Little Sacred Spaces

      One of the ceremonies I created and performed in my capacity as a life-cycle celebrant was my version of a wise woman or croning ceremony. Traditionally this ceremony was celebrated by pagan women to honor their passage through menopause into wise old age. My non-traditional ceremony included an altar that I decorated with items symbolizing young womanhood. Later in the ceremony I replaced or transformed these items into symbols of older and wiser womanhood.      The bouquet of flowers symbolizes the freshness and beauty of youth. The spiral on the goddess figurine symbolizes spiritual growth. The clock is a reminder of how regimented our daily lives were when we set the alarm to get up for work or to take the kids to school.      The stacking dolls represent a mother with her young children. The spoon symbolizes the nurturing we did for our families. And the closed shell contains the annoying bits of life that we had to deal with in the quiet of our individual minds.      The p

       Like many people, I enjoy creating nature arrangements for each season. I usually try to include something symbolic of each of the four elements as done with earth-based religious altars. While I do not subscribe to a particular nature-worshipping religion, such as paganism, I do embrace the pantheistic belief in  the Divine as immanent; the Divine existing in everything and everything having a Divine aspect. (After all, didn't God create the universe from Godself?)     The earth element can be symbolized by rocks or crystals, or anything that is grown in the earth. My fall arrangement includes dried grasses, pumpkins, and pine cones. The pumpkins remind us of nature's abundance, especially present at harvest time, while the dried grasses and seeds add a touch of melancholy to the scene because I always hate to see summer go. Throughout history, pine cones  have been a symbol of  human enlightenment, resurrection, eternal life and regeneration, so they are a meaningful a

       Many of us enjoy arranging still lifes in our homes. Perhaps a new one for each season, or for certain holidays. A still life can include flowers in a vase, framed pictures, a bowl of fruit, or any decorative objects that have meaning to us, or just look good! I like to arrange things that have symbolism and meaning for me. Sometimes I call these arrangements “little altars.” However, I looked up the definition for “altar” and discovered that it is “ a raised area in a house of worship where people can honor God with offerings. It is prominent in the Bible as "God's table," a sacred place for sacrifices and gifts offered up to God.” My altars are not offerings to God, but rather sacred places that connect me either to the Divine, to Nature, or to some spiritual aspect of my life, such as familial love.  This blog gives me the opportunity to create sacred spaces and altars to share with readers. Feel free to attach pictures and ideas of your still lifes for future p