Altars, Rituals, & Sacred Objects: for Healing, Protection, Guidance

Terra Wise

Throughout time people from cultures across the globe have worked with altars and participated in rituals for personal and community reasons. It is no longer soley the duty of the monks, nuns, priests, and shamans to create ritual as many indvidiuals do so to nourish, heal, gude and inspire self and community. Many people also aquire and care for  special objects and symbols that have deep meaning. An eclectic mix of secular and religious people from all walks of life, ages, and ethnicities work with ritual in creative and healing ways. 

There are people who have worked hard to create an ambience of sacredness in their homes and places of work, while others simply throw a few things together instinctually. And though they might not identify their collection of items as sacred, it is really quite remarkable how many people have gathered special objects to them and placed them with great care in their homes, gardens, and places of work, thereby creating a special space.

While there are some who plan rituals and build altars with great precision and consciousness, others throw hap-hazard bits and pieces together, odds and ends contructed marking some form of symbolic space, an altar.

Window dressing and the Altar on Wheels

What I have noticed is not only can altars be found in the home or office, you might have noticed too, that in any country where you can find an automobile, you also find people who ‘dress’ their cars. By that I mean they embellish the rear-view mirror, dashboard, back window, bumpers, and the sun visor too with all kinds of special objects of personal meaning. The personalized license plate could also be seen as a type sacred power object, in fact an altar of sorts. A variety of these altars on wheels are evident in many traditions (also in many makes and models). Being altered these days has many modes of expression one could say.

The variety of items displayed in the altar of the auto is worthy of our attention. The purpose of the adornments cannot be dismissed as simple decoration either, just ask any of these people why they picked those particular objects and what they represent to them and you will hear wonderful stories about the significance of each, the special memories, associated with power places, prayers for luck, desire for blessings, expanding laughter and joy in life, specific intentions, and to honor the sacred and divine.

It had come to my awareness that these mobile altars subdivide into various ‘tribes’. There are drivers who adorn their cars with traditional religious imagery, a crucifix for example, and others who prefer the fuzzy dice or dancing hula girl. There are some individuals who have magnets with images of saints, deities, family members, pets, and nature scenes affixed before them.

Dangling Delights

What stands out the most?  I noticed a majority of people prefer the dangling variety for their to-go altars (the altar on the go)… A length of something special that hangs from the rear-view mirror seems a favorite. Many of the danglers are wonderfully beautiful, while others appear odd and quirky. These pieces can be simple or quite ornate and majestic. They all seem to have a purpose unique to each person, they provide protection, blessings, luck, focus on a specific intention, honor an ancestor, and show respect for the sacred.

Culturally specific themes can influence the choice of dangling altars. I have noticed in multi-cultural Toronto, where there is quite a large Asian population, that one of the most popular rear-view mirror altars is a Feng Shui symbol, red threads with specific knotting with bells or coins woven throughout. And with increasing awareness of Feng Shui in everyday life, there are many more people from non-Asian cultures that also work with these symbols. Some other dangling objects that have caught my eye and tweaked my curiosity include feathers, shells, strands of pearls and beads, gold and silver chains, plastic flowers, and my favorite lovely sight, a fresh fragrant flower lei.

Upon further investigation, that is peering into people’s cars, snooping in the name of ‘auto-ritualization’ research, I began to notice how often a driver and their particular choice of altar objects seemed to be a wonderful mesh, they go well together. People and their special objects look good—ok, maybe not as striking as in the way people and their pets can match (some even looking alike), but still there is a fit!

 This is not to suggest that every driver with feathers hanging in their car is trying to impersonate a shaman, but the truth is, I have observed people with feathers dangling from the rear-view mirror or sun visor who were wearing a Billy Jack style hat, who showed interest in nature, spirituality, Native rights, environmental issues, (the bumper stickers are a give-away) and some loved drumming too! Their style and flair fit their auto altar ego image….

I experimented with my own car altar for a few months, changing from feathers to chains, to flowers, and shells--and amazingly (just like when you buy a blue car you notice tons of blue cars), I noticed many more of my car companions who also had altar themes similar to my own. The collective unconscious has a great sense of humor at times.

In the interest of research, or for the fun of it, reflect on your current car or the different cars you have owned or driven in the past. Think about the cycles in your life, a time you draped one precious object or another from your rear-view mirror, when the car was adorned with objects, or when it was a dangle free zone. Could those moods be connected to something deeper? Is a quiet reflective phase, a focused intention, or a cycle of turmoil evident within your car and its adornment details?

Inside rather than outside, the fabulous fridge

Then again, perhaps your altar is not the car at all, but is instead the fireplace mantle, or a shelf near the kitchen sink, or the refrigerator door. Many families gravitate toward this famous form of altar. Have you personally designed one yourself, or have witnessed one?  The glorious fridge altar holds a place of honor in countless homes, in full view, potentially seen by many people throughout the day. The refrigerator door is another cross-cultural favorite. The refrigerators I have seen in my studies of this phenomena are remarkable, many are indeed a work of art, an interactive altar that embraces life. The children’s accomplishments, the tasks at hand, the future plans we dare not miss, the tickets and tasks are all given a place of honor.

Though I do recall a grand celebration in the Nubian desert many years ago, when the arrival of a refrigerator itself and not the what was stuck to the exterior became a cause for joy and celebration. In this small community, in the extreme heat, it was with great pride that the happy owners invited people to bear witness to their new addition, the fridge!. And the people did, they lined up to pay homage, to witness the miracle. The home owners invited all to cast eyes upon the magnificence of their rectangular box, placed within their cement rectangular room, a box that had the power to contain the cold. This happy occasion nearly eclipsed the ongoing wedding celebration just outside the door at that very same time!

But for most of us, it is the fridge door, and not so much the entire appliance that becomes a platform for the sacred. A popular choice to be sure, in full view, seen throughout the day, a fridge is a canvas of creativity, a well adorned door altar that knows no economic or class divide. Covered with magnets holding photos, artwork, letters, the lists of all that is important and special right in front of our senses… In fact for some, it might be argued, the kitchen has become the holy of holies—the place where we nourish ourselves at all hours of the day and night. Just imagine what is possible by giving conscious attention to this artistic and sacred site.

Ritual workings: beyond the fridge

How might you expand your relationship to rituals and altars beyond the fridge door and car, expanding beyond the popular cultural celebrations of weddings and birthdays? The idea is to work with your feelings and intention. Think about what it is you want in life, and/or what do you want to release from your life? Your imagination is the inspiration. Just how creative, playful, or reverent can you be with your altar? Will your altar be created next to your bed to help you sleep, dream, or make love, or around the tub to give healing cleansing energy to your ritual bath?

 An altar/ritual can be created specifically with intention for emotional cleansing, somatic healing, or attracting positive change. And a ritual can be designed for lamenting a loss, mourning a death (or the death of a potential), for invoking health and insight during illness, for healing after assault and abuse, for support and insight after miscarriage and abortion, and to give psych-spiritual help and guidance during times of transitions.

An altar can also be created for self and others to show respect to people--family, ancestors, teachers--living and for those who have passed on, or they can be designed specifically to communicate with the ancestors and guides to protect the soul during shamanic journeys, and for invoking healing and inner sight.

They can be designed for people in hospital rooms, , for women in birthing centers, and to nourish our Earth Mother, they invoke beauty and sensual delight to honored the Feminine/Masculine in sacred sexual union. Rituals can be designed for working with the non-physical and the concrete every day world, for magnetizing intention into manifestation. The preparation of days, weeks, or months is itself a ritualistic action. Ritual workings can last for brief durations of time or for lengthy cycles, designed by your own choosing and sense of what is right and needed for energy to move and change to occur.

Gather specific images and objects that have personal meaning to you, pleasant associations, fond memories, or ones that help you focus your awareness and intention for the kind of future you wish for. Or gather the symbols or items that represent your grief, all you want to be rid of in order to let go and begin healing again. You can choose from your own symbolic world of meaning or from cross-cultural symbols known to attract protection, good fortune, health, and luck.

The more you explore this world the more you will be guided in developing sensitivity, intuition, and awareness about how best to design and empower your ritual altar space. You will learn which images and objects are a part of the collective mind and which ones are of personal significance to you. You will learn about transpersonal, mythic, and archetypal ideas –and how to invoke protection, good fortune, clarity, and purpose. Imagine the healing and spiritual-creative expression that is possible through this exploration. By being attentive to the energies within and around you, listening to your instincts and impulses, it is possible to develop an inner wisdom that will guide you to carefully choose the special items that will best empower your rituals and altar spaces for the most rewarding outcomes.