Meet the Altar


You're probably wondering what all the fuss about an altar is … and no one has had the decency to tell you why. Well, that's what I'm here for, to explain those little things to you that most of us take for advantage.

Maybe we should define what an altar is first … 

Silver RavenWolf defines an altar as "a special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgement."

OK, this explains it pretty well … but not quite well enough for the beginner. An altar can be anything … a coffee table, a dresser top, a card table, etc. There is no limit as to what your altar can be or what you can use as your altar. For instance, I have a nice TV-stand-type table on wheels as my altar. It has the table top and a shelf below it where I store extra candles, my lighters, incense, etc.

Let's see how RavenWolf defines the purpose of the altar:
1. It helps you centralize your personal power. Therefore, each item placed on it should have a specific purpose. Don't have anything there that is not needed. When the altar is dormant, you can set up decorative articles on it in celebration of reverence, but don't clutter it up.
2. It can serve as a work table, like that of a master craftsman. As such, it should be large enough for comfortable crafting of tools, talismans, etc.
3. It enables you to honor the Universe and your beliefs, even when you are not physically present.

What all goes onto an altar?


Good question my fine students. *smiles*

Let's take a look at my altar … then we'll discuss other options.

I cover my altar with a cloth. My cloth is a beautiful burgundy color. I fell in love with the cloth the first day I saw it, and it suits my altar perfectly. Some people use white or black or a color to accent the season or holiday coming up.

On the left side of my altar (the Goddess side), I have my chalice, a tall silver taper candle, a small white candle, and a space set aside for my Book of Shadows.

In the center of my altar, I have my censor, a picture of my totem animals - which is a picture of my black cat and my sister's "tuxedo" cat sitting together. I also have my small heart shaped candle holder. There is room for a pentacle to be placed in the center when I find one that suits me.

On the right side of my altar (the God side), I have a tall gold candle, a small black candle, a bowl of salt, and my athame.

The white and black candles on my altar are set there to represent a balance.
The silver and gold candles are used to represent the Lord and the Lady.

What about my altar?


Well … here are just some suggestions …

Figure out what you want to use as your altar. Then you will want to get an altar cloth and possibly a working cloth. A working cloth is used in case you do a lot of "mixing" and "experimenting" so that you won't get your altar cloth dirty. You'll need plenty of candles and candle holders that are sturdy enough in case your altar gets bumped into and large enough so that wax doesn't drip onto the altar itself. Illuminator candles are good to set the mood and give you enough light to see what you are working on. A representation of any deity on your altar can be nice … or totem animal. These can be candles, statues, pictures, etc. You'll want to consider having an incense burner, chalice for holy water, pentacle, and bowl for salt. It's always nice to have balance on your altar - hence my black and white candles. These can be anything as long as one is designated to repel and the other to draw in. Wands and athame are good to have on your altar for your magickal working … and be sure to leave enough room for your Book of Shadows. You don't want to crowd up your altar, but you want to make sure you have enough space on it for everything that you need.

Before you use your altar or tools for the first time, you will want to cleanse and consecrate them. That will be a topic all its own. :)

Brightest Blessings! 

CREATING A MAGICKAL DESK AT WORK

Without drawing too much attention! 

Ok, so there is little to no space left on your desk but you can feel the energy being sucked from you as the work-day progresses. Try adding a few things to your desk that will lend you some power. Bless them before you bring them to the office so that once in place, they can do their stuff! When I worked in a crowded office I had a little basket about the size of a baseball that I kept next to my phone. I had it filled with the little representations of the Elements which were: Earth- A small bottle of salt (you can find pretty little bottles everywhere these days); Air- A tiny feather that drifted on my balcony one day; Fire- (This was a tough one to fit into the little basket) a red satin ribbon that I fashioned into a pretty little bow; Water- a couple of sea shells that I gathered at a beach excursion (yes, you can still find shells at the beach in L.A.!). Also in my little 'Power Basket' I kept a few other little personal things that I could draw from throughout the day. When I could do it inconspicuously, I would sprinkle salt around my workspace and visualize all the negative energies being cast away from my space. This was something I found myself doing often! A couple of other things I would do is charge my pens... Yes, you heard me right! Holding my pens I would infuse them with energy and ask them to let their ink charm my work with favor. Try it... it's fun! I would also bring a small bottle of oil from time to time and anoint my keyboard, phone, chair or anything else that I 'touched' regularly, blessing it with the power to help me work efficiently and peacefully through the day. I pay special attention to my computer with the blessings to help guard against viruses, crashes or other nasty episodes. There are all kinds of little things to try, the key is to TRY THEM!

Samples of Altars

from simple to elaborate