Altars shift things: They can open.
In the opening, release comes.
In the release, comes transformation.
In the opening, release comes.
In the release, comes transformation.
Holy ground. In the midst of the ordinary, there is holy ground. Special spaces to pause, breathe, remember, set intention, give thanks, release, restore, recommit, celebrate. These are ancient rhythms, these practices of the spirit.
An altar: something on which an offering is made. A shrine: where reverence and mystery are made visible. My spiritual practice is the making of altars and shrines, purposeful spaces in which spiritual encounter happens.
I search out old vintage boxes waiting to become altars and shrines, wooden boxes mostly--old clock cases, drawers, childhood pencil cases, cigar boxes, boxes of character that hold a trove of already-told stories. Symbolically, boxes can limit, hem in and exclude...but they can also contain, hold, nurture, inviting new stories to emerge.
Maybe a word inspires, or a line from a poem or a sacred text, an image, a news story, a feeling, a memory. I never know. I use cool old found objects, natural materials, items that are symbolic or metaphorical. I let the sacred story unfold between container and materials.
I facilitate group workshops and private sessions in the experience of altar, shrine and memory box making. This contemplative process of transforming an old story into a new one through the birthing of an altar or shrine is a powerful tool for healing. Healers, social workers and mental health practitioners have found my workshops deeply helpful and instructive in working with their clients. Survivors of abuse, illness, trauma and those who are grieving and/or needing release have had profound experiences of inner movement.