My Home
Altar
Altars, Nemetons, Sacred Spaces, Ritual
Centers, Fetishes, Symbols, Power Centers
By Michael P. Garofalo
Valley Spirit Center, Red
Bluff, California
Four Quarters Altar Indoors Gushen Grove Nemeton Buddhist Goddess Tara Altar
"The religion of one age is the
literary entertainment of the next."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am not a Druid, Taoist, Buddhist, Tantric or Neo-Pagan believer or worshipper. I, Mike Garofalo, investigate these subjects out of literary, philosophical, historical, aesthetic, moral, and sociological curiosity. I am a student of comparative religions. I don't believe in supernatural beings and don't belong to any religious organization. I find the topics listed below interesting from a metaphorical, figurative, literary, imaginative, and aesthetic viewpoint.
Two areas that I have designated at our home for spiritual ceremonies and rituals include, beforehand, various physical representations of the Quarters. These objects help remind me of the essential ideas, symbols, myths, Elementals and Nature Spirits, Deities, and magickal concepts related to the Sacred Circle and the Quarters. They are "temples" for the central ideas of spiritual presence within the Sphere of the World. The themes are my eclectic drawing from the Deep Well of ancient Pagan and Neopagan lore. I hope I can taste just three drops from the Well of Uror from which the Three Norns draw the healing Waters of Life each day to pour on the Roots of Yggdrasil, or just three drops of the Holy Brew from the Cauldron of Cerridwen.
My indoor home altar includes objects which represent the Quarters. A picture of a oak tree, a picture of Athena, colorful rocks, a bowl of earth, green candle, and salt for the North. A feather, ritual knife, yellow crystal, and yellow candle for the East. A magickal oak wand, a red candle, and an incense burner for the South. A small iron cauldron, a small cup with water, and a blue candle for the West. Various small flags and posters on the walls of the ritual room, appropriate to the Quarters, are also used.
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Goddess Tara Altar
Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Tara
Green Tara, White Tara, Liberator, Savioress, Star Goddess
Mahadevi, Shakti, Bodhisattva, Buddha
Information coming in September 2012.
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Outdoor Sacred Space
Nemeton, Sacred Circle Garden, Gushen Grove
Our outdoor home altar, a Sacred Circle Garden, like the indoor altar, includes many objects with represent the Quarters, Cross Quarters, and Sacred Space. Refer to the table and photographs below for more details.
Looking towards the Southeast,
2006 Looking towards the
Northwest, 2009
Sacred Circle
Garden, Red Bluff,
California Sacred Circle
Garden, Red
Bluff, California
More photographs of our Sacred Circle Garden.
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Table of
Correspondences
A Sacred Circle
From Sacred Circles by Michael P. Garofalo, Librarian of Gushen Grove
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Western |
Daily Cycle |
Annual Cycle
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Deities
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North Green Earth Winter Body Oaks |
Body, Flesh,
Beings
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Midnight 12 am - 3 am
Conception to Birth Birth and Death |
December 21st - March 19th Yule New Year Christmas |
Goddess Mother Earth Ceres, Demeter Hera Gaea, Rhea Niflheimr Dionysos Great Bear of Night Pan Watcher of the North Formalhaut Gnomes Earth Elemental Uriel Archangel |
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Northeast Lime Green Cypresses |
Early Morning Sunrise 3am - 6am 10 to 20 Years Old
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February 2nd -
March19th Imbolc Chinese New Year Midwinter |
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East Yellow Air Spring Mind Spirit Olives
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Mind Thinking Air Smell Metal, Swords Childhood and Youth Dawn Crescent Moon Spring East Knife, Athame Incense, Bells Yellow Candle Olives, Aspens |
Morning 6am - 9am
20 to 30 Years Old |
March 20th - June
20th Spring Equinox, Ostara, Eostre Memorial Day |
Son
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Southeast Orange Junipers |
Mid-Morning 30 to 40 Years Old
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May 1st - June 20th Beltane Walpurgis Night Beginning of Summer Season |
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South |
Will, Spirit Intuition Wood Fire Sight South Adult and Middle Age Midday Summer Full Moon Staff, Stave Magic Wand Red Candle Almonds Walnuts
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Noon 12 pm - 3pm 40 to 50 Years Old |
June 21st -
September 21st Summer Solstice Lithia Labor Day Midsummer |
Father Hestia Zeus, Jupiter Vesta Hades Fire Muspellheimr Horus Vulcan Jotunheimr Stag of Noon Watcher of the South Regulus Salamanders Fire Elemental Michael Archangel |
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Southwest Purple Redwoods |
Afternoon 3pm - 6 pm 50 to 60 Years Old |
L
August 1st - September
21st |
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West Blue Water Autumn Emotions Intuition Evergreen Shrubs |
Water, Cups |
Late Afternoon Sunset 6 pm - 9pm
60 to 70 Years Old |
September 22nd - December 20th Autumnal Equinox Mabon |
Daughter
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Northwest Turquoise Liquid Ambers |
Evening 9pm - 12 pm
70 to 80+ Years Old
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October 31st - December 20th Halloween Samhain Thanksgiving Beginning of Winter Season |
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Center |
Center of Circle Wholeness Wisdom Holy, Sacred Harmony Interdependence Individual Self Web White Candle White - All Colors Aether |
Year Annual Cycle A Human Life Cosmos Now, Present, Eternal Now |
Human Being Human Consciousness Sentient Being Midgardh Middle Earth Ego, Self Aether |
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| Vertical Axis |
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Infinity Universe Nine Worlds |
World Tree Yggdrasil |
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Seasonal Celebrations and Festivals
Wheel of the Year, Circle of the Year
Honoring the Goddesses, Gods, Nature Spirits, Kindred, and Great Ones
Sacred Liturgy of the Year, Pagan Liturgy
Eight Neo-Pagan Feasts: Quarters and
Sabbats (Sacred Times)
American Holidays
One Old Druid's
Almanac
The Green Wizard's Ritual Year
Personal Reminder for Honoring the High Days
Notes from the Librarian at Gushen Grove
| Months and Seasons Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations Information, Weather, Gardening Chores Compiled by Mike Garofalo |
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Bibliography Links Home Cloud Hands Blog Eightfold Model
Eight Neopagan Seasonal Celebrations
1.
Imbolic,
Brigid's Day, February 2nd
2. Spring, Vernal Equinox, Ostara, Rebirth, Athena-Minerva, Resurrection, March 21st
3. Beltane, May Day, Floralia, Vernalia, Walpurgis Nacht, Spring, May 1st
5. Lughnasadh, Lammas, Midsummer Feast, August 1st
6. Mabon, Autumn Equinox, Alban Elfed, September 21st
7. Samhain, Halloween, Day of the Ancestors, October 31st
8. Yule, Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, New Year, December 20th-31st
Eight Trigrams of the I Ching
Valley Spirit Center Activities
Red Bluff, California
Gushen Grove Sacred
Circle Eightfold Worlds Correspondences
Valley Spirit
Center Sacred Circle Garden Photographs
Lifestyle Advice from Wise
Persons
One
Old Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove
© 2004 - 2012,
Green Way
Research, Red Bluff, California
Karen and
Michael Garofalo, All Rights Reserved
This information on this webpage was first published on the Internet on August 23, 2012.
This webpage was last updated or changed on August 23, 2012.
Valley Spirit Center
Red Bluff, California
Red
Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, Northern California, U.S.A.
Cities and small towns in the area: Sacramento, Davis, Woodland, Vacaville,
Marysville, Yuba City,
Williams, Colusa, Willows, Orland, Oroville, Paradise, Durham, Chico, Hamilton
City,
Corning, Rancho Tehama, Los Molinos, Vina, Tehama, Proberta, Gerber, Red Bluff,
Manton, Cottonwood, Olinda, Cloverdale, Dairyville, Bend, Centerville, Summit
City,
Anderson, Shasta Lake, Palo Cedro, Igo, Ono, Redding, Shasta, Richfield, Fall
River,
Montgomery Creek, Alturas, McCloud, Dunsmuir, Yreka, Happy Camp,
Shingletown, Burney, Mt. Shasta City, Weaverville, Chester, Susanville,
Weed, Gridley, NorCalifia, CA, California.
Months: Quotations, Poetry, Lore, Garden Chores
One Old Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove
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