Ostheimer Wooden Figures - An Altar In My Home

In our home, altars are an important tableau to celebrate daily life as well as elevate holiday and important days that we would like to honor. Having a space to pause and contemplate the meaning of the day - as a seasonal table scape allows us to slow our pace and find a moment of reflection. Taking in the quiet space of a lovely altar is a ritual that offers a simple yet profound embrace of our days. It connects to our ancient ancestors as well, as they also arranged objects as symbols of importance.

A variety of materials of course may be used to create your own home altar or seasonal table corners. Items from nature are always beautiful to add to a scene. Simple materials of any kind that you find particularly relevant allows the making of the altar specific to you. As you go out on a nature walk perhaps you find abundance of sticks, leaves, bones, shells, tree back, moss, flowers and such. Of course do not take too much from a particular area and always be mindful of not harvesting anything that is on the species at risk list of plants. A list of these can be found at United Plant Savers. Creating a nature or seasonal altar that holds meaning should be ethically created.

Here is a simple altar in the photograph above that I created to honor and celebrate gratitude. Crystals provide the nature element to reflect purity of intention. Crystals can be found in many places. Find the colors and particular crystals that have resonance for you and your altar space. Ostheimer wooden figures are beloved pieces we have collected over many years that often find their way into a seasonal altar scene. The reminder and display of this lovely family creates connections in my mind of the long story of my own family. The mother and father stand in support of their young daughter. The simple and quiet posture of the figures brings an immediate sense of focus and calm.

Over time a collection of important items that are meaningful to you will begin to conjure up instant patterned memories and heart connections. This is good for your soul. A relevance of soul over the years provides an easy and comforting way into soul reflection as well as healing ways. As your eyes cast over a seasonal display that you have put time and energy into creating - all of this is taken in as you stand before your display. This can be for just a moment or for a little bit longer period of contemplation. A pause - a rest - a reassurance that life continues as you are a part of it - bringing strength and resilience to you.

You altar space is really a momentary and visually available meditation. It is a living picture of what your soul might need in that particular seasonal celebration. A gratitude altar can be this simple as I have shown. The meaning finding comes from what is important to you and your unique biography. A created altar cannot really be copied as it does not hold anything of importance to you and your own life path. It is so interesting to look at others creations of altars and corner celebrations - and many ideas can be gained in observing and researching altars. Examples and ideas can be found in art books, stories, shops, museums, Pinterest, album covers, botanical gardens and nature preserves. Here is a useful article for you to gain more ideas from - There Is Only One Rule For Creating Your Home Altar. There are so many creative ways to support yourself. Part of the fun in this creating is the contemplation, research, wandering, creation aspects of this unique form of meditation - art making - and meaning finding.

The subject of creating home altars is a large one. Books and articles have been written about this from a wide variety of viewpoints. An altar can be anything that you find as a focal point. A simple branch can be set upon a windowsill - done with intention this can become an altar space for you. A small vase of flowers will evoke feelings and thoughts that can be utilized as a focal point of meditation, enjoyment and pause. Photographs of a beautiful nature scene can provide dreaming and remembrance. Photos of loved ones or individuals that we admire can also sit on your altar space. The possibilities are infinite in this temporary art installation. I do not know of another form of creativity that can make manifest our inner lives as an outward reflection to have as a living picture of beauty.

Finally, altars are found everywhere already in your home. If you look at the items in your home as well as the arrangement of things - really everything can be seen with this intentionality. Your stove is a hearth and focal point of your kitchen - an altar to the sustenance that this object helps your prepare. The way you arrange your rooms is an altar - inside the container of that particular room. As you can see this wonderful way of looking at your surroundings offers creativity for our imagination each day. If we awaken to what is around us with wonder and curiosity - an offering of deep significance can be found reflected back to us from our living homes. If you decide to create intentional altars in your life, I believe it will offer you a rich and full palette of beauty as a helpful box of available medicine for your soul. I hope you will share your thoughts about altar making in your own life.

mary jo hoffman

Writing Desk Altar

Tasha Tudor Cookstove From Book by Richard Brown

Resources:
Branches and Wings - Making A Nature Altar
Devotions by Mary Oliver
A Woman’s Book of Altar by Nancy Brady Cunningham & Denise Geddes
Hagitude: Reimagining The Second Half of Life

My Art Journal Papers/Collage

Honoring Our Ancestors: An Art Journaling Journey on All Souls Day

Introduction:

As the leaves fall and the air turns crisp, All Souls Day approaches on November 2, inviting us to remember and honor our ancestors. This year, I've decided to embark on a heartfelt journey of remembrance and connection through the ancient practice of art journaling. In this blog post, I invite you to join me as I explore the profound impact of our ancestors and how art journaling can be a powerful means of preserving their memory.

I. Morning Reflections: Connecting with the Past

Begin the day with a quiet moment of reflection. Take a deep breath and set an intention for your art journaling journey today. Think about the ancestors you wish to honor and the emotions you want to convey through your art.

II. Gathering Supplies: Preparing for the Journey

Before you start your creative process, gather an art journal, paints, markers, colored pencils, brushes, and any other materials you would like to be using. Find a serene and comfortable workspace where you can focus without distractions.

III. The Power of Memories: Remembering Our Ancestors

Choose a page in your art journal that you'd like to dedicate to All Souls Day. This will be your canvas for preserving the memory of your ancestors. Take a moment to reflect on the lives and experiences of those who came before you. Write down memories, thoughts, or messages that you wish to convey to them.

IV. Emotional Expression: Letting Feelings Flow

Start by creating a background for your page using watercolors. Allow the colors to represent the emotions associated with your memories. You might use soothing blues and purples or fiery reds and yellows, depending on the feelings you want to express.

V. Writing to the Departed: A Personal Connection

Write a heartfelt letter or messages to your ancestors. Express your gratitude, love, or any words left unsaid. You can use decorative lettering or calligraphy to add a personal touch to your messages.

VI. Incorporating Mementos: Keeping Their Presence Close

Attach photographs, drawings, or small mementos that represent your ancestors. Create pockets or flaps in your journal to tuck these keepsakes away, using washi tape or adhesive to secure them in place.

VII. Mindful Art Creation: A Journey of Self-Expression

Now, it's time to create your art. Paint or sketch with care and intention. Let your emotions guide your creative process, and don't worry about perfection. Focus on self-expression and the healing power of art.

VIII. Dedicating Your Artwork: A Moment of Gratitude

Sign and date the completed page in your art journal. Write a brief dedication to your ancestors, expressing your gratitude for the creative process and the chance to remember them.

IX. Contemplation and Meditation: Finding Solace in Your Art

Spend a few moments in silence with your completed art. Meditate on the experience and the emotions it has brought forth. Consider how the creative process has provided a healing connection to your ancestors.

X. Sharing and Connecting: Building Bonds with Loved Ones

If you're comfortable, share your art and your experience with family and friends. Discuss your intentions and the significance of your artwork. Encourage others to engage in their own creative All Souls Day reflections.

XI. Closing Ritual: Honoring the Memory

As the day comes to a close, extinguish the candle you lit earlier as a symbol of remembrance. Thank your ancestors for their presence during this creative journey and store your art journal in a safe and cherished place.

XII. Personal Time for Reflection: A Deeper Connection

Take some time to reflect on your All Souls Day art journaling experience. Journal any thoughts or insights that arose during this journey. Consider making this practice an annual tradition, a beautiful way to honor and remember your ancestors.

Conclusion:

Honoring our ancestors on All Souls Day is a deeply meaningful and spiritual practice. Art journaling, with its capacity to channel emotions and memories, provides a unique and healing medium for this commemoration. As we remember and celebrate the lives of those who came before us, we not only connect with our roots but also find solace and healing in the creative process. Join me in commemorating and honoring our ancestors this All Souls Day through the power of art journaling.

journal

“All Souls’ Day
Let’s go our old way
by the stream, and kick the leaves
as we always did, to make
the rhythm of breaking waves.

This day draws no breath –
shows no colour anywhere
except for the leaves - in their death
brilliant as never before.

Yellow of Brimstone Butterfly,
brown of Oak Eggar Moth –
you’d say. And I’d be wondering why
a summer never seems lost

if two have been together
witnessing the variousness of light,
and the same two in lustreless November
enter the year’s night…

The slow-worm stream - how still!
Above that spider’s unguarded door,
look – dull pearls…Time’s full,
brimming, can hold no more.

Next moment (we well know,
my darling, you and I)
what the small day cannot hold
must spill into eternity.

So perhaps we should move cat-soft
meanwhile, and leave everything unsaid,
until no shadow of risk can be left
of disturbing the scatheless dead.

Ah, but you were always leaf-light.
And you so seldom talk
as we go. But there at my side
through the bright leaves you walk.

And yet – touch my hand
that I may be quite without fear,
for it seems as if a mist descends,
and the leaves where you walk do not stir.”

— Frances Bellerby

Artwork by Wendell Minor.
The Empress Card: The Gentle Tarot by @mariinthesky

Empress holds the world of fox dens and bear lakes as I walk under a blue sky of birds - suitcase packed.