This post includes many notes and writings from my own grimoire about altars, their construction and their maintenance. I have tried to keep things generalized, however please note that this is based around my own personal belief system and so may not match up with your own beliefs.
Altars are deeply personal to each practitioner. Altars are often for our Gods, for ourselves and for our goals, which obviously leads to very different altars depending on the practice. While in this post I will list things that I personally do with altars, it is important to understand that there is no right or wrong way to make an altar. Altars can be small or large, elaborate or simple, hidden or in the open. If you are new to building altars, I recommend experimenting with different styles to find out what works best for you and go from there.
In my grimoire, I define an altar as “An important powerspot in your home, a place for you to contemplate and honor the divine.”
Going based on this definition, an altar can serve a variety of purposes, such as:
- Honoring your Deities
- Praying or asking the spirits for help
- Communicating with your guides and spirits
- Meditating on a spiritual issue
- Reflecting upon Sabbats or Esbats
- Performing spells or rituals
⛤ How do I make an Altar? ⛤
The simple answer to this is, anyway you want to. As I’ve said before altars are personal and unique to each person. You don’t have to set up your altar any “certain” way. That being said, here is a run-down of how I build my altars.
1. Purpose. Figure out what purpose your altar will serve. Is this an altar for a specific deity? Is it a place to cast spells or do divination? Is it an altar for you?
2. Decor. Next you must establish what items should go on your altar. These items or decorations are meant to honor and reflect your purpose.
3. Storage. Some of us like to keep all of our witchy things together in one space. Maybe due to space constraints or secrecy, or simply to keep everything neat and organized. This can be achieved with a shelf or a box to hold all your extra things on, or near, your altar, so if you get the urge to change your altar you don’t have to dig around your room to find things.
4. Images. If you have an altar for a specific deity or spirit or ancestor, keeping a photo or other image of them on the altar can help you feel more connected to them. These images can be drawings or paintings or symbols that represent your spirit or deity. They can be framed on the wall above the altar is that is more comfortable. You can also have statues or clay models of your deities.
5. Offerings. Usually on altars for deities or spirits, offerings are left. Depending on what kind of offerings you may want to use, leaving a space on your altar may be important. Different ideas for offerings are talked about below.
⛤ Why do I use an Altar? ⛤
1. Meditation/Reflection/Grounding. Having an altar set up can help us reach our “witchy” mindset much easier. This helps if you are a beginner, as having the “proper” mindset is often key to working magic. The altar can also serve as a reminder to meditate, or to ground after spell work. It’s also another way to work with your tools in a relaxed manner. For example, working with a new crystal or tarot deck at your altar.
2. Spellwork/Ritual. Having an altars sets aside a certain amount of space where we can perform our spells, crafts and rituals. If you have all your tools in one space, then you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything during your spell or ritual. During Sabbats and Esbats, you can decorate your altar as part of your celebration as well.
3. Offerings. For altars that are made for deities and spirits, leaving offerings to them is usually the way to show them honor and gain their respect or favor. Depending on the deity or spirit, different types of offerings are more appropriate than others. It is best to research before hand what offerings are typically made to that deity or spirit. Some basic offerings usually include:
- A bowl of water (changed daily)
- A stick or cone of incense
- A bit of food (if it is part of your own meal, theirs is normally served first out of respect)
- Something you’ve made for them. This includes paintings/drawings, poems, letters, jewelry, trinkets, etc.
- Prayers. Often the most simple offering is a word of thanks and a word of appreciation to your gods.
- Flowers (usually changed when the flowers start to die)
- A dish of milk or olive oil (this depends on what spirit/deity you are working with. Faeries are often left milk as an offering, and olive oil was a common offering to the Greek gods)
- Candles (these can be simple tea light candles, or they can be colored to match your deities colors)
4. Deity/Spirit Communication. One way of using your altar is as a devotional platform to your chosen deity/spirit. Your altar can be a place where you simply sit and ask your deity/spirits to talk to you. You can use divination at your altar to receive messages from them as well.
As often as altars are linked with deities and spirits, there are other things you can dedicate your altar to. Below is a short list.
- Gods and Goddesses
- Ancestors
- Faeries, Elves, Mermaids
- Elementals (Sylphs, Gnomes, Salamanders and Undines)
- Saints, Angels
- The Earth, the Sun or the Moon
- The Planets or the Stars
- A place, such as the ocean, a forest or the mountains
- The Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
- Your Self
There is a never-ending list of possible things to include on your altar, however in my grimoire I have a few items marked as “essential” to my practice.
- Elemental Representations -
In my practice, the concept of the four basic elements is a main pillar. The four elements are (in my eyes) necessary for all magic to occur, and so out of respect for these elemental powers, I always keep a representation of them on my altar. When I first started out I used a rock, a feather, a candle and a sea shell to represent my elements. Years later I use little soapstone figurines in the shapes of animals I associate with the elements.
- Deity Representations -
Unless I am working with a specific deity, I normally do not include this, however if I am not working with a deity I usually keep something on my altar to represent balance or yin and yang, light and dark.
I see candles as not a necessity, but as a versatile tool that can fit almost any situation, which makes it valuable. Candle magick can be used for literally any purpose, which makes it great for spell work, and it also is a offering to the spirits I honor.
This is optional for many witches, but if you plan on burning incense or using loose herbs or burning candles, altar cloths can help keep all that mess off your table/shelf so that it doesn’t get ruined.
Other Items for your altar can be your grimoire, any spiritual books you are reading/like to keep handy, your tarot deck(s), crystals or herbs, incense sticks or cones, feathers or colorful cloths, shells or stones or beads, etc. The list is literally endless.
I enjoy writing about altars and so I’m putting together a few more posts about altars. If you have any questions or topics you’d like me to write about, please send me an ask! I enjoy it immensely.
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind
origamiaround
kianamaiart
annaxmalina
stormborns
