On my planet, there are altars and then there are shrines (which everyone else calls altars). According to Wikipedia, they're basically the same thing anyway, so everyone's right!
My altar is where I lay my ritual bits out for a circle. I don't have a permanent altar table right now, so I'm using my Ritual TV Tray (yes, that's really what I call it). I hope one day to have a lovely altar table from my HP. ::crosses fingers::
My shrine is currently laid out in the den.
On the left are my God items: A statue of Silenius & Dionysis (because I think the God as directly involved nurturer is greatly lacking in paganism) A little marble skull incense holder (for the Lord of the Dead. I put stalks of wheat in the holes for extra symbolism.) A Green Man plaque (cos who doesn't love a Green Man?) A Spiral Lord (for that modern, extra-generic touch) A beige marble Hotei (my grandmother always had a Hotei in the house, even though she was a whacked out Pentacostal. Don't ask me how that works...) A little clay penis-man (I'm not even going to TRY to Google search an image for that one... It's a penis with a face sculpted under the glans) Little ears of maize (for that 'corn and grain' thing) A gold framed mirror with a sun painted across the glass (cos I hate gold and I would have chucked it otherwise) A little dagger (phallic, also represents the Athame)
On the right are my Goddess items: Hecate (cos Hecate is my homegirl) A non-traditional Diana (for the 'Maiden that will shoot you if you fuck with her' angle) The Lunar Madonna (for the Mother) A green Willendorf statue (my daughter picked it out and demanded to have it put with the other 'Ladies') A little brass plate with thirteen crescent moons and a Middle Eastern motif (acquired from Disney's Epcot Center - Morocco, the only souvenier I wanted from the whole damn place) A tiny ceramic cup and a cauldron
Down the middle I have my miscellaneous items: An agate slab with a pentagram etched into it Colored stones and tall votives in colored holders for the elements A frog (that used to belong to my late uncle, that I use for Hecate) Pecans to honor my mother's family (my great-grandma had HUGE pecan trees behind her house. My grandfather grew up there, and we visited her every year.) Various 'pretty rocks' that my daughter found Offerings of dark chocolate and honeysuckle mead for the fairies (so they'll stop stealing my stuff) A pentagram box to store my repurposed menorah candles, incense, and oils
As you can see, the various bits have various meanings, but I don't use the shrine for rituals (that's what a ritual altar is for) or meditation (I can't sit still long enough). I will occasionally use it as a sort of drive-by offering to the God/dess, and a permanent offering to the fairies (a term I use for whatever causes general minor misfortune and other weird shit, like random itching with no discernible cause) but it's mostly a collection of nice things of a paganish nature.
I think the living room is a great place for a shrine/altar to live. I've always had mine in the most convenient shared space (living room, dining room, or den). ^_^ I think moving the bulk of your shriney items into the living room now would be your best course of action. Later, when the out-laws come to visit, it will probably feel less like "I'm being kicked out! Everything must go!"
My altar is where I lay my ritual bits out for a circle. I don't have a permanent altar table right now, so I'm using my Ritual TV Tray (yes, that's really what I call it). I hope one day to have a lovely altar table from my HP. ::crosses fingers::
My shrine is currently laid out in the den.
On the left are my God items:
A statue of Silenius & Dionysis (because I think the God as directly involved nurturer is greatly lacking in paganism)
A little marble skull incense holder (for the Lord of the Dead. I put stalks of wheat in the holes for extra symbolism.)
A Green Man plaque (cos who doesn't love a Green Man?)
A Spiral Lord (for that modern, extra-generic touch)
A beige marble Hotei (my grandmother always had a Hotei in the house, even though she was a whacked out Pentacostal. Don't ask me how that works...)
A little clay penis-man (I'm not even going to TRY to Google search an image for that one... It's a penis with a face sculpted under the glans)
Little ears of maize (for that 'corn and grain' thing)
A gold framed mirror with a sun painted across the glass (cos I hate gold and I would have chucked it otherwise)
A little dagger (phallic, also represents the Athame)
On the right are my Goddess items:
Hecate (cos Hecate is my homegirl)
A non-traditional Diana (for the 'Maiden that will shoot you if you fuck with her' angle)
The Lunar Madonna (for the Mother)
A green Willendorf statue (my daughter picked it out and demanded to have it put with the other 'Ladies')
A little brass plate with thirteen crescent moons and a Middle Eastern motif (acquired from Disney's Epcot Center - Morocco, the only souvenier I wanted from the whole damn place)
A tiny ceramic cup and a cauldron
Down the middle I have my miscellaneous items:
An agate slab with a pentagram etched into it
Colored stones and tall votives in colored holders for the elements
A frog (that used to belong to my late uncle, that I use for Hecate)
Pecans to honor my mother's family (my great-grandma had HUGE pecan trees behind her house. My grandfather grew up there, and we visited her every year.)
Various 'pretty rocks' that my daughter found
Offerings of dark chocolate and honeysuckle mead for the fairies (so they'll stop stealing my stuff)
A pentagram box to store my repurposed menorah candles, incense, and oils
As you can see, the various bits have various meanings, but I don't use the shrine for rituals (that's what a ritual altar is for) or meditation (I can't sit still long enough). I will occasionally use it as a sort of drive-by offering to the God/dess, and a permanent offering to the fairies (a term I use for whatever causes general minor misfortune and other weird shit, like random itching with no discernible cause) but it's mostly a collection of nice things of a paganish nature.
I think the living room is a great place for a shrine/altar to live. I've always had mine in the most convenient shared space (living room, dining room, or den). ^_^ I think moving the bulk of your shriney items into the living room now would be your best course of action. Later, when the out-laws come to visit, it will probably feel less like "I'm being kicked out! Everything must go!"
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