Nancy Brady Cunningham - A Book of Womens Altars: How to Create Sacred Spaces for Art, Worship, Solace, Celebration

More Advanced Praise for A Book of Women's Altars

Reading this book, ancient memories are stirred of a time when women paid tribute to seasons and life cycles by creating indoor and outdoor altars. A Book of Women's Altars is beautifully written and filled with many specific suggestions. The photographs encourage the reader to breathe a bit more deeply. In both the images and the words, there is a fresh simplicity, a lack of pretense and a reclaiming of the original intention of altars, which was to express awareness of the sacredness of all life.

Gloria D. Karpinski, author of Barefoot on Holy Ground and Where Two Worlds Touch

A fresh and innovative exploration of prayer and sacredness in our everyday life. This book is its own ritual of the heart.

Lynn Andrews, author of Medicine Woman and Tree of Dreams

A perfect balance of evocative photography and inviting prose, this book illustrates how easy and essential it is for women to create sacred spaces to honor their visions, concerns, and desires.

Dana Carpenter, co-founder, Sole Sisters Inc. and editor of I am Beautiful

A Book of Women's Altars is worship, magic, artistry, and passion. The ancient art of creating altars is preserved and expanded in this beautiful book. The exquisite words and photographs of Nancy Brady Cunningham and Denise Geddes inspire us to create a physical connection to the sacred in our own lives.

Louisa and Rick Clerici, authors of Sparks from the Fire of Time

A book like this is long overdue and applicable to a life-long spiritual journey. The list of uses for a personal altar is a welcome reminder for anyone; the definitions of altar expand one's possibilities for honoring, growing, and celebrating. I have many altars in my home and office and recommend them in my books, but here for the first time is an exhaustive exploration and focus on the subject with contemporary touchstones and rationale.

Jennifer Bosveld, Director of Pudding House Writers' Innovation Center

A lovely, poetic guide to inviting the sacred into our everyday lives.

Kris Waldherr, author of The Goddess Tarot and Sacred Animals

A visually evocative and inspirational bookgives women an opportunity to create their own spiritual sanctuaries.

Dan & Marty Campanelli, Flying Witch Farm

This book shares a wonderful vision for creating sacred space in your lifeeach altar and ritual can change everyday into beauty.

Amy Zerner, artist and author of Love, Light, and Laughter; Oracle of the Goddess; and Gifts of the Goddess

A Book of Women's Altars by Nancy Cunningham is a marvelously creative and helpful book which helps us bring the creative symbolic world and the haven of spirit together in the everyday corners of our lives. Denise Geddes's photographs shows diverse altars so we may better create altars by which to dream and pray.

Janell Moon, author of The Wise Earth Speaks to Your Spirit and Stirring the Waters

What a profound spirituality of awareness Nancy Brady Cunningham gives in her wise and beautiful practice of making altars. Suddenly I see opportunities for altars at every intersection of creation with Divine Mystery. She helps me realize that the altars I've made since childhood are centerpieces of my spiritual practice; a meeting place for all that is deepest in my soul. Every flower is an opportunity, each stone and feather, every fallen leaf. Every woman needs this book!

Christin Lore Weber, author of Altar Music, Womanchrist, and Circle of Mysteries

Nancy Brady Cunningham's book offers a lovely invitation to create meditative spaces of your own for clarity and well-being. Her guidelines are inspiring and creative and encourage you to combine natural elements with personal treasures.

Hailey D.D. Klein, author of The Way of Change: Finding Joy in Your Journey

This book is a haiku of a guide that allows your inner wisdom out to play. I have always made altars and yet to make them consciously, for a purpose, that has eluded me. I will use this practical invitation.

Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman's Retreat Book and The Comfort Queen's Guide to Life

First published in 2002 by

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

York Beach, ME

With offices at:

368 Congress Street

Boston, MA 02210

www.redwheelweiser.com

Text copyright 2002 Nancy Brady Cunningham

Photography copyright 2002 Denise Geddes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cunningham, Nancy Brady

A book of women's altars : how to create sacred spaces for art, worship, solace, celebration/Nancy Brady Cunningham; photographs by Dennis Geddes.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-59003-011-7 (alk. paper)

1. WomenReligious life. 2. Rites and ceremonies. I. Title.

BL625.7.C85 2002

291.3'7dc21

2002004459

Typeset in Matrix

Printed in Canada

TCP

09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).

www.redwheelweiser.com

www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

To my grandchildren, Kelsey and Devin, with love from Nana Nancy.

Nancy Brady Cunningham

For my children, Jason and Kali, wonderful sources of inspiration to me.

Denise Geddes

introduction:
a woman's place

balance between earth and sky:
1 what is an altar?

your essential self, your essential space:
2 why make an altar?

the realm of possibility:
3 what kind of altar?

life themes:
4 how to create a personal altar

spiritual journey:
5 what to do at your altar

seasonal offerings:
6 winter, spring, summer, and autumn altars