| So, you've decided to embark upon a path, and | | | | statues in the top center of the altar, just because I |
| you're trying to figure out what all is necessary to | | | | like them there. |
| set up your Wicca supplies. You would like an altar, | | | | Next comes the candles. My personal taste is three |
| but you aren't quite sure how to go about it. There | | | | candles, one white, one red, and one black signifying |
| are lots of "instant altar and tools" kits you can find | | | | the Goddess in her maiden, mother and crone phases |
| on the Internet. We have a few ritual tool kits | | | | respectively. These I put in the top center right in |
| ourselves, but where to start? What to include? | | | | front of the statues, making sure they are far |
| Where to put it? How to set it up? With all the | | | | enough away from the statues not to drip wax on |
| possibilities, how do you go about choosing what is | | | | them or to set them on fire. There's nothing more |
| right for you? | | | | annoying during ritual than having things catch fire |
| An altar can be as elaborate as a custom carved | | | | when you do not intend them to :-) |
| church style massive affair with ornate ritual tools | | | | My cast iron cauldron with a chunk of charcoal in it |
| placed in specifically measured positions. An altar can | | | | goes in the center of the right hand side of my altar. |
| be a stump of wood in a forest, a tv tray in your | | | | I prefer cast iron cauldrons and charcoal to stick or |
| living room, or anything in between. | | | | cone incense, but your milage may vary and you can |
| One of the first considerations for your altar space is | | | | use what suits you best, of course. If you'd like to |
| likely whether it can be displayed openly, If you feel | | | | learn more about the different kinds of cauldrons and |
| that your practices would bring unwanted scrutiny on | | | | how to use them, read About Cauldrons. You can |
| you, you might decide that discretion is the better | | | | also place it anywhere you like, as I am merely using |
| part of valor, and find a small cabinet you can hide | | | | my set up as an example. For more advice on |
| your altar tools and ritual supplies in, and close. | | | | incense, you can check out our article entitled Wiccan |
| Kestra's altar is placed in an armoire with doors that | | | | Ritual Incense |
| close. Not because she wishes to keep things | | | | So we have our Fire (candles) and our Air (incense). |
| "secret," but more that she feels it is more respectful | | | | Where's our Earth? For Earth, I use an offering bowl . |
| for the altar tools and ritual supplies to be kept for | | | | And in said offering bowl, I place some sea salt . So |
| the eyes of those who would appreciate them rather | | | | why would sea salt signify Earth instead of Water? |
| than gawkers wondering if the athame is used to | | | | Well, to me it's a little of both. Salt comes from the |
| murder small animals. | | | | earth and mixes with the water of the sea. You can, |
| Other possibilities for an altar can be just a regular | | | | of course, put dirt in there, or anything else that |
| table with an altar cloth, a nightstand, a bookshelf, a | | | | signifies Earth to you. I put the Earth to the center |
| tree stump, or just about any other surface you | | | | left side of my altar. |
| desire. It can be as large or as small as you are | | | | And then, the either totally elaborate, utterly plain, or |
| comfortable with, that will hold your Wicca supplies, | | | | maybe even paper cup chalice . Anything that can |
| and where you can work with them appropriately. | | | | hold water can be your chalice if it has that meaning |
| Once you have chosen your altar, then you can | | | | for you. As we have said, the chalice holds the |
| decide which ritual tools you wish to place on it. Of | | | | element of Water that you can use for your ritual. |
| course, you CAN choose the ritual tools first, THEN | | | | Whether you add salt to it to purify it or not is up to |
| find an altar that will fit them all, but in either case, | | | | the type of ritual you are doing and your personal |
| you can modify the advice to suit your particular | | | | preference. I put the chalice in the center center part |
| situation. See, that's the fun part about being | | | | of the altar, in front of the candles and the statues. |
| Eclectic....very few instances result in the accusation | | | | That just leaves the athame and/or the wand. I like |
| that you "aren't doing it right." | | | | to use both, the athame to cast the circle, "cutting" |
| First comes the altar cloth. I always choose a cloth | | | | out a sacred space beyond time, and the wand to |
| that is pretty, functional, AND not too difficult to get | | | | direct power. (If you would like to read more about |
| wax off of. You know you're going to be dripping | | | | how to choose the appropriate wood for a wand, |
| wax from time to time. It's inevitable. That's why I | | | | check our article on magickal woods). I generally |
| personally don't buy very expensive altar cloths, since | | | | carry my athame on my degree cord around my |
| I know I am a clumsy witch. The altar cloth is | | | | waist, OR in the center of the altar to the front, in |
| generally used to protect the altar, and is not | | | | front of the chalice. I put the wand next to it. |
| "necessary" but can be meaningful (depending on its | | | | So, that, in a nutshell, is the Kestra altar set up. If |
| symbology) or merely functional. | | | | you feel that your correspondences (i.e. must put |
| One of the things I always put on my altar is a | | | | Earth in the East, etc.) do not agree depending on |
| statue of the Matron Goddess I am working with at | | | | the position of your altar, that's all right. The |
| the time, and, depending on the ritual I am about to | | | | important thing is that you understand WHY you are |
| perform, I may include my patron God. Well, what if | | | | placing things where you are placing them, not that |
| you don't HAVE a Matron or a Patron yet? That's | | | | you copy someone else exactly. If it doesn't have |
| perfectly fine. You may always choose to exclude a | | | | specific meaning to you, the ritual itself will not be as |
| statue, or to instead include a generic statue of the | | | | meaningful or powerful. |
| Spiral Goddess and/or the Spiral God. I place my | | | | |