Sacred Space and Ceremony

The beings of light do not need candles, altars or ceremonies. They come wherever they are sincerely called, in a hospital corridor as readily as in a temple. But we need them. A place set aside and a few simple actions done with care tell the mind that something different is about to happen, and over time they gather a quiet atmosphere of their own. This page describes how to make a small sacred space and how to hold a simple ceremony in it.

Why Space Matters

Every tradition has its holy places, and most homes, if you look, already have one: a shelf of photographs, a windowsill with a plant, a chair by the window where someone always sits to think. Sacred space is not something exotic. It is simply a place that has been given a purpose, and kept for it.

The teachings say that a place used regularly for prayer and meditation becomes easier to pray and meditate in. Something of the light that has been called there remains. Many people find that after a few weeks they feel calmer as soon as they sit down in their corner, before they have done anything at all.

Making a Small Altar

An altar can be as small as a corner of a table. These are the elements most people use. None is required.

• A cloth. Something clean and plain, or in the color of a ray you are working with.
• A candle. A single flame is a reminder of the flame in the heart.
• A flower or a plant. The Venusian Council especially loves living beauty, and a single flower in water is enough.
• A bowl of water. Water receives blessing easily, and can be changed each day.
• An image or a name. A picture of a Master or Archangel you work with, or simply their name written on a card.
• A stone. Many people like to keep a crystal associated with a being or a ray. The entries in this library list the stones traditionally used.

Keep the altar clean and uncluttered. Change the water and refresh the flower regularly. The teachings say that the care you give a sacred space is itself an offering, and that a neglected altar is a sadder sight than no altar at all.

A Simple Ceremony

This form can be used alone or with others, for any of the beings of light. It takes about twenty minutes.

Ceremony With Particular Beings

Each being of light has qualities that can shape a ceremony. These are simple suggestions.

• Mother Mary. Roses, a blue cloth, and prayers for children and for the sick.
• Kuan Yin. A bowl of clear water, which is blessed and then poured out on a plant or on the ground.
• Saint Germain. A violet candle, and a period of violet flame decrees for the release of the past.
• Archangel Michael. A blue candle, and a ceremony of cutting cords to what is finished.
• The Venusian Council. Flowers, music, and something beautiful made by your own hands.
• Melchizedek. Bread and a cup of water or wine, blessed and shared.

Keeping the Seasons

Many students mark the turning points of the year with a ceremony. These are some of the times most often kept.

• The solstices. The traditional times for writing a letter to the Karmic Board, asking for mercy and for opportunities to serve.
• The equinoxes. Times of balance, well suited to the threefold flame and to giving thanks.
• The spring full moon of Taurus. Kept in many lands as the festival of the Buddha, and by many students as a time of meditation with Gautama.
• The return of the morning star. When Venus reappears before dawn after its passage behind the Sun, many people greet it with a short ceremony for the Venusian Council.
• Birthdays and anniversaries. A personal new year is a good time to ask the beings of light to bless the year ahead.

Ceremony in Company

Ceremonies held with others can be very beautiful. The same simple form works for a group: one person can speak each part, or the parts can be shared around the circle. Our circle's experience suggests a few principles. Keep it simple. Let no one stand above anyone else. Allow plenty of silence. And never charge for a ceremony of this kind. What is freely received should be freely given.

Care and Safety

Please take care. Never leave a candle burning unattended, and keep flames away from cloth, paper and curtains. If you burn incense, ventilate the room and avoid it altogether around anyone with breathing difficulties. Our circle does not use any substance in ceremony other than water, bread and the occasional cup of wine, and we do not recommend any practice that alters consciousness by chemical means.

Questions People Ask

Related Entries

• Daily Practices
• Melchizedek
• Karma and the Karmic Board
• Learning to Channel