Altars

Whether you already have an altar set up, or have not yet had the time or materials to begin, you may benefit from reading this article. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on creating the focus of you magickal workings. All that you really need is conscious intent and your imagination.

An altar is a place of centering, the beginning of your will and its completion. It is the place in the physical world where your magickal workings and mind are set into motion. The altar is also a place of transformation. The goal is to alter your consciousness to connect with the divine.

Before you plan your altar and space, take a minute to think about why you are creating it. What is its purpose; why are you deciding to build this now? What kind of things will you be doing with it? Will it be used for ritual work, meditation, prayer? Do you have ritual tools, and will they sit on it? Will you dedicate it to any particular Deities/Elements? Keep in mind you can have more than one altar if you wish or one with many purposes.

Once you have completely thought out the reasons for creating your altar, begin to plan it. Decide where you want to place your altar. Will it be indoors or out? Will the altar stay in one place or will it be moved? Which direction will your altar face? Many people like to place their altar facing east because that is where the sun rises. If you need certain energy in your life, you may want to face your altar in that direction. Research and meditate on the elements before you begin; the corresponding choice will affect how you feel and how you use your altar.

Now for practical considerations, you must decide the dimensions of your altar and how it will be used. For a permanent altar, you must take into consideration your preferred position. Will you be standing, sitting, kneeling, or using a chair? You'll need the altar to be at a comfortable height. You'll also need a place to keep things handy (books, candles, incense, etc). You may decide to keep everything handy by having shelves or drawers on your altar or under it, or you may prefer keeping a cabinet or bookcase nearby. Think about this when designing your altar and space. Don't neglect safety, either. Be sure no hanging cloth or scarves can come into contact with open flames.

Your altar is the place where you hold rituals and keep or display your ritual tools. Though some altars seem to build themselves or spring up without conscious planning, others may be fashioned from nothing more than a large rock or from a TV tray or box. In short, it can be any flat surface as long as you don't mind getting wax on it. I use an ornate bookshelf with small, display shelves above and two larger storage shelves below. An altar may be fashioned from a cupboard, closet, dresser top, nightstand, china closet, coffee table, desk, or windowsill. Virtually any space can be an altar including porches and corners of your yard or garden. Just one decorative cloth can transforms an unattractive table or bench into a beautiful altar. Be inventive.

Depending on your space or living arrangements, it may be necessary to keep your altar small or portable. A permanent altar may be impracticable due to friends or family members, but if you use a minimum of items, you can set it up and take it down whenever you need. Using a cardboard box with small items is the simplest way of achieving this. Keep your tools and paraphernalia in the box when you are not using it, and simply turn the box over for a ready-to-use altar surface. If you can find a wood board about the same size as the box, you can place this on your over turned altar to make it sturdier. A flat-topped steamer trunk or hope chest can also be used as an instant altar, keeping your tools within when they are not in use. A placemat, scarf, or doilies can be used to further disguise the fact that your altar is something else when not in use. Use your creativity.

In addition to the altar you create for yourself within your home, you may also choose to make a sacred space for yourself out doors. If you already use the temporary box style of altar, it is a simple matter to take it out of doors and set it up where ever your feet may carry you. Otherwise, you may wish to set aside a second set of altar tools and keep them in a special bag to take with you when you plan on practicing outside.

You may want to include a length of rope to make a circle. While this isn’t necessary, it is convenient when specifying boundaries that you already have in place in your home but which are not evident outside. If you don’t use a rope to make your circle, you may still choose to make one using a stick. Of course you can define your circle with your athame, but drawing one or making one with the rope may help with your visualization.

If you have access to land which does not see a lot of traffic and where you feel your altar will not be disturbed, you may decide to set up a more permanent sacred space. In this case, you can define an outer circle with stones. You can plant trees, flowers, and other vegetation for decorative, magickal, or protective purposes. And you can make a more permanent altar.

When making your altar outdoors, obviously wooden tables and bookshelves are not an option. Instead, you will have work with materials that will stand up to weathering. Logs work, but are only temporary. They will begin to rot and grow fungus in wet weather, and they will attract burrowing bugs as all dead organic matter eventually does. Instead, try to work with stone whenever possible. Slate makes the perfect top stone for any altar, whether it’s placed directly on the ground, on a mound, or set on supporting stones, but let your imagination be your guide. Just be sure to take your tools with you when you leave. A secluded spot is no guarantee that no one will stumble upon your altar and meddle with it.

Your altar is your sacred space. That means only the tools you use for your spell casting or rituals should ever touch it. Don’t treat it as a casual piece of furniture. It is not a table for your used cup; it is a place of power. It should be kept clean of dust and detritus to be sure that its power remains undiluted. You may wish to perform a ritual cleansing once a month to keep the energies of your altar pure and free of negativity. A sloppy or ill-kept altar can also attract mischievous spirits by its mere existence, so take good care of it.

With Mabon just past and Samhain yet to come, you may wish to create an altar commemorating the changing of the season as well as the holiday season. If you do not yet have a sacred space designated as your altar, you may want to read this week’s article before planning out your Autumn Altar.

Some items on your altar will never need changing. These include your deity symbols and your tools. This does not mean that you cannot change other aspects of your altar to bring in aspects of the season.

The Autumn holy days are primarily harvest feasts. This means that most of your autumn decorations can come from your garden and the nearby woods or park. These walks can be an ideal way of including your children in the decoration of a family altar. Fall leaves or twigs with the leaves still attached, the nuts the trees are now dropping, or a spray of bright red berries are all perfect ornaments for your altar this time of year. Many autumn festivals occur at this time where you can purchase ears of corn, a small bundle of grains, or even a grain weaving. I’ve noticed in recent years, grain weavings have been appearing more frequently at local fairs at this time of year, but any autumnal crafts that you have created yourself are perfect for your altar.

Aside from grains, certain other items are almost universally accepted as autumn altar decorations. These include apples, gourds, acorns, pomegranates, pinecones, and autumn flowers. You might incorporate all of these into a cornucopia or add baskets full of them to your altar (depending upon its size). Bread, apple cider, beans and bean pods, and root vegetables are also symbols of the season. As the autumn festivals are also times to remember and honor the dead, pictures of deceases loved ones would not be out of place.

The altar clothes are another aspect of your altar you can change for the holidays.

Altar Cloths and Tools