(no subject)

[arliss]

My altar at present is set up this way, on top of a small chest of drawers placed between a storage tower in the corner and a doorway. A leather leaf mask and a collection of moon mirrors hangs on the wall above it, and the wind chime that serves as my altar bell hangs from the ceiling.



Between the storage tower and the window on the left-hand wall is a short section of wall over a table where now hang a wall calendar and a print of an owl.



I have this set of wall shelves that were originally built for my mom's kitchen. They hung on our living room wall in the old house, and displayed photographs and small trinkets.



I've not found a good place to hang them in the new house, but something clicked the other day. What if I hung the shelves on the wall above my altar to hold altar items not presently in use? I could relocate the mask and the mirrors to the left-hand wall. The shelves won't fit there, and would obstruct getting things on and off the tower shelves. But the mask and the mirrors could be arranged to fit. There are several places the owl print could be hung, and the wall calendar went unused all year because I use my desk planner instead, and don't plan to replace the wall calendar this year.

So what do you think? Would it look too cluttered if the shelves were above the altar? Would a random clutch of objects in open sight all the time detract focus from the altar itself? I can't decide. Tell me what you think.

Comments

[all_adream]

Objectively, it might very well look too cluttered EXCEPT IF IT WAS A PART OF THE ALTAR ITSELF--and it could also be considered 'disrespectful' to have storagey stuff hanging over the altar, since usually it is either set apart and/ or the highest point of the room, as a mark of respect. I think that if I tried that at my house, I would get in trouble!

If I felt I had/wanted to use them above the altar, I would 100% make them a part of the active altar at all times. Just my feelings--

[arliss]

Thanks for weighing in. I sort of share your feelings. My thoughts were because the items would be awaiting active use it might be okay to store them there, in a tidy, orderly fashion.

Of course how long they would stay tidy and orderly is a fluid point.

I tend to forget vessels and tools I have, if I don't see them often, which is why I was considering open, visible storage.

Thanks again.

[harpers_child]

my alter is currently set up on the lowest of three shelves on my wall above my dresser. the shelves above it are being used to store religious items not currently in use. i have a lovely wooden box i inherited that holds odds and ends and reference books and candle holders and all sorts of things. i'll take pictures and post them later today or tomorrow so you can see.

for me this is the best use of my space, keeping my alter within arms reach without having it somewhere it could be disturbed. i need a step ladder to get to my supplies.

[arliss]

Oh, thanks! I look forward to the pictures. I sort of need all the input I can get.

[finch]

The altars in my apartment are on a series of built-in shelves in the closet. The first two shelves are nearly complete, the third is still a work in progress, but the top shelf is so high that it's not feasible to put things on aside from things like the boxes that the statuary goes in when we move. Of course, I also have shelving underneath that I use for more storage. So maybe some people think it's disrespectful? But we have a small apartment, so it's that or nothing. ;)

If you want to see pics, I'd be happy to see what I can do.

[arliss]

It sounds intriguing, and I'd love to see pictures of the arrangement you're using. Thank you.

[finch]

Just a quick one since it's not finished - I have some black sparkly fabric I'm going to use to make a curtain for the top shelves. You'll notice there's an array of altar stuff hanging on the walls too. If you're curious about it, just ask.

[arliss]

That looks like it works amazingly well. I love using the cargo net on the wall, along with the stick-on hooks for hanging things.

Thanks so much for showing the picture!