Meditation Rituals & Altars 101

As I have mentioned on Day 1, we have created a sacred space by setting an intention for our ceremony or ritual. One of the ways to open up and close sacred space is casting a circle like in Native American ceremonies referred to as calling the directions. We will call in the different directions as well as our spirit guides, angels, people, and anybody/anything that can support you during your process.

There are many ways to ground yourself. By spending time in nature, especially barefoot touching the earth, meditating by growing roots into the center of our planet, and also placing your hands and/or feet in the water. Using the elements of our planet such as touching a piece of wood or a rock can have grounding effects as well. Just make sure to ground yourself before entering into a ceremony or a ritual every time. At the end of this lesson (14:50), there will be the "Tree of Life" which can also be used for grounding.

Rituals come in different forms. As Gluckman (1962) distinguishes four kinds of rituals—magic action, religious action, substantive or constitutive ritual, and factitive ritual—clearly points out that rite of passage is a typical constitutive ritual. For example: Baths: You can take a bath with flower petals and crystals as well as milk and honey-like Cleopatra. For a cleansing bath, you can add Epsom salt and aromatherapy oils. Meditation: You can listen to recorded meditations or to the sounds of nature. Another great way is also just to focus on breathing and come back into your body. Dance: Turn up the music and just dance. Sometimes all that it takes is shifting your energy in your body. Self-love: Write a love letter to yourself. How amazing you are and all the things you have accomplished. Letting Go: Write all the things you want to let go of on a piece of paper and rip them up.

An altar can be your own private sanctuary in your home or at work. You can also create a group altar in a common space that is shared with others. The altar can contain items for the work you intend to do. You can have an altar dedicated to the moon or your cycle, as well as an altar to the directions East, North, West, and South or elements such as Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Ether. Altars can assist you in invoking and holding the sacred space you create by making a sacred container in which you sit, pray, meditate, or dance. A special Mother Candle can be placed in the center of your altar. You can light this candle at the beginning of your ceremony and invoke spirits, angels or deities and you can say your affirmation or prayer. Special treasures or things from nature can also be added to your altar. I love adding seeds and seashells as well as feathers. Whatever your theme and intention is, trust your intuition and know that your altar can never be wrong.

Root Chakra Altar Safety, protection, connection to Earth • Find a space that can be your permanent earth altar • Direction is East • Color is red • Use a natural stone or wood surface • Red candle • Red flowers • Red plates • Red crystals • Small potted plants • A photo of an outdoor scene with potent earth energies • Goddess Lakshmi • Ganesha - remover of obstacles When you have finished setting your altar, sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths and ground yourself. Sacral Chakra Altar Creativity, procreation, sex • Find a space that can be your permanent water altar • Direction is West • Color is orange • Use a bowl with water • Shells • Cups • Chalice • Orange crystals • Orange flowers • A photo of a sensual/sexual/erotic scene • Goddess Yemaia, Mari or Aphrodite • God Pan When you have finished setting your altar sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths. Solar Plexus Altar Power, control, authority • Find a space that can be your permanent fire altar • Direction is South • Color is yellow • Candles and oil lamps • Objects that symbolize your goals • Write down your purpose and add it to your altar • Create a collage of images that show the direction of who you desire to become • Yellow crystals • Yellow flowers • Goddess Ogun, Sekhmet, and Amaterasu When you have finished setting your altar sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths. Heart Chakra Altar Love, emotional connection • Find a space that can be your permanent air altar • Direction is East • Color is green • Green altar cloth • Use fragrances/incenses to stimulate the awareness of breath • Green candle • Green plates • Green crystals • Feathers and fans • Pictures of flying creatures • Images of love/lovers • Goddess Quan Yin When you have finished setting your altar, sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths and ground yourself. Throat Chakra Altar Speaking your truth, integrity of communication • Find a space that can be your permanent altar • Element is Ether • Color is turquoise-blue • Turquoise-blue altar cloth • Turquoise-blue candle • Turquoise-blue plates • Turquoise-blue crystals • Musical instruments - bells, rattles, chimes, singing bowls • Pictures of someone you desire to communicate with or having difficulty with • Writing a clear statement of an intent on a piece of paper - read it out loud as often as you can • Mantras to repeat out loud • Words are spells • A statue of Hermes or Sarasvati When you have finished setting your altar, sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths and ground yourself. Third eye chakra Altar Intuition and inner knowing • Find a space that can be your permanent altar • Element is light • Color is Indigo • Indigo altar cloth • Indigo candle • Indigo plates • Indigo crystals • Mirrors • Mandalas • Pictures of eyes • Owls and Butterflies When you have finished setting your altar, sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths and ground yourself. Crown Chakra Altar Spiritual connection and divine wisdom • Find a space that can be your permanent altar • Element is thought • Color is violet • Violet altar cloth • Violet candle • Violet crystals • Lotus flower image • A statue of Shiva When you have finished setting your altar, sit or stand in front of it, palms facing up. Take three cleansing breaths and ground yourself.