Altars

We all have ideas of what an altar is. A place of religious worship in a church, perhaps. Or maybe a nice cloth on a dresser with many meaningful and/or religious objects, a place we pray or wish, hope, or care for another. In any way, it's a microcosm of a much larger field of things that have impact and influence over our lives and we go to or maintain altars in order to remain in touch, in good relation, to these things.

The Egyptians also had altars. Really, really big ones. In the realm of Archaeoastronomy, which is slowly gaining acceptance even among crusty Egyptologists, there is an understanding that the Egyptian structures on the ground were reflections of stars and constellations and the attendant spiritual significances. For instance, the Great Pyramids are in the configuration--both in size, position and proportion--to Orion's Belt (see Robert Bauval's books for more information). In fact, all of the major structures can be aligned with the star formations of the sky during that time in Egyptian history. And the stars and constellations had tremendous importance in Egyptian cosmology, ritual, and even everyday life.

Altars give physical forms for forces, powers, feelings, etc. that are less effable. And if that's the case, we can think about all of the ways that we make physical the forces that influence us. When we write a letter, we anchor feelings and thoughts into words. When we paint or draw, we commit inexplicable urges/feelings/thoughts/concepts onto the canvas. When we talk to another, we manifest ourselves and/or a connection with another through our voice.

And if we're to take seriously the theme of the Ancients that Humans are Temples, then we too (in our very bodies and existence) are altars. The question, then, is not IF we are altars, but WHAT are we each altars for?