Start your meditation however you normally would. Just sit quietly somewhere where you wont be disturbed, maybe light some
candles and incense and if you feel comfortable have some music on in the background.
Close your eyes a drift in your own mind for a while. When you are settled and ready to begin, see yourself on a blank,
black canvass. Just black all around you, no walls, floor, ceiling or anything, just blackness. It might be a little unsettling
at first but you will get used to it. If you feel more comfortable floating until you have created a floor, do so.
To start creating your sanctuary first think of your favorite place in nature. Examples could be forest, desert, mountains,
sea side or maybe even under water. Think of everything that it should be, for my example I will be using a forest. I have
a forest clearing enclosed by trees. It is night time and the sky above is open to the full moon who shines surrounded by
stars. The clearing smells of heavy damp soil and there is a slight breeze which makes the leaves rustle and fall all around
me. The trees are in autumn and their leaves are a wide variety of colours. A chill is on the air, not so much so that is
unpleasant, just so that it keeps me alert and reminds me that winter is on its way. The grass beneath my bare feet is dull
green in colour, short and free of weeds and thistles.
When the environment of your space is set, you can start looking to add things in. In my forest there is a heavy rope
in a circle around the clearing, it has been laid three times for extra protection. My altar is in the middle facing west
as that is where the sun sets and is the direction of water, my element. My alter is not just a table, it is a storage place
(of sorts) and has drawers and cubby holes for all I might need during a ritual. It has my matches, extra candles, tarot cards,
salt and loads more. Underneath it is a fire pit so if I ever want a fire, all I have to do is wheel my altar back a bit (yes
it is on wheels, and why not!) and light the fire (which is already full of wood).
That is more or less all you need. You don't need to limit yourself to just one sanctuary, especially if your familiar
is an underwater animal or needs some sort of special habitat.
After you are happy with your special place, you can say a blessing of your own writing over it and start using it. Don't
finish straight away, spend some time in it before you go and engrave it on your mind as the last thing you want to do is
create it again because you have forgotten. You will find that it takes a lot out of you as you are using your energy to create
it. If you are unhappy with anything about it at any point, just wave it away and it will dissolve so you can replace it.
I find the best thing to do is drawer a picture of it when you come out of your meditation, even if you aren't very good
at drawing. It could even be symbols, as long as you understand it. Don't be to serious whilst doing this, it is supposed
to be fun and creative, use your imagination, you can do a lot in the astral that you can't do here.
Have fun!!!
Author - RiverSpirit
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