My Home Shrine (Dedicant Path Essay)

My home shrine is in a bit of a transition period right now. It has been in our guest bedroom for the last two years, on a largish coffee table with a shelf underneath for supplies. We have recently moved in a roommate and our house is too small for the coffee table to go anywhere else, so my shrine is currently on top of my dresser, and my supplies have kicked my pajamas out of a dresser drawer. This isn't a workable permanent solution, but our house is small and a safe location is hard to find.

Home Shrine prepared for Autumn Equinox ritual, photo by CarysBirch

For Hallows, I use a ceramic bowl for the well that was made for me as a gift. It's black on the outside and brown on the inside and has a lid to keep things covered and safe if necessary. The fire is represented by a large pillar candle and a ceramic oil burner with a tea lite underneath. The pillar candle provides the visible flame, the oil burner is great for offerings of oils, and I can burn a charcoal round in the top for cone or resin incense. I also have a holder for stick incense nearby. The tree is something I made myself last winter, and I can't think of anything more perfect for my altar. The daylilies had died, and the hard woody stems that hold the flowers were all over my garden, looking like bare tree branches. I cut some of varying heights, and arranged them to look like a bare oak tree. I wrapped and tied the stems together with corn husk and "planted" it in a plant pot.

Also on the shrine are representations of the three realms, a stone from my childhood home for the land, a large clam shell I found on the beach for the sea, and a white feather (I don't know from what kind of bird, I found it outside) for the sky. I have taper candles on either side of the shrine for illumination I try to vary the colors seasonally, but sometimes they're just pretty candles.

I would love to someday have some deity representations. Ideally I would like to make these myself, I've been reading about LaTene art for a few months now, and I want to try to balance the historical art style with my own modern preferences. I also really like the idea of honoring the gods with art I make myself. I would also really love to have an outdoor working altar, preferably with a stone surface, but I haven't found the right rock yet.