Astral Doorway
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Picture Guide for an Altar Setup
🕑 Added 2022-02-05 20:40:41 +0000 UTCI've configured my own personal altar and taken a picture of it to show you a basic altar setup. In my previous post I explained about how an altar can protect your home and Astral projection journeys. Luke Paziewski asked for a reference so here you go! As explained in the previous post, an altar should at the very least have the four main elements on it; fire, water, earth and air. As you can see in the image I have included these four elements. Below I've given a deeper explanation about how to setup an altar, both basic and more advanced types, about each element, and about additional and alternative things you can use.
Table
Ideally, you should use a square-shaped table that will only be used for your altar. Try to avoid using a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a window sill or similar things. A chest of drawers is acceptable but try to keep the use of mundane objects inside to a minimum, but instead store all of your spiritual objects in it. Tables with a glass plank to place on top are also ideal. In this case, you may put the white cloth on the table, and then put the glass on top, this raises the energy of the entire altar because glass is a type of crystal; this energy can be noticed in the Astral. If you can't find a white cloth, it is fine, but it's ideal to use, it symbolises the purity of your path and indicates to other forces that you and your home strive toward the highest divinity within the cosmos - as opposed to the backward teachings of various schools which could be called 'black magic'; such schools use circle-shaped altars with red or black cloth. Remember that the colour white includes all of the 7 colours of the rainbow-spectrum. The altar should ideally be placed in a room where you'll do your Sadhana (spiritual practice). Try to not place it in a busy location such as a corridor where prying eyes are looking; remember that this altar will be the energetic heart of your home where you attract cosmic forces to guide and protect you and your family.
My go-to choice for altar tables, as well as my Gnostic teacher's, are folding tray tables, they're usually affordable and an ideal size, many churches use these too, here are a couple of links:
π https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6092146
π https://www.amazon.com/HOOBRO-Portable-Sofaside-Assembly-BF15BZ01/dp/B08816YPNW
Elements
- Water: As you can see in the image, I have a glass of water. Try to use a high-quality crystal glass rather than a plastic or regular glass. Such glass contains minerals and quartz which have a symmetrical molecuar structure making it ideal to charge your water with the energy of your practices. Many studies have proven that intention directly affects water. Essentially, you create your own "Holy Water". After each practice, you should drink your entire glass and refill it again until next time.
- Fire: I currently use 8-hour tealights which are stored in a nice tealight holder. Pillar candles are also ideal. A candle should always be lit on your altar whenever possible, it becomes a beacon for spiritual light and is the heart of your altar. If you're worried about something setting fire, perhaps the way I do it is the safest way.
- Earth: I currently use a large selenite obelisk crystal to represent the element of earth. You may use any crystal or rock you like. Plants are also ideal. A good choice are aloe vera plants. A small bowl of salt may also be used.
- Air: You can see a clay pot with lit charcoal inside being used to burn frankincense resin. This is a pure and powerful type of cleansing incense, to purify and attract positive energies. You can also use incense sticks in an incense stick holder.
Statues & Other Objects You Can Use + Their Purposes
- As you can see, the statues I've used in this image are of Buddha meditating, Archangel Michael killing a demon (ego), and Yeshua and Mary holding the Cup of Hermes (a reminder to hold one's own sexual energy). I chose these because I feel a strong connection to them and they inspire a profound atmosphere within me when I do my own practices ~ you can use absolutely any kind of statue, picture, or object of things that help you personally connect to "Source"/"God"/"Consciousness". See this video where I explain about the "life" such statues can emit.
- In the past, I've also used a statues of the Egyptian Goddess Isis and the Hindu God Ganesha. A crucifix is also very powerful.
- You may also use this pentagram, but it should be studied and understood before using. You should print off the pentagram and put it in a glass frame. As implied above, glass "pushes" the image of the pentagram into the Astral light and brings it to life through its crystalline structure. Notice how pictures are "pushed forward" when they are in glass frames (the thicker the glass, the more noticeable this effect is).
- You may also use any other kind of object that inspires you such as; the Flower of Life symbol, sacred books and spiritual texts, and things you find in nature like acorns, pinecones and flowers.
- You can also use a small dagger, or sword, or a large sword that can be hung on the wall above the altar (it does not need to be sharpened). Such a sword scares away negative forces. It shows that you, as a person who is striving to integrate with "Nature", has the wisdom to control nature in a way that dispels negative forces. Most people are just passive towards life, but the spiritual aspirant seeks to become aware of energies and shift them as they please through Mental willpower, hence why we need to work with the four elements on our altar. If we can self-realise the four elements of this physical plane, we can control the elements of the spiritual plane. This takes years of intensely devoted practice to understand.
- You can also use Tingsha bells, normal bells, or singing bowls. Notice how a bell's perimeter is like a Yoni, and the ball inside is a Lingam, hence its symbolism is sexual in nature; it is time to commune with the divine in a deep way. You can hit the bell 3 times before you begin a practice, and then 3 times again when you finish. The bells should be a call to awareness to be in the here and now.
- You can also include any type of trinket or talisman and ask for them to be blessed and infused with universal energy. You can bring such items with you as a pendant or in your pocket to protect you when you go outside. Your altar becomes your charging station, this is effective for crystals too, just in the same way that the glass of water is charged too.
- You can also keep extra water in a pure copper vessel. This is a very popular practice in India; the copper cleanses the water. The element of Copper is also believed to help in the activation of the third eye; both by drinking the copper-infused water and also having the vessen near you. Here is one you can buy.
Arrangement & What to Choose
It is your altar, add things which you find beauty and meaning in! Inspiration leads to aspiration π
The fun in creating your own altar is that you can include and decorate almost anything you like, and arrange it in a way that you personally love most. For example, I like to keep objects I understand as feminine of the left side, and masculine things on the right. For example; fire and Archangel Michael is masculine, and water and depictions of the Divine Mother is feminine... but sometimes I just arrange them in ways which I feel look right and look pleasing to the eye.
Above all, many of us are in varying situations; therefore do not worry too much about following strict rules ~ just do the best with what you have; the more beauty and inspiration you can add the better ~ this spirit of creating this atmosphere and energy in your house can also be applied to the room that it's in, and also your whole house. Feng Shui has some good tips for energetically arranging your home.
Comments
Gene Hart
Yes I travel too and usually carry a small tibetan cloth to put a couple of small statues on, and also a crystal (representing earth), for fire, water and air, it's usually easy to find a glass of water, candles and incense (for the 4 elements to be present on the altar).
Matt Cranston
Greetings π I travel almost every week for work and spend on average five days in a hotel. Do you have any recommendations for a traveling altar or would all the same instructions above apply? Iβm mostly curious about it not being βhomeβ does it work the same way if I had an altar in the hotel room.
Gene Hart
Glad you like it Kyla!
