Altared States ~ Creating Your Altar

One of the core things that forms part of my Everyday Magick is an altar.  My altar is a sacred space where my most sacred tools live.  It’s created with intent for a specific reason, having a magickal, sacred space where I can focus my ritual intent.

Let me describe my altar to you.  I am sitting in my office.  There is of course, the boring practical stuff in here – a computer, printer and desk.  But there is also the magickal; clearly and proudly on display. To my left is a Himalayan salt block with a candle burning in it.  To my right is a goat skull with guinea fowl feathers and carnelian.  As I gaze around this space I can see my cauldron, a sphere of shungite, a vast collection of feathers, natural shed antlers, rattles, a medicine drum, a wand, a crystal skull and a couple of selenite swords.  There’s a collection of jars containing palo santo, sage and smudge blends as well as various coloured salts for magickal workings.  There is a short sword and belt hanging on one wall, alongside prayer flags, crystals and shells.  Four boxes of scraps of leather, wool, beads, wax, practical tools and rolls of rawhide are neatly stacked in one corner.  Space is at a premium and the air smells of the frankincense resin burning on a nearby censure.  Through the window I look out onto my garden and I can see our native bee colony buzzing around their hive.   

This is my altar.  This is my sacred space.  It’s where all my truly precious magickal tools live and sitting here I feel completely at peace.  To dive deep into our magickal, mystical, shamanic work this feeling of peace and the creation of a sacred space is important.  Having this space enables us to work with our tools to bring about what we desire. It is a place where we can sit and reflect and it can be small or encompass an entire room or even your whole house.  For me, there are small altars throughout my home.  To anyone visiting, they probably wouldn’t mean anything, but I know they are there and that’s what counts. 

Some of my altars are in specific rooms, for example a collection of shells and blue glassware is a homage to the element of water in my bathroom.  A small besom imbued with warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg sits in my kitchen alongside two small brass cauldrons I picked up at the markets.  I also have a glass dome on a marble base on my bookcase.  This mini altar is where my Nefertiti statue lives alongside some rock salt, a shell, a candle, a feather and a phallic crystal representing the God.  When I travel for work, a small tin goes with me, my travel altar, which contains a candle, essential oil, small crystals and some palo santo. 

There’s a large pagan community online and one theme that seems to continuously come up in group chats is how to do things the “right” way.  I’m a firm believer that magick is something you experience for yourself, based on what is happening in the world around you.  My European ancestors didn’t copy what other people were doing, they looked at the holly and the oak, sat with them and connected into their energy.  I encourage you to explore things that have meaning for you and to research into their history and usage and incorporate them into your practise.  There is no right or wrong way to set up an altar and there are plenty of fabulous ideas online and in books such as Raymond Buckland’s “Complete Book of Witchcraft”. 

Here are a few ideas of what to include on your altar –

• Something to represent the masculine and feminine, the God and the Goddess.  This could be an actual statue or a symbolic reference such as an antler for the God and a seashell for the Goddess.  You can even use clay and create your statues from the heart with your own hands. 

• A representation of the five elements – Earth (salt), Air (incense), Fire (candles), Water (shells or a water bowl) and Spirit.  These can also be tied in with the four directions and Pachamama, Gaia, the Great Mother. 

• You could also include an incense burner, salt and water dishes, a chalice and libation dish.  Use your intuition and go with what feels right for you. 

The above suggestions are just to give you a guide.  This altar is for YOU to use so get creative with it.  These things should have power for you and as you tune into your inner calling more and more, you will feel intuitively what works. 

My altar is where I start and end my day.  It is filled with things that bring me joy.  It is a place where I can connect to source.  When we make time for our magickal workings and to create a sacred space we can focus our intentions and bring about real change in our lives. 

Dear heart, what is it you are focussing on? 

If you’re looking for altar or ritual supplies, we have a huge range including athames, chalices and cauldrons available at our website www.thesacredwillow.com.au