to be within the sacred place. Except for engravings on
rocks or paintings on cave walls, the sacred place was
not transformed in any way.
The second type of shrine indicates that these early
people understood that any place could be made sacred
by erecting a temporary altar. This simple portable altar,
consisting of a Goddess statue, was of great value since
Paleolithic clans seldom stayed in one place for very
long. They needed a place to worship and to perform
their sympathetic magick while they followed the
migrating herds of wild game.
These two types of shrine persist even after people
began to settle permanently in villages. It seems that
although people gathered together in one place for
special ceremonies, they liked the idea of having their
own personal altars at home.
The elements of Earth, Water, and Fire were very
important to the early migrating peoples. Their lives
depended on fire for protection, warmth, and light; they
considered that the earth provided their source of food;
and they knew their existence depended upon a ready
source of water. Much later, our ancestors added the
element of Air to the list when they realized that this
invisible substance was needed for breathing and that
wind brought storms and rain. Spirit, the traditional fifth
element, had always been important, for the elusive
power of Spirit tied the living to the dead and held the
promise of rebirth.
Today, we find the same symbolism in our modern
places of worship. Some religions have a definite altar,
while in others the altar has become only a raised
platform for the minister and choir. Non-Christian
religions often have special cabinets for their holy
books. Sacred spaces are decorated with flowers,