The Lion's Gate peaks today, August 8, and it is a perfect time to build a prosperity altar if you do not already have one. But how do you do it?

Find the Perfect Location

According to Feng Shui, the southeast corner of your home, yard or room is for prosperity so if you can, locate it here. Mine (pictured) is in the southeast corner of my Temple - my meditation and healing room. Other good locations if you cannot do it in the SE would be North which is aligned to the element of Earth, the element of prosperity and growth, or East, direction of new beginnings and the element of Air to help you be wiser with your money. 

Find a stable surface where it will not be disturbed away from little ones (or fur babies) - a shelf on the wall works well to keep things out of reach. An altar does not have to be big and you do not have to keep it up all the time so if you have limited space, you can set one up temporarily and ask for its energy to continue as you put it back away.

Gather Items for Your Altar

You might want to include a statue or art (even just an image printed from the internet) of one of the Gods and Goddess of prosperity listed below:

• Lakshmi - the mother Goddess of Hindu mythology is the goddess of wealth. She rules over my own prosperity altar. She is usually depicted as a woman with 4 hands often holding gold and a lotus.
• Plutus - the Greek God of abundance and wealth, he is the son of Hades and Persephone. He is also shown blind and handicapped or as a boy carrying a cornucopia.
• Abundantia - or Abundita is the Roman Goddess of wealth, abundance and prosperity. She is often shown as a happy woman with a cornucopia in her hand. She is the destroyer of obstacles and negativity so good to call on for helping to eliminate bad habits or ideas you carry about money.
• Kubera - or Kuvera is a Hindu God of wealth and the Guardian of the North. He is also worshipped in Buddhism and Jainism. He is often shown as a semi-divine deity who protects the world.
• Odin - in Norse mythology, he is the father of Thor and shown as an old man with one eye wielding a sword and spear. He is the god of art, wealth, war and wisdom.
• Sors - the ancient Roman God of weath, prosperity and luck. He was the son of the Goddess Fortuna. He is usually shown as a nude man with wings.
• Fortuna - the Greek Goddess of prosperity, wealth, deity and luck. She is usually depicted as a woman holding a cornucopia.
• Juno Moneta - the Roman Goddess of Prosperity, memory and finances, she is daughter of Uranus and Gaea. She holds scales and a cornucopia in her hands.
• Horus - the Egyptian God of wealth, power, strength, universe, business and prosperity. He is usually depicted as human with a falcon head. 
• Renenutet - the Egyptian Goddess of nourishment, harvest, wealth and prosperity. She is usually shown as a woman with a cobra snake crown or with the head of a cobra.
• Tsai Shen - the Chinese God of wealth he is also known as Lu Shing or "the Star God of Wealth". He is usually shown as a grey bearded man laughing and riding a black tiger.
• Aje Shaluga - the Goddess of wealth, generosity and business worshipped by the people of Yoruba religion. She is daughter of Yemaya and Obatala and a water deity. She is usually shown carrying a large cowry shell full of gold and money.
• Toutatis - a Celtic God of wealth, money, war, and prosperity usually depicted as an old warrior wielding a shield and sword. 
• Ganesha - as the Remover of Obstacles, he can remove ones to your prosperity. Shown as a elephant often seated on a throne or dancing.

Items on your prosperity altar should be what makes you feel rich looking at them - items in gold or silver are great choices as we associate those precious metals with wealth. Coins or paper money (even play money), crystals such as Citrine for prosperity, Jade for business success, and Aventurine for luck (the 3 generators on my own altar), are great as well as gemstones such as diamonds or quartz to magnify the energy - I include several quartz crystals cut in the diamond shape for example. 

Other ideas of things you can include would be a cornucopia or potted plant to represent the growth of your finances. You may want to keep a prosperity journal or write affirmations on sheets of paper or in a book stating your goals and intentions in positive statements such as "I am rich. Money flows to and thru me easily. I am grateful for all the prosperity and abundance in my life." 

As with most altars, balancing the elements is often recommended so try to add something for each element - Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Some ideas are:

• Earth - Potted plants or a bowl of soil, anything green, crystal or copper cubes, metal such as coins, a crystal associated with earth such as hematite, moss agate, diamonds, emeralds, pyrite or black onyx. 
  
• Air - Incense, feathers, anything yellow, crystals such as apophyllite, danburite, phenakite or clear quartz.
  
• Fire - Candles or oil lamps (LED candles if you cannot have a flame), anything red or orange, crystals such as carnelian, ruby, fire agate, amber, sunstone, and citrine.
  
• Water - A chalice or bowl of water (spring water recommended), shells or sand from the beach, anything blue, crystals such as aquamarine, larimar, lapis lazuli, sapphire, sodalite, azurite, coral, mother-of-pearl, or celestite.
  

How to Use Your Altar

Using your altar is as simple as taking a few moments every day to stand or sit in front of it. Light the candle, burn some incense, and re-read your affirmations or add to your gratitude list. The more you work with your altar, the more energy you put into it to help attract the prosperity you seek. 

Regularly cleaning and refreshing your altar - I physically clean mine every full moon - maintains pure energy and intentions. Add or remove items following your intuition and creativity.

Have some fun with it and make this or any altar you set up truly your own.