Webster’s defines altar as: (1) raised structure or place on which sacrifices are offered or incense is burned in worship. (2) a table on which the eucharistic elements are consecrated or which serves as a center of worship or ritual.
Holy Sacred Altars
The dictionary pretty much lays it out for you in formal terms, pertaining to what we are accustomed to seeing as altars in the church. In setting up an altar in your home or business to honor God as you know Him, there are a few things to consider. With the Feng Shui customs from the Orient, it is important to honor and bless the Ch’i or cosmic breath of the universe. This is considered God’s own breath. By honoring God with a collection of those things which remind you of Him, or honoring those things that are blessings to you and your life from Him, we are setting aside a place to remind us that He is the Omnipotent One, not us. God is an old God and He has old ways. He is honored by the respect we show in traditions of ritual or ceremony. Many honor Him in their daily lives by setting aside a place just for Him.
Have you ever gone into a Chinese, Japanese, or other oriental restaurant and seen a bowl of fruit with a collection of art objects that give honor to Budda? This is God as they know Him, being honored in the place where they are making their livelihood. It is a way to bless God and in doing so, publicly proclaiming that He is their God. They are in hopes that God (Budda) will take note of the ceremony and be pleased by this public display of honor and bless them in their lives and business.
To begin for yourself in creating your Holy Altar, collect together all of the objects that remind you of Holy things. These may be pictures of your family as well as art objects of Holy related things (statues or paintings of God or Jesus, crosses, angels, etc.). They do not have to be expensive. see: Family Members and a Single Candle Altar Display.
Old things that loved ones have given to you will work well too. Although these things can’t really be called “lucky” (unless you are Irish), they are blessed because they were specifically chosen for you and given as a blessing to you. The energy on them from the time they reached you is positive because they are a gift.
Select the Sacred Space for Your Altar
Find a location in your main living area or bedroom you can set aside for this space. A corner in the Wisdom & Knowledge area would be the very best. (See Feng Shui Power Key explanation at end of article). This corner blesses not only your general wisdom of life, but it powerfully impacts your spiritual side as well. When the altar is in position and being used to give honor to God, it will have a trickle-down effect on your family and friends lives. In a perfect balance of energy within the home or business, all lives that go in and out of that balance will feel the flow of positive Ch’i (energy) and be blessed. This means their lives will start pulling together and their possibilities for positive changes will begin to happen, simply because they are visiting your space. This may sound a little far-fetched to some of you but think about a calm, safe, homey place you have visited.
Remember the feeling that was there and the way you felt such peace when you left. You may even have thought about it at other times and wish you could duplicate that feeling. You can, using your own items of spiritual, sentimental or romantic value by “setting a stage” in the Wisdom & Knowledge area of your home. This placement attracts knowledge, good judgment, and helps to lift your spirit life up to another realm of wisdom if that is what you are seeking. All of the placements and energies you pull together to achieve this are symbolic.
By gathering all of your Holy “good stuff” together you are creating a positive Feng Shui Power Draw, changing the energy fields in your emotional, psychological, and intellectual sensory perceptions see: Alex’s Altar Display. When you change your input, your output changes automatically, transforming your life in this area. God is happy, you are much happier, and things start to take on a different reality for you. You begin to “see” with spiritual eyes right through every situation. You are able to make clear, pronounced choices for your life and future that will only bless you and your loved ones.
If the Wisdom & Knowledge area is not possible for placement of your altar, use the Wealth, Love, Family, or Children’s areas of the Feng Shui Power Key to set it up. Any of these will work for you. It depends on which area you wish to bless with placement of your sacred altar.
Basic Foundation
When you begin, if possible use an old piece of furniture that came from your family (table, bookcase, antique buffet, etc.) to place the objects on see: A Mother’s Love Blesses Prayer. Recycled family pieces already have a blessing on them because they have already served your family and in doing so, blessed them. If there isn’t an old item, then select something that you are fond of to use as your basic foundation for the altar, or buy a table or chest to symbolize a new beginning. Whichever direction you go, it really does not matter, only that you must have something that you feel a peace with.
Family Members and a Single Candle Altar Display
Displayed is a collection of photographs of a client’s family members and a white altar candle that is lit during prayer times (or novenas, or vigils) to petition God’s favor over the family’s health and healing, current and future income for the family’s livelihood, and for mercy to be shown to all family members represented here by the photos. Various generations are pictured here, living and past ones, to reflect the love that did and still does exist, from photos of them “holding place on the altar.”
In times of desperation and urgent need, when it is impossible to get everyone together to pray for specifics, go and stand in front of your family’s pictures and ask God to come to your spirit immediately. Remind Him that if your loved ones were all standing right here together with you, they would join with you in asking Him to make miracles or to “move mountains” out of your lives. Ask Him to bring the deliverance that one or all of you may require at that particular time.
By doing this, you are “standing in proxy” for your precious family members before God, seeking His help and rescue. It is the next best thing to having all of them there in person to pray, which is sometimes hard to achieve with lives scattered in all directions.
The crystal angel ball decoration and the crystal angel are “blest gifts” from family members. These hold a positive blessing of love for the family.
An altar does not require a great deal of expense or work to pull together. Use what you have that represents your family and their love. Even if your only altar is a collection of pictures of family members on a hallway wall, it still is representative of “pulling your entire family together in prayer.” Stand in front of the pictures and offer up your prayers to God, as you know Him.
After you have a specific place to offer prayers, use that altar to do so. You will be amazed by the positive feelings you can actually feel as the energy moves around in your Sacred Space to bless you and those you are praying for.
May God bless your efforts always.
Alex’s Altar Display
A purple (drawing Wealth) cloth covers a chest of drawers to create an altar for Alex. Tall white altar candles, a Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena candle, and a pyramid candle holder (a blest gift from a friend), with stars cut through the pyramid to allow the stars to reflect on the walls of the room, all shining together when lit, to bring about a powerful energy to make a Holy Sacred Space.
A golden frame surrounds the Tree of Life, basis of the Hebrew Quabala and key to understanding. Two Priests blessed the golden Crucifix before a precious friend gave it to me. The tall angel holds a star that lights up, as she moves and blesses the altar, protecting the Christ Child King.
The Infant Jesus of Prague statue holds special meaning. I am not a Catholic and have previously in my life had no particular connection to icons, except for the beauty of what they represent and the glorious artwork involved.
Several years ago, while visiting St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Lafayette, Indiana, I found myself seeking a place to pray after visiting a friend’s husband that was most certainly dying. I went to the Chapel and found it entirely full of people with only a kneeling bench in front of this statue available for prayer.
I knelt down, said the Lord’s Prayer, offered my apologies for not being Catholic if it was against some custom I might be breaking, and I picked up the little book of prayer with the ritual wording attached and started reciting it to myself and God. The strangest thing happened. I felt warmth filling my soul and a connection in prayer that I had not felt before.
I wrote off my “feelings” as being stressed over my friend’s life and quickly left after the prayer was finished.
I went back to thank the Lord in prayer, at the kneeling bench in front of the statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague, at St. Elizabeth’s Chapel. After all, I did have a huge miracle there. Many others were praying for this man as well, so I know it was a combined act of faith in prayer, not just my prayers alone. I could feel a presence there and asked again for other miracles to come forth. They began to happen as well.
My friend’s life took a dramatic turnaround that day and he is still alive.
To this day, I send up prayers to the Infant Jesus of Prague along with my other prayers. I found it odd in the beginning to pray to a Baby Jesus as I don’t picture Him as a child, only a Risen Christ.
In reading the story about the statue, I realized it symbolized the fact that Christ came as a child, as we do, to this Earth and lived a human life. A life that sometimes seemed futile for Him too, when He was here. He overcame His obstacles and lived to know Victory over Death, Hell and the Grave. I hope to know those victories for myself someday in eternity.
St. Jude, patron saint of impossible causes, I began to use along with my other prayers to see special “impossible” answers come for desperate cases I see in my work. He has responded by making the “impossible” become reality for so many people, so many times, that I feel a close bond to him as well.
Danny Thomas, well -known entertainer and television star of the Danny Thomas Show in the fifties was a devoted follower of the Saint called Jude. He spoke of praying to the Saint, asking that he be able to make a good living for his family and he promised to let people know about the good deeds Saint Jude brought about through his prayerful influence with God and Jesus, and to bless back others, if Saint Jude would only help him. As Saint Jude blessed him, Thomas’ commitment grew into an incredible legacy called Saint Jude’s Hospital for Children. This hospital stands as one man’s belief that one single saint could help him and his desire to provide for his family with miracles. Never overlook the power of prayer.
A statue of an Indian angel that appears on my web pages is there too. The friend that painted it for me is married to the man I prayed would live that day in front of the Infant, so it has a special meaning to me as well. She painted the Infant of Prague too. Both pieces of art I consider blessed in love, more than just an object of religious art.
A picture of my Godchild, Shea Daggett, leans on Jesus. In my opinion, any seven year old that Blows Kisses to God is already leaning on Him and seeking His help.
Crystal candleholders draw prosperity to the altar. The seashells, coral and toy sea otters are prosperity blessings as well.
This altar is set-up to let God know not only do I care about His help, blessings, and mercy, but I am marking a special place where I can feel free to pray and honor Him.
Set up your own Holy Altar in your Sacred Space. Use the things that are already blessed in your family. Find quiet time to spend there and “Ask and You Shall Receive.” You will be amazed at your results as you petition God and His Holy Spirit. Even the angels will show up to bring you and your family blessings from God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit.
Setting up your altar with Feng Shui balancing and blessings is just the icing on the cake for your life. Begin immediately and the blessings will flow for your life as well.
A Mother’s Love Blesses Prayer
This altar is set on an antique buffet that has been in my client’s family for generations, making it a blest piece of furniture. There are two tall white altar candles to petition the Holy Spirit for miracles. A smaller white candle held by an angel is for specific requests being asked of God at this time, and a novena candle of the Sacred Heart of Christ. Small photos of paintings of various members of the Holy Family are here also, as well as statues of angels and Mary. The Holy Bible and other inspirational books lay on the altar on the left side. An incense holder is on the right side. Silver candlesticks bless Travel and Helpful people in these lives. Other objects here hold special meaning for the family. The picture of the wife and mother of this family was enlarged to celebrate a special birthday, and now it stands guard (or watch) over the prayers of the family daily.
Angel ornaments with crystals to “cure” any poison shars (or arrows) of misfortune that may be sent out by the sharp corners of the buffet, are in place to create the very best possible Ch’i (energy) for the altar’s Sacred Space.
The drawers of the buffet hold candles, incense and supplies for the altar.
Use meaningful pieces of family history to pull together your Sacred Altar and Space. They already have meaning for your family and cost nothing. You already own them. Get started setting up your Sacred Space today.
