Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Altars - Connecting images to your dreams


  I knew I wanted a garden.  A place outside yet private.  A place I could plant tomatoes in the ground.  A place with a sunny spot to sit. 

  My husband and I were looking to leave our small dark apartment and move into a house with a yard.  Somewhere warmer.  A little bigger.  A house with lots of light.  As we began the process I started collecting pictures from magazines.  Images of garden paths.  A bench surrounded by wild flowers.  Stepping stones leading to a lemon tree.  I bought a candle the color green to reflect the space I so desired and the money it would take to get it.  Once I had enough scenes to evoke my dream I assembled my garden altar.  As this was a shared dream I placed it where both my husband and I would see it every day – above the kitchen table wedged in a corner. I used clear tape to stick my pictures on the wall in a star shaped fashion.  As I found more images I added them in, adjusting and removing existing ones to my liking.  Below the images went the candle and a small potted African violet.  We made a list of “must-haves” and “don’t wants” to keep us focused and on task.  And then we were off!  Without fail, every weekend we went to look for our new place to live.

  Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones looking. Other people wanted a place to call their own too.  There was competition and it wasn’t going to be easy.  We looked for more than ten months.  It took time, perseverance, and a little luck before we finally found a home that we liked and could afford.  The house was bright and spacious, but had its troubles too. We’d need to have some foundation work done, and all the bedroom walls had a strange texture we’d want to replace ASAP.  But the backyard was ready and waiting to be transformed into the garden of my dreams.  It was more space than I could have imagined.  There was also a big oak tree I’d have to contend with, and in the end, remove. Overall, it was a long process, but a worthy one.

  When I think of that time, I remember returning each Sunday to our tiny apartment exhausted from looking at house after house.  I worried we’d never find the right place.  But then we’d sit down to dinner, light the green candle, and look at the illuminated images.  In those images I found hope.
  
  Now, when I sit in a sunny spot in the garden, I remember my garden altar and feel a great sense of gratitude.  I wanted something and I trusted in that want.  I carried myself through it and to it. 

  Images are powerful and altars are great ways to help you “see.”  They’re incredibly easy to assemble and disassemble.  And they’re also fun to create.  As your life and needs change, so do the images you find yourself attracted to.  Having a designated space for an altar makes it easy to adjust what you include.  Desks, corners, tables, outdoor spaces, even bathrooms, are all suitable spaces to put the images, thoughts, and words of your dreams. 

Looking for inspiration?  Here are several sites to get you started:




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