How To Design Your Home Altar

The home altar is a space for sanctuary. It is a center for meditation and a sacred place to call forth spiritual energies; energies that you can return to and tap into as needed.

You can set up on a coffee table draped with a beautiful cloth, an antique bench or something in between. It is simply your "workbench" for your spiritual practice.

Your altar is a direct reflection of your spiritual landscape, so take special care when constructing it. Every item on your altar should have deliberate symbolism. Here are a few things to consider:

1. LOCATION. The location of your altar is extremely important. Pick somewhere that makes you feel inspired and peaceful (i.e by a window, in your bedroom, or in your garden). Somewhere quiet where you can focus your mind. This will be your sacred space; keep it decluttered, but well-loved.

2. FOCAL POINT. Chose a piece for the center of your altar. This should be something that calls to your soul. This could be a family heirloom, a photo of a loved one, an item representing the Spirit, or anything that manifests your intention and has positive associations. My focal point is an oracle card featuring The Wolf, my spirit animal. For me, The Wolf invokes harmony and personal power.

3. THE ELEMENTS. Connect with the four elements on your altar: earth, wind, fire, and water.

• Earth: crystals, potted plants, herbs, stones, flowers
• Wind: feathers, white sage, incense, a bell
• Fire: candles
• Water: charged water in a chalice, glass bowl, or vile

4. AESTHETIC. Find a good balance between items that are meaningful to you and things that are aesthetically pleasing. Choose a few extra items to add to your altar to help create the ultimate spiritual retreat. I chose a small, faux-leather sketchbook for jotting down notes, ornate tea candle holders, apothecary bottles and a Buddha statue.