Setting Up Your Wiccan Altar

An altar plays an important role in the practice of Wicca. Weatherlight tells you how to set up an altar that suite your Wiccan needs.

By Weatherlight.

The Wiccan altar is a sacred place in your home. This is where you display your tools, invoke spells, celebrate and hold rituals. If you haven’t made an altar for yourself yet, here is a guide you can start with on setting up your sacred place.

In keeping with Wiccan tradition, you may want to have an altar of natural material. It can be a bookshelf, a tray, a desk, coffee table or any flat surface. You can cover your surface with a decorative cloth. For color, you can refer to your magic correspondences. Black is usually a default for peace, tranquility and deep spirituality but you may go with your personal preference and be creative.

The altar is usually placed north, east or center of the circle – if you choose to consecrate a circle. The altar tools you will place on the surface will represent the four elements. Placement of these may vary depending on the resource you may be referring to but it really depends on your preference and practicality / size of the altar. The pentagram plate usually goes to the center of the altar and around it on four directions are the other tools.

• Fire - South (athame, candles)
• Water - West (chalice, sea shells, cauldron)
• Earth - North (pentacle, bowl of salt or earth)
• Air - East (incense, wand, feathers)

Place two candles to represent the Goddess and the Horned God on either side of the pentagram. Position a small container of spring water and a small bowl of salt on either side of your pentagram also. Prepare a small saucer for your libations – a fluid offering to the God and Goddess from the chalice. Libations are offered before a ritual. Place your incense stick in the east.

Below is an image of a formal Wiccan altar displaying sacred tools ready for ritual work.

There will be things you keep on your altar all the time, but during the Sabbats, you can decorate with appropriate items. Your altar need not be a static display. Changing it throughout the year can reflect your own frame of mind as the seasons change.

Before using the tools on your altar, remember that they need to be consecrated – cleansed and purified for the highest good before use. Below are the steps to consecrating your magical tools and equipment.

• 1. Lay the items to be consecrated in the center over your pentagram. Light the incense and candle and meditate for a while.
• 2. Take an item and pass it through the incense smoke and say, “By the powers of Air, may this now be cleansed, blessed and sanctified for the highest good.”
• Pass it across the flame a few times and say, “By the powers of Fire, may this now be cleansed, blessed and sanctified for the highest good.”
• Now sprinkle it with a little water and say, “By the powers of Water, may this now be cleansed, blessed and sanctified for the highest good.”
• Finally, sprinkle it with a little salt and say, “By the powers of Earth, may this now be cleansed, blessed and sanctified for the highest good.”
• 3. Hold your item in both hands, face North and say, “By the powers of the Goddess and the Great Horned God, may this now be blessed and sanctified for the highest good of all. So mote it be!”

Those following an eclectic path should feel free to create an altar that represents their own spirituality. If you are a member of a specific tradition, you may find that a certain altar layout is expected.

Once your altar is in place, remember that it is a sacred place and should be treated with respect. Some people do not allow others to touch their tools as they feel other people will bring 'outside' energy to them. But whether or not you let other people touch the items is up to you. Keep your altar dusted and clean too.

Sources:
Wicca: For the Rest of Us by Catherine Noble
Paganwiccan.about.com
The Wiccan Way by Sally Morningstar.
Images from www.thestorycircle.net and The Wiccan Way

About the Author: WEATHERLIGHT is a designer working as a project manager for an IT development company. He has always been fascinated by magic and illusions (stage magic) and since high school, he has been a collector of magic effects, props and paraphernalia and has performed for events. Also, he has founded www.thestorycircle.net, whose members include the consultants for magic shows for the top local broadcast networks. Story Circle is an online magic community and portal to his researches in Wicca and natural Magic. Weatherlight teaches magic and illusions professionally and also guides interested Wiccan seekers.

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