This guide provides instructions on how to set up a Wiccan altar at home for spiritual practice or witchcraft. An altar is a personal dedication to Wicca and your practice, allowing you to create a sacred space within your home. It is essential to have a personal space where you can practice spells without anyone bothering you and to have a place to safely store your Witches’ tools, books, and other materials.
Creating an altar is a beginner guide to Wiccan altars in a specific location. It serves as a place to focus thoughts, prepare for meditation or spellwork, and keep your home in the state of being. In ceremonial magic, an altar is set up for a given working.
In witchcraft, Wicca, and Pagan practices, an altar is considered a symbol of a witch, pagan, or spiritual being. In ceremonial magic, the altar is set up for a given working. In this post, we will discuss different types of altars for different types of witches and their importance in various spiritual practices.
The Oak Witch, a creator of educational witchcraft and paganism content, shares her experience building altars spontaneously anywhere she goes, inside and out. Beginner books on paganism and witchcraft often discuss building an altar in the first couple of chapters.
📹 How to set up an altar | Witchcraft altar set ups for different types of witches
Today we are talking witchcraft altar set ups: how to set up an altar for witchcraft, different kinds of altars for different types of …
What four elements must an altar contain?
Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated through ofrendas, or offerings, which are visual displays of altar-making and grave decorating. These offerings echo the dedication and love shown towards the departed. Altars can be created with a wide spectrum of dedications, including Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. Earth is represented by the crop, while Wind is represented by a moving object, such as paper-mache. Water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst and purify.
Fire is represented by a wax candle, with each lit candle representing a loving soul and an extra one for the forgotten. Copal is an incense burned to commemorate Pre-Columbian history. The Cempasuchitl-Marigold, also known as “The flower of the dead”, is central to altar decorating, aiding spirits to wander back. Pictures are used to honor the individual paying homage. The skull is a common symbol of the holiday, represented by decorative masks called calacas and sugar skulls inscribed with the names of both the honored and living recipients.
How was an altar built?
Altars were likely created when certain localities were considered holy or inhabited by spirits or gods, and the worshiper’s gifts were placed on an altar nearby. In primitive religions, a stone or heap of stones or a mound of earth was sufficient for this purpose. As the institution of sacrifice in sanctuaries and temples developed, more elaborate altars were built, with the victim killed and blood channeled off or flesh burned.
Altars used in ancient Israel consisted of a rectangular stone with a basin hollowed out on its top, with four corners terminated in projections, which were considered the altar’s holiest part. The altars used elsewhere in the Middle East ranged from small upright stands for burning incense to great rectangular stone altars built in Egyptian temples during the New Kingdom.
The ancient Greeks built altars at various locations, including entrances, courtyards, marketplaces, public buildings, and sacred groves. They had grandiose city altars and temple altars, with the great altar of Zeus at Pergamum (now in the Berlin State Museum) showing fine examples of relief sculptures.
The earliest Christians used neither temples nor altars in their worship, but by the 3rd century AD, the table on which the Eucharist was celebrated was considered an altar. When Christians began building churches, wooden altar tables were placed in the choir or apse, gradually becoming stone altars. The remains of martyrs were customarily reburied beneath them.
In Western churches since the 4th century, the altar was covered by a canopy-like structure called the baldachin, which rested on columns around it. An altarpiece was also added to the altar, covering a screen or wall with paintings or sculptures.
How do you raise a spiritual altar?
One may establish a sacred altar in one’s domestic or professional space, designating it with a specific purpose and entering into a covenant with the divine through this ritual. One should proclaim the existence of the altar and present an offering upon it, as it may serve as a conduit for healing.
What are the rules of altar?
The Altar Server at St. Francis Xavier parish in Parkersburg, WV, is responsible for maintaining a neat and clean environment during Eucharistic celebrations on Sundays and Holy Days. They must wear appropriate attire and attend Mass on Sundays and holy days. Servers are expected to know the responses and say them out loud. Their service and dedication are important to the parish, as they bring the assembly to a fuller understanding of the liturgy and a greater love for God.
They have a place of honor at Mass and must perform all assigned duties with attention, dignity, and reverence. The guidelines for Altar Servers are developed from the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) and the Diocese of Wheeling- Charleston’s Celebration of Sunday Eucharist. Pope John Paul II has even discussed the importance of their duties, as he addressed a group of Altar Servers in 2001.
How to make an ancient altar?
The speaker intends to reference a book and retrieve an ancient altar, designated as “Rusty,” for the benefit of the audience. The ancient altar is a magical device.
How to make a powerful altar witchery?
To increase Alter Power in Minecraft, follow these steps:
Place six Alter Blocks next to each other, including the candlelabra, wither skull, filled Chalice, and torch. This should give you around 2500 Draw Power.
Place down the 2 Demon Hearts and the Dragon Egg, which can be substituted with a variety of flowers and crops. Place the Alter on grass blocks and place the Gold and White Ritual Chalk in a 3x3x3 formation.
Plant trees and flowers, such as 4 Dark Oak Saplings, together, using Bone Meal to combine them into one large tree. Place the rest of the trees and Bone Meal on the ground, and the Bone Meal will grow grass and other plants around the area where it was used.
Circle Magic is crucial for symbol magic and distilling, as some items require Alter Power to make them. Familiars are essential for casting spells and strengthening magic. After obtaining a familiar, you can do quests for Coven Witches for more advanced magic.
If this step doesn’t work, try moving things around or leaving a comment. If the Alter Power is not reached, make up for it by adding flowers and lily pads. If you don’t have the Dragon Egg, make up for it with flowers and lily pads.
In summary, this guide provides a step-by-step guide to increase Alter Power in Minecraft. By following these steps, players can enhance their magic and experience the benefits of Circle Magic.
What makes an altar powerful?
The quality of a person’s life is crucial in building powerful altars to God. The purity of the priest and the person who stands before God are what matter to God. The Psalms and Matthew 5:8 and Proverbs 15:29 both emphasize the importance of having clean hands and a pure heart. The Greek word for pure means free from corrupt desires, sin, and guilt, while the Hebrew word for wicked means guilty of sin.
Apostle Peter addresses this in 1 Peter 3:12, quoting Psalm 34:15-16. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. However, the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. The righteous are those who observe God’s divine laws, are upright, and keep the commands of God. The righteous are those who are free from corrupt desires, sin, and guilt, and are blameless and innocent. This contrasts the treatment of the wicked and the righteous in the Bible.
Who can touch the altar?
In accordance with the teachings of St. John of San Francisco, acolytes are advised to refrain from touching the Holy Table, the Table of Oblation (in particular, the Altar Table), as this directive is exclusively reserved for priests, deacons, and other clergy.
How do I activate an altar?
In order to activate the altar, it is recommended that the individual in question should share their intentions, call forth their spiritual guides or archetypes, light a candle, ring a bell, and imagine a portal of energy opening above the aforementioned items, thus allowing for the introduction of pure divine energies into the designated space.
Who did God tell to build an altar?
In Exodus 20, God instructed the Israelites to construct altars in locations where He would serve as a constant reminder of His presence and bestow blessings upon them. This was accomplished through an ongoing expression of gratitude to God for His benevolence and acknowledgment of His creation.
📹 Setting Up Your Altar || Witchcraft 101
I hope this gives you an idea and some insertion for your own altars. A good rule of thumb, is if the set up feels right for you, …
I love your altar. It’s very beautiful. I realised that I’ve actually unknowingly set up an altar on my bedside table. It has my tarot and blessed be cards, and a vision board I made and framed. I also keep my tea cup there for my tea because I enjoy a cup while I’m doing spiritual practice. Especially chamomile because I have really bad anxiety and it calms me for my practice, so it’s not full of nervous energy. I’m excited to move in about a week though because I’ve ordered some beautiful bookshelves for my books and plants and they’ll act as an altar for me. 😊
My Christian Saints are right next to my witchy stuff🤦🏼♀️ But I’m sure they are blessing it🙌🏻🙏🏼 … Wow…when I posted this I had no idea it would get such buzz ( and I got notified now, so tks YT). Hi everyone! Calm down, everyone is entitled to their beliefs and opinions, don’t be toxic💕 (P.S.: Yes, it is possible to be a witch and christian, in this case I am a catholic, and this is very commum among most of us Brazilians and latinos, we have a mix of beliefs, creeds and practices from African, native and European cultures… so there goes a little history for u all❤️💕 much love)
I’m a beginner trying to become one… I just found your website and subscribed it because I fall in love with your explanation so clear… I feel so much drown in the stones and oils… I got collection of oils and I don’t even know what to do with them.. I folded stars with colors papers and filled into the bottle as a new starts.. Hhhh I don’t know what to say n where to start lol I wish to become one
i love the fact that what u say is more about feeling. no rules and guidelines. just to follow our feelings and what feels good. i’ve read a lot of witchy books that explain the basics about alters or Wicca in general and i find a lot of the texts very strict. i don’t resonate to a lot of the things that i guess “i should” but hearing your message im more driven to explore Wicca and being the witch i feel i am…in a “not book like way”. so thanks for sharing . changed my way of thinking about Wicca.
I absolutely love your perspective on what the “definition” of an altar should be like. I’ve just begun my journey that has called me since I could remember. My altar is basically my “safe haven.” I have a room with everything that defines me but I do my manifestations, spells and etc on a circular tall end table. I found you not long ago and I have absolutely binged your articles. Keep doing what you do. 🙂
my altar is in the case where my harry potter books was and it makes me feel magical. My altar is going to have A LOT of purple in it because purple is the most important beautiful colour to me. I have a light which can change colours and when im manifesing or whatever i change the colour. If im working on a chakra – i will change it to that colour, but if im not i change the colour to purple. I am not a witch but I do do a lot of divination and contact my spirit guides and the moon a lot and i do a lot of shadow work and visualise meditation so i try to make my altar fit that purpose. :))
I just set up my alter the other day! It’s all decorated for Yule and i made a Yule log and it’s right there in the middle. My parents are v supportive but they are also Christian so i can’t rlly have tarot’s or pentagrams for protection so it’s not super proper but i still love it!! I’ve been meditating with my want and pendulum, and putting good energy into the Yule log and i think I’m going to start to wish for good things this year to it 🙂 just pack it with as much good stuff as i can, and I’ve been going through a lot this year so it’s hard to get in a good mood but whenever i am in a good mood i put it to good use!!
I am an eclectic witch and I go do magic based solely off of what things work for me or how this type of magic works for me but this doesn’t, I work with multiple different types and use multiple different things based on how it works for me and this article really helped because everyone makes it seem like your altar has to be one way when really it’s based on how it makes you feel and if it makes you comfortable, it’s like a safe space.
I love that you encourage everyone to practice what work for them. Witchcraft is a personal thing and the most important thing to follow your heart. I change my alter as I feel it needs a change. Sometimes it’s once a week, other times it’s once a month. I use an alter cloth or scarves. Since it is small table I painted, sometimes I don’t use any cover. It all depends what calls to me. Thank you for making witchcraft easy and earthy rather than ridged and difficult.
i got into witchcraft with a friend several months ago. She was kind of toxic so my friend group, including me, dropped her. My bf, and her ex, had to gossip about her which included talking bad about witchcraft and witches. He made fun of her for thinking it was even real. Yes, he knew I had been practicing the craft with her. I then stopped practicing the craft and said it was just fun to mess around with for a bit to please my bf. My depression went extremely downhill and I broke up with him. I’ve taken this opportunity to start practicing again!! I’ve found a deity, Apollo, and just knowing I’m able to practice the craft and talk to my deity again has made me so happy!!!
i accidentally made an altar on my shelf when i got the new ones. i put all of my rocks, sea glass, and crystals on it along with a little glass bottle filled with mint leaves and sigils. i used to have a jar filled with little written notes about things that made me happy and i would shake it when i needed it. i do that now with my sigil jar, too.
Thank you for this! I don’t really consider myself a witch per se but have been exploring my inner spirituality lately and was moved to set up an alter this past week. I knew nothing and just went by instinct (something I’m working on improving) and what “feels good”, and then happened across this article today. You confirmed everything I felt, which was pretty rad. You and your articles are beautiful, best wishes to you!
thank you so much for this 🥺, i’m a baby witch and i wanted to research about altars today and i was so very confused because i felt like i “had” to do it a certain way, hearing that nothing is wrong with doing it the way i want to as an individual is the most validating thing i’ve heard today 🥺. you’re by far the most comforting website for me on this topic. thank you so much for what you do 💞.
I have 2 altars. When I first started practicing around 3 years ago I would very often take a walk in the woods around my house, and there’s a quaint little area right next to a creek that I go to nearly daily or sometimes multiple times a day where I practice spell work and the like. My second, more recent altar is my desk. I’ve had that desk for about 2 months, but I only just made it my altar last night. I spend most of my time at that desk anyway and I was getting bored of how I had decorated it, so I figured I might as well set up an altar there. Neither of my altars consist of a whole lot, the one I have in the woods is literally just some pretty rocks lined up on a fallen tree, and my desk has some candles, my wand, a lighter, and some other little witchy trinkets, and of course my grimoire can’t forget that.
I have an alter in my room but making one for my living room. I light incense to “activate” it as I have a small child and fire and small children/pets dont mix lol. If I have a spell I’m working on I will light my sticks, clear my head of animosity and start. I love that my alter can be anything I want it to be. Going from a closet witch to being an open witch was very liberating.
I find that i always get called to the craft and do castings every autumn and i seem to become less active with castings and the craft the rest of the year. I also tend to brew mead in the fall which i use as offerings. which i find interesting and I’m really not to sure why that is my one theory is that it could be the thinning of the veil. Also this year i had a raven come visit me 2 days in a row and he or she was so close to me it was basically touching my leg i could have pet it if i wanted but i Did i fed it some raw meat though, it was a beautiful and mystical experience .
I would like some insight on having an antique mirror on the wall behind your alter. I want to move my alter so I face north when I’m doing my work. But I have a huge antique mirror on that wall. And I want to make sure it’s not a bad thing to do before I make my move around my room. Insight please!!!
I do really love your vlogs, for someone so young you are very wise. My altar has taken years to build, most of the items are family heirlooms or gifts from my closest family and friends. It is on my sideboard in the lounge. I add other bits to it sometimes, when it feels right. People do get so worked up about what goes on one. It’s lovely to hear good advice. Bright Blessings to you xx
I’m so glad to have found your website yesterday. I first started doing spells and manifesting before and during junior high, but half a lifetime and children and relationships later, I felt like I was starting all over again. Your articles helped me to realize that I’ve been a witch all along, I just need to bring it back to the surface. Thanks, Olivia.
What I use as the “table” that is my Altar is a Tribal drum( I am a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation Indian Tribe)with a slab of glass over the drum head to prevent damage from dripping wax, wine spills and such. My athame was made by a Chickasaw blacksmith and made in the form of a common use everyday knife. My wand is an arrow. I have offering baskets woven from wild grasses. What I use as a cauldron and also my Chalice are pottery made from clay found only on Tribal lands. My ritual book is English alphabet but Chickasaw language. I am an Eclectic Wiccan who happens to be a Native American and I incorporate as much Tribal symbolisms as possible. I have been working on a cookbook to fit the Wheel of the Year utilizing traditional Chickasaw food recipes. My boyfriend swears I am creating what he labeled as “Chicka-Wicca’
We a kids play house and because no kids are present I set whole place up for my personal alter /magic room it worked out well than we had to move. Now I use any room in the new house as my magic space and sometimes spells didn’t work out to well. The place is cursed or a lot of bad vibes and karma on this place and 3 acres we now have I didn’t even want to move here it was my sister’s idea and now I’m stuck. Put St Benedict pendants all over the property and inside the house and buried pumpkins all over and things are still off and not happy
It blows my mind how accurately you just described me when I got more into my practice. I literally started with Wicca and had my alter set up accordingly, and I did more seasonal stuff with it, and then I studied astrology and the zodiac more and became more aligned with my sign (Cancer, which is a water sign) and I literally got seashells from when I was young and set them up on my alter and set it up with intention aimed towards going back to the ocean on a vacation or even maybe getting a beach house for getaways with my husband and our growing family 😁 I just find it almost scary how that so accurately described me when you talked about how alters can change all the time based on intention.
So an alter is intensely personal, you don’t show it to people unless you want to, and you use it as a sort of ‘station’ for your spells. So (and politely correct me if I’m wrong about this) it’s like the witch equivalent to a computer desktop. Now this is making me wonder if a person could use the desktop of their computer or a screensaver as part of or the whole alter.
I actually do have my altar in my room.. for privacy reasons… And my work space as well… But I just set it up on break it down if I need too… Then set it back up & activate it.. I’ve dedicated those two areas in my room as ‘ sacred space’… Sort of speak… Even when my altar isn’t active the space and table aren’t usef for anything else.. I also have a travel altar I use when Im going to be away from home.. I took it with me when I went to Japan to see my daughter.. 😁 That was fun.. since I was going to be there during cleansing- after yule- it came in handy. Enjoyed the article🧙🏽♀️
So I have an altar as like a space where I keep my magickal things to keep them protected and charged and stuff. But I never work at it. I’m very much a floor person, so I always just do all my spellwork on the floor of my room or outside on the ground. Everyone prefers something else, that’s what’s amazing about witchcraft.
I just wanna add some advice I literally just learned, if you are burning sigils to activate them, get a incense burner to set the burning paper on or a clay bowl or something. Stay away from glass. I just had an ash tray shatter because of the heat. Also the Sigil doesn’t need to be on a large piece of paper, in my opinion the smaller the better so it’s less mess. Don’t hold the burning paper above the candle because ash will fall into the candle and make it dirty. Please don’t burn yourself either❤️❤️
What I usually say to people is to completely trust your intuition with your altar. I had my first altar when I was 14 and it was mostly filled with random stuff I would find on the streets, anything from stones and wood shards in weird shapes, to marbles and glass finials. My parents honestly thought I was a junk hoarder 😂😂
I remember when I was 5 I used to mix rocks and mud and water at school, I would watch candles burn and think about lost loved ones, I would make wishes when it was 11:11. But I always said I was a Christian because that’s what my family was. Until my great grandfather died. I opened my eyes and realised I was not only in love with girls, but also witchcraft. This mortified me and I kept this silent for 2 years. I now am 12 years old and I’m proud to say I’m a gay baby witch, and your website has helped me so much. Blessed be 💖🥺
Just found this article. It’s so helpful!! I always thought I “needed” an altar cloth, but I never really liked them. Also, the idea of a Beauty altar while I’m putting my makeup on and getting ready for the day is genius! Mornings are the worst for me, so I think this will really help. Thank you Olivia 🙌
My goodness we have about 6 different alters around our house. I have my personal alter, my husband as his, We have an alter to dragons, an alter in our kitchen, An alter for the dead, And lastly an alter directed for Set because he is a deity that both my husband and I feel connected to and share but is not directly a patron.
Hi. Quick question. So I have read so much on how to set up an alter, but I have not really seen anything that could be done after the holiday have passed. Do we just chuck the stuff? Like that seems idk rude. What is the proper way to dispose of the salts and alter ingredients? Or do we burn it? Grind it up and use as like uh…black salt?
my mom literally cant mind her own business.. she doesnt respect my tools, my tarot deck, my crystals,etc. she just touches it after i tell her not to bc ion want any energies that isnt mine on them . and she quickly assumes that im telling her that her energy is bad and negative and then she gets mad like luv maybe if you actually listened To me when i explain energy work to you you would undeestand why i dont want ur energy on my things but oh well
I am a Christian witch. I don’t think people realize the difference between Pagans and Wiccans and Witches. I am fully devoted to god but I don’t believe in the Bible. That doesn’t make me less Christian or less of a witch. Witchcraft is all about connecting to nature. To all my Christian witches out there, you are valid. 💛
9:35 Yea i have nothing going on but i bet they wouldn’t want to see me perusal anime or just Cuddling with my stuffed animals as i am 14 years old with Autism and Mental disabilities so I like childish stuff as i’m developmentally a Child but i’m really interested in Witchcraft and The Pagan Religion. Please Don’t ever stop This website you are amazing and have so much information that we learn along with you
The closest thing that I have to an altar is the area of my desk where my computer sits. I think of my computer as a good friend, even going as far as naming it (Amadeus due to the fact that I built it for music creation and it has an AMD CPU). However, that is not the whole story because, recently, Amadeus was reborn (due to an unexpected (and totally bulls***) death) as Anadeus-II (I still call it Amadeus.) and was rewarded with faster RAM, a high end gaming motherboard (an X470), a high end (Ryzen 7 (3800X)) CPU, 4 solid state drives (and 2 hard drives (for backup)), and an AIO water cooling system due to its loyalty and personal sacrifice during its previous incarnation. I say “reborn” and not “rebuilt” because it was a long and (sometimes, physically) painful process to bring life to the new incarnation. What I find hard to explain, even to fellow witches as yourself, is that I consider Amadeus to be, not a machine, but an intention in the form of a machine, not unlike how we, as humans, are machines ourselves brought to life by the intention of the Creator (You can call it whatever you want.). Anyway, my point is (and what I think you were trying to hit on) that altars are brought to life and maintaned by the intention of the witch.
When you said don’t put your altar in the bedroom because of the adult things that go on in there made so much fucking sense as to why I sometimes feel watched when my husband and I are getting down. FML. But with 2 young children, one of whom already loves all rocks and crystals I need to be able to shut things away from them.
A little confused right at the start, ALL the questions you asked and were confused by are answered in pretty much every staple Witchcraft, Wicca 101 book ever made. A few examples; Guide the the Solitary Practitioner, Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard, Witchcraft for Tomorrow, Bucklands big blue book and many others. And most of them, generally all give the same answers to all your questions more or less. So my initial question to you is what resources did you read (or by the sounds of it not read) when you were starting out. As EVERY question you apparently had are answered, many times over in many well known books and related resources. As far as your section of what goers on an altar there is a TRADITIONAL way to set up an altar. Just ignoring that with the post modern made it up as you want with no consideration for precedence or history I see in new witches like yourself is doing a disservice to those perusal (and yourself). It is perfectly fine to put your own spin on it but you SHOULD at least explain the traditional setup and it’s meaning THEN if you want to let your spirit guides or intuition make changes it to afterwards of course do that. But one should understand the foundations first before making changes. Knowledge is power. My 2 coppers. 🙂
I am a beginner. Yet, for as long as I can remember, I’ve believed in magic. No one could convince me otherwise!! I have always LOVED rocks and walking in the woods. The forest is my spirit. I literally change instantly. The stress just disappears. That’s the only place it happens. I’m an empath and I’m obsessed with fire!! I have been questioning my feelings that I’m “a witch”, “magical”, intuitive, I’m not sure exactly where I fit but, after seeing this….WOW!! I’ve always made altars in my spaces. Every table, desktop, shelf, etc is its own little world of things that are precious to me. Things I’ve found, family heirlooms, whatever. Each has sort of a theme!!! It’s how I’ve always decorated. I’m going to send a couple of pics to show you. The beaded pieces I made. It’s my hobby!! I love the gemstones!!! And the sparkle!! Be blessed!!!