Do you have an altar you use in your sacred space to focus and gather your energies? Altars are an important part of practicing energy work in the craft and so we selected this subject for our Witchen Witchy Wednesday.
To start off our April WWW, we lit our green candle of connection and did a brief meditation of relaxation and grounding.
We discussed the difference between the two words, “altar” and “alter” and summed things up by saying that you come to the altar, a place to focus and gather magickal energies, to alter life circumstances, or bring about change.
We then drew up a list, although not exhaustive, of the types of altars one might set up. Here are some we mentioned:
- Ancestor altar – a place to honor your family or other ancestors in spirit.
- A petition altar
for bringing things into your life - A central or main altar which can be used for ritual purpose
This one is dedicated to the water element. - A kitchen altar to help your brews and such turn out right. I like to light a candle when I’m cooking up something.
This sconce to Brighid by Mickie Mueller I bought on Etsy serves as a good kitchen altar and I have these lovely witchy kitchen wands that I display as well. 
- A Fireplace altar in a seldom used fireplace is a good place to do candle magick and leave candles to burn for long periods.
After all, the hearth is the heart of the home! - Seasonal altars to honor the sabbats and esbats are a nice way to observe the changing seasons
- There are outdoor altars, this one to honor the fae, with a place to leave offerings.
We discussed some of the natural elements that could be gathered in nature to set up an altar on the spur of the moment. Here are a few:
- Mini or portable altars were a subject we really were able to expound on. These types of altars are only limited by one’s imagination. A small container with a lid and objects to represent the tools and elements are all that are needed. This mini altar using a painted box from the craft store is still a work in progress
There are even mini travel altars made from Altoid tins!
This awesome scrying altar is amazing to behold!
Once you know what type of altar you would like to set up it is good to know the basic diagram to set up a pagan altar. The traditional altar contains two lamps of art for the god and goddess, something to represent each deity, a censor for incense, salt, a bowl of water, a chalice, athame and wand. Not all altars must contain all of these elements since not all altars are traditional, but these are good guidelines to follow. At least try to represent each of the 5 elements of air, earth, fire, water and ether on your altar, and many say your altar should face towards the east. My ritual altars face east but many others face different directions based on necessity.
Here is the result of one of our apprentices practicing setting up an altar:
We think she did a splendid job!
Do you have a great altar that you have created? If so, please share what you have done in the comment section. And if you are inspired to create a new exciting focal point for your sacred space, that is awesome! Let us know how it turns out.
Bright Witchy Blessings,
Lady Sarina
The Magickal Cottage 