Altar(ed) State of Mind

Looking back from where I began on my journey as a pagan I can say one thing. My alter has not changed that much. Yes, I have added a few things from my journey and removed things that do not serve me anymore. It evolved with me and is always exactly what I need.

My altar is my foundation, and it is where I find my strength and clarification and is my ultimate tool as a pagan.

I consider it as your first aid kit for my workings, prayers, and intent. That is why I believe anyone practicing needs an altar of some sort.

I know this is not easy for some who have to practice in the broom closet or live in a space that is not very large and does not have the space for one. But, your altar does not have to be a huge elaborate thing or conform to what others use.

For instance:

• You could use a shoe box that resides in your closet and contains your tools until you need to use them.
• You are a kitchen pagan, and your cooking utensils and bowls are your tools and are hidden in plain sight.
• Your backyard garden is your altar, or you use abandoned tree stump or fallen tree in the woods behind your home.
• You could use a sofa table with pictures of your loved one that have passed through the veil and the mementoes you have of theirs are your tools.

As you can see in this picture of my altar, it shows a lot of items that are not traditional.

I have a hex nut that I found after my Jeep got a flat on the last trip Cody and I took to Maryland. I picked it up because it reminds me of Cody and it helps me remember how keep moving forward. The brown and blue kitchen towels were my grandmother’s and reminds me of how loving a caring I need to be when using my altar for healing. The green match holder was in my grandfathers’ summer kitchen in Maine and reminds me of how to be strong and resilient as he was.

I could go on and on, but the point I am trying to make is this. Those things are mundane items that give me focus, support, and clarity. They are things that mean something to me that I can call upon and use as a tool for my workings. There is no need to purchse or have traditonal tool, use what you have, whatever you use will adapt to your will because in the end the only thing that truly matters is your intent.

Bright Blessing,
Richard Keen
aka The Greenman