What is a Home Altar / Shrine?

Photo Courtesy of Sasha Whitney (Essential oils, crystals, Breathwork Book, Journal, Sage, and Palo Santo.)

May sound spooky but it’s actually a great space to create in your home to help uplift you, keep you focused on your intentions and manifestations, and provide a spiritual home base if you will. It doesn’t need to occupy a lot of space and can include anything that spiritually speaks to you.

Some common shrine items include:

Crystals
Candles
Special Trinkets from Travels/Things that Have Special Meaning
Journal
Tarot and/or Oracle Cards
Fresh Flowers
Intentions
Essential Oils
Mala Beads/ Another Type of Jewelry Important to You
Photos

Photo Courtesy of Rebecca Rubin (Oracle cards, Mantras, Succulents, Photos, Incense, Candle, and Journal.)

The most important thing to keep in mind when creating an altar is gathering things that feel right to you. Items that help you with your spiritual, emotional, and mental health.

I like to keep my crystals on my windowsill and place intentions underneath them. Crystals like to get to work so I give them jobs.

What are some of the ways to utilize your home shrine?

Meditation: Sitting near the altar or shrine to meditate or taking an item from that space to meditate with. Our newest recorded meditation is releasing negativity.
Setting Intentions Each Day: You can write them on a sticky note and place them there or in a journal.
Manifestations: Same as above and to place a crystal above it to help power/boost the manifestation. For more information on manifesting click here.
Drawing a daily tarot or oracle card or when you need some extra guidance from the Universe.
Morning and evening ritual that can include any of the above and more. Rituals really help you find clarity for the start of your day in the morning and help you wind down in the evening. It can be for 5 minutes or an hour. Whatever serves you and know that it changes from day to day, week to week. For more information about rituals, click here.

Recharging Station for Yourself: It’s space you can go to if you feel drained or overwhelmed. Think of the items as different tools in your wellness toolkit. Reminders to trust and to have faith. Ways for you to get unstuck and to get back into alignment with yourself.

Once you have your space set-up, you can do a quick cleansing ritual and set an intention for the home altar. You can use palo santo to cleanse the objects by lighting the palo santo and waving it over the objects. Then make sure to take a minute to set an intention for the shrine. Example: A place where I can return to to find peace.

I’ve collected a few examples of home altars and shrines for you. Check out the gallery below and information about why they’ve included some objects to inspire your own space. We’d love to see how yours turns out. Tag us on Instagram @woowooco!

Gallery

Into the Woo Photos

Sasha Whitney

When I first got into the practice of mediation, I didn’t really pay much attention to my space. I tended to meditate in the same place but didn’t build anything around that space to honor my practice. As I became more intentional about my practice, I started reading about ways to get the most out of meditation and one of the suggestions that kept coming up was an altar. I created a small altar on which I have items that help me to focus and deepen my practice so I get the most out of it. A few items on my altar:

Sage and Palo Santo: I like to smudge before meditating with either sage or palo santo to create a space free of negative energy. If I smudge with sage first, which gets rid of both positive and negative energy, I make sure my practice is one that focuses on healing or creating positive energy to introduce it back into the space.

Rose quartz and black tourmaline: If I’m ever feeling out of balance before my practice, I reach for both of these - black tourmaline to keep me grounded and for protection & safety from negative energy, rose quartz to open up my heart chakra to allow room for healing and peace.

My journal and “How to Breathe” by Ashley Neese: So much of meditation is connected with our breath. Learning how to breathe, to really breathe, is something I wanted to explore more and I came across this book by Ashley Neese which has 25 breathwork practices in them. I routinely use these breathing practices or use them to guide my intention during meditation. I like to have my journal nearby to write down how I feel or if anything comes to mind afterward. Some of my best thoughts and ideas come to me after meditating.

Shelly Bell

The rainwater is to the left in the little bottle. It is special to me because it hasn’t been touched by humans.

Items on the altar: Candles, Incense, Oracle Cards, Bowl of Water for Ancestors, and Pendulum.

Tetiana Podoliako

An astrologist told me to have a picture of the sun in the East of my place, so I drew it but with the help of a professional of course. There is a little frog for money I got in New Orleans, a little stone from Pyramid of Cheops (most likely it’s not a piece of the pyramid but I found it inside the pyramid, gifted it to my guide and he gifted it back to me), there is a pouch of soil from under the Apple tree from my backyard in Ukraine, I took it when moving to the states (a piece of home as well as earth representation), some feathers I have found randomly (good signs), all my crystals (most likely not all, I have some big ones around the house too, a very old rusty key there that has been w me since childhood, and of course, two angels are for love (I do collect angels in general).

Elizabeth Tuten

Items: Candles, Palo Santo, Crystals, Books, Plant, Mantra, Jewelry, and a Prosperity Check!

Chris Reber

My favs are my rusty skeleton key that acts as a doorway to Spirit. I place it on top of my labradorite slab which is a crystal for opening the third eye and psychic channeling.

I also love my oils that I buy from Haus of Hoodoo as well as their fixed magic candles. I always have a working candle on the alter that I light at least once a day.

My selenite wand is super pretty and powerful for cleansing the aura.

Chris Reber

My favs are my rusty skeleton key that acts as a doorway to Spirit. I place it on top of my labradorite slab which is a crystal for opening the third eye and psychic channeling.

I also love my oils that I buy from Haus of Hoodoo as well as their fixed magic candles. I always have a working candle on the alter that I light at least once a day.

My selenite wand is super pretty and powerful for cleansing the aura.

Jamie Sabat

Items: Crystals and Oracle Deck. Not Pictured: Singing Bowl, Essential Oils, Mantras, Calendar with Spiritual Quotes, Reiki Certification, and Macrame Hang.

Rebecca Rubin

I love having a high vibe space in my home that makes me feel creative and inspired.

Incense Holder + candle: I’m a witch and I love to burn things 💁‍♀️

Journal: Perfect place to process my emotions, capture ideas, and plan out what I want to manifest.

Macro-Macrame Wall Hang: I made it in an art class and it reminds me how good it feels to get out of my comfort zone and try new things (plus, it’s pretty).

Holographic Essential Oil Diffuser: Smells amazing and creates a spa vibe.

A framed picture of a favorite quote from a book + another one of me and my boyfriend.

Oracle Cards: When I have a question/desire guidance.

Amethyst Crystal: I got in Sedona that helps keep the space clear and free of any negative energy.

DIY Succulent Garden: I read that plants are good Feng Shui and succulents are very cute AND very hard to kill. Win win!

Alice HuApril 16, 2020