing I've bought in the photo is the Tarot deck! LOL

Given my background in fashion jewelry and other accessories, I've tried to coordinate a color scheme which at the moment is shades of green/purple/pink which many of the objects seem to be, starting with the flowered brocade altar cloth... on top of the riser is a draped purple silk shawl which a friend made. It's screened with silhouettes of people from the Middle-Ages.

On the LEFT side is a frosted Rose glass candle-holder (rummage sale); hand-blown '1000 shades of green' paperweight (bequeathed to me by my mother); stained-glass Celtic cross (gift); pottery Christian Communion plate and chalice (gift from my small group which I've facilitated for many years); and a handmade, lacquered Illuminated Manuscripts collage box (created by a dear friend who tragically succumbed to mental illness several years ago). This will contain any small magickal items/instruments which I don't wish to lose by my very mischievous black cat!)

In the CENTER is my ADF altar proper with my "World Tree" (actually it's a dracaena plant, only 1 of 2 plants in the house I've not managed to kill! LOL); an old silver-plated "Well"; and a blown glass "World Egg" (again my mother's). Also in front is an Irish Tara china offering bowl (solid offerings) and chalice (liquid offerings) which are part of a much larger China set which was my late partner's. [Not shown: votive candles in the rear.]

On the RIGHT side is an old antique brass plate holding a 'Book of Kells' candle (sometimes I light incense on it); green Depression-glass plate holding my Tarot cards and a vase (w/o flowers at the moment); an antique Lefton's "Holly" offering bowl (gift); and finally a Cloisonne bell (mother's) which I use to start and end my worship/meditation periods.

ABOVE the altar-shrine is a matted-framed gold rubbing made from some old stone in Ireland (I think). It shows the Madonna and child, along with some ladies-in-waiting and has a very medieval feel to it. (My late partner bought it and hung it back in 1998 and I've not gotten around to finding a more appropriate piece of artwork(s) to hang in its place. It does fit the altar to some degree, which is ok for the time being, as it's not distracting. What I 'do' especially like is that there is a 40watt picture light above it which provides enough light, along with the 4 or so candles I light.

I hope to get around to doing some significant changes for SUMMER SOLSTICE or LUGHNASADH by adding more natural / handmade items, as at present it's a little too 'high church' sterile IMHO.

[Jembru]

Re: Pagan Altars

Thought I'd share a picture of the altar from my autumn equinox ritual. I shared pics in my blog but I know not everyone has time for blog posts so figured I'd share here too (and also, I like seeing people's altars so don't want this thread to stay inactive for so long that people stop posting in it).



My only regret was that I did this during the evening of my first night off after a block of 4 nights so had been sleeping prior to the ritual and didn't have time to collect beech nut shells and rowan berries to add to the 'cauldron'. Ah well, maybe next year! ^^