Day 3: My Hindu Shrine

Most people know that Hinduism has many deities, but really, they’re not separate gods but different aspects of the same transcendent reality. Unlike most other religions that require believers to worship one particular representation of God, Hindus get to choose which kind of god they like best.

Every good Hindu keeps a shrine at home to honor his or her favorite gods. So, to mark the next step on my journey, I’ve set up a shrine of my own.

Okay, so it’s not very impressive (see photo above). I actually own a few Hindu-themed statues that I used to keep on my bookshelves because I thought they looked artsy and gave my place a bit of flair. Unfortunately, I moved the statues, along with virtually everything I own, to a storage unit a few months ago, on the advice of a realtor who said my house would show better if it were completely empty. So now, my house looks like a barren wasteland, except for my new “shrine.”

I guess I could have tried to find my statues in the storage unit, for better authenticity, but frankly, I’m a little afraid to go there by myself and nobody was available to help me. The storage unit is dirty and there are always stinkbugs clinging to the door, which really freaks me out. I could have bought some new statues, but I already promised myself I wouldn’t do that—as part of my whole "free myself from the material planes of existence" thing—so I came up with this brilliant alternative.

I printed out some colorful images of Hindu gods, glued them to poster board, and stuck them on a table. To complete the shrine, I’ve added a scented candle—the only candle I have left in the house, which I only have because we had a blackout recently—and a little bowl to make offerings to my chosen deities.

I picked my two favorites—Ganesha and Kali. A fat, elephant-headed god and the goddess of destruction who wears a chain of human heads around her neck may seem like odd choices, but hey—I like what I like. And that’s part of the beauty of Hinduism. I get to choose.

So now my shrine is ready to go. I have a place to focus my daily prayers and meditations—which is good, because I need all the help I can get when it comes to focus. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be doing the whole shebang—offerings, rituals, all of it. Stay tuned.