After a few months of thinking about creating an altar, I finally made one. It’s simple: no extra furniture required, a colorful cloth dish towel, 2 tea lights and holders, 2 small Chinese Buddha statues, a Nataraj statue, a Ganesha statue, some sage leaves, incense matches, a tiny bowl ceramic bowl from Japan that my friend, Rob, gave to me, a mala bracelet, and a set of Tibetan prayer beads that were given to me by a Buddhist priest in Salt Lake City. S small blue bindi from my teacher, Tracy, sits in the center.
All of a sudden, it all came together. I finally just decided it needed to be done, and the pieces fell into place with practically no effort on my part. A friend of mine in my teacher training told me about a store called Scent Elate in Hell’s kitchen. There I found two of the statues of Nataraj and Ganesha, as well as the matches and the sage (which were a gift from Mo, the owner of Scent Elate). I bought the mala bracelet in Whole Foods on a recent grocery shopping trip. The two Buddhas I bought in San Francisco’s Chinatown a long time ago. Along with the Tibetan prayer beads, those two Buddha statues survived my apartment building fire. In many ways I felt that they protected my life. Despite that they were out in the open, surrounded by smoke, there was never a speck on them and they didn’t ever smell of smoke. I found the tea lights, tea light holders, and towel at Crate and Barrel while redeeming a $15 gift card.
I love this altar in my home and it reminds me that everywhere out in the world, we can find little altars, places where we have tiny, holy moments that show us the way to enormous learnings. Ella’s community lemonade stand. Each of those gorgeous flowering tress in Riverside Park. The tables of restaurants where I share meals and laughs with friends. My tiny cafe table where I do most of my writing. The flower bed that used to be in my grandmother’s backyard. My niece’s high chair where I’ve fed her meals. These are little places where the universal divine rose up to the surface to show me the way. My way.
If you’re out in the world finding places that provide you with little glimmers of truth, I’d love to hear about them.
Christa Avampato 