My dh and I put together a somewhat permanant altar on a wall shelf in the living room. I put a collection of old books between a special rock he found when he was very young, and a good sized amethyst crystal. The books are from my childhood and my mother's childhood: Charlotte's Web, fairy tales, Misty of Chincoteague, Huckleberry Finn, etc. Arrayed around them are representations of the male energy: Shiva, Buddha, a goat statue, a sun. Also a real horseshoe from his grandfather's farm, and several Dancing Bears (little Grateful Dead sprites).
On a nearby wall are two paintings I made of merpeople, a male and a female, surrounded by frames covered in gilded shells. The male holds a trident (phallic symbol), the female holds a box.
I don't have any other proper altars, but as I am a packrat and love to collect, I have some neat things arrayed around the house. My favorite goddess is actually a local African diety statue. She is called Eximansa, and she stands over 3 feet tall. She is seated, and nursing her baby. She has a big broad head to show the breadth of her love for her baby. She has cornrows, and tattoos on her face and breasts. I love this representation of a nursing mom, as I am somewhat tired of the technicolor rennaisance Mary/Jesus ones you see all the time.
Behind her on the wall, is another African sculpture. It is the head and shoulders of a mother, with a baby on her front and a toddler peeking out of a pack on her back!
We have a greenish candle shaped like Buddha on the headboard of our bed, which is a large shelf. Shells are arrayed on either side of him. Above on the wall is a pastel copy I made years ago, of a Dante Gabriel Rossetti painting. The subject is Beatrice, perhaps you've seen it. She is sitting seemingly in ecstasy, hands cupped to receive a poppy from a crowned dove. In front of her sits a wall with a sundial. Behind are 2 figures, one dark in shadows near a well, one bright in a pink robe, with a fruit tree. Between them and beyond, a vision of a celestial city (my interpretation). It is a very mysterious painting.
Thanks gals!
