Welcome to day 3, of ‘5 Days to Becoming Goddess of Your Home‘. You can get started by reading what this journey is all about, then venture onto Day 1, Respecting and Honoring Your Deity. Day 2, Renewing Your Mind About You.
Once you have begun renewing your mind about yourself being Goddess of your home, you can now begin to look at your home through those eyes. The apostle Paul spoke about us being a Royal Priesthood. Your home is your castle, your manor, your kingdom. This is not to take place of the Kingdom in which you live spiritually, it’s about creating your living space into a sacred space in which to rest. Even though we live within a spiritual realm on this earth, there are things in this world that take it’s toll on our lives. The stress of society can have a negative affect on our minds and hearts as we see the news, the newspapers and tabloids at the market, and unfortunately sometimes the drama at church can be overwhelming.
Your home is your special retreat from all of that. When we view our homes as our sacred haven then we will begin to treat it as such. Some women create one small space in their homes or gardens that is just for them. It’s their quiet place to meditate and by all means, create such a space! I am currently in the process of creating one on my side of the room. But even more than that is to see each room as a sacred space, so your family can find rest and solitude.
There are many ways in which you can incorporate your faith into your home, one of which is through your decor. Many women have beautiful plaques on their walls, of passages from their sacred books that inspire and encourage their families. Others have antique pages from sacred books, framed and hung above their fireplaces. Some have statues to remind them of spiritual teachings that guide them in their daily faith walk. As beautiful as these things are, I do my best to always keep in mind that these are simply symbols to serve as reminders. I do not put my ‘love’ into a tangible item, I simply allow that item to inspire me to love the truth that it symbolizes.
Even a simple flower arrangement can be a symbolic reminder to meditate upon the beauty this life has to offer. There are many ways in which you can use natural symbols in your home. Here are some of the ways we bring the outdoor life into our home to create sacred places throughout our rooms.
1. Fresh flowers. We are able to get gorgeous bouquets of flowers from the Farmer’s Market for $5. There is no need to spend an outrageous amount of money to have a vase of beauty on your dining room table. Flowers can speak of spiritual truths that can inspire your family. A sunflower represents the sun and for me The Son who is my Savior. Many world religions have sun symbolism in their paths as well. So no matter what your path is, sunflowers might be a good bouquet to have on your table during it’s season. There are several varieties of sunflowers as well. My favorite is the Lemon Sunflower. You can do an Internet search for the meanings behind each flower then select the flowers that have symbolic meaning for your home.
2. Acorns, mini pumpkins, and pine cones. This time of year is perfect for these items! Many parks have acorns and pine cones that you can collect (use caution of insects who abide within them). Mini pumpkins and gourds can be found at the Farmer’s Market or local grocery store. For added fragrance, we break up cinnamon sticks and sprinkle cloves in each vase/dish we display them in. Having these harvest items in our home is a reminder of change. Most people don’t like change, in fact we tend to resist it. But change can be a good thing as we observe the season of Autumn as a time to be open to re-examining ourselves and prepare for some things within us that just may need to ‘die’ so that new growth can spring forth.
3. Less is more. There’s no need to overdo the spiritual decor. We don’t want our kingdoms to look like an ‘Elvis Shrine’ of religious items. Allow your sacred items to be accents in your home. Your guests will be more restful upon their visits to your kingdom when they see a balance in your sacred space. You won’t want them to feel like they walked into a spiritual battlefield filled with religious weapons. Think, “home”, not “museum of artifacts”.
4. Create an altar. There was a time when I wasn’t sure about creating an altar, as it seemed too religious for my taste. But after studying several world religions and how they perceive an altar, I began to see the beauty behind why we would have one in our home. For me, this is not about creating a place where I get on my knees and bow. Creating an altar in the home is a symbolic way to remind myself to keep my eyes wide open in life. Over time, your altar may need to be refreshed, because we are creatures of habit and tend to ignore those things we see so often. Be willing to swap out old items and add something new with each season. You may decide to dedicate one shelf in your home for your family altar and have one in your room that is just for you. I’ll share more about this spiritual practice in an upcoming 5 Day series.
5. Anoint Your Home. I don’t recommend doing this too often or it may lose it’s impact in your life. You may decide to do this regularly or spontaneously, I am more along the lines of spontaneous anointing or as needed. You can do this in a number of ways from simply lighting a special candle, to applying olive oil to your doorposts with an accompanying prayer. I don’t view these practices as powerful on their own, I am more in the belief that it’s symbolic of what is going on in my heart and these are ways in which I can bring what’s in my heart into my present reality. There are two times of the day that I like to do this. First thing in the morning, I light a scented candle. When I wake the family in the morning and they see candles lit, it sets a calm mood in the air. I think too many bright lights first thing in the morning tends to create chaos and frustration. The other time of day is around dinner time. I want my kingdom to be welcoming and restful when my husband comes home. I want him to feel that this is his sacred space too. You can have a word of prayer as you light the candles and give a blessing to your home. I think your prayer needs to be unique for your family, but here are some samples of what I pray for, for my home and family.
Morning: I pray for peace to reign in my home this morning. May my family awaken with calm hearts and begin today with hope. I pray for blessings and protection for my husband as he departs from our home and enters the world of hard work. May his efforts be blessed with productivity.
Evening: I pray for a balance of emotions to be within our hearts and home tonight. Allow my husband to leave the stress of the day outside and feel welcomed and embraced into the safety of our home tonight. I bless my family with unity tonight as we share our heart aches and achievements during our meal time.
We have an incredible power within us and we can use that power to give life or death in what words we use with each other and around one another. If we begin our mornings and evenings with our families with a simple word of prayer and blessing of encouragement and love, then we are more likely to verbalize that power in our tone as we interact with them. We cannot control everything in our lives or in the lives of each family member, but we do have the power to help them along their paths.
