Part of the emphasis was on visual reminders, including the use of "shrines". A shrine, in this context, can be a corner of a shelf or of a desk, and its contents might be a photograph and/or a cross or crucifix and/or some other sacred or special object, that can serve to bring you back into touch with the deeper values in your life. One advocate of such shrines pointed out that this practice applies as much to the home as to the workplace. Clearly also, it is not necessarily limited to Christian practice, it can refer to any style of spirituality.
I can not say how widespread such practices are, and I am doubtful that any of my ideas at the workshop were taken up by many people. However, the idea comes very much out of the mainstream.
Ray
Greetings,
A quick Internet search will reveal that this is a *very* quickly growing phenomenon and not just among the American Hispanic people named in the article below. It is not just a Christian phenomenon either. I am just wondering if there are any implications for us? The idea of home altars seems to be of interest to teens and the growing incidence of road-side shrines is probably linked in to satisfying whatever need or motivation is driving this.
Regards,
Bruce
*********************************************** National Catholic Reporter The Independent Newsweekly Family Life This week's stories Issue Date: November 14, 2003
http://www.ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2003d/111403/111403k.php
Creating sacred space
Altars in Hispanic homes have a long and rich history that feminists and new immigrants in the U.S. are reclaiming
Altars in Hispanic homes testify to a centuries-old tradition that makes visible the link between the spiritual and the physical world. Combining crucifixes, statues of the Virgin Mary and saints with photos of family members who have passed away and objects associated with them, Hispanic home altars are about honoring family relationships and connecting the living with the dead, said scholar Lara Medina, assistant professor of Chicano and Chicano studies at California State University in Northridge.
The popularity of home altars is undergoing a revival, Medina and other scholars say, driven by an influx of new immigrants from Latin America as well as the attention given them by Latina feminists, who see the home altar as a way a woman in a patriarchal culture �claims her authority to name the sacred,� as Medina puts it.
Etc., etc.
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