What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Discussion of ritual tools and other items used in the Craft.
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SpiritTalker
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What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by SpiritTalker »

Another Nosey Parker inquiry from me to any who may like to share about their altar decor.

1. What do you have on your altar? Why is it there? Did you buy it, find it or was it gifted?
2. When do you change your altar decor?
3. Is your altar permanent or portable?
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Siona
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by Siona »

I have a few smaller altars, rather than one large/main one. Each one has things added or removed as needed, and aren't really decorated with the seasons or anything like that. I used to keep a seasonal altar, but just fell out of having a need for it.

My hearth altar is on the back of my stove. There's a relief of Hestia, an olive oil lamp for her flame, a little box of amber resin, a flat meditation 'hearthstone.' She is the main focus of the altar, but there are also small statues of Apollon, Fortuna, a vase and prayer beads for Polymnia, a figure of a money frog and a lodestone (for prosperity in the home), a small dragon figure (the protective spirit of the home), and some offering bowls. Everything on this particular altar was bought, except for the meditation stone, which I found.

Artemis' altar has a statue of her with a stag, a chalice, a knife, a figure of a bear and wolf, and two candle holders decorated with little stag antlers, which were all bought. Her shrine has many more found things on it, like small stones, waterfowl feathers, turkey feathers, etc. As well as some prayer beads I made. There's also a wand, but it's more decorative than a tool I actually use, I just thought she would like it. This is also where I store ogham chips (made) and deer knuckle bones (bought from a hunter) for divination. Although sometimes the bones end up on Hekate's altar...

Hekate's altar has a statue of her and two brass olive oil lamps, as well as some carved figures of a horse, snake, and dog. There's also a bowl of quite a few antique keys, a knife, and offering bowl. Prayer beads. A little box. A bit of fluorite and black moonstone. It's a mix of bought, found, gifted, and made. The ancestor altar is below that, which has little ash urns, and some other odds and ends for my ancestors.

There's Selene's small altar, this one is portable. It usually is on my windowsill, but there's a box that can house all of it, because I like to do full moon rituals outside when I can. (I honor Artemis and Hekate outside often as well, just with less stuff...) It's a small statue that sits on a little round mirror tile, which catches the moon's light on it. A fire bowl. Offering bowl. Prayer beads. Some bits of rainbow moonstone and fluorite, and a bone knife.

Aphrodite's bedroom altar is very small but probably has the most individual objects on it. Gems, perfume, shells, statues of the Charites, of Hebe, of Hermaphroditus, jewelry, dice, animal figures. I'm doing these from memory and I could not name everything on this little shelf. It's overflowing, and I think Aphrodite likes it that way. It's all offered stuff, and no ritual tools or candles or anything like that. (There's also a candle and prayer beads for Morpheus in the bedroom, but not an altar exactly...)
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Ashrend
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by Ashrend »

A willow branch, picked whilst playing with the fae from a local park at 2am. It feels special and dont know what else to do with it. The four element representations a candle, a small vase of water, a rock from a beach and inscence holder, bought. Candles for the god and goddess, and when calling the dragon. A set of jars for herbs, a oriental tea set of plates for offerings, burning home made inscence packs ect. Decor hasnt changed since i put it together. Altar is permanent
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by SpiritTalker »

I keep Lourdes Holy Water in a bottle & a ceramic antler candle holder to honor both the God & the Goddess of Nature. There's a fairy door for the Fae. All were purchases here n' there. I made a pentacle from a blank wooden disk & wood-burned the design of the star surrounded by moon phases. Usually there's a cauldron resting on it. My home-made wand rests across the front. Maple wood represents enchantment as well as the concept "as above, so below" to me personally. I put the cup & athame out only for rituals. A Stang leans against the wall.

I change decor when I feel it's needed (equinoxes usually). The set-up is on a wooden tray I'd painted. I can pick up &move the whole thing to the kitchen if I'm working there. Otherwise it sits on a bookshelf in my living-room. I place candles out of cat's reach on a wall shelf with a statue. Below the shelf hangs a Yule ornament of Cananda Geese in flight, for my totem. Last, I have a window sill shrine by the kitchen sink, with a small cauldron and assorted prayer cards for easy use.
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by smogie_michele »

On my altar I have 6 candles- 2 white for god and goddess, then a red, blue, yellow, and green for the elements and corners. I have a tiny cauldron that Cody just recently gifted to me. I have a few stones that were gifted to me, a pendulum, oracle cards, magical oil that Cody and I made together, and a copy of Cody's wedding vows to me that I found.

I don't redecorate it much, but I am attempting to change that- they redecorating kinda feels like spring cleaning.

My altar is somewhat permanent. I keep it up almost all of the time, but it is small enough that I can pack it away in case I am leaving for a little while and don't want the pet sitter to get into the witchy things ;)
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Mr Crowley
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by Mr Crowley »

I'm non-traditional, so no altar. (SOB! I almost shipped alter!) I rely on image, focus, and diploid- genetic disposition.

One belonged to my grandmother, I hand-forged the other. The items should be self-explainatory.
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rainygreeneyes
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by rainygreeneyes »

My altar is a permanent one, tucked away into our extra storage room in the apartment, right under the window.
Currently, it has a white candle I bought to represent spirit, a red homemade candle to represent fire (for when I cast circles; I'm working on obtaining representative objects for the other three elements), an amber necklace that my mother passed down to me (sentimental value combined with healing properties? yes please!), a store-bought blue jar (don't know what I'm going to use it for just yet, but I'm researching ideas!), 2 pieces of rough black tourmaline and 2 rough selenite sticks (for when I grid the apartment for protection), and a piece of carnelian. I have a desire to cover it with some cloth, seeing as how my altar is actually just a Paris-themed chest I've had for years, but I'm getting there!
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by SpiritTalker »

In a cleaning fit today. I redid my altar - how does it get so cluttered? I've never done an altar like this...it's mostly in black. I've used a black celestial Goddess statue, dark smokey quartz, shungite & black obsidian. On my wood pentacle I've placed an amber pyramid, as I'm still working with amber. There is a white selenite wand for balance. And the always present perpetual light is held by a little mouse figure. I have never gotten such an energy sweep from an altar arrangement before. Definite goose bumps.

Also redid my Kwan Yin shrine. I've had 3 statues of Her on that corner shelf for over 20 years, and assorted bits & clutter (where does it come from?) To my amazement, I've suddenly, & without fore thought, removed it all and kept just the largest statue on the shrine; plus a salt lite and a simple clear glass bowl. It's so minimalist...and invigorating, yet peaceful. I had bought her 2nd hand; 2 fingers of her blessing-hand had broken so she wasn't wanted. The sign she makes with her remaining fingers is the hand sign of the horned God. I love it! so, the candle is lighted. She reigns supreme.

Obviously I felt the need to clear out the negative energies that were stagnating.
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by moonlightsonata »

My altar is a permanent one. I have a picture of Hecate in the middle, on the Goddess side a picture of a Goddess who could either be Hecate or Nyx, and on the God side a picture of Odin. I have a large vial of sea salt, an incense holder and my wand, a red candle and my athame, a grey-blue container of salt water, and two pillar candles. I am using, right now, a purple Triple Goddess altar cloth which has no meaning other then just me liking it.

I would eventually, when I am living alone again, like to have my main altar and a shrine to Hecate.
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SpiritTalker
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by SpiritTalker »

@PlaneWalker - my place of power's entirely in the astral, so you sound normal to me :) .
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by JaceGem »

My altar is quite simple and small as I'm still in the broom closet and fear getting disowned/kicked out of where I currently am because I live with a lot of very strict Christians. As such I don't have too much on it, just enough to where I'm able to perform my workings within what I understand and know to work with. It currently has an athame, an offering bowl, an incense holder with a stick of vanilla incense on it, a red candle for the God and a white candle for the Goddess, a few stones I've found while I was spending time in nature, and my wand all setting atop a black altar cloth with the trinity knot on it. I couldn't find one with the triple Goddess symbol on it so I had to settle at the time but I'll be getting a new altar cloth soon. I'd like, once I'm on my own, to set up a larger altar and include statues of the gods/goddesses I work with, and maybe a few things to honor the Fae.
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susieluna
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by susieluna »

I have an altar cloth, a bell, an athame, my BOS, my wand, insesnse and holder, cauldron, offering bowl,
stones, a candle for each element, a candle for the lord and lady, a faerie snowglobe and a statue
Some of the stuff I was gifted and the rest I bought apart from a couple stones and my wand, which I made.

I will probably only change my altar during Sabbats and will add and take away from it as time goes by. I wand to add some plants to it and intend to make some runes soon to add to it also.

My altar is also permanent and in my bedroom :flyingwitch:
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SpiritTalker
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by SpiritTalker »

Another altar re-do seized me by the throat so ... Everything on my altar is now whimsical. An intrepid mouse paddling a leafy canoe candle-holder, a statuette of an antlered female fawn as goddess, a meditating frog statuette as god, mini-gnomes on every corner for the 4-quarters, a tobogganing abominable snowman with a wicked grin as a seasonal reminder. Ceramic deer horn. I think I needed to get playful to beat back the onset of no-sun winter doldrums. Also a cat kept sitting on the former all crystal & stone layout, just zoning out, I guess. She doesn't play with the whimsies.
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by EveningWithAstaroth »

I am currently motel living with the majority of my things in storage so I have had to simplify what I keep as an altar.

I am currently using a small birdcage containing some of my favorite stones, a tiny container of sea shells, a small owl incense plate as a place to set stones and sigils, a small book of Rumi love poems and a small mirror.

Image

i have been doing mostly sigil spells to keep things simple as i am living with minimal material things at the moment, so i have utilized the bird cage as a small altar, placed on the nightstand.
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Rain Gnosis
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Re: What's On Your Altar, & Why?

Post by Rain Gnosis »

I have a permanent altar with candles for the God and Goddess and a representation for each element - incense for air, white candle for fire, bowl of water, and bowl of salt for earth. The Goddess candle is black and the God candle is white - I got large jar candles for those and just use a votive for fire. I don't change it because nothing on it is seasonal. Sometimes I do place jewelry or tarot/oracle cards on it though.
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