The Art of Altars: Manifestation, Intention & Sacred Space

Hey now, all. I'm Joey C. Welcome back to another episode of Spirit Sherpa. This is the show that encourages and helps you on your journey to unlock your magic mojo. With me, as always, is the spirit doctor, Kelle Sparta. Hey, Kelle. Hey, Joe.

All right. We are set to talk about altars. Now, why is it that the idea of an altar to so many people seems creepy? I mean, it's either, it's either something you see in a church or it's something you see, like, on a stalker's living room.

I never really thought about it that way, but okay. So what is an altar? So an altar is a physical representation of an energetic. And so we use items and the placement of those items to create an energetic that we're trying to bring into form. Y- we use that word a lot, and we use it a lot in the show, and I don't know that we've ever stopped to define it.

For the folks who might not know, what is an energetic? How would you describe that? So think of an energetic like a computer program. Okay. So you write lines of code that create a pathway that brings a program into being on the screen. Okay. Okay? An energetic is where you create a series of intentions, which are your lines of code- Mm-hmm

right, that bring into creation whatever it is you're trying to create. Okay. Okay? And in, in the case of an altar, instead of just using the intentions, you're actually using physical items as a holder for those intentions. So you can create something just by intending it. Mm-hmm. Right? Things that you want to be sort of ongoing, it's good to have a physical representation to hold them.

So for instance, if you were to come into my house, which you are right now, if you were to go into my kitchen, in my kitchen window there's a windowsill that holds my happy home altar. And there's a Quan Yin figurine and a bunch of stones, crystals, and a little stone that has welcome written on it, and plants- Mm

because I think plants represent growth and change. And so that is my happy home altar, and that lives on that spot all the time because I want my house to be a happy one. So that's a very simple altar. Right. It's just holding a very simple plan. Altars can be used to do that level of intention, and un- in a lot of homes, that's what you get.

At the end of the room here is another altar, and that altar has a, uh, chalice on it and some shells, as well as a image of Ganesh And Ganesha is a god in the Hindu tradition for prosperity and wealth and things going well in the physical. And so that is the prosperity altar. Yeah. In days past, I have also had coins and money from different countries on that altar because I was representing wanting to travel internationally.

Right? So we, we choose things to go on the altar to represent what our intentions are. So I wanted to travel internationally, so I put the international coins and money on the altar. Um- So they became the physical representation of that intention. Exactly. So in the instance of any given altar, you may have multiple different elements.

Mm-hmm. Okay? If you're doing a working, like last episode we cast a circle, right? Yeah. In that circle we were talking about transformation. I have seen people set up altars, and I don't normally personally go to this level of detail, but some people like to do it. I, I worked with a woman for a while who really loved to create altars for each of the elements.

And so she would actually build an altar to the north. She would build an altar to the east, build an altar to the south, and build an altar to the west, and she would have things represented for each of those elements, for earth, air, fire, water. And so on the water one she would have a chalice with water in it.

Mm-hmm. And in the earth one she would have salt. Salt is the representation of earth in a lot of cases. Uh, you could also have a potted plant, right, to represent earth. Uh, in the east it would be something relating to air, so maybe an image of a dragonfly or an image of a hawk or a feather. You know, oftentimes you have feathers on those altars.

Uh, in the south you put an incense burner and you have it burning. And you can get complex. Her, her altars, all of them had like 8 or 10 elements on each one. So you, you can get complex with it. But what you have to recognize is that as you're building an altar it is as much art as it is science. It's actually much more art than it is science because I could tell you the pieces to put on an altar, and you could put them all randomly on the altar and they wouldn't work because the elements have to be arranged in relation to one another.

And so it's an intuitive process of feeling into what feels right for what you're trying to intend. And so there's a relationship between every element on that altar, and if you add something in or you take something out, you have to move things to readjust and hold the energetic. So it's even more than just intention in that case because it, it's also the energetic that gets created based on the placement- Exactly

the literal placement of the items on the altar. Exactly. Wow. And it's not just the items. Sometimes you tr- you've got an altar cloth that goes underneath- Yeah ... everything, right? So the choice of cloth makes a difference, too. I could choose one cloth and I'd arrange things in one way, and I choose a different cloth and I'd arrange them differently.

So each item has its own energy in it. Mm-hmm. And then you bring energy in for it to represent something, and that energy interacts with the element that you've brought it into with that item. So for instance, I have copper balls that I have used in multiple rituals over the last 20 years. I have used all four of them in all the rituals.

I don't split them up. Okay. But if I had split them up and used two in one ritual and two in another one, if I chose to use one of those and to have it represent something, it would have a different impact than the one I chose to, to represent the same thing in something else, okay? Mm-hmm. Because the, the energy of every piece- of work that you've ever done with that item is infused into the item.

And so, you know, if you buy something from Goodwill and you wanna put it on your altar, well, you have no freaking clue- You don't know what the energy was- ... what you've got. That's right ... that it was in that thing. Exactly. Before you use an item on your altar, you wanna cleanse it. Mm-hmm. So cleansing it could look like, uh, washing it in saltwater.

It could be letting it sit out in the light of the full moon. Mm-hmm. It could be burying it in the ground and letting it compost whatever energy was in it. Those are sort of physical world ways to clear things. S- the smudging- You could smudge it. Yeah. Yeah. Although, depending on the item- Yeah ... s- it may or may not clear with smudge.

Okay. The, the denser, heavier items hold their energies a little more strongly. So a feather you could totally smudge. Yeah. Right? But like a, a r- crystal or a stone or something like that- But like a crystal you need to- ... not so much ... yeah, you need to do more. You know? Once you, once you're adept with energy- Mm-hmm

I can just take an item and just clear it. Yeah. You know? I just, boom, done. Yeah. But until you're adept with energy, you can use one of these other techniques and clear your item. Hmm. Right? Obviously, don't take your soapstone crystal and put it in saltwater. That would be bad. Yeah, no. That would, that would be bad.

Then you don't have a soapstone crystal anymore. Then you don't have a soapstone crystal anymore. Yeah. So don't do that. Exactly. All right. So I struggle picking out a tableware set. How could I possibly put an altar together? I mean, is it, is it something I could even do, or, or do I need somebody to help me figure out how to, how to do this if I'm- So why, why do you struggle with the tableware set?

In terms of being, um, what, aesthetically challenged. Okay. So that's the, that's the key, is y- it's not about it being aesthetically pleasing. Okay. And that, and that w- so that was my- Yeah ... that was where I was going with that, is, is it about, at the aesthetics or the more than that? Yeah, it's about the energetic.

Okay. Right? It's, it's about putting the lines of code in the right order. So when we talk about artistic from that perspective, it's not the aesthetic element of the art- Correct ... it's the, the appropriate placement element of the art. Yeah, it's the energetic creation. Just where it feels right. Ex- exactly.

It's about what feels right. Exactly that. Hmm. So those of us who ki- who are kinesthetic do better- Mm-hmm ... at altar creation than those who aren't. Okay. Because it's, it's feeling into it, right? And what you're doing is you're feeling does that feel right, and you just keep moving things until it feels right.

Mm-hmm. So what I would really recommend is that you have several items that represent the different elements. So, you know, two or three options for earth, two or three options for air, blah, blah, blah, right? Uh, that you have an- several items that represent you. Mm-hmm. Right? So something that's of significance to you, that you've held with you, right?

And then several items that are things that represent different concepts to you. So, you know, whatever it is that- that's true for you. Mm-hmm. Because this is all about you, right? This isn't about what it means to anybody else. Right. It's all about what it means to you. So don't let somebody else tell you you did it wrong, okay?

So people couldn't actually even help you with an altar if, to serve your intention even if you wanted them to? Well, it depends on the person. Depends on the person. You could. I could, yes. But any, any good empath, any empath could help you. Okay. Because they're gonna tap into your feelings- I see ... and they're gonna, they're gonna feel from your perspective.

Okay. Right? So it's not, it doesn't require special skills except that you be an empath, right? Mm-hmm. So, uh, you know, a good empath is gonna be able to do that for you, assuming they can get out of their own way of what they think they, they would do. Right. Right? So- You truly get, truly have to tap into your empathic abilities there and- Exactly

tap into the other person. Yeah. And, you know, it, it's a matter of feeling into it. There's different things that you do for different processes. So if you wanted to ... Let's say you wanted to find the perfect house. Mm-hmm. Right? And you know what kind of house you want, right? So you'll pick a picture of a house that's the type of house you want.

Let's say you want a Cape Cod- Yeah ... house, right? So we're, we're in N- New England. Let's talk about a Cape Cod house. So you want a Cape Cod house, so you pick a picture of a Cape Cod house. And then you know that you want it to be on a quiet street. So maybe you would put a little Zen garden- Mm-hmm ... in the, on the altar.

And you know that you want it to be in a, in a friendly neighborhood where, where the neighbors are fun. You might put something that represents belonging to you, so, you know, a little statue of a group of people holding hands- Mm-hmm ... or something like that. And you know that you want it to be affordable, and you wanna make sure you're not house poor- Right

right? That you don't buy more than you can afford. Maybe you put a picture of a sale- Mm-hmm ... bargain basement sale or something. Yeah. Right? You gotta be careful with the bargain basement thing, though, because you might get a fixer-upper, right? You, you pay attention to the elements, right? Mm-hmm. And you want it to be a place where you will be happy, so you put a picture of you smiling in the space.

In the altar space. Right? Yeah. So you get the idea, right? Mm-hmm. There's so many different ways to build an altar for the same thing. Mm-hmm. Right? But it's, it's all about just sort of adding it in, and you might want to power it with crystals, so you add, you know, quartz crystals to add power to it. Or you want, you wanna bring love in, you bring some rose quartz in.

You want to bring in insight and wisdom, maybe you put some selenite in there, you know? And it, it just depends on how you wanna do it, but it's, it's about what you wanna create, and creating the vision for that which creates the energetic. Yep. So when we talk about altars, they're really about driving forward an intention.

Yes. Very cool. I'm going to transition us into Ask Kelle here- Okay ... because there's a question about this. All right. And it takes altars and intention, and kind of what you hinted at just a second ago with the bargain basement. Can altars go wrong? Any intention can go wrong. Okay. Okay? Even if you don't intend it to?

Even if you don't intend it to. Ironically? Ironically, yes. Um, and you know how they go wrong is by ... So- The purest magic is simply setting your intention and sending it out into the world. Mm-hmm. It is also the one least likely to get screwed up because the only thing that can screw up that kind of magic is your internal belief structures.

Okay. Okay? So if you are trying to manifest a BMW, but you think all rich people are assholes, and you think that only rich people own BMWs- Drive BMWs ... and you don't wanna be an asshole, then you will not get your BMW. Mm-hmm. That's how the belief structures get in the way. Yeah. Or let's take, for instance, the example I gave in another episode of when I didn't wanna sand my floors, and the guy came by and said, "Would

You know, I'll do it for you." And I said, "Well, I can buy you pizza." Yeah. Right? He worked for me for two days for a pizza. You had to be willing to say yes to that. Right. A lot of people would not have said yes to that. They would have felt bad about it. They would have insisted on paying him. They would have, you know, whatever.

You have to be willing to say yes to receiving. That's the other piece of the puzzle, right? Which a lot of people c- are not comfortable doing. Correct. Yeah. Yes. So there's, there's a lot of pieces and parts that go into it, right? And so the, the purest form of intention is just the intention and getting your belief structure out of the way.

Mm-hmm. Right? When you put it into an altar, now you are bringing into the process of creation the energy of each individual item that you are adding to the altar as well as the intention that you set for it and how you set it. Mm-hmm. So the more words we use, the more likely we go wrong. Okay? 'Cause how we language things matters.

So I'll give you an example. Years ago, I was manifesting a new boyfriend, and I wrote this long list of things that I wanted from this boyfriend. You know, he had to get along with my friends. He had to be positive, optimistic person. He had to like, you know, similar things, and, um, he had to be on the same spiritual path as me or a parallel one and, you know, w- um, that sort of thing, right?

Now, what's wrong with what I just said? You said parallel. Yes.

Parallel paths don't cross. Correct. And what was missing from what I just said? I'm assuming love. Yes. The, the love was on there, but what was missing was common goals and values. Oh. Yeah. And so I manifested a conservative Republican Catholic with political aspirations who wanted to get married and have children.

And I had just gotten divorced and wanted nothing to do with, with, uh, marriage, and I was not having kids. Nor are you conservative. Nor am I conservative, nor Republican, nor Catholic. Um, and nor did I want to be a politician's wife. Okay? So fish and bird, but where will we make a home? Right. Yeah. So you gotta be careful with how you language what is

'cause he was fantastic and I loved him. I was just gonna say, now, uh, other than that- I lo- I still love him ... did you hit all the things? I, he was absolutely everything I asked for. I just forgot to ask for the right things, right? Yeah. Um, I still love him. He is a wonderful human and, and fish and bird, right?

Yeah. Um, so these are the things that you have to be careful about as you're setting your intentions. I had a girlfriend who said, "I wanna live in a magical house." Mm. And I said, "I don't think you do." She's like, "Well, what do you mean? Of course I do." I said, "Uh, I think you'd like to rephrase that." And she's like, "Why do you say that?"

I said, "Do you really want a house that when you walk in, the, you don't know where the doors would go? Do you really want a house where the hallways are different lengths every time you walk down them?" "And where you might open the door and be in a different realm? Do you really want a house where trolls might come out of your basement at any moment, and where the gods might decide to hang out in your living room?"

She's like, "Oh, no." I'm like, "I really think you'd like to rephrase that." She's like, "Yes, I really would. I'd like a h- I'd like to have a house like you lived in-" That kind of magical house "... where the people in it do magic together." And where, where, you know, you learn about magic, and where you practice and you work on each other and everybody grows."

And I'm like, "Ah, that you could have." I'm like- Let's be clear. I'm like, "Let's be clear," right? Because sometimes when we shorthand, the universe doesn't hear our shorthand. Ex- exactly. You know? You already have to be careful when you're laying out your intentions language-wise. Be careful what you ask for, for you will surely get it.

Right. Right? So you always have to be careful that way, but when you set an altar, you have to be doubly careful because you're now looking at the elements that you're bringing in and how they represent things. And in this case, you know, when you're first getting started and you're not sure where your own blocks are- Mm-hmm

having someone else look at your altar when you haven't told them what's, what it's about is helpful. Hmm. Because you may have picked six elements that you think very clearly represent what you're asking for, and they may come in and go, "Oh, you're asking for this." And you go, "No, I wasn't." Mm-hmm. And they go, "Why do you say that?"

And they say, "Well, this and this and this and this and this together equal that." And you go, "." And subconsciously you had created an altar to something else. Right. Right? And that's where altars can go wrong. And that's where altars can go wrong. All right Don't blow yourself up, kids. It's- You're unlikely to blow yourself up with an altar.

Right. Let's just be fair. But- Not, not this level of altar. This is- There are, there are more, but yes ... this is another one of those, uh, PSAs- Yeah ... that we're doing out there. I, I do a lot of PSAs. It's kind of terrifying. Okay, so what's something that, uh, people can do to, um, connect more to you, connect more to what we're doing here, stuff like that?

Well, so I've got ... So obviously I'm on social media- Okay ... because I, I was talking in another episode about talking to somebody on Facebook. Facebook, yeah. Um, so I am on social media, and my, my, uh, Facebook page is Kelle Sparta Enterprises. Okay. So if you just look up Kelle Sparta Entrepr- Kelle with an E, K-E-L-L-E K-E-L-L-E

uh, then you will find me on Facebook. I also, we talked about the meetups- Mm-hmm ... uh, in the other episode, and, uh, I actually have a Facebook group specifically for the people who are part of the meetups. And so even if you don't want to join a meetup per se, you could come and be part of the Facebook group.

Oh. And that Facebook group is called Love Your Life. Oh, very cool. So yeah. So if you do a search for Love Your Life Facebook group, that'll be me. Okay. And so you can come and join us there. Well, I'll tell you, I'm gonna look for that, 'cause I'm not a part of that group- Oh ... so I'm gonna have to be. See, you should absolutely do that.

Absolutely. Um, 'cause you are a part of the meetup. Yeah. Um, and then, uh, you can follow me on Twitter at, @kellesparta. And I'm also on Instagram, although I haven't quite figured out how to do Instagram yet, so I'm not sure I'll be very interesting, but you're welcome to follow me. I think you just gotta take food pictures.

I think that's what you do there. Yeah, I, I gotta remember to do that. Yeah. I don't know. Um, so, you know, I'm on Instagram as kellesparta. Okay. So. So there's plenty of places you can ... They can hit you on Facebook- Yep ... at Kelle Sparta Enterprises. Yep. Uh, they can hit you also on Facebook with Love Your Life- Yes

which is the meetup group. The group. Uh, they can get find you on Twitter- Mm-hmm ... @kellesparta, K-E-L-L-E S-P-A-R-T-A. Mm-hmm. And Instagram, where you may or may not start posting food pics. Or altar pics. I- Altar pics would be perfect ... altar pics would be more appropriate. I should, I should put up one for my, uh, ancestor altar before I take it down to move.

There you go. Um, I'll, I'll do that. But, uh, I'm also on LinkedIn, so. Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, oh, exciting. Yes, LinkedIn. The, the- Yes ... LinkedIn is becoming far more, uh, used now for a social network beyond just the old resume storage site, which it used to be. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So- A lot of more, a lot more marketing is going on there.

It's a great place for networking and stuff like that. Yep. All right, that's all we have then for this week, folks. Be sure to join us next time as Kelle adds another chapter into your beginner's guide to energy, magic, and the spirit world. I'm Joey C here with Kelle Sparta, and you have been listening to Spirit Sherpa.

Good night, everyone. Good night. Spirit Sherpa is the sole property of Kelle Sparta Enterprises and is distributed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. For more information about this licensing, please go to creativecommons.org. Any request for deviations to this licensing should be sent to K-E-L-L-E at K-E-L-L-E-S-P-A-R-T-A.com.

That's [email protected]. To sign up or to get more information on the programs, offerings, and services referenced in this episode, please go to kellesparta.com. This episode of Spirit Sherpa has been produced by Honu Voice Productions. And my love

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