September 24, 2023 • 34 mins
Are you ready to amplify your energy and channel your desires through the power of altars? Step into our spiritual journey as we explore the fascinating world of altars, their historical significance, and how they can be a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms.
We navigate through the rich history of altars in different cultures including Egypt, Greece, Rome, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. More importantly, we share valuable advice on how to craft and maintain an altar that resonates with your personal beliefs and aids your spiritual evolution.
Delving into the practicalities, we delve into the symbology and meaning behind different statues, deities, and offerings. Learn the significance of the four elements on your altar and ways to set it with intention.
Beyond just creation, we discuss the importance of regular maintenance, cleansing, and refreshing your sacred space. Whether you aim to manifest your desires with an altar or simply wish to shift stagnant energy in your home, this enlightening discussion promises to inspire and guide you on your path. Tune in and kindle your spiritual curiosity with us!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Are you ready to stop feeling stuck, lost or confused
about what to do next in yourcareer?
Then the Manifest your CareerPodcast is just right for you.
With me, your host, dr NormaReyes, the Manifest your Career
Podcast offers you career advicethat integrates your mind, body
and spirit.
(00:22):
It's time you start listeningto your own inner guidance.
Learn in each week to learn howto combine your intuition,
strategy and logic so that youcan manifest a career of your
dreams.
Hey everyone, welcome back.
(00:43):
Today I am going to be talkingabout alters.
I have been wanting to talkabout alters for a little bit
now, and I don't know whyexactly that they've been
calling to me to share this withyou all.
But here we are.
And now, when you think of theword altar, you may not even
(01:04):
know what I'm talking about.
If you grew up in church andyou went to Catholic, you might
think about the alters.
Or if you grew up having analtar at home, you know, perhaps
your mother, your grandmother,somebody in your family had an
altar, maybe to pass loved ones,maybe to love you right, and so
(01:24):
you might be a little familiar.
Or you may have seen altersfrom others outside of your
culture and be like well, thatlooks like something very
religious and maybe that it'snot for you, but I wanted to
give you guys a really goodoverview today.
Now the information may be alittle overwhelming, so when you
(01:46):
are creating your altar, I wantyou to go ahead and keep it
simple and have it resonate withyou and whatever cultural
background you have and that youare currently embodying.
Because I'm a Mexican American,I didn't grow up with a lot of
my heritage because my parentsare both immigrants and I'm a
(02:09):
first-gen here in Texas, and soI didn't have the extended
family readily available to me.
Of course I have aunts andcousins and uncles, like
everyone else, but my familyactually is pretty disconnected
from them, and so growing up Ididn't have any of that, and as
a child we did go to theCatholic Church for a little bit
(02:32):
, but I want to say, after aboutage five I didn't go to church
very often.
It wasn't something that myparents did, and so we didn't go
.
And then I myself did go andfind a church when I was a
teenager and I technicallyconverted to Meda Baptist at
(02:52):
like 16 or something.
I don't really remember howthat was, but I have stepped
away from the church and do notparticipate in any major
religion.
I am definitely very spiritual.
I do believe in God, I dobelieve in angels and the energy
that the universe gives us andallows us, and I embody it in
(03:16):
the way that I feel connected.
I am working to connect evendeeper with my own spiritual
roots and reading andresearching and discovering a
lot of different things andreally looking at I don't want
to say that I'm choosing whataligns with me, but I am working
(03:37):
to find what is aligned with me, because there's so much out
there, there's so much differentinformation.
And so, before I dive into allof that, let's get back to
altars, because an altar canhelp you manifest.
An altar can help you honorloved ones, and it can also help
(03:59):
you connect with your spiritualself.
So what is an altar?
So an altar can really help youamplify the energy.
But before I get there, let metake a step back.
So an altar, in the context ofspirituality and manifestation,
is a little different than othertypes of altars, and so today I
(04:21):
will be talking to you guysspecifically about altars that
you can create for yourspirituality and for your
manifestation purposes.
So this type of altar can helpyou amplify your energy right.
So altars are believed toamplify a person's energy and
intention.
So they help to serve as afocus for you to channel your
(04:45):
thoughts, emotions and yourdesires toward your spiritual or
manifesting goals.
They can help you connect withhigher realms, so altars help
you establish a connection withthe divine, the universe or
higher consciousness.
This is a means for you tocommunicate and commune with the
spiritual forces, ancestors,deities or guides that you
(05:09):
choose, and you can personalizeyour altar however you want,
right Reflect on your personalbeliefs, experiences, your
spiritual journey, and altarsare highly customizable.
The one thing that I will say isimportant not to appropriate
anyone else's culture andreligion.
(05:31):
I know we see a lot ofdifferent things out there and
this is where I say, like I'mdoing a lot of research and
looking at okay, this does comefrom my culture and it aligns
with me.
Or this doesn't come from myculture but it does align with
me, and it's important to honorwhere it comes from and
(05:53):
understanding that if you arepulling from different religions
maybe Buddhism, hinduism,native American cultures that
you are also respecting it inthe appropriate way that it
needs to be.
Also, the last thing aboutaltars is maintenance and care,
but I'll talk about those alittle bit more later.
Those are the things that youdo with an altar.
(06:14):
I didn't want to talk a littlebit about the significance of
altars in different culturesthroughout history, ancient
rituals and religions like Egypt, Greece, rome.
They had altars that werecentral to their religious
practices.
They were dedicated to specificdeities and they used these for
(06:35):
offerings, prayers andceremonies, much like the Aztecs
and the Mayans in the Americasright.
They had elaborate altars usedfor ritualistic worship and
offerings.
So that is some ancient history.
But then there's also altars inChristianity.
You can see this in churches.
(06:56):
You can see this as theysymbolize a presence of God, and
often in Christian churchesthey serve as a site for
religious ceremonies such asweddings and baptisms.
In Buddhism, altars are known asthe Buddha shrine or stupas,
and they're a place formeditations, offering and paying
(07:17):
respects to the Buddhateachings.
They often have statues,candles, incense, offerings of
food or flowers.
While in Hinduism, hindu templecontains altars dedicated to
various deities andpractitioners will make
offerings, perform rituals toseek blessings and divine
(07:39):
guidance.
Altars can be simple or highlyor neat, depending on the
temple's size.
This kind of reminds me ofCatholicism and how some of the
churches will have differentsaints and you can set offerings
and prayers to the specificsaints, depending on what you
(08:00):
need.
Native American, indigenouscultures worldwide have altars.
They do incorporate elements ofnature, such as stone feathers,
herbs, and altars serve as aplace for connecting with earth,
ancestors and spirits for themand performing healing rituals.
In Wicca and paganism, theyhave traditions where altars
(08:26):
play a central role in ritualsand spell work.
Altars are personalized withsymbols, tools and offerings,
aligning with the practitioner'sintentions and connecting them
to nature and divine and, ofcourse, modern spirituality,
which is us, and, of course, allof these other ones still exist
, but I do consider myself moreof a modern spiritual person,
(08:48):
and so it goes beyond thereligious context.
Altars have gained popularityin modern spirituality and new
age practices, and people createaltars to manifest intentions,
cultivate mindfulness and honoraspects of their spiritual
journeys, such as the moonphases or specific energies.
So, overall, altars have been apart of human history and
(09:12):
culture, serving as a space forconnection, worship, meditation,
manifestation, and theysymbolize a bridge between the
physical and the spiritual,facilitating communion with
higher powers, nature and theinner self.
So I don't know, that's a lot.
It's a lot of it.
(09:34):
I feel like I barely touched onit.
So many things, so muchgoodness.
Altars are a great way for youto just connect with yourself as
well.
So know that there is no wrongway to do this.
Whatever way feels good to youis the way that you want to do
(09:54):
it.
And, like I said earlier, youknow, just make sure that when
you are doing something, thatyou're not just appropriating it
and doing whatever, do it withhonor and sacredness, because
you are connecting with beingsand force beyond you.
You know they have energies aswell, and so you want to respect
them by showing reverence.
(10:16):
So, for myself, I have had somealtars.
I do have some areas that looklike altars, but I will tell you
that they are more decoration.
Right now.
I don't have an official altarsset up at this moment, but I
will be soon, because when I'mrearranging my space here in my
(10:36):
office and I'm also working toknow, like, where do I want the
altar?
What kind of altars do I want?
And maybe perhaps this is why Iwant to have an episode and
teach you guys about altars.
So let me talk about theessentials, the essential
components of creating an altar.
So it really depends on yourspiritual or personal beliefs
(11:00):
and the specific purpose of youraltar.
However, there are some commonelements that you can find
across altars and differenttraditions and spirituality.
So the first thing is findingyour altar space, which is I
talked about right, I'm tryingto figure out where I want to
put it.
If you're looking for a placewhere you can go deep, like
figuring out Feng Shui money ina certain part of the room,
(11:23):
would be a great place to haveyour altar.
If you're trying to connectwith your ancestors, that would
be a different space in yourroom.
I don't know about Feng Shui,but it is something I am trying
to learn because, oh my God, mylearning journey is never ending
.
So you could probably Google orconnect with someone that knows
(11:44):
more about that, about where inyour home to put certain type
of altars.
You could have an altar in yourliving area that would be an
altar specific to, maybe, homeor family goals, and then in
your own personal space, if youhave a room where you do things
aside from your bedroom, youcould have an altar there.
(12:04):
You could have an altar in yourbedroom, although I would say
is make sure that you areputting it in a place that feels
safe and sacred.
It is also not going to disturbyour own energy.
So that's talking about thephysical space of where it goes.
But then you also need to thinkabout the actual placement of
it, so designated an area orsurface for your altar.
(12:27):
It could be a table, a shelf,something portable, even a cloth
on the floor.
You can put things on the floor, just make sure that the space
is clean and then you've takenthe time to bless it.
The next thing that youtypically see on an altar and I
said typically because I haven'tcreated an altar this way yet,
(12:48):
but mostly it's been out of like.
I haven't gone on and gone inthe material, but altar cloth.
So many altars you will seewill have a cloth or a fabric
that covers the altar surface.
The color and the material canbe based on a personal symbolism
or a theme of the altar.
Often white is used.
(13:08):
I know that's what I've beenmeaning to go get to go get a
white cloth to put over myaltars whenever I decide,
whenever.
I guess I'll start with one inmy office soon, but the plan is
to go get a white cloth for thealtar.
The next most common thing thatyou'll see in an altar are
candles.
They represent the element offire and can be used for
(13:32):
illumination, as a symbol oftransformation, to set the mood
for any rituals that you mightbe wanting to do.
You can choose the candlecolors that resonate with your
intention.
Quick Google search will giveyou and tell you.
You know, like green is formoney and that's the only one I
can think of right now, but youcan just do a quick Google
(13:52):
search and see which colors arewhich Okay crystals and stones
you can have and you can againlook up a crystal that's going
to amplify the energy that youwant to bring in, the energy
that you want to channel intothe altar.
Make sure that you're choosingstones that correspond with your
intention.
If you are wanting to manifestmore money than you would, look
(14:16):
for crystals that symbolize andbring in abundance or the
energies right that you want towork with.
You can also use incense if youlike.
Incense and since represent theelement of air and it's often
used to purify the space andhands focus and connect with
higher energies, select sensethat are aligned with your
(14:39):
intention.
So if you are using this as away to connect with higher
energies, you want them smellsto be sweeter, lighter, you know
flowy, versus if you are doinga cleanse, where the sense would
be, you know, a little bitheavier and trying to think
maybe a little more muskier,right, but you can easily find
(15:03):
that on a Google search likewhat intents are good for
connecting with the higher realm, what intents are good for
releasing and detoxing?
And if you are looking atsomething in the Mexican
American cultures, there isCopal and there's different
kinds.
There is sage in the NativeAmerican communities.
(15:23):
Make sure that again, youresearch it more, that you're
not appropriating anybody else'scultures and what else?
Okay, so we talked about analtar, space, cloth, candles,
intents, crystals and next,symbols and statues.
You can incorporate symbols,statues or images that represent
(15:45):
your spiritual beliefs, deities, guides, any of the energies
that you are invoking.
The symbols can vary widelybased on your tradition.
Now I will say then I haveseveral different books on
different goddesses and learningabout that right, and so I have
(16:06):
created an altar with a Indiangoddess, gosh.
I can't even think of thegoddess name, but she's the
goddess of money, on bringing inabundance, and so I had done a
whole altar to her.
And when I was learning aboutthe different goddesses at the
time, you can't remember all thedetails, but I was following
(16:28):
someone else's guidance in itand other goddesses as well that
wasn't the only one and so justselect things that you are
familiar with, right.
So I did work with thatparticular goddess in bringing
in manifesting abundance into mylife, but I didn't just go do a
quick Google search, pick apicture and do it Like I
(16:52):
actually followed someone else'sguidance in it, who is not just
saying do this, but actuallyteaching about the goddess and
teaching about the history andunderstanding right, and think
of it like this way let's saythat someone wanted your
ancestors help and they just dida quick Google BAP search and
(17:16):
they found that your ancestorlived in this particular space
and they just went like, hey,you know, I want your advice.
No one would want that.
No one would want anybody tojust come in into their space
not knowing them, not showingany respect and just being like
I want you here now.
So really, you want to take thetime to understand who you're
(17:37):
calling into your space, whyyou're calling them into your
space and give them reference.
And I say this in regards tolike symbols and statues that
you incorporate into your altars.
I will say look and connectwith your own family history.
I think it was almost a yearfrom now.
I've been doing a lot of thiswork and really wanted to create
(17:58):
a space and an altar that hadthings from my cultural
background and for some reason Iam.
At the time I was very focusedon connecting with my dad's side
of the family, so he was goingto Mexico and I asked him to
bring me back a statue of it'scalled.
(18:20):
Actually, let me go grab it.
So I had done some research andI found that there is this
Indian Indigenous person in thearea and it's called Ray de
(18:42):
Coliman, and so this was awarrior who fought the Spanish
and there's a huge statue of himwhere my dad's from, in Colima.
And so I had done that researchand thought it was like amazing
and I was like dad, can youfind me a statue of this?
(19:02):
And he went to the shops and hewas able to find one and I
think it's made out of likeplaster or something.
It has a little bit of white,but not too much.
Anyway, he brought that bug andso I've had it on my shelf
where I had began to start analtar, but again, I hadn't
really been keeping up with it.
There wasn't a lot of intentionbehind it.
(19:24):
It was more like picking up thepieces of altars but not really
putting a lot of intentionbehind it.
And so he's been there and Ilove that I found this.
And then also, as I continue inmy spiritual journey, I was
thinking.
I was thinking like, why have Ibeen so resistant towards
connecting with my mom's historyand where we've came from?
(19:49):
And part of it, I believe, isbecause so we've done the DNA
stuff and my mom has a lot ofmore Spanish blood and you can
see it in her traits as well, mydad's, and so I have a lot of
more indigenous blood in my DNA,reflected in me as well, from
my dad's side.
And I don't I'm stillprocessing, right.
(20:13):
I don't have answers to theresistance other than you know,
like there's a part of me thatdoes not want to look at the
Spanish background, right, theSpanish blood that runs through
me.
I know that I've always goneback and forth between, like you
know, spanish is my language,but Spanish is also the language
(20:35):
of the colonizer, so is itreally my language?
So, again, I'm not going totake us into a different thing,
but really like processing allof that.
Right, like, I am proud to beMexican, but that also includes
being part Spanish.
Right, being part of a culturethat was created when the
(20:55):
Spanish came.
Like, mexicans are not nativealone.
Right, they are indigenouscommunities in Mexico who have
survived barely, but that isdifferent from a person who has
both Mexican indigenous blood inthem as well as the Spaniards.
(21:15):
Right, and everything else,because there's not just Spanish
and bloodline.
Like, there's just like I'mlike 5% Irish or something like
that, and it's like what?
But probably comes from Spain.
Anyway, but you know, takingthe time to connect with your
personal history and thenchoosing symbols, statues that
(21:35):
you connect with and, if they'reoutside of your culture, take
the time to really get tounderstand those particular
deities, goddesses andeverything.
Okay, I'm gonna move forward sothis episode doesn't end up
being like two hours long orsomething crazy.
So, in your alters, you can haveofferings.
Depending on your practice, youmay offer food, water, flowers,
(21:57):
herbs or any other items to thedeity, spirits or energies that
you're working with.
These offerings are a sign ofrespect and gratitude.
Of course, if you did decide tohave offerings of food and
water or whatever else, makesure that you're refreshing it
and that's why I keep sayinglike I had an altar, but not
(22:18):
really where I started it, butthen I didn't really keep up
with it.
And this is so important, why?
At the end of this, I'm gonnatalk about maintenance and
making sure that you arerefreshing your altar.
Otherwise, you know, it becomesjust another decoration in your
space and if you no longer aregoing to maintain your altar
(22:39):
it's important to you know puteverything away.
So there is so many otherthings that I could go into on
what you can put in your altar,you know, thank you.
The element of sound having abell or chime can be used to
signal the beginning or end ofyour rituals.
If you have that there, you canhave a bowl of salt or earth,
(23:01):
and salt and soil can berepresenting the element of
earth and it can be used forpurification and grounding
purposes.
You can have things like holywater or a ritual type water for
yourself.
Some traditions use consecratedwater.
Other liquids are also purifiedand blessings, where you can
have moon water, if you knowwhat that is.
(23:22):
I have some moon water actuallyin my altar that I've been
meaning to just refresh becauseit's been there.
There's other optional thingsthat you can have on there, like
tarot decks, oracle decks,maybe some personal items of
yourself photographs, alums,mint, mentals and, of course,
you can also have seasonal orlunar decorations, depending on
(23:44):
the time of year, the lunarphase, and you can place these
items on your altar.
Again, with the intention,right, you want to make sure
that you're making your altarmeaningful and that it's
personalized to you, to yourintentions, whatever it is that
you are wanting your altar torepresent, especially in your
(24:06):
spiritual path and energies thatyou want to work with.
So, if you're still with me,because that has been a lot Now,
I want to talk to you guys alittle bit about moon phases and
creating your altar.
So, when you are creating youraltar, you can choose to use the
(24:28):
moon to enhance yourmanifestation practices.
So, like the new moon and thefull moon If you're not familiar
with that, go back to myepisode that talks about that.
I will work on getting itlinked in the show notes where I
talk about the moon phases.
And so the new moon is a greattime to set new goals, to
(24:49):
refresh your plans for thatlunation, maybe that quarter,
maybe the year, and then thefull moon is a great time for an
altar that helps you releasethings that are no longer
working for you.
So make sure that when you'relooking at the different
specific moon phases, if youwant to do that right Like if
you want to have your altar andyou don't want to stress out
(25:11):
about what moon phase you're indon't stress out about it.
It's not going to change yourintentions, not going to change
the connection that you'rehaving.
The difference in doing it withthe moon and without the moon is
just that you are using outsideenergies.
You are then calling in on themoon's energy and bringing it
into your altar versus notincluding it, and it doesn't
(25:32):
make it any different.
Right, I didn't talk about thesun, but you can use the sun in
your altars as well, but mostpeople aren't talking about
using the sun, although itbrings us plenty of life force,
energy.
So now I do want to talk alittle bit about grounding
techniques you can explore ondifferent ways to help you get
(25:54):
grounded.
The altar is a place for you tofeel grounded, to remember your
intentions, whatever you'remanifesting, and also connecting
with the different earth'senergy.
Right, so fire, air, water andearth.
And that's why you want to havethose four different elements,
because that helps you groundand as you maintain your altar,
(26:17):
you can see, like, perhaps youreplace the incense a little
more often, maybe not the water.
Okay, that's a perfect exampleactually for myself, because I
am very low on the water in myastrological natal chart.
Maybe that's a reminder to me,right, Like, if I'm not
replacing the water on my altarvery often, does that mean I'm
(26:41):
not connecting with my emotions?
So earth is groundedness, right, being here in the present air
is our thoughts, our thinking,whether they're positive or
negative, whether we get stuckin the clouds or not, with
overthinking right, which can besymbolized as smoke, incense,
those types of things representair and then fire.
(27:04):
It's like our drive.
I have a lot of fire in mychart, so when I decide I want
to do something, I definitelyhave all of the inner motivation
to do it.
So that can be represented by acandle right, and you can see
that lighting up and you caneasily see when that needs to
get replaced.
I said earth, air, fire.
Oh, I said water.
(27:25):
I didn't say what did I miss.
I talked about water, I talkedabout grounding.
I think I got them all.
If I didn't, please let me know.
But you can find that right.
Earth I don't think I talkedabout earth elements, so earth
elements would be like anythingfrom the earth.
You can pick a branch, flowers,dirt, you know.
(27:48):
Just make sure that you'recollecting it in a way that
isn't just like oh, I'm going togo chop off some random tree
branches for my altar, likebeing tinchino, and then you
know, of course, thank the earthfor its blessings before
putting it into your altar.
Whoa, I feel like I've beentalking to you guys for a very
(28:08):
long time about altars and Ihope that you find this
information useful when creatingyour altars.
The way that you can use altarsfor manifestation is by creating
a space where you are settingintention.
So if you want to bring in morefinancial abundance, then you
(28:29):
would have things that show thatfor yourself, right?
You can look at differentimages that you want to bring in
, different deities that you'reconnected with, and you can
place them.
Always remember to try to havethe four elements on your altar,
and then you can also haveaffirmations, right, and you
(28:52):
want to set everything in youraltar and place it carefully and
setting it with intention, andthen, when you have your altar
set up, however long you decideto have it for you can then
visit your altar to help youconnect with that manifestation.
So it's important to doaffirmations, to do
(29:17):
visualization and meditation toamplify your manifestation
efforts, and that's the reasonfor the altar right To have a
space that is sacred for you tovisit to show and see how your
intention is unfolding.
Perhaps you visited in the newmoon to refresh your intentions
and then you visited during thefull moon to release with no
(29:38):
longer Sarena.
You also want to just maintainit regularly, cleansing it
regularly, replacing items thatneed to be replaced.
Maybe you place something onyour altar that didn't align
with you.
Then make sure that you aregoing and replacing that as
needed and taking it off on thecourse.
(30:00):
Thinking Energies, universe,any goddesses, any spirits, any
guides that you were workingwith, think them Once you are
done with your altar.
This is super important.
If you do create an altar andyou're like, okay, I want to
make sure that in three monthsif I've forgotten about my altar
or in one month or two months,just set a reminder for yourself
(30:23):
that you are going to clear offyour altar on this particular
date.
If you're no longer working onit, I highly suggest putting a
calendar reminder for yourself.
I know it sounds a little extra, but you can always ask Siri or
whatever phone app you havethen put a reminder.
We have so much technology allaround us that is helping us and
(30:47):
we should use it to advantagethat.
This has nothing to do withaltars, but my asthma is
changing the AC filter and itlooked bad.
I'm like how often do we needto do it?
He's like three months.
Put a notification, bam.
Don't overthink it.
Same thing with your altar.
Don't overthink it.
Make sure that you are havingregular maintenance on your
(31:08):
altar, doing regular energycleanses, whatever works for you
.
You could do it on a weeklybasis, you could do it on a new
moon, full moon basis, you coulddo it on a monthly basis.
I just don't allow it to justsit there and create dust,
because that's not what youcreated it for.
And if you have lost interestin your altar, just take the
(31:30):
items and put them awaysomewhere where you want to put
them, wherever you put yourthings, and just clean off the
space and let the space be open.
And that goes for anything inyour house, not just an altar.
You know, often we buy things adecoration, a lamp, a chair,
whatever, and you no longerusing it and it starts to
collect just dust and thatenergy gets stagnant.
(31:52):
So that's another reason tomake sure that you are
refreshing your altar, becauseyour altar is going to get
stagnant, that energy is goingto get stuck.
So if you are not necessarilyinterested in creating an altar,
but you want to change theenergy in your home, a simple
way to do it is move 27 thingsin your home.
(32:15):
Go around your house and startshifting the different energies
by simply moving things.
So maybe you have a plant thathasn't been thriving.
Get that plant and put it in adifferent space and ask the
plant.
It may sound crazy, but ask theplant where do you want to go,
and it may tell you.
You take the time to just tryto listen.
(32:37):
Follow your intuition, followthe first thing that comes to
mind.
That is where it wants to be,and anything else right.
Maybe you shift one lamp toanother area, maybe you sweep
behind some couches that youhaven't moved in a while.
That is a great way to move anystagnant energy.
I know I went off on a differentdirection, started with altars
(32:58):
and a whole bunch of otherthings, but there's just so much
to tell you guys aboutmanifesting energy using the
elements around you, and so ifyou do have any questions about
altars, feel free to send me aDM.
Connect with me.
If you are ready to connectwith your spiritual roots,
(33:20):
really ready to connect withintention on your manifestations
, I am here to coach you one onone.
You can find the link in theshow notes or you can just
simply send me a DM to find outmore.
Have a great, wonderful day.
If you do create an altar, Iwould love to see it, so send me
(33:40):
a picture via Instagram or tagme whatever works for you.
Thank you for listening.
I will chat with you guys nextweek.
Thank you for listening to theManifest your Career podcast.
Are you ready to take actiontoday?
Visit ManifestYourCareercom toget started and schedule a free
(34:03):
discovery call with me and gainclarity today.
Are you ready to stop feeling stuck, lost or confused
about what to do next in yourcareer?
Then the Manifest your CareerPodcast is just right for you.
With me, your host, dr NormaReyes, the Manifest your Career
Podcast offers you career advicethat integrates your mind, body
and spirit.
(00:22):
It's time you start listeningto your own inner guidance.
Learn in each week to learn howto combine your intuition,
strategy and logic so that youcan manifest a career of your
dreams.
Hey everyone, welcome back.
(00:43):
Today I am going to be talkingabout alters.
I have been wanting to talkabout alters for a little bit
now, and I don't know whyexactly that they've been
calling to me to share this withyou all.
But here we are.
And now, when you think of theword altar, you may not even
(01:04):
know what I'm talking about.
If you grew up in church andyou went to Catholic, you might
think about the alters.
Or if you grew up having analtar at home, you know, perhaps
your mother, your grandmother,somebody in your family had an
altar, maybe to pass loved ones,maybe to love you right, and so
(01:24):
you might be a little familiar.
Or you may have seen altersfrom others outside of your
culture and be like well, thatlooks like something very
religious and maybe that it'snot for you, but I wanted to
give you guys a really goodoverview today.
Now the information may be alittle overwhelming, so when you
(01:46):
are creating your altar, I wantyou to go ahead and keep it
simple and have it resonate withyou and whatever cultural
background you have and that youare currently embodying.
Because I'm a Mexican American,I didn't grow up with a lot of
my heritage because my parentsare both immigrants and I'm a
(02:09):
first-gen here in Texas, and soI didn't have the extended
family readily available to me.
Of course I have aunts andcousins and uncles, like
everyone else, but my familyactually is pretty disconnected
from them, and so growing up Ididn't have any of that, and as
a child we did go to theCatholic Church for a little bit
(02:32):
, but I want to say, after aboutage five I didn't go to church
very often.
It wasn't something that myparents did, and so we didn't go
.
And then I myself did go andfind a church when I was a
teenager and I technicallyconverted to Meda Baptist at
(02:52):
like 16 or something.
I don't really remember howthat was, but I have stepped
away from the church and do notparticipate in any major
religion.
I am definitely very spiritual.
I do believe in God, I dobelieve in angels and the energy
that the universe gives us andallows us, and I embody it in
(03:16):
the way that I feel connected.
I am working to connect evendeeper with my own spiritual
roots and reading andresearching and discovering a
lot of different things andreally looking at I don't want
to say that I'm choosing whataligns with me, but I am working
(03:37):
to find what is aligned with me, because there's so much out
there, there's so much differentinformation.
And so, before I dive into allof that, let's get back to
altars, because an altar canhelp you manifest.
An altar can help you honorloved ones, and it can also help
(03:59):
you connect with your spiritualself.
So what is an altar?
So an altar can really help youamplify the energy.
But before I get there, let metake a step back.
So an altar, in the context ofspirituality and manifestation,
is a little different than othertypes of altars, and so today I
(04:21):
will be talking to you guysspecifically about altars that
you can create for yourspirituality and for your
manifestation purposes.
So this type of altar can helpyou amplify your energy right.
So altars are believed toamplify a person's energy and
intention.
So they help to serve as afocus for you to channel your
(04:45):
thoughts, emotions and yourdesires toward your spiritual or
manifesting goals.
They can help you connect withhigher realms, so altars help
you establish a connection withthe divine, the universe or
higher consciousness.
This is a means for you tocommunicate and commune with the
spiritual forces, ancestors,deities or guides that you
(05:09):
choose, and you can personalizeyour altar however you want,
right Reflect on your personalbeliefs, experiences, your
spiritual journey, and altarsare highly customizable.
The one thing that I will say isimportant not to appropriate
anyone else's culture andreligion.
(05:31):
I know we see a lot ofdifferent things out there and
this is where I say, like I'mdoing a lot of research and
looking at okay, this does comefrom my culture and it aligns
with me.
Or this doesn't come from myculture but it does align with
me, and it's important to honorwhere it comes from and
(05:53):
understanding that if you arepulling from different religions
maybe Buddhism, hinduism,native American cultures that
you are also respecting it inthe appropriate way that it
needs to be.
Also, the last thing aboutaltars is maintenance and care,
but I'll talk about those alittle bit more later.
Those are the things that youdo with an altar.
(06:14):
I didn't want to talk a littlebit about the significance of
altars in different culturesthroughout history, ancient
rituals and religions like Egypt, Greece, rome.
They had altars that werecentral to their religious
practices.
They were dedicated to specificdeities and they used these for
(06:35):
offerings, prayers andceremonies, much like the Aztecs
and the Mayans in the Americasright.
They had elaborate altars usedfor ritualistic worship and
offerings.
So that is some ancient history.
But then there's also altars inChristianity.
You can see this in churches.
(06:56):
You can see this as theysymbolize a presence of God, and
often in Christian churchesthey serve as a site for
religious ceremonies such asweddings and baptisms.
In Buddhism, altars are known asthe Buddha shrine or stupas,
and they're a place formeditations, offering and paying
(07:17):
respects to the Buddhateachings.
They often have statues,candles, incense, offerings of
food or flowers.
While in Hinduism, hindu templecontains altars dedicated to
various deities andpractitioners will make
offerings, perform rituals toseek blessings and divine
(07:39):
guidance.
Altars can be simple or highlyor neat, depending on the
temple's size.
This kind of reminds me ofCatholicism and how some of the
churches will have differentsaints and you can set offerings
and prayers to the specificsaints, depending on what you
(08:00):
need.
Native American, indigenouscultures worldwide have altars.
They do incorporate elements ofnature, such as stone feathers,
herbs, and altars serve as aplace for connecting with earth,
ancestors and spirits for themand performing healing rituals.
In Wicca and paganism, theyhave traditions where altars
(08:26):
play a central role in ritualsand spell work.
Altars are personalized withsymbols, tools and offerings,
aligning with the practitioner'sintentions and connecting them
to nature and divine and, ofcourse, modern spirituality,
which is us, and, of course, allof these other ones still exist
, but I do consider myself moreof a modern spiritual person,
(08:48):
and so it goes beyond thereligious context.
Altars have gained popularityin modern spirituality and new
age practices, and people createaltars to manifest intentions,
cultivate mindfulness and honoraspects of their spiritual
journeys, such as the moonphases or specific energies.
So, overall, altars have been apart of human history and
(09:12):
culture, serving as a space forconnection, worship, meditation,
manifestation, and theysymbolize a bridge between the
physical and the spiritual,facilitating communion with
higher powers, nature and theinner self.
So I don't know, that's a lot.
It's a lot of it.
(09:34):
I feel like I barely touched onit.
So many things, so muchgoodness.
Altars are a great way for youto just connect with yourself as
well.
So know that there is no wrongway to do this.
Whatever way feels good to youis the way that you want to do
(09:54):
it.
And, like I said earlier, youknow, just make sure that when
you are doing something, thatyou're not just appropriating it
and doing whatever, do it withhonor and sacredness, because
you are connecting with beingsand force beyond you.
You know they have energies aswell, and so you want to respect
them by showing reverence.
(10:16):
So, for myself, I have had somealtars.
I do have some areas that looklike altars, but I will tell you
that they are more decoration.
Right now.
I don't have an official altarsset up at this moment, but I
will be soon, because when I'mrearranging my space here in my
(10:36):
office and I'm also working toknow, like, where do I want the
altar?
What kind of altars do I want?
And maybe perhaps this is why Iwant to have an episode and
teach you guys about altars.
So let me talk about theessentials, the essential
components of creating an altar.
So it really depends on yourspiritual or personal beliefs
(11:00):
and the specific purpose of youraltar.
However, there are some commonelements that you can find
across altars and differenttraditions and spirituality.
So the first thing is findingyour altar space, which is I
talked about right, I'm tryingto figure out where I want to
put it.
If you're looking for a placewhere you can go deep, like
figuring out Feng Shui money ina certain part of the room,
(11:23):
would be a great place to haveyour altar.
If you're trying to connectwith your ancestors, that would
be a different space in yourroom.
I don't know about Feng Shui,but it is something I am trying
to learn because, oh my God, mylearning journey is never ending
.
So you could probably Google orconnect with someone that knows
(11:44):
more about that, about where inyour home to put certain type
of altars.
You could have an altar in yourliving area that would be an
altar specific to, maybe, homeor family goals, and then in
your own personal space, if youhave a room where you do things
aside from your bedroom, youcould have an altar there.
(12:04):
You could have an altar in yourbedroom, although I would say
is make sure that you areputting it in a place that feels
safe and sacred.
It is also not going to disturbyour own energy.
So that's talking about thephysical space of where it goes.
But then you also need to thinkabout the actual placement of
it, so designated an area orsurface for your altar.
(12:27):
It could be a table, a shelf,something portable, even a cloth
on the floor.
You can put things on the floor, just make sure that the space
is clean and then you've takenthe time to bless it.
The next thing that youtypically see on an altar and I
said typically because I haven'tcreated an altar this way yet,
(12:48):
but mostly it's been out of like.
I haven't gone on and gone inthe material, but altar cloth.
So many altars you will seewill have a cloth or a fabric
that covers the altar surface.
The color and the material canbe based on a personal symbolism
or a theme of the altar.
Often white is used.
(13:08):
I know that's what I've beenmeaning to go get to go get a
white cloth to put over myaltars whenever I decide,
whenever.
I guess I'll start with one inmy office soon, but the plan is
to go get a white cloth for thealtar.
The next most common thing thatyou'll see in an altar are
candles.
They represent the element offire and can be used for
(13:32):
illumination, as a symbol oftransformation, to set the mood
for any rituals that you mightbe wanting to do.
You can choose the candlecolors that resonate with your
intention.
Quick Google search will giveyou and tell you.
You know, like green is formoney and that's the only one I
can think of right now, but youcan just do a quick Google
(13:52):
search and see which colors arewhich Okay crystals and stones
you can have and you can againlook up a crystal that's going
to amplify the energy that youwant to bring in, the energy
that you want to channel intothe altar.
Make sure that you're choosingstones that correspond with your
intention.
If you are wanting to manifestmore money than you would, look
(14:16):
for crystals that symbolize andbring in abundance or the
energies right that you want towork with.
You can also use incense if youlike.
Incense and since represent theelement of air and it's often
used to purify the space andhands focus and connect with
higher energies, select sensethat are aligned with your
(14:39):
intention.
So if you are using this as away to connect with higher
energies, you want them smellsto be sweeter, lighter, you know
flowy, versus if you are doinga cleanse, where the sense would
be, you know, a little bitheavier and trying to think
maybe a little more muskier,right, but you can easily find
(15:03):
that on a Google search likewhat intents are good for
connecting with the higher realm, what intents are good for
releasing and detoxing?
And if you are looking atsomething in the Mexican
American cultures, there isCopal and there's different
kinds.
There is sage in the NativeAmerican communities.
(15:23):
Make sure that again, youresearch it more, that you're
not appropriating anybody else'scultures and what else?
Okay, so we talked about analtar, space, cloth, candles,
intents, crystals and next,symbols and statues.
You can incorporate symbols,statues or images that represent
(15:45):
your spiritual beliefs, deities, guides, any of the energies
that you are invoking.
The symbols can vary widelybased on your tradition.
Now I will say then I haveseveral different books on
different goddesses and learningabout that right, and so I have
(16:06):
created an altar with a Indiangoddess, gosh.
I can't even think of thegoddess name, but she's the
goddess of money, on bringing inabundance, and so I had done a
whole altar to her.
And when I was learning aboutthe different goddesses at the
time, you can't remember all thedetails, but I was following
(16:28):
someone else's guidance in itand other goddesses as well that
wasn't the only one and so justselect things that you are
familiar with, right.
So I did work with thatparticular goddess in bringing
in manifesting abundance into mylife, but I didn't just go do a
quick Google search, pick apicture and do it Like I
(16:52):
actually followed someone else'sguidance in it, who is not just
saying do this, but actuallyteaching about the goddess and
teaching about the history andunderstanding right, and think
of it like this way let's saythat someone wanted your
ancestors help and they just dida quick Google BAP search and
(17:16):
they found that your ancestorlived in this particular space
and they just went like, hey,you know, I want your advice.
No one would want that.
No one would want anybody tojust come in into their space
not knowing them, not showingany respect and just being like
I want you here now.
So really, you want to take thetime to understand who you're
(17:37):
calling into your space, whyyou're calling them into your
space and give them reference.
And I say this in regards tolike symbols and statues that
you incorporate into your altars.
I will say look and connectwith your own family history.
I think it was almost a yearfrom now.
I've been doing a lot of thiswork and really wanted to create
(17:58):
a space and an altar that hadthings from my cultural
background and for some reason Iam.
At the time I was very focusedon connecting with my dad's side
of the family, so he was goingto Mexico and I asked him to
bring me back a statue of it'scalled.
(18:20):
Actually, let me go grab it.
So I had done some research andI found that there is this
Indian Indigenous person in thearea and it's called Ray de
(18:42):
Coliman, and so this was awarrior who fought the Spanish
and there's a huge statue of himwhere my dad's from, in Colima.
And so I had done that researchand thought it was like amazing
and I was like dad, can youfind me a statue of this?
(19:02):
And he went to the shops and hewas able to find one and I
think it's made out of likeplaster or something.
It has a little bit of white,but not too much.
Anyway, he brought that bug andso I've had it on my shelf
where I had began to start analtar, but again, I hadn't
really been keeping up with it.
There wasn't a lot of intentionbehind it.
(19:24):
It was more like picking up thepieces of altars but not really
putting a lot of intentionbehind it.
And so he's been there and Ilove that I found this.
And then also, as I continue inmy spiritual journey, I was
thinking.
I was thinking like, why have Ibeen so resistant towards
connecting with my mom's historyand where we've came from?
(19:49):
And part of it, I believe, isbecause so we've done the DNA
stuff and my mom has a lot ofmore Spanish blood and you can
see it in her traits as well, mydad's, and so I have a lot of
more indigenous blood in my DNA,reflected in me as well, from
my dad's side.
And I don't I'm stillprocessing, right.
(20:13):
I don't have answers to theresistance other than you know,
like there's a part of me thatdoes not want to look at the
Spanish background, right, theSpanish blood that runs through
me.
I know that I've always goneback and forth between, like you
know, spanish is my language,but Spanish is also the language
(20:35):
of the colonizer, so is itreally my language?
So, again, I'm not going totake us into a different thing,
but really like processing allof that.
Right, like, I am proud to beMexican, but that also includes
being part Spanish.
Right, being part of a culturethat was created when the
(20:55):
Spanish came.
Like, mexicans are not nativealone.
Right, they are indigenouscommunities in Mexico who have
survived barely, but that isdifferent from a person who has
both Mexican indigenous blood inthem as well as the Spaniards.
(21:15):
Right, and everything else,because there's not just Spanish
and bloodline.
Like, there's just like I'mlike 5% Irish or something like
that, and it's like what?
But probably comes from Spain.
Anyway, but you know, takingthe time to connect with your
personal history and thenchoosing symbols, statues that
(21:35):
you connect with and, if they'reoutside of your culture, take
the time to really get tounderstand those particular
deities, goddesses andeverything.
Okay, I'm gonna move forward sothis episode doesn't end up
being like two hours long orsomething crazy.
So, in your alters, you can haveofferings.
Depending on your practice, youmay offer food, water, flowers,
(21:57):
herbs or any other items to thedeity, spirits or energies that
you're working with.
These offerings are a sign ofrespect and gratitude.
Of course, if you did decide tohave offerings of food and
water or whatever else, makesure that you're refreshing it
and that's why I keep sayinglike I had an altar, but not
(22:18):
really where I started it, butthen I didn't really keep up
with it.
And this is so important, why?
At the end of this, I'm gonnatalk about maintenance and
making sure that you arerefreshing your altar.
Otherwise, you know, it becomesjust another decoration in your
space and if you no longer aregoing to maintain your altar
(22:39):
it's important to you know puteverything away.
So there is so many otherthings that I could go into on
what you can put in your altar,you know, thank you.
The element of sound having abell or chime can be used to
signal the beginning or end ofyour rituals.
If you have that there, you canhave a bowl of salt or earth,
(23:01):
and salt and soil can berepresenting the element of
earth and it can be used forpurification and grounding
purposes.
You can have things like holywater or a ritual type water for
yourself.
Some traditions use consecratedwater.
Other liquids are also purifiedand blessings, where you can
have moon water, if you knowwhat that is.
(23:22):
I have some moon water actuallyin my altar that I've been
meaning to just refresh becauseit's been there.
There's other optional thingsthat you can have on there, like
tarot decks, oracle decks,maybe some personal items of
yourself photographs, alums,mint, mentals and, of course,
you can also have seasonal orlunar decorations, depending on
(23:44):
the time of year, the lunarphase, and you can place these
items on your altar.
Again, with the intention,right, you want to make sure
that you're making your altarmeaningful and that it's
personalized to you, to yourintentions, whatever it is that
you are wanting your altar torepresent, especially in your
(24:06):
spiritual path and energies thatyou want to work with.
So, if you're still with me,because that has been a lot Now,
I want to talk to you guys alittle bit about moon phases and
creating your altar.
So, when you are creating youraltar, you can choose to use the
(24:28):
moon to enhance yourmanifestation practices.
So, like the new moon and thefull moon If you're not familiar
with that, go back to myepisode that talks about that.
I will work on getting itlinked in the show notes where I
talk about the moon phases.
And so the new moon is a greattime to set new goals, to
(24:49):
refresh your plans for thatlunation, maybe that quarter,
maybe the year, and then thefull moon is a great time for an
altar that helps you releasethings that are no longer
working for you.
So make sure that when you'relooking at the different
specific moon phases, if youwant to do that right Like if
you want to have your altar andyou don't want to stress out
(25:11):
about what moon phase you're indon't stress out about it.
It's not going to change yourintentions, not going to change
the connection that you'rehaving.
The difference in doing it withthe moon and without the moon is
just that you are using outsideenergies.
You are then calling in on themoon's energy and bringing it
into your altar versus notincluding it, and it doesn't
(25:32):
make it any different.
Right, I didn't talk about thesun, but you can use the sun in
your altars as well, but mostpeople aren't talking about
using the sun, although itbrings us plenty of life force,
energy.
So now I do want to talk alittle bit about grounding
techniques you can explore ondifferent ways to help you get
(25:54):
grounded.
The altar is a place for you tofeel grounded, to remember your
intentions, whatever you'remanifesting, and also connecting
with the different earth'senergy.
Right, so fire, air, water andearth.
And that's why you want to havethose four different elements,
because that helps you groundand as you maintain your altar,
(26:17):
you can see, like, perhaps youreplace the incense a little
more often, maybe not the water.
Okay, that's a perfect exampleactually for myself, because I
am very low on the water in myastrological natal chart.
Maybe that's a reminder to me,right, Like, if I'm not
replacing the water on my altarvery often, does that mean I'm
(26:41):
not connecting with my emotions?
So earth is groundedness, right, being here in the present air
is our thoughts, our thinking,whether they're positive or
negative, whether we get stuckin the clouds or not, with
overthinking right, which can besymbolized as smoke, incense,
those types of things representair and then fire.
(27:04):
It's like our drive.
I have a lot of fire in mychart, so when I decide I want
to do something, I definitelyhave all of the inner motivation
to do it.
So that can be represented by acandle right, and you can see
that lighting up and you caneasily see when that needs to
get replaced.
I said earth, air, fire.
Oh, I said water.
(27:25):
I didn't say what did I miss.
I talked about water, I talkedabout grounding.
I think I got them all.
If I didn't, please let me know.
But you can find that right.
Earth I don't think I talkedabout earth elements, so earth
elements would be like anythingfrom the earth.
You can pick a branch, flowers,dirt, you know.
(27:48):
Just make sure that you'recollecting it in a way that
isn't just like oh, I'm going togo chop off some random tree
branches for my altar, likebeing tinchino, and then you
know, of course, thank the earthfor its blessings before
putting it into your altar.
Whoa, I feel like I've beentalking to you guys for a very
(28:08):
long time about altars and Ihope that you find this
information useful when creatingyour altars.
The way that you can use altarsfor manifestation is by creating
a space where you are settingintention.
So if you want to bring in morefinancial abundance, then you
(28:29):
would have things that show thatfor yourself, right?
You can look at differentimages that you want to bring in
, different deities that you'reconnected with, and you can
place them.
Always remember to try to havethe four elements on your altar,
and then you can also haveaffirmations, right, and you
(28:52):
want to set everything in youraltar and place it carefully and
setting it with intention, andthen, when you have your altar
set up, however long you decideto have it for you can then
visit your altar to help youconnect with that manifestation.
So it's important to doaffirmations, to do
(29:17):
visualization and meditation toamplify your manifestation
efforts, and that's the reasonfor the altar right To have a
space that is sacred for you tovisit to show and see how your
intention is unfolding.
Perhaps you visited in the newmoon to refresh your intentions
and then you visited during thefull moon to release with no
(29:38):
longer Sarena.
You also want to just maintainit regularly, cleansing it
regularly, replacing items thatneed to be replaced.
Maybe you place something onyour altar that didn't align
with you.
Then make sure that you aregoing and replacing that as
needed and taking it off on thecourse.
(30:00):
Thinking Energies, universe,any goddesses, any spirits, any
guides that you were workingwith, think them Once you are
done with your altar.
This is super important.
If you do create an altar andyou're like, okay, I want to
make sure that in three monthsif I've forgotten about my altar
or in one month or two months,just set a reminder for yourself
(30:23):
that you are going to clear offyour altar on this particular
date.
If you're no longer working onit, I highly suggest putting a
calendar reminder for yourself.
I know it sounds a little extra, but you can always ask Siri or
whatever phone app you havethen put a reminder.
We have so much technology allaround us that is helping us and
(30:47):
we should use it to advantagethat.
This has nothing to do withaltars, but my asthma is
changing the AC filter and itlooked bad.
I'm like how often do we needto do it?
He's like three months.
Put a notification, bam.
Don't overthink it.
Same thing with your altar.
Don't overthink it.
Make sure that you are havingregular maintenance on your
(31:08):
altar, doing regular energycleanses, whatever works for you
.
You could do it on a weeklybasis, you could do it on a new
moon, full moon basis, you coulddo it on a monthly basis.
I just don't allow it to justsit there and create dust,
because that's not what youcreated it for.
And if you have lost interestin your altar, just take the
(31:30):
items and put them awaysomewhere where you want to put
them, wherever you put yourthings, and just clean off the
space and let the space be open.
And that goes for anything inyour house, not just an altar.
You know, often we buy things adecoration, a lamp, a chair,
whatever, and you no longerusing it and it starts to
collect just dust and thatenergy gets stagnant.
(31:52):
So that's another reason tomake sure that you are
refreshing your altar, becauseyour altar is going to get
stagnant, that energy is goingto get stuck.
So if you are not necessarilyinterested in creating an altar,
but you want to change theenergy in your home, a simple
way to do it is move 27 thingsin your home.
(32:15):
Go around your house and startshifting the different energies
by simply moving things.
So maybe you have a plant thathasn't been thriving.
Get that plant and put it in adifferent space and ask the
plant.
It may sound crazy, but ask theplant where do you want to go,
and it may tell you.
You take the time to just tryto listen.
(32:37):
Follow your intuition, followthe first thing that comes to
mind.
That is where it wants to be,and anything else right.
Maybe you shift one lamp toanother area, maybe you sweep
behind some couches that youhaven't moved in a while.
That is a great way to move anystagnant energy.
I know I went off on a differentdirection, started with altars
(32:58):
and a whole bunch of otherthings, but there's just so much
to tell you guys aboutmanifesting energy using the
elements around you, and so ifyou do have any questions about
altars, feel free to send me aDM.
Connect with me.
If you are ready to connectwith your spiritual roots,
(33:20):
really ready to connect withintention on your manifestations
, I am here to coach you one onone.
You can find the link in theshow notes or you can just
simply send me a DM to find outmore.
Have a great, wonderful day.
If you do create an altar, Iwould love to see it, so send me
(33:40):
a picture via Instagram or tagme whatever works for you.
Thank you for listening.
I will chat with you guys nextweek.
Thank you for listening to theManifest your Career podcast.
Are you ready to take actiontoday?
Visit ManifestYourCareercom toget started and schedule a free
(34:03):
discovery call with me and gainclarity today.
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