Ritual Altars: A Hand-Building Workshop

8:30 am to 1 pm

One day shy of a Full Moon 🌕

Saturday October 24th 2026

Clay has long been used in storytelling and sacred practice. An earthen altar made with your own hands adds to your story by holding meaning, memory, and the ritual of creating. Make your mini altar: a vessel for intention, remembrance, and presence.

Join me, Shazieh, for a meditative hand-building clay workshop where curiosity meets ritual. Together, we’ll create a small wall or table top piece that can serve as altars, vessels of intention, or simply objects of wonder.

Using approachable techniques like pinching, coiling, and slab work, you’ll shape clay into forms that reflect both playfulness and meaning while learning ceramic hand building tehniques.  

Between demos and hands-on guidance, you’ll follow your own impulses—adding texture, carving, stamped words or natural elements—to bring depth and spirit into your creation. Plants can be foraged in the backyard to imprint into your pieces or bring your favorite herb, texture tool or vision board for inspiration.

We’ll gather at 8:30 am and start with a small ceremony and despacho offering to mama earth followed by iced or hot tea- depending on the weather - and our signature Persian Love Cake. There will be an altar to place your intentions and items on, please remember to take your sacred objects home with you.

The workshop will follow, beginning at 9:30 am at latest and ends by 1 pm. Dress for the weather, working outdoors and clay play! We will meet under a covered patio.

No prior experience with clay is needed; just curiosity and an openness to create.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have one piece ready to be fired, each carrying your own imprint of intention, imagination, and transformation to use in your own way. The pieces will take time to dry and be ready for pick up within 4-6 weeks. 

What’s Included:

• Clay 5-8 lbs, tools to use and foraged plants.

• Guidance in hand-building techniques

• Inspiration samples and prompts for designing altar pieces.

• You will make: One altar piece up to 6” tall, and if time permits, an incense burner or tarot holder.

• Firing and finishing of your work by me to be picked up after 4-6 weeks. 

• Love Cake and tea.

• Who It’s For:

Amanda’s friends interested in joining her to create altars rooted in personal meaning and intention.

Note:

Max 9 participants. Minimum 6 participants.

Bring a journal to sketch and a water bottle to stay hydrated.

Scheduling pick up post firing is flexible and arranged individually to honor your and my rhythm and availability.

Please note: Because this is a small, intimate experience with limited space, all bookings are final and we are unable to offer refunds.

If you would like to stay for a potluck lunch after, bring a vegan/vegetarian item to share and do label it. This would require us to identify participation to make it easeful to know how much each person should prepare.

Some images of altars are made or shared by prior participants.