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How To Create A Wiccan Altar

How To Create A Wiccan Altar

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Creating an altar is one of the most basic and simplest practices a wiccan can do (Syrdal, 2018). The main purpose is to have a physical space that represents your faith; it is where you can honor your deities, do your rituals, spell works, and meditation. However, there are different reasons why people put up their altars –  it’s varying from wiccan to wiccan – and it depends on them on what they would like to do with it.

Each altar also differs from one another. There are no strict rules on what to do with yours; it is definitely up to what you feel and your personal preferences. It is your call whether you would like to hide it from the eyes of other people or keep it visible to anyone. Others hide their altars and only pull them out during rituals while some have a special place in their houses. Wiccans who hide their altars believe that people who enter their house may influence it; and so as to prevent negative energies from affecting their altars, they prefer to keep it out of sight.

Given the four cardinal points (North, East, West, and South) and their corresponding elements, wiccans often face their altars towards North as it represents Earth. This is mainly because Wicca is an earth-based belief (Syrdal, 2018). However, this should not restrict any wiccan from facing their altar wherever they want to as it still is best to consider their personal preference and which direction they prefer or feel the need to face.

Just like other wiccan practices, there is no exact method on how to create your altar. There are numerous ways to do this- it all comes down to the belief of the wiccan and the rituals they do. As the altar represents your faith, it also reflects what you do to practice it; thus, your altar will contain the necessities for your traditions. 

However, if you do not know where to start, there is a common layout that other wiccans do. Basically, you separate your altar into two- the left for the goddess and her earth and water elements, and the right for the god and his fire and air elements. Another layout is placing a representation of your deities in the middle with the tools surrounding it and placed according to their cardinal points (Chamberlain, n.d.).

To give beginners a quick look on what to put on their altars, here’s a short list to help you:

  1. Tools 
  • Crystals– Crystals have various uses depending on their properties. It is used for healing, removing negative entities, and divination. Crystals can also be used as a means to strengthen spell work, honor deities and more.
  • Athame – The athame is a small ritual knife used to cut air or spiritual energies. It is never for physical objects and is mostly for protection and keeping negative energies or entities away when creating circles.
  • Candles – Candles have a variety of purposes in Wicca. They represent the deities, or hold the power of the four cardinal points. Each color represents a different quality and can be used accordingly depending on which spell or practice a wiccan will do.
  • Sage or Incense – The sage and incense are commonly used for purification and for casting away the negative energies from your altar. However, the smoke is also believed to help you focus more during your rituals and practices as it changes the atmosphere of the room, putting your mind at ease. 
  • Pentacle – The pentacle is a circle with a five-pointed star in the middle; it is a wiccan’s sacred symbol. It is often placed in the middle of the altar to provide protection. The pentacle is believed to clean whatever surrounds it- the altar itself and the wiccan.
  • Book of Shadows – Important for spell work and rituals, it is best to keep your BOS on your altar. If it cannot be placed on your altar, somewhere near it is fine as well. This is not required, but the more you do your practices, you will find having your Book of Shadows near your altar convenient.
  1. Altar Cloth

The altar cloth is placed under the tools of your altar. This helps protect the altar from candle drips during different rituals.

  1. Decoration

Decoration is optional when setting up your altar. Some wiccans prefer to decorate their altars to give it a magickal look. If you feel that this help you get more inspired in doing your altar or daily practices, then go on. You may drape the furniture with scarves or fill your altar with season-based decorations. Some even use natural elements for their altars given that Wicca is an earth-based belief. It is entirely up to you on how you would like your altar to look.

  1. Offerings

One of the purposes of an altar is to have a place to put your offerings for your deities. There are different ways to provide this. Some have unconventional offerings, but the most common one is offering food, drinks, and herbs. You need to know and be alert of the offerings that are appropriate for the deities (Wicca Daily, 2015).  There are lists online on what deities like, such as, bread, cornmeal, and fruits.

These are just the basics and the list may go on; but it is up to you on what you want to put on your altar. Nevertheless, don’t fret if you feel like you do not have enough materials. There is no contest on whose altar is better or whose altar has more tools. You definitely do not need to buy new materials just to build your own. As mentioned, the altar is for your faith and rituals; thus, the tools you are currently using to practice Wicca are already enough. As you continue through your spiritual journey, you will also find your altar growing with you. You may slowly build your altar this way.

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