The Magic of Your Home Shrine

One time a man with many life issues approached me and asked for a consultation. He said that he always felt like a big burden on his head. He invited me to his home and when I arrived, I noticed that he had a lot of mess in his home. Things were not organized, there were old documents not filed properly, broken items, magazines, books, clothes, and useless items were all mixed up. Among all of this mess in the temple, there were broken necklaces, prayer beads, stuff that was given to him from temples and even statues (deities)/images of Gods and Goddesses.

After reading his birth chart, I explained to him that a lot of his problems were coming because of his attitude towards life. If he changed his attitude then things would improve.

There is a story that once the Goddess of Wealth, Maha Lakshmi, was traveling through a village, looking for a place to live. She came across many homes, but most of them were dirty, hoarding useless items, or they were engaged in gross material habits that were wasteful. Eventually, she arrives at the home where the people were clean, mindful and determined. She decided to reside there and the deserving residents became happy, financially stable, charitable and peaceful.

If you are looking for a better lifestyle, this cannot be expected to happen if you do not study your present situation and actively try and improve it. People can do as many astrological remedies as they like, but they cannot improve, unless and until they adopt a practical and mindful approach. You must value what you have and be frugal, this does not mean that we accept a lower standard, but it means to have more quality rather than quantity, and abundance will only follow.

Whilst talking, I suggested that he cleans his home and throws out or donates all the unwanted items. I also suggested that if he cannot maintain daily proper worship in his home shrine, then it was better to have only a few pictures and Murtis (deities) for worship. He took my advice seriously, cleaned the entire room. I also told him that he should never buy items for worship that are made from plastic since these items are damaging to the environment.

I then explained to him the science of having a home shrine:
A home shrine is a place for meditation and prayer. A mandir is what it is commonly called. ‘Man’ means Mind and ‘Dir’ means steady – your home shrine or Mandir is supposed to be a clean place for meditation and prayer.
According to VastuShastra, the home shrine should not have a dome over the top as this is supposed to be for temples that are outside the home. A temple ideally should be placed in the east or northeast; otherwise, any clean and convenient direction is okay since God is everywhere.
The shrine should be kept clean, if not daily, then every other day, it should be cleaned up and kept free from dust.
The Mandir is the heart of the home, you should offer your food to the Gods (as a sign of thanks and appreciation) and light incense and lamps there, if possible. It is important to keep safety in mind. There should be no fire risks or hazards in the area. The minimum standard is to keep it safe and clean.

VastuShastra says that if you have a Murti (idol) in your home, the home should be very clean and the worship should be daily. It can be a very uplifting and rewarding experience if done well. The Murti should only be made from natural materials and it is important to never worship broken murtis. They could be made of materials like stone, wood, clay, metal, gemstones or jewels. Otherwise, during festival times, they can be made from sand or clay for temporary worship and then returned to the sea or river. Since God is not a statue, but the creator, therefore God does not need anything from anyone, except for love and devotion, and when you love someone you will treat them nicely. Respecting this space is very important.

The image is a focal point to help our meditation, God is everywhere and the image is simply for our benefit. To help us have a practical method of establishing a relationship with God. It is not a compulsory practice, but helpful for householders who want to learn to put God in the center of their home. If in our hectic and busy lives we cannot worship like this it is not necessary to have any shrine, but it is important to meditate, chant mantras and prayers.

The Mandir radiates powerful and peaceful energy. Since energy is powerful, this space is important, therefore broken things should be repaired or replaced, as scattered energy is not effective.

We should only keep a few pictures it is not necessary to keep collecting. Plastics should be recycled since it is not worship-able anyway. Stone, clay can be buried or immersed in a flowing river. We should be careful that there is no pollution. Remember God is watching us always, so always be respectful and responsible towards nature.

The very next day I received a text message from my client. He said after he cleaned his home, he showered and light a lamp in his shrine. He said that he felt so relaxed and peaceful. Like a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He went on to get a good job and even moved home to better accommodation. Other people have tried this and then found that they love where they are living all they needed was a change in attitude and more mindfulness. He didn’t need a complicated puja or astrological remedy. Sometimes these remedies are needed but in this case, it was a simple solution.