Altars: Setting up Home Base

There are several kinds of altars but in this article I am mailing going to focus on working altar.

Your main working altar will be the home base your your spiritual practice. It is a place to focus your energies, set intentions, connect with divinity, cast spells. It is a like a workbench and sacred site in one. It can help you get into a ritual mind space just by settling in front of it. It also holds and displays many of your tools and magical items. It also is a visual reminder of your practice, your intentions, and spiritual commitments. It is the home base of your sacred space.

Depending on your living situation a altar can be a permanent set up that stays out all the time. That is what I have. Or it can be a portable altar that you put up and take down as needed. It can be a dedicated table, shelf, top of a bookcase, etc. Or it can be a drawer that can be closed an kept out of sight when not being used.

When setting up your altar there are a couple things I recommend doing before we get down the the fun stuff, like what all do I put on my altar.

First you will want to cleanse. The would include physically as well as energetically cleansing. I like to add some Florida Water to some warm water and wash my surface. This will cleanse it both physically and energetically. You may also choose to smudge it or add some cleansing essential oils to your cleaning oil or rag. Thieves or Robbers Oil is a good choice.

After cleansing your altar it should be consecrated to your practice. This is basically dedicating your altar the the purpose of aiding in you spiritual and magical practice.

• Close your eyes and take several deep breathes to ground and center yourself.

• Place your palms over your altar and visualize a white light surrounding and being absorbed and infused into your altar.

• Say a simple dedication like:

• “I dedicate this altar to my spiritual working with the Divine (or insert your preferred deities here). To my personal spiritual growth and healing. For harm to none and towards the greatest good of all. I consecrate this altar. So Mote it be.” (In some traditions you would follow this by knocking 3 times).

• Traditionally altars were usually set up in the East for the ideas and beginnings. Or in the North for the fruition and manifestation of things. These are both great places to put your altar. But if your room is already set up and the best location for your altar in neither of those don’t sweat it. It can work where ever is best for you. My personal altar has been in the West for years. It started as a happy accident. Just happened to be where it worked out. Now it has worked out that way for the last 3 or 4 places I have lived. I am a mermaid at heart so it works for me.

SET UP OF THE ALTAR

• Traditionally as you stand facing your altar the right hand side is the God (or Yang/Active/projective) side of the altar and the left hand side is the Goddess (or Yin/Passive/Magnetic) side of the altar. So on the right hand side of the altar you would put any symbols or candles you have for the God, also your symbols of East/Air and South/Fire. These might include Athame, Boline Wand, Incense and holders, Feather or Feathered smudge wand, matches, lighter, cakes. The Right hand side of the altar you would put any symbols or candles you have for the Goddess, as well as any symbols of West/Water and North/Earth. Theses might include a bowl of water, a bowl of salt, bell, Chalice, offering dishes, cauldron. The back center of the altar can be seen is Spirit. In our tradition we place a Unity Candle there, with anointing oil and pentacle just in front. Keeping the center front open for workings. Below is a simple diagram of a basic altar.