3 Fold Balance
  • About
    • Juliette's Journey
    • Experience & Training
    • Publication Contributions
    • Channeled & Ritual Art
    • About 'Shamanism'
    • What is 'Shamanic' Healing?
  • Sessions & Services
    • Soul Restoration Sessions
    • Card Readings
    • Divination
    • Consultation & Mentorship
    • Home & Land Clearing
    • Private Ceremony
    • Remedial Art
    • Distant Sessions
    • Soul Food in Starving Times
    • More Info >
      • Personal Power Restoration
      • Energetic Brain Balancing
      • Energetic Extraction
      • Curse Unraveling
      • Blessings, Talismans & Offerings
      • Psychopomp
      • Reiki & Energy Work
  • For Purchase
    • Ritual Wear, Ceremonial Ceramics, Talismans & Spirit Dolls
    • Oracle Cards
    • Sacred Tools
    • Art & Photography on Society6
    • Patreon
  • Group Offerings
    • Devotional Arts Program
    • Ask a Cottage Witch
    • A Story for You
    • Return to Reverence Immersion Program
    • Online Journey Circles
    • Medicine Bundle Carrier Program
    • Red Drum Creation
    • Sacred Drum Creation
    • Medicine Rattle Making
  • Online Programs
    • Online Courses
    • Devotional Arts Program
    • Online Journey Circles
    • Return to Reverence Immersion Program
    • Medicine Bundle Carrier Program
    • Spirit Journeys & Meditations
    • Discussion Groups
  • Free Support
  • Contact

Cloak & Feather

practice supports & stories from the field

Tending to a Community Altar

6/5/2019

0 Comments

 
There are many ways to “be of service” to our communities that don’t involve extensive training, one-to-one healing sessions, or even a full-time dedicated practice, that are incredibly powerful and very supportive. One of these methods is by tending to a Community Altar. This way of holding space for others on their journey through life and healing is easily integrated into even the busiest lifestyles and from what I have experienced, can become a highly requested form of support.
Picture
7 Steps to building a Community Altar practice:

1.) Consider where your Altar will be and the length of time it will remain active. Helpful questions might be; Will your Altar be indoors or outside? Are you ready for a permanent feature in your home or will it be created only for a short gathering? An Altar is created with careful energetic intention on a designated surface - so choose a location that is easy to access and encouraging for you to tend to. Perhaps more than one person will actively tend to the Altar on behalf of the community - you get to cultivate this practice to suit your needs as well as those seeking to be included!
2.) Ponder the essential quality the Altar will be designed to represent and radiate. One might choose to support people’s hearts, invoke the sense of being held in the hands of divinity, promote their safety, clear ancestral wounds, encourage physical health, or tend to a need in the community that you identify with and relate to from  your lived experience. 
3.) Every item that makes up the Altar will be carefully selected and geared to contribute to the chosen energy and purpose. Consider them as energetic or spiritual ‘power houses’ such as specific crystals, images of deities or photos of deceased relatives, stones from significant and relevant places, plant medicines or dried herbs, all of which carry or support the chosen intention. An Altar brings together the individual energies of the objects with your aim to create a unified energy source that continues to “work for you” once set.
4.) Decide how you will represent people who want to be included. You might light a candle on their behalf and speak their name for long distance support or if they will be physically present you might ask them to bring a stone, photo, or personal item that resonates with their individual energetic imprint.
5.) When you have spent some time becoming familiar with the energy of the Altar, are clear on its intention and comfortable with tending to it; extend the invitation to your community to be included. One might offer to individuals who are already asking for support, post a general invitation on social media, or verbally encourage participants at a gathering you are offering.
6.) Be sure to hold the work your Altar is doing with utmost respect. Do not allow others to put random objects on it, keep it clean and organized, spend time in quiet reverence there, and perhaps move things around or change up the items to keep the energy fresh. You might sing devotional songs, make offerings, or speak invocations and prayers while tending.
7.) It is important to remember that as a working energy source, there are also times of rest needed. We can provide this rest by periodically laying a cloth over it and by dismantling it when no longer active. Blessing and cleansing the items with sacred smoke is also something to be mindful to do when the energy begins to feel “stale”. If out-of-doors in a public area, be sure to thank and close the Altar by removing personal items after each time of tending.

Tips to remember:
  • Do what works for you. This practice is an act of service yet it is vital to not let it draw too much energy from you and become a burden. Make this as easy and enjoyable as you can.
  • When I include community members, I envision them glowing with their own divinity, in their "highest healed state", or full of vibrancy and joy. We want to invoke wellness and not focus on any ailments or troubles that they may have shared with you.
  • Be certain to only include people you have direct expressed permission to include. Generally parents of small children can speak for on their behalf as kids tend to ask their parents for help in any matter, however, we must be diligent to not assume for others. If someone is nominating a sick friend, or loved one going through a challenge - be sure they have specifically asked and received direct consent from them. It is unethical to infringe on another’s free will, even when we think we are helping. We cannot assume a best course of action for another no matter how one might 'justify' it or how strong it tugs on our heart strings.
  • Draw on your interests or ways of working that you are excited about bringing into your practice. Crystals, herbs, plants, bones, images, stones, your own art, can all be brought into your Altar creation. Use your intuition, or tune in to the energies when choosing items. This is an aspect to cultivate and explore!
  • If you have children with you, don’t be shy to include them. My children automatically know when candles are lit on the Altar set to the essence of the Divine Mother, that there are people asking for support. Sometimes they ask to light their own candles or whisper words of encouragement for those represented. It has simply become a normal, devotional act of compassion in our household.
  • Remember you need not go out and buy anything fancy! A simple cloth on a shelf with a few items that you already have or find in nature is all it takes. 

An example of a simple yet powerful Altar as an inspiration for your own might be to dedicate it to the "Good Neighbours", and include a central rose quartz sphere representing your love and appreciation for house sprites. Perhaps a fairy quartz in included with the points radiating outward and interlaced with small images of Fairies that are particularly attractive to you. You might decide to work with the creative, impish energy of this space by reciting a daily invocation stating your desire to connect with the Fae, Brownies, House Elves etc on a more reciprocal level. This could be helpful in homes where items regularly, and inexplicably, go missing or when it feels like your house is "playing tricks" with you. Visitors to your home who would like the same intention could be welcomed to leave shiny coins, milk, oats, or chocolate as gifts on the altar when they come for tea with you.

Another example might be an altar for our Grandmothers, perhaps created on a piece of lace at a Samhain gathering. Adorned with an inherited favourite tea cup, some black and white photos, and a brooch your Great Great Grandmother wore. These would establish the connection to matriarchal lines and brings in their energy. If the intention is to heal a history of abuse for our Ancestors, including crystals that transmute dense energy, repair heartache, and impart strength placed with the intention of safely surrounding the Grandmothers creates a powerful healing purpose. Guests could then bring their own photos, heirlooms, and written prayers for healing their lineages.

You might be surprised how many people ask to be included and share with you a real, felt sense of being supported. The simple act of someone caring is a profound sentiment let alone the supportive medicines included with, and invoked by, your Altar practice. It's free, takes little time, creates a strong feeling of community, and isn’t impeded by distance. I invite you to begin and have fun!
Picture
If you would like more in-depth wisdom to explore about Altars & Shrines, the differences between the two, their purpose, nuances, and best practices, it is a topic we cover during the first month of the Return to Reverence immersion program and continue to work with throughout.
​
Registration opens each June and we begin each October.
Do you have Altars ALL over the house? Here is something to consider that is often overlooked.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Juliette Jarvis

    A bean feasa of Celtic lineage shares stories & insights from her animist and 'shamanic' practice on the West Coast of Canada.

    Please consider pledging on Patreon in support of keeping free written supports available.

    Categories

    All
    Cacao Ceremony
    Crystal Elixirs
    Divination
    DIY
    Dreaming
    Eclipse
    Energy Healing
    Energy Updates
    Equinox
    Fire Ceremony
    Imbolc
    Initiation
    Luminous Wisdom: Sophia Magazine Column
    Lunar Medicine
    Medicine Wheel
    Plant Spirit Medicines
    Return To Reverence
    Samhain
    Shamanism
    Spiritual Practices
    Stone Spirit Medicine
    Summer Solstice
    Videos
    Winter Solstice

    Archives

    March 2022
    April 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    January 2013
    October 2012
    June 2012
    January 2012
    June 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    September 2010

    RSS Feed

Hands up in gratitude and respect to the Tla'amin and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations who's lands I live and pray on.
​May all peoples receive the deep healing needed for true reconciliation and restoration. 

šɛgatčɛnsəm ~ Beannachtaí

Upcoming Event:

Picture
Online Solstice Community Ceremony
Picture
Become a Patron!
@3foldbalance
  • About
    • Juliette's Journey
    • Experience & Training
    • Publication Contributions
    • Channeled & Ritual Art
    • About 'Shamanism'
    • What is 'Shamanic' Healing?
  • Sessions & Services
    • Soul Restoration Sessions
    • Card Readings
    • Divination
    • Consultation & Mentorship
    • Home & Land Clearing
    • Private Ceremony
    • Remedial Art
    • Distant Sessions
    • Soul Food in Starving Times
    • More Info >
      • Personal Power Restoration
      • Energetic Brain Balancing
      • Energetic Extraction
      • Curse Unraveling
      • Blessings, Talismans & Offerings
      • Psychopomp
      • Reiki & Energy Work
  • For Purchase
    • Ritual Wear, Ceremonial Ceramics, Talismans & Spirit Dolls
    • Oracle Cards
    • Sacred Tools
    • Art & Photography on Society6
    • Patreon
  • Group Offerings
    • Devotional Arts Program
    • Ask a Cottage Witch
    • A Story for You
    • Return to Reverence Immersion Program
    • Online Journey Circles
    • Medicine Bundle Carrier Program
    • Red Drum Creation
    • Sacred Drum Creation
    • Medicine Rattle Making
  • Online Programs
    • Online Courses
    • Devotional Arts Program
    • Online Journey Circles
    • Return to Reverence Immersion Program
    • Medicine Bundle Carrier Program
    • Spirit Journeys & Meditations
    • Discussion Groups
  • Free Support
  • Contact