Altars

I have been thinking of the concept of the altar lately. They have been/are used by so many different cultures, belief systems, and peoples. I see them as a direct link to whatever one believes to be divine: Nature, Gods, Goddesses, the moon, fertility, the seasons. They stand as a manifestation-- a physical ode to that which you find sacred. Having an altar in your space helps you to slow down and breath. They inject powerful good vibrations into the space around you. They are a means of self-expression. The act of arranging sacred artifacts, flowers, candles, mementos, and crystals becomes an offering to the self- especially when it is placed in ones home and can be admired every day. They can be extremly detailed and complex, or as simple as a bowl of water with a floating flower in it.

The stuffed animal is a very old Steiff which used to be my grandmothers. The scarf which is draped in the backgroud has little dancing babies printed onto it- my mother wore it when she was pregnant with me. The little sparkly box is an El Dia de los Muertos shadowbox.

A shadowbox fertility altar I made.

An old favorite cardigan of mine. Poor little threads got so worn down! I eventually cut the flowers on the back out and had to throw away the ratty remnants of sleeves...

This is a self-portrait I did a couple of summers ago. It was the first painting I ever sold. I had it displayed at a gallery and hadn't been planning on selling it (I didn't even attach a price to it) but this very nice man from San Francisco fell in love with it and I decided it was time to let it go. Its sort of a two dimensional altar to myself and where I was at romanitcally, spiritually, and personally that summer

Burning sage. Used for physical and spiritual purification.
(via art.knet)

Altar for El Dia de los Muertos in Mexico with traditional orange marigolds, limes, and candles.

Oooh! How beautiful is this? From Modern Relics website. Its like a curiosity cabinet altar. So carefully arranged.

Beautiful Pagan Harvest Festival Altar with food offerings and candles devoted to each of the four elements and directions . (Yellow for air at East-- red for fire at South-- blue for water at West--green for earth at North) (via deafpagancrossroads)

A traditional Buddhist Altar. (via hoarded ordinaries)

The previous three photographs are of the work of Hilary White. I am stunned by the delicacy. They are part of a series of hers entitled "Altar". The juxtaposition between the fierceness of those wolves and the lace is stuning.

Roses that were in my front yard in Detroit..I swear this bush had blossoms on it well into November! I can't wait for them to come back.
Also don't know where this came from... but can I go there now? Please?

I took the above two photos in the Smokey Mountains in Tennesse last summer.


Mmmm I don't remember where I found this...but it is so haunting. Very wintry. The spring is well on its way here. There have been many showers and I saw dozens of robins on my walk this morning. I am definetly a summer person. Yet, I cannot help but feel a little wistful as the snow and cozy nights disapear. I have enjoyed the blindingly bright days with crunchy snow underfoot and wearing wooly tights and socks. I took alot of solitary walks around the city. Broken down buildings and frosty graffitti...snow covered truck yards and tires. I saw so many little stray kitties.

madeleine