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Build A Goddess Altar
Goddesses are integral to many cultures worldwide, not just Hinduism. You may already have figurines or images of different goddesses such as Lakshmi, Durga, Aphrodite, or Athena. It’s time to bring one or more of these goddesses together into a sacred space—an altar.
During Navratri, I encourage you to build an altar. However simple or small, it becomes the center of your devotion for nine days — a place you return to again and again. It is here that you will sit quietly, light your lamp, and let your heart converse with the Goddess. Over time, this sacred corner begins to glow with your offerings of flowers, chants, prayers, and silence. An altar is not only where you meet the Divine, but also where you meet your own deepest self.
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How to Build the Altar
Your altar can be a powerful place for meditation, manifestation, and spiritual connection. When setting it up, include items that resonate with the goddess or goddesses you choose to honor. Here are some ideas:​
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Effigies or Symbols: Include a figurine, picture, or any sacred object that symbolizes the divine feminine you want to connect with. This could be Lakshmi, Durga, or even Aphrodite, depending on your cultural connection.
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Offerings: Crystals, flowers, pearls, candles, oil of ghee lamp, and incense are commonly used items that evoke the goddess’s presence. Choose objects that feel meaningful to you.
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Energetic Cleanliness: Keep your altar space charged with pure, sattvic (spiritually uplifting) energy. Clean it regularly, use sage or palo santo to cleanse the space, and light candles or oil lamps to maintain a sacred atmosphere. Fresh flowers add a beautiful, rejuvenating energy.
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Daily Rituals: Gazing at the goddess image or effigy can help you tap into her energy, especially during times when you need emotional strength or spiritual insight. Make it a habit to interact with your altar daily, whether through meditation, prayer, or simply spending a few moments in gratitude.
What You May Need
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A small table or dedicated space
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A figurine, deity, or sacred image of your chosen goddess
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Offerings like crystals, flowers, and candles
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Incense or oil lamps
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Sage or palo santo for cleansing the energy
Note: Remember that creating your altar is a personal, creative process. There are no right or wrong items—just choose what resonates with your soul and evokes a connection to the divine. This altar is not just for external worship but is also a space to connect to the goddess that resides within you as your Spirit.
Home altars need not be elaborate, as long as they emerge from your heart and please your soul: If you are pleased the altar will deeply please Maa!
Images of Actual Goddess Altar from
Vedika Global Community
Lighting the Sacred Lamp
A Puja lamp (known as deepak, deepam or diya) lit with ghee is considered one of the most auspicious "sattvic" offerings during Navratri. Its steady flame symbolizes inner light, clarity, and the welcoming presence of the Goddess in our home and heart.
Fuel for the lamp: Traditionally, pure cow’s ghee is used. If ghee is not available, sesame oil or peanut oil are good substitutes.
The wick: You may roll a cotton wick yourself (twisting cotton into a thin roll with one pointed end), or you can use ready-made wicks available at Indian stores.
When to light:
After showering and before prayers in the morning.
Again at dusk, as day turns to night.
The flame may also be refreshed at any time during Navratri.
Continuous flame: Some devotees keep the lamp burning both day and night for the full nine days, carefully tending it with devotion.
Offer the light with reverence, and as the flame glows, let it remind you of the Shakti within you that is eternal, luminous, and unchanging.
Where to Buy Online
Amazon.com / Amazon.in – search “brass diya lamp”, “cotton wicks for puja”, or “Navratri oil lamp”.
Etsy – handmade brass or clay lamps shipped internationally.
Indian grocery stores online (e.g., Patel Brothers, iShopIndian, DesiClik) often stock ready-made lamps and wicks.
Special Tip: Create a “Rock-Goddess”
Here’s a fun and meaningful idea for Navratri: Create your own “rock-goddess.” Take a mindful walk in nature, and as you do, look for a rock that feels special to you. Once you find it, ask Mother Earth for permission to take it home. When you bring the rock home, wash it with water (and perhaps milk as a gesture of care). After cleansing it, gently dry it, and you may even want to apply a few drops of essential oil to honor the goddess within the rock.
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Over the nine days of Navratri, this rock becomes your personal “rock-goddess.” Every day, interact with it—meditate, hold it close to your heart, or speak to it with love and devotion. Before bed, wish the rock-goddess a peaceful night, and each morning, greet her with a fresh smile and new flowers.
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On the 10th day, as a symbolic closure to the festival, return the rock-goddess back to Mother Earth, placing it exactly where you found her, thanking her for her divine presence in your life.
These are real life images shared by Sadasyas from past Navratri's of "Rock Goddess Altars" inside modern homes, blessing modern lives.
You can also paint spiritual symbols on the rocks you find and add to your altar.
Rangoli: A Vedic Art Based Altar
Goddess Art by Vedika Students
Rangoli: Inviting the Goddess
In the Vedic tradition, Rangoli is more than decoration — it is a sacred feminine art that invokes Shakti, the divine energy of the Goddess. Many even see it as an altar in itself.
By making Rangoli, you symbolically welcome Lakshmi, Durga, and Saraswati into your home, inviting their blessings of abundance, protection, and wisdom. Traditionally called Rangavalli, these flowing lines and colors — made from rice flour, turmeric, flower petals, or other natural materials — both beautify and sanctify the space.
Even a simple design or a small offering of petals at your doorway carries power when offered with devotion. During Navratri, Rangoli becomes a living sadhana: each shape, circle, or lotus a way to align your inner Shakti with the cosmic Shakti.
You don’t need elaborate patterns. A handful of flowers, a few grains of rice, or a small candle arranged with love is enough to invoke the Goddess and keep her presence alive in your daily life.
Create Your Own Sacred Rangoli with Seeds, Pulses & Flours
Rangoli (also known as kolam or alpana) is a joyful offering made at the threshold of our homes and temples during Navratri. Traditionally, it is created with natural, edible materials—reminding us that beauty, devotion, and nourishment are all connected.
What You’ll Need
A flat surface (indoors or outdoors)
White flour, rice flour, or fine semolina for outlines
Assorted edible seeds and pulses (e.g. mustard, sesame, coriander, fenugreek, cumin)
Colorful lentils and beans (e.g. red masoor, yellow moong, green mung, black urad, kidney beans)
Optional: turmeric powder (golden yellow), chili powder (red), spinach powder (green) for natural colors
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the surface: Sweep or wipe it clean and, if indoors, spread newspaper underneath for easy cleanup.
Draw the outline: Use white flour to trace a simple design (see examples below). You may do this freehand or with the help of a stencil/bowl to form circles.
Fill with colors: Carefully place seeds, pulses, or colored powders within each section. Use contrasting colors side by side to make the design stand out.
Offer with devotion: As you place each grain, you may silently repeat a mantra, or simply invoke Goddess with love.
Keep it simple: Even a small design at your altar or doorstep is auspicious and filled with Shakti.
Tips:
Don’t worry about precision—rangoli is about devotion, not perfection.
If you can’t find Indian pulses, use whatever colorful beans, seeds, or even spices are available locally.
Small patterns (6–8 inches across) are enough to invite auspicious energy.
3 Simple Rangoli Designs to Try
The Lotus Circle
Draw a central circle. Surround it with 6–8 petal shapes. Fill the center with yellow lentils, petals with red masoor, and outline with white flour.
Four-Pointed Star with Dots
Draw a large plus sign (+). Connect the outer tips to form a diamond (star shape). Place a dot of contrasting color (e.g. black sesame or mustard seeds) at each corner.
Spiral Sun
Draw a small circle in the middle. From it, make spiral rays outward, like a sun. Fill the center with golden turmeric and the rays with alternating green mung and red masoor.
Natural Color Options
Yellow / Golden: Turmeric powder
Red / Orange: Chili powder, paprika, annatto, beet powder
Green: Spinach powder, matcha, dried mint powder
White: Rice flour, semolina, coconut powder
Brown / Black: Coffee powder, cocoa powder, black sesame seeds
Beige / Cream: Chickpea flour (besan), oats flour
Pink / Violet (optional): Dried hibiscus, blueberry powder
How to Use Them
Mix powders with a little rice flour for softer shades.
Keep powders dry; use a spoon or your fingers to place gently.
Seeds and pulses can form outlines or contrasts; spices can fill larger areas.
How Long Does a Rangoli Stay?
If made indoors with dry grains, seeds, or powders, your rangoli can last beautifully through the nine days of Navratri. A floral rangoli, however, is refreshed daily, as blossoms fade. When placed outdoors, remember that birds, ants, and insects may gratefully carry away the food you’ve offered — in this case, replenish the design as often as you wish. All spices and pulses, if organic — yes, even red pepper — are relished by countless beings of the earth. And should the rangoli scatter in the wind or wash away in the rain, it causes no harm like chemicals would, but returns gently to nature. In this way too, all is well, and every renewal is itself an offering to the Goddess.
Vedika students built this Rangoli outside the physical premises of Vedika Global,
situated in Emeryville, California (From 2008 to 2019), Bird and animal safe edible seeds, pulses, flours, herbs and grains were used to build this Rangoli.
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