I thought today I would touch the ground on the topic of Altars. You may have a rough idea of what one is, know everything about Altars or nothing at all. This page aims to give you a brief introduction to them.
What is an Altar? Do you need one?
An Altar is a space-separated from other areas of your home which you assign specifically for your worship (for example if you work with a deity), craft practising or storage of related supplies. Some individuals have multiple Altars, some have one and others none. You can also have travel Altars which are small portable spaces. It's up to you if you choose to create this space or not but many find it useful for compartmentalising the elements of their life. I personally have 3-4 Altars at the moment but have had more and less than that throughout the last year alone. It's all down to preference.
Different types of Altars.
Altars don't have to be an amalgamation of your entire craft and faith. You can choose to split up your area into different areas. For example, I have a spirit Altar with items from my Cat who passed last year and candles, crystals and other items that represent the spiritual side of my craft. I also, currently, have a seasonal Altar that changes based on which Sabbath or equinox is closest. Finally, I have an Altar for the energies that may choose to work with me. For some people, this would be a deity Altar but as I have never been approached by one to work with specifically it's rather simple with two candles and a little bit of decoration. In the past, I also had an element themed one and a practical altar space for crafting with. Now I consider the latter as just a workspace and use the items from my elemental altar as a protective ward/ decoration. At one point I also had a divination Altar with a pendulum and the items now part of my spirit Altar. Others may have other areas with a dedicated Altar to such as Hearth crafting, Greenwitchcraft and many others.
How to decorate an Altar.
Depending on the type of Altar your creating determines what you choose to place there. A basic Altar has something to represent the elements, yourself, a protective item and an item to connect you to your beliefs such as a small statue or totem. I also recommend if you can adding elements of your natural surroundings as the seasons go on and items that you feel connected to in some way. Remember your Altar is yours to decorate and do with as you wish and it doesn't have to be big, fancy or overly witchy. There are plenty of discreet ways to incorporate your altar into your normal homeware decor. Nor does your Altar have to scream Witchcraft at all or look like the stereotype you no doubt think of when you think about Witches. If you want a pastel pink Altar with unicorns on and a photo of Tom Hiddleston as Loki. You do you- just be a bit considerate of the real Norse Loki if you decide that... he might want some bits of his own and in his style too. The point is your Altar is a shared space between yourself and your craft/ faith. And apart from insisting you protect, cleanse and tidy it regularly- there are no real rules to it. So have a little fun with it.
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