Make Shrine Boxes
What is a shrine?
In Latin, shrine means a “case or chest for books or papers”. Traditionally, shrines are sacred and holy places which are dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint or similar figure that you respect and look up to.
I love making shrine boxes, but I take the liberty to create each one individually for their own purpose. A shrine box is kind of like an altar, in that you place objects in the shrines that are significant and powerful for you. You can make them interchangeable, and add to or take away items as time goes on. Sometimes a shrine box will be something to represent letting go. In that case you would make the box and sit with it for a time in your space, and then either discard or bury the shrine in nature. A shrine box can be similar to a memory box, in that you place objects, photos or other elements that help you remember a person, period of time or place. Or it can represent a spiritual ideal or your values in some way.
Choose a Theme
Choosing a theme for your shrine is a great place to begin. Take some deep breaths and get really present with yourself. Once you focus on the present, is there a person, pet, memory or spiritual icon that has been on your mind a lot recently? Or are there events happening in your life now that you would like to remember?
One way I have used shrine boxes is as a ritual to release the past. You can gather items that represent a time in your life that you are ready to move on from. Arrange them in a box with imagery and intention to honor that aspect of the past. Let it sit for a few days, to build the intention that you are ready to move on. Then discard the box or bury it, or alternatively burn it in a campfire. This is a great ceremony to release memories from the past that are no longer serving you.
Another way to use shrine boxes is to remember loved ones who have passed on. The box becomes a sort of alter where you can visit the box to reconnect with the memory of the person or animal.
You can also create shrine boxes to remember events in your life! A wedding box or other themed box to represent a successful event or adventure would be a truly meaningful gift, or to place in an area where you will see it often.
Another way to approach the shrine is to make holy of that which is every day and common. Like a time capsule, you could create a shrine to the lifestyle that you are living today.
If there was a certain time period in your life that you really loved, make a box around that theme. Loved ones, favorite places, vacations, events like graduations or marriages, spiritual practices and beliefs…all could be fodder for the beginnings of a shrine. Or make one to who you are becoming. People are always changing, and it can be great to make a shrine as a sort of snapshot of who you are today, or to inspire you to take steps to become the person you want to be.
If you think of a shrine box as part of intentional living, setting intentions and honoring the past are great steps to living a sweet life! Creating shrines can be similar to the casting of a spell, because you set an intention that something is meaningful to you. Taking the time out to give shape to those aspects that make your life divine is truly a way to celebrate your life.
Sometimes the box you are working with will give you clues to the purpose of the shrine. If it is small that will limit what you can put in it, so think about that while you are planning.
Make it meaningful to you! The box will be something you go to every now and again to reconnect with those people and things that matter most to you!
Make a Shrine the Eco-Friendly Way!
I love using objects I already have around the house to create shrine boxes. A great place to start is to begin looking around your house for small cardboard boxes, chocolates boxes, shoeboxes, small tins, etc. I know that you can go to a store and buy a wooden box to start with but making it the eco-friendly way is better for the environment and also encourages you to get way more creative!
As you figure out the intention for the box, look around your home for meaningful items to include. The process of gathering materials from your own home makes the box that much more meaningful, because the things in your space already have a level of importance to you or you would not have kept them.
Be on the lookout for yarn, ribbon or string. Also found papers like old magazines, photographs, old mail and envelopes. And little items like old jewelry, stones, that have meaning for you. Items from nature can also be a great addition to your shrine box. Press and dry some flowers or grass or gather some acorns or pinecones or other items from your yard to include. Bits of fabric from old clothing are great to add, or you can make items to include.
Some other materials to have on hand
A basic white glue, PVA, collage glue like mod podge, or matte gel
Craft paints or acrylics
Decorative papers or magazines
Paint brushes or foam brushes
A basic sewing kit like needle and thread is optional
A box or vessel for the shrine
Tape, stapler, safety pins, or other ways to put items together in a meaningful way
First, I applied gesso to this old cigar box. Then I painted it with acrylic paints!
I made a paper scroll to put inside. I made this a couple years after I started studying Western Buddhism.
This box was created from a heart shaped chocolate box. I attached the textured paper onto the top with needle and thread.
On the inside of the box, I collaged paper print outs and music pages. I included items that were significant to me!
This little travel shrine was created from an altoids tin. It includes a spray vial of frankincense essential oil, an amber ring and small items grouped in a little pouch. This travel shrine was made to remind myself of innate nobility, which is a concept where every single person is born with inherent value…including yourself! I used to carry this tin with me when I was out and about, to flip open for a mindful moment.
You can use just about any vessel to create a shrine box! The music box is a shrine to my younger sister who passed away, she used to love The Little Mermaid movie when she was a kid. I found the box on Poshmark and just knew I needed it for a shrine! The other box is a decked out wooden craft box I found on Amazon. The top and bottom exteriors have collaged elements I printed out, and I lined the inside of the box with a swatch of fabric.
Making shrine boxes is so much fun, because they can either be a quick afternoon project or you can work on one over time, when you feel like it. The boxes are a fun way to display treasured objects that have significance to you, or even to call in different personal qualities to help you stick to your values. It is so fun to look for objects to place in each box to commemorate or celebrate various aspects of life.
