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Keeping altars is probably one of the most consistent things we do as Pagans in our personal practice; though "altars" (and if you insist on using this word, please spell it with an "A"; "alters" is a process of forcing change) would not technically be the correct word.  What we keep are actually "shrines," places where we make images of the Divine and our spiritual practice, worship and make offering.

I keep an awful lot of altars myself.  My household altar is now located in the centerpiece of my living room, which is a beautiful mirrored china cabinet gifted to me by my mother-in-law.  It contains my ritual tools, statues of the Deities appropriate to the time of year, antlers to honour the Horned God, pine cones to honour the Earth Goddess.  The image you see at the top of the page is the central top shelf of my household altar, which currently is adorned with the pentacle of my tradition (which I'm pretty proud of; it's solid copper and was handmade by one of our founders, Mistress Leia,) an image of Osiris (to symbolize the God who was dead and is now reborn,) and the Star Goddess (which was a white clay figurine I purchased and then painted.)  In the center you'll find my personal pentacle (handmade by me,) a terra cotta incense burner with a turtle (placed there for feng shui value and also for a Terry Pratchett reference,) my Moon Crown (purchased several years ago from Lobelia's Lair in Nanaimo) and behind these, underneath the tradition's pentacle, my wand (also handmade with a lot of personal symbolism I don't care to publicly share at this time.)

Gift is for every man / a pride and a praise / help and worthiness / and of every homeless adventurer / it is the estate and substance / for those who have nothing else. - Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem

In today's Faithful Friday post of the PaganNewsBeagle, we have Voudou mental health in Haiti; Siberian shamans; the "Better News Club"; boom in online ordinations; is religion a force for good?

In Haiti, Vodou priest/esses are now delivering mental health services (in coordination with international health NGOs).

Sacrifices are made every day.  Some are greater than others.  Some are just things that are put off until a time when they can be brought back out and looked at again.  Some are given up together.  These sacrifices bring on change.  Sometimes we see them as just sacrifices, but if you look deeper, they may be signs of a change in your life, a change in the way you eat, a change in what you have learned, or even a change in how you react throughout your day.

They say that we are in a constant state of learning, a constant state of sacrifice, and a constant state of change.  I believe this is true.  I know when I am preparing for one of my belly dance classes, I may decide to teach the students a new move.  Even if I have performed this move many times in the past, I will research and study to make sure that I am teaching how to do the movements as accurately and physically proper as I can.  When I personally do the movements within a dance, I am not thinking about how to explain them to someone else.  During this time, I may learn something new about the movement that I never knew before.  Or I may learn that I have changed the proper way to perform this movement and have gotten lazy with my movements and find that in my laziness and may be hurting my body by not performing the movement correctly.  I try to remind myself that I need to be open and accepting and willing to give up the bad habit.  Ultimately, this excites me and encourages me to continue on. 

It should be a very interesting month ahead. This month’s New Moon falls on January 20th at 8:14 am, just inside of the sign of Aquarius, the sign of freedom and equality. Just hours later, Mercury turns retrograde. In the chart cast for Washington, DC (and so predictive for the country), the conjunction of Sun and Moon falls in the twelfth house of hidden things. The sensitive Ascendant, plus two other planets, Venus and Mercury, are also in Aquarius. That’s a lot of focus on freedom (or its lack) and on the vagaries of equality in these transformative times.

There is also a major emphasis on the first house in this chart — the house of the people of a nation. Venus and Mercury in Aquarius are joined by Neptune, Mars and Chiron in Pisces all in the first. The combination could promise well-thought-out, heart-centered plans for improving the lives of ordinary citizens — and we all could benefit from that kind of planning in our own lives, in our own communities. But — particularly given some of the aspects — it could also promise attempts to deceive and control that are actively opposed by some -- and studiously ignored by others. There are opportunities for spiritual awakening — and religious oppression. For expressing empathy, and for cold-hearted manipulation. You’ll be watching these decisions made on the world stage, but you are also likely to see them in your personal life. Nourish your spiritual life, and be honest with yourself — and others.

This post is for Week 2 of The Pagan Experience, on Personal Practice: “Share your favorite spiritual/magickal practices."

On the Vanic side of my spiritual life, one of the most meaningful and nourishing things I do is also one of the most simple, something that may not look outwardly like a spiritual practice: going for walks.