Making A Portable Altar

 

There is a part of me that will forever want to be walking under autumn leaves, carrying a briefcase containing the works of Shakespeare and Yeats and a portable chess set. I will pass an old tree under which once on a summer night I lay on the grass with a fragrant young woman and we quoted e.e. cummings back and forth.

~ Roger Ebert

Hey, Lovelies.

I wanted to share the simple altar I have made to support me as I participate in the Find Your Flow Challenge that I am offering free here on the blog. (It’s not too late to join. Go here to catch up on the first post.)

Normally I would make something more elaborate, but I knew I would be on the move this month. So, let me explain my altar – how I put it together and what it means to me. I’ve gone for small items this month, because I need to be able to take this with me in my handbag or suitcase as I move from space to space and place to place.

A portable altar is simply a group of objects with personal meaning that you can place out on a flat surface AND that is able to be moved from place to place. This is different to an altar you might make on a board or tray that can be moved around. My altar can be broken down, put into a bag, shifted to another place, taken out of the bag and get set up again somewhere new.

I started with a large heavy square scarf. This is a cloth I have used for over 35 years. It belonged to the mother of a friend, and she gave it to me during a visit to Sydney, when she told me I would need it for ‘when I started reading tarot’. Of course I thought that was ridiculous. Hmmmm. Look at me now…

I folded this scarf down into a small square and placed it on the table.

Next came a dragon and a fairy. Why? This month I intend to write. A lot. In fact the last two weeks of September I will be on a writers retreat. These little statues remind me of a promise to myself, and of the plot of my Pirates and Fairies series.

Next I chose three oracle cards to guide me for the month ahead. Try not to fall down laughing at Number Three.

Of course I also chose some crystals (Lapis Lazuli, Tibetan Quartz and Aragonite) to accompany the cards, and I programmed a small triple phantom Tibetan Quartz crystal I have had for ages and that often accompanies me on these big rituals.

I used six Tasmanian Lemurian Singing Quartz to make a grid for my altar, and added my Nurture Mala for some extra love. Then I added in my Labradorite, a gift to me from Elder Friends back when I was in my twenties. It’s a treasured meditation stone, and one I use daily.

I placed all the items, added a small Chevron Amethyst and Herkimer Diamond pendulum I made for a retreat many years ago, and then dedicated my altar and set my intentions for the month ahead.

If I take my altar down and put it back up again, I simply recharge it with white light. Easy! So far it has been to the beach and the forest with me. Late next week I will take it on my writing trip. Portable is awesome.

While it is up I can add a fresh flower or leaf to it, or anything else that’s meaningful. I can take objects out and use them, placing them back when I have finished. And it serves to keep me tethered to my sacred vows and intentions for the month ahead.

I hope you found that useful! Much love, Nicole xx