I don't have a home altar but have thought about making one.   However, I think what I will do instead is create a prayer garden.  If I ever get the time.  Work is very intense right now.  If it ever lets up, that is one of the next things on my agenda. 

The prayer garden is going to be a place where I can meditate, pray or read spiritual material.  I do want it for spiritual purposes. 

Of course, like the garden of Eden, I do have snakes and as soon as I put a prayer garden in, there will be uninvited guests. LOL. 

Pixie, on Singles' board has a home altar.  She seems to place items on it that reflect the nearest and dearest to her heart/soul (her sons) as well as spiritual items.

I have a home altar in my bedroom, where I meditate, and also one in my kitchen(for hectic moments, it really helps to have something to focus on)  and another in the family room, for my kids.  They each have their own unique personal touches, and it has helped to bring the family closer spiritually.  I don't know what I would do with out any of them, and the kids use theirs on a regular basis too.  When I recently rearranged the furniture in the family room, I didn't set up the altar right away, and the kids were very upset with me.  From now on it will be my first priority.  Peace and light,  Shelly

Funny you should use the word ORATORY.  I haven't seen it used in the context of HOME very often-- but yes, I am in the process of cleaning out one room in the basement which will be designated as a home chapel or oratory.  A friend once told me that it could also be called a poustinia.

Do you have an oratory?

My wife has hers merged into her makeup mirror desk.

Ive been looking into an altar stone. We have 3 very large pines that form a mini grove effect.
I can get a 1 ton rock delivered for only $75. The problem has been finding one I like. I drop by sometimes and look at what they have. They try to be helpful and say they will look out for one but I chicken out on the description. I say Im looking for something that will appear natural but could also serve as a bench.

[QUOTE=BeliefnetSabee;332431]Do you have a home altar or an oratory? How do you use it?[/QUOTE]

We're a mixed religion / spirituality family (1 Pagan, 2 Methodists) and I set up a little "altar" in our living room and am working on a sequence of decorations/displays to put on it to reflect both the liturgical year the means so much to my wife and child and a the seasonal turn of the year that means so much to me. 

It's basically a book shelf and was designed for an entertainment center but I've arranged the pictures of our wedding, child, items of meaning from our ancestors and use the larger surface for the seasonal/liturgical display.

It's not for praying, it's for reflecting our time of year and the continuity of life.

For the liturgical I'm getting cloths of different color to match the time of year and there's a large mirrored candle base to arrange candles and items on. I did an Advent wreath for my wife this past Christmas/Yule.

I was too burned out from work to do anything for Easter/Vernal Equinox this year.

Trying to make this something that has meaning and to look forward to rather than another chore or something else to dust.