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For as long as humans have walked this earth, I have no doubt they have created ceremonial spaces which included an altar. Many people in the modern world probably associate an altar as the front table in a Christian church. Others, still, consider an altar to be some sort of weird spooky tool used by bad-ass witches and others who wish to sacrifice something to a deity.

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As a white witch (you know, the good sort), and celebrant, I see and use an altar as a sacred space: a focal point for my daily life, or for a specific ceremony or ritual. If I was officiating a ceremony for someone, there would be an altar involved. This defined space features items which would have meaning to the person, or items symbolic of the event they are honouring.

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An altar may be used to honour your ancestors and ancestresses, or it may be as a way to focus on improving your health.

It may be because you’re pregnant and using it to visualise an ecstatic birth.

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Your altar may be a general one for a beautiful life.

For three years after my father was killed in a car accident, I had an altar with his photo and items that were significant to him. Each time I passed this altar, I would bow my head and say ‘hello’ to my dad. I do believe it was a vital part of navigating the murky world of grief, and deeply healing. It allowed me to hold him close while at the same time letting him go.

An altar may be created in your garden as a way of honouring Mother Earth.

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How about an altar in the kitchen? This can become a focus for divine energies to infuse your cooking with love, devotion and care.

My altars generally feature the four elements: earth, fire, water and air.

Earth can literally be dirt, or items gathered from nature such as crystals and gemstones. Or it may include items grown from the earth.
Fire is generally a candle, though it can be an incense stick or even a picture of fire.
Water can be contained in a vase with flowers, or perhaps a small bowl.
Air can be signified by a feather.

The beauty of an altar is that it is unique to the person who creates it, and is an expression of their inner vision. It can be as small as the tiniest shelf or nook, and as wide as the beach.

 

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Autumn has arrived in Cumbria. The garden rewards me with handfuls of blueberries. Such a treat! It won’t be long till I have to start ordering in firewood, but for now, my main celebration of Autumn is: enjoying the elderberries and rosehips, autumnal mists in the fields, and in the use of foods in my kitchen: butternut, blueberries, apples and pears.

In two weeks, my daughter Bethany will be travelling to Bangor University in Wales to study music. I spend each day mentally preparing for this huge change to family life.

My daughter Eliza started A levels this week, and is loving her new teachers. It is such a joy to hear her sharing her delight.

As the days grow darker (and colder!), my time will be spent writing. Things came to a bit of a lull during the school holidays. Autumn will see me release some e-books all based on ten steps.

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I will sink myself back into writing my novel a few days a week (really looking forward to that), and the remaining time will be divided between the recipe books and editing Starflower Living magazine. I have to admit that I’ve really enjoyed stepping back into a magazine-editing role (but without the stress of bulk mailouts). If you’ve not yet read this digital magazine, you can download the first issue FREE from the Starflower website. www.starflowerpress.com Each issue is just £2.50

 

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For this weekend only, I am running a special offer. If you order a mentoring or astrology session off my website, you can have a second session FREE (for any member of the family). Offer expires Sunday 7th Sept, midnight (UK time)

However you celebrate Autumn, I hope you enjoy it. For my southern hemisphere readers, enjoy Springtime! Love, Veronika x