How to Make a Taoist Altar

Last Updated: February 15, 2022 Approved

Central to ceremonial forms of Taoist practice is the Taoist altar. The specific arrangement of the altar varies from sect to sect, and takes different forms also according to the particular ritual or ceremony that is being enacted. There are certain objects, however, that are always present, and the symbolism of these objects remains basically the same, regardless of what form the ritual takes.

Steps

1
Place on the altar a statue or an image of the deity being honoured.
2
Have a sacred lamp. A Sacred Lamp should be placed in front of the statue/image. This represents the light of the Tao.

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3
Light candles. Placed to the left and right of the sacred lamp should be two candles. These represent the Sun and the Moon.
4
Place three cups. In front of the sacred lamp there should be three cups. The cup on the left should contain water, which represents Yang. The cup on the right should contain tea, which represents Yin. The center cup should contain grains of uncooked rice, which represents the union of Yin and Yang.
5
Place the plates of fruit and bowls of food. In front of the three cups there should be five plates of fruit and five bowls of food. The plates of fruit represent the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal & water) in their pre-natal form. The bowls of food represent them in their post-natal.
6
Have an incense burner. In front of the five plates and five bowls should be an incense burner, which represents the lower abdominal area of the human body, called the lower Dantian.

Community Q&A

Question

I don't live near any temples, so I don't have anyone that can consecrate my statue. If I have an unconsecrated statue on my altar, is there another way I can prevent it from becoming possessed?

Hoàng Đức Văn

Community Answer

With the Buddha statues, you can bless them without any helps from the monks. It is up to your belief. With the Chinese god statues for example: Guan Yu, Ma zu, etc., then it is necessary to get some Taoists to bless these statues.