How to Make an Altar to Amplify Your Creative Projects and Work

Did you know that altars can be used outside religious practices to connect to your purpose or passion? Though the origins of altars can be traced back to religious and spiritual worship and veneration, it doesn't belong to any one religion or practice. In addition, and to be clear, the altar work we will be discussing has no connection to idolatry or even a particular religion. In fact, you can look at it as an "elevated vision board." It is an adaptation of a basic altar, which has always been a special place to honor what's sacred and deepen one's experience to a pearl of higher wisdom.

Whether you know it or not, we often intentionally and unintentionally create altars in our customary celebratory events. The altar space can represent blessings, intentions, feelings, and energies we bestow upon or exchange with our loved ones. For instance, at weddings, birthdays, and baby showers, there's usually a designated table or place where we offer gifts, tokens of love, flowers, words of intention, and cards to memorialize and bless these big life moments. Like an altar, we can construct a sacred place to develop our spiritual practices and connect more intentionally to our heart's desires to bring them to fruition. Ultimately, a creative altar is a physical manifestation of your focal point infused with elemental energies, prayers, and blessings, and can be an extremely powerful way to support you in the process of your next big project!

What You'll Need

This article will discuss the bare essentials for building a "creative altar." You will need to find a designated space with a table, shelf, or surface that you deem holy and sacred, which you will consistently visit. On the table's surface, you will want to include a white candle that you light when spending time at your altar. The candle represents the element of fire (activation, creation, passion, brightness, and illumination) and symbolizes divine light.

Additionally, you'll want to include material representations of your creation. For example, I created an altar for a film project I'm writing and directing. On my altar, I had a colorful mask that the actors wore, my script, a unique seashell from one of the locations where we filmed, and a picture of me doing my craft. These items are essential to my project's process and remind me of the love and support poured into it. Sometimes, I'll offer flowers to this altar to infuse beauty and nature's elemental energy (groundedness, flow, and harmony). Offering these tokens of appreciation becomes a ritual where I continue to pour love and light into my project in unconventional ways, but the effort is all the same. You may be in the process of creating a startup. If that is the case, some items you could place on your altar could be brainstorming notes about the company's inception, a list of your dream clientele, loose change to represent monetary abundance, or something that is a physical symbol of your brand. As long as it has significant meaning to you, then it's worthy of being on your altar. Get creative, and let your intuition guide you, feeling into the items that light you up or you naturally gravitate towards.

It's worth noting that no matter what you're building, it deserves protection! When we embark on a new project or creation, we may encounter naysayers or influences that encourage self-doubt and prey on our insecurities. So, it would serve you to add protective components to your altar. Plenty of powerful symbols are used across cultures to ward off evil and negativity. For instance, you may be familiar with the evil eye, famous in Greek, Roman, Islamic, and Hindu traditions. It's known to repel jealousy, envy, or malicious intent. In addition, some herbs are used to cleanse negative energies and will help create a protective shield around your altar. You may be familiar with burning sage, copal, or palo santo, known for its ability to clear out all negative and low vibrational energies. Burning sage on and around your altar can keep your vision clear from outside distractions and steady your intention. Rosemary is also a protective herb for purification and protection and is known to boost memory and mental clarity. Basil is known for enhancing positive energy, good fortune, and security. You can leave the herb in its natural form on your altar or the essential oil form, adding some drops to a water bottle and spraying the area of your altar. Remember, cleanliness is next to godliness, so taking the time to ensure the area where you keep your altar is clean literally and energetically will open up space for your blessings to flow.

How To Use Your Altar to Amplify Your Project

Remember that your altar is a sacred place you can intentionally visit to gain new perspective and clarity in your project, so make sure it is special wherever you decide to erect it. The beauty of this is that it allows you to revisit what you're working on from an elevated and emotionally detached perspective. You can visit your creative altar space when you feel anxious, confused, doubtful, and afraid about your idea. You can light your candle, take some time to relax, and release heavy emotions. You can use your time at your altar to meditate or visualize the best possible outcome you'd like to experience. You can speak prayers, blessings, and life over your work if you have a prayer practice. Your heartfelt intention and mindfulness are more than enough, so always do what feels best for you. Over time, if done consistently, you may receive downloads to guide you along your path. It's easy to get consumed with your creation, so your creative altar space allows you to elevate your awareness, get a fresh take, and approach your work from a more spiritual point of view. At our altars, we can tap into the remembrance that we're not alone and our visions are protected and supported by higher realms.

Regarding our work, it is natural that we lean toward the rational and practical sides, as most business operates from logic, not emotion. That's because it lets us stay on track, organize, and precisely execute. However, balancing those influences by inviting in opposite energies that naturally come from altar work is a great way to create balance and stay grounded in your pursuits. Although exerting our force and will by working harder and longer serves a purpose, it is not the only tactic to achieve our goals. Our heart's desires carry a genuinely unique vibration, and when taken to our creative altar, we activate an aura that moves our efforts into a higher vibration. So, get clear on your intentions, ask yourself what you hope to get from this practice, and start thinking outside of how you felt you could accomplish your goals. Get in the habit of showing up for yourself in this new space, and watch your wildest dreams come true.