Little Sacred Spaces

     At the beginning of a new year we often make resolutions and set our intentions to better ourselves. Many of us wish for more peace in the world as each new year begins, and that is what I'm doing with the altar that I have dedicated to peace.      As I placed the symbols of peace on this altar I prayed that 2023 will be the year that the Era of Peace truly begins in the world of form. The Christmas card framed in green and gold displays the word "peace" in eleven languages. This and the golden globe hanging on my little tree remind us that people all over the world long for peace. Wars are waged by powerful and egotistic leaders, but most common people desire peace with their neighbors. When the will of the people, and the will of God prevail over the will of the egotists, there will be peace.      Doves of peace and a paper crane hang from the little tree along with the golden globe. Paper cranes have been symbols of peace since a litt...

    During the first 42 years of my marriage, I often wished that I had a room of my own. A room that I could keep free of clutter, artfully decorated with my favorite books and momentos. Three years ago when we moved from Oneonta, New York to a new home in Delavan, Wisconsin, I finally had my own room.           My room is a sacred space in itself, a place where I can go to connect with friends and family via my computer, or connect with the Divine in whatever way I feel inspired. Sometimes I light a candle and sit in this chair to meditate, read, journal, or pray.      The little table and the green chair both belonged to my father, and the lace-trimmed handkerchief was my mother's. I like to change the objects on the little table from time to time, but they always include something symbolic of the four elements of Nature, such as the dish of crystals for earth, the blue bird for air, the seashell for water, and the can...

       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 rege...