Readers interested in this volume from Kynes (Year of Ritual
, etc.) would do well to pay attention to the subtitle, as the title is somewhat misleading. The book is not a comprehensive overview of home altars, but a guide to using an altar space for meditation. The thrust of the book is that an altar is like “a game board”; through different arrangements of objects, practitioners can prepare themselves for varying states of reflection. For example, Kynes describes how an altar space can be divided into three parts, each representing one of the divine triplets from an ancient spiritual tradition (e.g., Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva from Hinduism or Fotla, Erin and Banba from the Irish Celtic tradition). She then suggests what to place on the altar for different effects. A three-part arrangement can be used to rebalance energies or as an aid for decision making. In all, Kynes outlines nine basic altar compositions and gives hints for alternatives in each main category. While some may be annoyed by Kynes’s use of the second person throughout the book, this should be welcome reading for neopagans seeking to spice up their spirituality with something a little offbeat. (Dec.)
