Tending your altar for fall

Ahhhhhh fall. Time for flannels, pumpkin spice and... spending time thinking about what you have harvested in this past growing season. What do you want to keep? What do you want to get rid of? What is no longer serving you? What do you need in order to make these decisions?

One of the tools I use to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of, and to work through these processes is my altar. Every morning and evening, I sit in front of my altar to connect to myself, the spirits and elements with which I work, and the source of all (which, for me, is God). Every season (and sometimes more frequently), I change up my altar to better tend to what I am working on and to connect with those parts of myself and the world I want to connect to during this time.

Every thing on my altar has a purpose. The color of my altar cloth, the images and objects I place upon it all have a reason.

Very different set up, but ooooo pretty!

Some things stay the same season by season. I always have something to represent each of the four elements, in the respective place on the compass. Many traditions around the world have similarities between the directions and the elements. I connect my work to my very Irish/Anglish ancestry, but these elements/directions will work for many different ancestral ways.

In the north, I have something that represents the earth. For fall, as I am trying to consider what I want to fall away I might have some leaves or something I have harvested from my garden to give thanks for and think upon what I have harvested. I might also put some herbs I want to work with or that have qualities I would like to connect with or embody.

In the east, I have something that represents the air. There I usually have some kind of feather, and if possible I try to have a feather from an bird with characteristics I would like to embody. I might also place the name of someone I would like to forgive as the east (in my traditions) is a place for forgiveness.

In the south, I have a candle for fire and any gifts I wish to leave for my allies.

In the west, I place a glass of water (which I change out regularly and never drink from), some little trinkets that represent water, and maybe something about or from a situation I want to let go of.

I also always have at least one symbol of the God I work with; usually an image of Jesus, an icon of the Holy Trinity. I also might add an icon of a saint who I wish to work with or who has qualities I wish to embody.

I also generally have a shell on my altar in which I burn herbs for clearing, focusing, connecting, dreaming, etc. This is usually in the center because it is earth, air, fire, and water all in one package, and it calls to spirit, which is the center of the wheel.

Sometimes I have something that represents a certain animal with qualities I would like to embody or with whom I would like to connect.

As fall approaches, I sit with my altar and pray about what I might need for fall. Do I need to embrace more water? Fire? Air? Earth? Do I need growth? To amplify connection with Spirit? This will inform which altar cloth I choose and what I will put on my altar. I clear everything currently on my altar and everything I will be putting on my altar. Sometimes I do this with a smoke clearing, sometimes with water, and sometimes at the full moon before I change things up. BUT! Sometimes I don't necessarily want the energy of that full moon on my altar for a month, so I might use other things (looking at you, eclipse moons).

Altar tending is a really important part of my practice. It helps me remember the cycle of the seasons and of life, helps me pay more attention to what my inner self and God are trying to say to me, and helps me connect with what I want to cultivate in my life.

If you'd like to spend some time thinking about how you might build your altar for fall, join us this Thursday, Sept 4, to start your process of thinking about it. I'll also have some ways to build small/transportable altars if your living situation doesn't allow for a big ol' altar like mine does!

I hope to see you then!