Not Having An Altar

Last night I was thinking about how I felt when I took my altar down that was dedicated to Odin. Two days ago a woman on Facebook asked why someone that's new to Asatru would have an altar. I thought that sounded like a fair question and so I asked myself that question. The answer was that I didn't know enough about Astaru to have an altar. And while I think that having an altar is great, someone told me that you don't need it.

The reason that it's believed that you don't need it is because all your rituals are done outside, in nature. The gods are outside, not inside. Now what if your stuck inside because of the weather? If it's raining then I have the answer. You pour your libation to the ancestors, the spirits of the land, and the gods into a bowl and then pour the bowl outside. I also think that people are so concerned about their altar that they don't think about the religion.

Once again I think having an altar is great, but I've found that, since I'm not focused on how good my altar looks, I can focus on my religion and learning about the gods and their place in my life. Your not worried about getting things but, instead, enjoying the things that you have. Also not having an altar, especially if you happen to live in a house that your parents don't approve of paganism, keeps you from having to worry about a black lash from them. You can keep your mind focused on learning about your religion and not have to worry about being discovered.

So while people might think that I'm against pubic displays of religion in your room or home. Not having an altar works well for me and puts what's important into perspective.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!