Do you want to practise witchcraft but don't know where to start? Do you find it all too confusing? Maybe you've been practising for a while and want to go back to basics. Or perhaps you're a seasoned witch and want to explore more ways of practisin...
An altar is a witch's workspace. Altars come in all shapes and sizes; they can be permanent or temporary, big or small, physical or virtual. There are no real rules regarding altars... in fact, it's not compulsory to even have an altar!
What most altars have in common is that they provide a sacred space for a witch to work. A place to arrange tools, display decorations, give offerings, and gather spell ingredients. Beyond this, altars can vary significantly in appearance and purpose.
Purpose of Altars
You can use altars for... 🔮Performing spells, rituals, and divination readings 🌺 Attracting something into your life (manifesting) 🌑Celebrating a seasonal event (sabbat) or lunar ritual (esbat) 🎃 Honouring the dead & ancestors 🧓 Honouring a person, group of people, event, or cause 🛐Venerating a deity, spirit(s), or a whole pantheon
One altar can serve several purposes, but more often than not a witch will set up multiple altars to serve discrete purposes. For instance you could have one altar for deity veneration, another for honouring ancestors, a permanent altar for rituals & sabbats, and additional temporary altars for performing spells/rituals.
Permanent Altars
Permanent altars are usually in the form of large tables pushed against a wall. They are typically re-decorated on each sabbat (pagan holiday) and can be a place for a witch to store their tools and display their more aesthetically pleasing items. Permanent altars serve as a place where a witch can conduct the majority of their research, deity honouring, spellwork, and rituals (although there are no hard-and-fast rules about this).
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Some witches choose to orient their permanent altar in a specific direction (typically north/earth) or in accordance with Feng Shui (see image below). If you have limited options regarding the placement of your altar, then you should aim to position it somewhere that is quiet and out of the way of traffic in your home, and not near your bed (altars are usually surrounded with strong energies that can interfere with sleep).
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Temporary Altars
It's not always ideal to keep a permanent altar, so witches make some form of temporary altar whenever they need. The purpose of temporary altars is usually either for spellcasting, or any kind of witchcraft performed on-the-go (e.g. on holiday, business trips, or any kind of travelling).
