Sample Reading Altar #002

As you can see it's a desk in a corner of a room.

When I'm not reading, I keep the bell and buddha statue, the mala and the book in the top left hand drawer of the desk.

When I sit to do a reading I go through the same motions each time.

The pouch contains the mala ej made a while ago and which he said to not let anyone else see. So it's not displayed. But I take it out and put it on the mouse pad alongside the mouse during the reading. (I'm talking about a 49 day reading in this case.) For a reading of the Clear Light I may actually hold the mala in my left hand.

I ring the bell with my left hand. That seems to be the way all the tibetan teachers do it and I think in fact I read somewhere once that that is the hand to use.

The two cups ( vessels ) you see in the back are for holding water. I fill these cups every morning with boiling water before I give myself anything to drink. It's a way I have to honor the protectors. I take care of them first and then me.

The photo on the left is of ej framed in oak and the photo on the right is one of my mother and father during their early years together.

The bell has an engraving on it which says LIMA, so I imagine it's from Peru. It was left here and it's the only one I have. It has a good ring to it though. I'd much prefer to have a real tibetan one and a dorje but I haven't been able to find a good one since the last time I saw a beautiful set in Regina for half nothing in a shop that was closing down. ( Missed my chance )

The buddha statue is one I was given when I stayed at the Institute for a brief spell many summers ago.

The tankhas are from a Tibetan supply shop nearby and they say Om Mani Padme Hum.

Hanging from pins in the wall at the top of the tankhas are various items: to the right there is a rosary of wooden beads which my father used when he was alive. He was very devoted to saying prayers and probably said a lot of well meaning hail mary/holy mary prayers along with the Pater Noster or Lord's Prayer. So I keep them there.

The items hanging from the pin on the left are a guitar pick that ej wrapped in a gold wire, a little photo of the Dalai Lama in a kind of sealed locket that I got from the tibetan in the tibetan shop and lastly a necklace of simple plastic beads that my daughter made for me when we spent a week together when she was very young.

In the center of the tankhas is a painting of ej's from his Woodstock series.

The framed item on the right hand wall is a certificate from The Tequihua Foundation which certifies that I received the Aka Dua Level 1 on May 25 2008 in Grass Valley and it's signed by Koyote and it states that I'm entitled to use the Aka Dua.

I don't use candles although I have them, as well as the salt crystal holders which I was using long before the workshop on how to set up an alter. However, I find that the candles affect my breathing.

In each of the four corners of the room there is a tiny meteorite.

As for ambient sound while the reading is going on, I always play the third in the series of "Live at the Philharmonic ". I usually sit in meditation for at least the first passage, which is approximately 4:5 mins and sometimes I'll continue to sit for the next passage which is another 5 mins approx. By passages I mean pieces in the suite that come to a natural end and there is a moment of silence before sweeping into the next part of the movement.

I use only the light from the computer to read by. I usually bring up onscreen the reading room in Palace for this purpose. It gives off enough light to read by.

So the computer provides the ambient sound and the light.

Blessings to you.

This altar example was provided by S. D.