Home Shrine

If you have been following my daily rune draws you will know that I have been thinking about doing the Dedicant path program in the ADF, and that the kindred seem to support this choice. One of the requirements for the Dedicant path is creating a home altar/shrine; I was already in the process of creating this, so I have made a few changes to it, so that it is a proper ADF shrine. I have a few more Items to add, but here is the start. I hope to expand a little more on the description of each item, and add a close up photo of each also.

The Drum (that hangs above) is my drum; I sometimes use for Journey work, and drum circles I go to. It is decorated using Zentangle, and it means a lot to me as a doorway to the other side, and a doorway between my spiritual side and my artistic side. I placed a large amount of my personal energy into this drum while decorating it, and it has become a wonderful tool for Journey work.

The Branch, (Left rear)Represents the Tree, this branch is from a cedar tree from our yard that was blown over in a storm. This branch has many meanings:  It is from a cedar tree, and I belong to the Cedarsong ADF grove. It was from a storm damaged tree, the grove is strongly associated with Perkūnas the Baltic god of the storms. The tree that fell, is one that I loved sense my friends moved into this house, and I was saddened when it fell. This is also the end of the branch, that I will be using to make a wood burned set of runes.

The Bowl, (Left Front) This is a bowl I found secondhand that called to me. It represents the bowl Sigyn uses to catch the poison set to drip on Loki. I also use it to hold my set of Amethyst runes, the stones I will use when seeking advice from the shining ones. I also keep a small wooden bowl in the larger bowl, and when I feel the cal to provide an offering to Sigyn, the wooden bowl is offered up, and a new one placed on the alter. (Future Improvements: I hope to add statue of Sigyn once i find one)

The Basket (Next to the tree), this basket (I am looking for a better container), holds a variety of stones, ones I collect from important places, and some I have received from my brother after his death and from my ex-wife, there is also a sharks tooth given my by the boy child I live with. I also keep the trinkets that cedarsong grove hands out at each highday in this basket. Each stone here is either tied to a place or person that is important to me.

The Lizard, (right foreground), I have always had a strong tie to the lizard, and it was one of my first spirit guides. This is a stuffed lizard that looks quite a bit like Vincent my lizard spirit guide. This lizard is also currently a representation of the Aitvaras that has attached itself to me. (Future Improvements: I will be making a pysanky egg  with a rooster on it as a home for the Aitvaras.)

The Fire, (Center), this is the representative of the fire in ADF, it is a red broken glass candle-holder, and another secondhand find. (Future Improvements: Though I like this for my fire, and it did call out to me, I hope in the future to find a better more substantial representation of the fire.)

The Well (Right Rear), this is yet another second hand finds, I was looking for something to represent the well, and this romanesque pot work perfectly. I was thinking of replacing this with a physical well at some point, but I have always felt a tie to early Rome. I am actually somewhat suprised that I have not attracted any of teh Roman Gods.

The Necklace (In front of the leaf), ((Future Improvements: Complete!) This is my new Cedarsong Grove necklace. There are many meaning in this Necklace, and if you are interested in what everything on the necklace means you can click here. This is the first of many improvements that I nave planned and I am happy that it is done. The necklace can actually act as a portable shrine.

The Elephant & the Mug, (Right Front), these represent my ancestors, the elephant is a paperweight I bought my mother from a garage-sale when I was five years old, that started her amazing elephant collection. The coffee mug belonged to my brother Mike, and I received it when he passed. I use the Mug to hold my runes made of buffalo bone, that are used when seeking advice from the ancestors.

The Alter cloth, This cloth was chosen to represent Enki, the god who would not leave me alone, and began my path from an Animist to a follower of a small number of gods, it is the foundation of the alter as he is the god of sweet fertilizing waters of the deep, and one of the reasons I ended up in the ADF. Even if he is from a non-ADF culture he is on the alter as he played a big role in my transition to ADF. (Future Improvements: I hope to both make a better cloth in the future, and find a small statue of Enki to place on the Altar.)

The Leaf (next to the fire), this is a leaf my ex-wife used to own, and left here in Lansing, when she moved following her love of the land. It is a stick incense holder, and I will use it when I burn any incense. As Martha was partially responsible for me really starting to think about my spiritual path, this leaf holds a special place on the Altar.

The Tree 2.0: As a second representation of the tree, my altar also hold a small tree made of semi-precious stones. This tree was a gift from my current partner, and ties the altar to my heart no matter how far from it I am. If I ever have to make a small altar this will be the tree on that altar.

The Wood: One of my favorite places on earth is standing on the shore of Lake Michigan, with my feet buried in the sand, right at the lake shore. There you are in perfect balance with the elements; The Water is lapping on your legs, your feet are buried in the earth, the air is blowing over you, and the fire of the sun warms your back. This is 2 small pieces of drift wood I rescued from Lake Michigan.

The Pendant: this is a pendant I wear to feel close to my mother. This was bought the day my mother crossed  the Veil. I chose this stone as when I purchased it it was a chunk of obsidian with very few flaws. That changed after my mother passed. A few days latter I noticed the stone had a a large number of grey streaks. So the stone either assisted my mother in crossing the veil, or picked up a bit of her essence as she crossed.







Future Improvements: Aside from that mentioned above, I hope to get a few small vessels to hold offerings, and a dish for burring offerings. I also am pretty sure that there will be a few more gods added to my personal pantheon, and when that happens, a representation will be added to the altar.