An altar is a surface set aside for your practice. It gives you a place to work, a place to keep your tools, and a daily reminder of what you are doing. It can be a carved table or a corner of a bookshelf. What makes it an altar is the use you put it to.
Choosing a place
Any stable, flat surface will do: a small table, a shelf, a windowsill, the top of a chest of drawers. Choose somewhere that you will see every day and that is safe for candles, which means away from curtains and out of reach of pets and small children.
Tradition places the altar in the north or the east of a room, but convenience matters more. If you cannot leave an altar standing, keep your things in a box and lay them out on a cloth when you need them. A tray works well too, because the whole altar can be lifted and put away.
A simple layout
The plainest altar honors the four elements, each in its own direction. Our guide to the elements explains the meanings.
| Position | Element | What to place there |
|---|---|---|
| North, at the back | Earth | A dish of salt, a stone, or a pentacle |
| East, on the right | Air | Incense, a feather, or a bell |
| South, at the front | Fire | A candle |
| West, on the left | Water | A cup or bowl of water |
| Center | Spirit | Whatever you are working on, or a symbol of the divine |
This assumes that you stand facing north. In the common Wiccan arrangement, the left side of the altar is also given to the Goddess and the right side to the God, with a candle or an image for each. Add something from the current season, and the altar is complete.
The traditional tools
These are the tools of Wiccan ritual. You will see them in most books. None of them is required, and the last column shows what to use instead.
| Tool | What it is for | Element | Free substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athame | A ritual knife, traditionally black-handled, used to direct energy and to cast the circle. It is never used to cut anything physical. | Fire, or Air in some traditions | Your pointing finger |
| Wand | Used to invite a presence and to direct energy more gently than the athame | Air, or Fire in some traditions | A fallen stick that you have cleaned and smoothed |
| Chalice | A cup that holds water or the ritual drink | Water | Any cup or glass that you keep for the purpose |
| Pentacle | A disk marked with a five-pointed star, on which items are blessed and offerings are placed | Earth | A plate, or a star drawn on paper |
| Censer | A heatproof dish for burning incense | Air | A stick of incense in a jar of sand |
| Cauldron | A pot for burning, brewing, and mixing, and a symbol of transformation | Water and Spirit | A heatproof bowl or a small saucepan |
| Besom | A broom used to sweep a space clean of stale energy | Air and Water | An ordinary broom, or a bundle of twigs |
| Bell | Rung to mark the start and end of a ritual and to clear the air | Air | A clap of the hands |
| Boline | A working knife, traditionally white-handled, for cutting herbs and carving candles | None | A kitchen knife or scissors |
The remaining tool is the Book of Shadows, which has a guide of its own.
Blessing a new tool
Before a tool is used, it is customary to cleanse it and dedicate it to its purpose. This takes five minutes.
- Clean the object physically.
- Pass it through incense smoke for Air, and high above a candle flame for Fire.
- Sprinkle it with a few drops of water for Water, and touch it to salt or to the ground for Earth.
- Hold it in both hands and say what it is for. For example: "I dedicate this cup to my practice. May it serve me well."
Altars for small spaces and private practice
- The tin altar. A small tin holds a birthday candle, a pinch of salt in a twist of paper, a shell, a feather, and a stone. It fits in a pocket.
- The windowsill. A plant, a stone, a candle, and a glass of water look like ordinary decoration to everyone else. Light the candle only when the curtains are tied well back, or use a battery candle.
- The outdoor altar. A flat stone in the garden or a favorite tree can serve. Leave nothing behind that does not belong there.
- The working desk. A corner of the desk where you already sit every day will get more use than a shrine in a spare room.
Keeping an altar alive
An altar gathers dust and stale energy if it is ignored. Wipe it down each week, change the water, and replace anything that has wilted. Change the decorations at each festival on the Wheel of the Year. Above all, use it. Standing at your altar for two minutes each morning does more than any amount of arranging.
Fire safety
Use stable holders on a heatproof surface. Keep flames clear of cloth, dried herbs, paper, and hair. Never leave a burning candle or incense unattended, and put everything out before you leave the room or go to sleep.