I love building altars and meditation spaces. I use to do it according to the books I have. This goes here, that goes there. I did that for a very long time. What I found over time is that the altars and spaces that were the most meaningful to me were the ones I built using nothing but creativity and intuition. Sometimes people follow books because they feel afraid to make a mistake. I’m not saying education is a bad thing. I am saying that at some point it can be a good thing to exercise your intuition. When I build sacred space I use items and colors that speak to me. The altar I am building tomorrow is for Spring Equinox. I will keep it up all month. Here is what my planning process looks like.
I plan to print an image of Eostre to place in the center of my altar. I have these great ceramic bunnies that I always place all around for this holiday. I plan to also find some blooming tulips or daffodils when we actually get closer to the holiday. I will purchase a pale pink candle. All of these symbolize spring to me. The pink is a lighter version of red. Red symbolizes goddess to me, and pink young goddess and young love. This might all sound very simple to you. Where is the cauldron, chalice, wands etc…I really don’t feel I need them. It doesn’t mean I never use them, it just means they are not essential to my practice.
How do you practice your spirituality? By the book or by intuition, or some of both?
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Never found a book or practice that matches my beliefs so it’s mostly intuition for me. Things that speak to the nature of my beliefs and which I’ve woven into my practice (as neglected as it is). Having them there and consistent helps to remind me of my practice when I wander back to it.
I think in the beginning I used books because all I knew was Christianity. Now my spirituality does not fit into a neat box so no one book or genre of books work.
When I was a girl, I did not know anything about any religion at all (I come from the USSR, an atheist country). Yet I found myself talking to nature and being one with it – without the need for book or intuition. Now for certain acts I like to have some guidance, for example, I use set Druid rituals for the Seasonal Festivals, yet they have space for personal meditation and communion. I also practice menstrual exercises by Miranda Gray. At other times, like when I am in nature, it is completely intuition and just listening to myself and to Goddess.
I love to be in nature too. It is when I feel closest to the goddess.