A sacred space is a place that is not just for prayers but where you can go to find respite from the day’s stress and worries. This can be anywhere in your home that you can call your own.
The space is not inherently sacred, but rather the feelings evoked are what makes it so. It can be anything from a church to a mountain grove.
Create a Space for Prayer
Creating a dedicated space in your home to pray is a great way for families to see their homes as domestic churches. You don’t have to turn an entire room into a shrine, but any place where you can get away from the noise and distractions of daily life and focus on God is ideal. It can be a corner of your living room, the dining table or even one of the kids’ rooms. A simple area with a small altar and some religious art can help you and your family feel like you are entering into the church each time you pray.
To make your prayer space truly sacred, it’s important that you clear the area of clutter and visual distractions. It should also be free of noise, as you will want to be able to focus on your prayers and meditations without being distracted by the television or someone else’s voices in the next room.
Once you’ve cleared the area, choose an image of Jesus to place at the center of your altar and arrange other religious items around it. This can include a crucifix, an icon or statue of Saint Mary or any other saint that you may have a particular connection to. Other items that you can add to your sacred space are prayer books, a Bible and other scriptures, and a candle.
You can also add framed posters, inspirational signs and wall plaques to your prayer space. This can be a great way to decorate and personalize your space.
If your sacred space is shared by the entire family, consider putting a bulletin board or corkboard in your home for each member of the family to post their own prayer requests or sayings that they are particularly grateful for on a regular basis. This can be a fun way to help children and teens to learn how to pray, as well as to create a more connected household.
It’s also important that someone in the family “owns” this space, so that they will regularly clean it and ensure that nothing distracts them from spending time with the Lord. This could be a child, teenager or an adult. Cleaning regularly helps to keep this special area fresh and inviting and also promotes an atmosphere of peace for everyone in the household.
Create a Prayer Book
It is important to set your sacred space apart from other activities of your day. This means turning off TV, radio or any other distractions. This is your time to pray and worship God. Creating your sacred space and making prayer a priority will help you grow closer to God and will allow you to find a peace within yourself.
You can also add a Bible, reading materials and music to your sacred space. Many people find that listening to hymns and worship music helps them connect with God during their time of prayer. In addition, you may want to include a journal, writing utensils and/or a book of prayers to create your own prayer book. Having a prayer for protection from scams can help you, especially if you are starting your own family, business, or new path.
Prayer books are useful for creating a regular routine of personal devotion and meditation. They can contain daily readings and prayers, as well as personal reflections on the readings. There was a surge of interest in these books during the late Middle Ages, as more and more laypeople sought to develop their own personal prayer schedules.
A few years ago, a website called SacredSpace began to gain momentum and draw more than five million visitors annually. This level of interest in daily prayers was enough to inspire a number of publishers (including Loyola Press, Ave Maria Press and Veritas) to release hard-copy versions of the site’s daily prayer booklets.
If you want to create your own prayer book, consider including a table of contents and calendar at the beginning of the booklet. This will make it easy for you to find the readings and prayers you’re looking for during your scheduled prayer and meditation times. You can also add a topical index at the end of the booklet, which will further help you quickly locate specific prayers and readings.
You can also include a section for your own daily reflections, which is helpful if you are new to this type of personal spiritual practice. Additionally, you can add a selection of time-honored prayers, such as the Lord’s Prayer, St. Francis’ “Peace Prayer” and the Shema. You may also wish to include some spiritual poetry, which can be particularly moving when read aloud.
Decorate the Altar
The altar is the focal point of your spiritual space. You will want to decorate it in a way that honors your beliefs and inspires inner stillness. You can use your own creativity to create an altar that will work for you and your practices. Whether you are a lifelong meditator or you are new to the practice, you will find that having a personal sacred space will help you to connect with your spirit and the Divine in an easier and more meaningful manner.
Decorate your altar with colors that correspond to the seasons. For example, if you are celebrating Lammas (August 1st), you can drape the altar with yellow cloth to represent the wheat fields. You can also add gold and orange to symbolize the ripening of the wheat. You can even hang a woven basket and bowl as a centerpiece, or add sculptures of farmers with their scythes or oxen threshing the grain.
You can also decorate your altar with the color white, which is often used during Christmas and other holidays that are directly linked to Christianity. You can also decorate your altar with the color purple, which symbolizes royalty, for the Lenten season leading up to Easter.
For those who celebrate Jewish festivals, you can decorate your altar with blue or white, as those are traditional colors associated with those holidays. You can also hang a curtain or screen to separate the area from the rest of your room and remind you that this is a special place where you are meant to receive guidance from within. If you do this, you can even say a prayer, such as Baruch atah Adonai, hamavdil bayn kodesh lechol, which is a blessing for separating the holiness of Shabbat from the ordinary day-to-day activities of your home.
Another simple way to decorate your altar is by adding a few candles. Keep in mind that you should never leave a candle unattended, as this can be dangerous. You can also add a small crystal or stone to the altar to give it a more grounded and balanced feel.
Create an Altar
An altar is a place for you to pray, meditate and communicate with the Divine. It is an important part of your spiritual practice and should be set up with care and intention.
Many people use a table, dresser top, window sill or other nook in their home to create an altar. There is no right or wrong way to do it — it should be a spot that feels comfortable and sacred for you. Some people like to arrange their altar with a focal point, such as a statue or large crystal, to draw the eye in and give it visual balance. Others prefer a more minimalistic approach, using just a few items on the altar.
After you’ve chosen the space, you need to decide what objects will be on your altar. This will depend on your spiritual practice, but some common objects include candles, flowers, incense sticks, crystals and books. You can also decorate your altar to honor the seasons, directions or elements. For example, you might place a dove symbol or statue on your altar to represent heaven or a book with a tree or plant on its cover for Earth.
Once your altar is set up, you should dedicate some time to cleanse it. This could be a simple ritual like sprinkling water or smudging with sage. You can also perform a prayer or chant, play music with tuning forks or singling bowls, light candles and pray or do spell work or ritual magic.
Some people even use their altars to meditate or do kundalini yoga! After your initial ritual, it’s important to visit your altar regularly. This will help keep your relationship with the Divine strong and ensure that you’re connected to it on a daily basis. It’s a great way to ground yourself in your spirituality and connect with the Divine each morning or evening, set intentions or do rituals and spells for protection and prosperity. Just like with the sacred space you’ve created, you can make your altar a central hub for all of these practices, encouraging you to build your own spiritual lifestyle.