Home Shrine Essay

I LOVE having a home shrine; it is always set up in the corner of my bedroom on a small side table. I had an eclectic Wccan-ish altar before I started ADF spiritual practice.  The transition was uncomfortable at first, especially the removal of the four elements and the archetype-duotheistic representations. Now, I cannot imagine going back. My shrine has the hallows set up at all times: a stone tree my husband bought me to show his support for my new path, a hand-thrown ceramic cauldron a dear friend gave me our first Yule, and an oil lamp made by another dear friend’s deceased wife that he gifted to me. I feel the constant call like a thrumming in the back of my mind: “community, build community, mediate communities, nurture community” and my hallows reflect that central importance.

I have several items for offerings (herbs de Provence in a small wooden box, a dish of salt, a censer, a bowl and dish) and purification (a cinnamon besom, bells, the salt). On the nearby shelf, I store my incense, liquors, candleholders, charged candles, a giant selenite charged to build relationship with divinity, wooden athame, a raptor feather, mortar and pestle, various crystals and gems, and my many books. There are two candles for illumination and a brass heart I charged at Imbolc for growth and renewal. My Ogham sits read on the lower shelf, with the interpretation book, the Faery Oracle, and the Druid Animal Oracle card set below; these are the divination systems I use most often. I have a print of Brighid at Imbolc I was gifted, with a candle I light during my nightly devotions to her.

I have so many plans. I plan to build a bigger shrine of a height where I could choose to stand or sit as appropriate, with room for crafting and writing and built in storage. I want several separate devotional spaces: one for Brighid, where I can place my Brighid’s cross and devotional items; an ancestor shrine for remembrance and offerings and to engage with the cycle of life and death; and a small shrine for the nature spirits in which I grow some small plants. I would like to obtain the cosmos sigil and Kindreds sigils on a wooden pole or stand, and a smaller representation of Brighid, as I like décor on my shrine. I tend to decorate seasonally as well to better connect with the natural cycle of my area. I am on the lookout for a vegan horn or cup that seems appropriate for making the waters in as well. I have not found quite the right thing as yet.