An Altar is a special area set aside for Religious
and Magickal workings, think of it as your Wiccan workbench! It is used for holding the items that you
want to use during Rituals and for Magickal workings, if you were making a Magickal Potion by mixing
Herbs and Oils, then you'd usually do it at your Altar. It can be made of any material, though natural
ones are most popular, can be any shape, size or height that is comfortable. You don't have to go off
and buy some expensive, "certified" anything. You can use something as simple as a coffee table,
or even a shelf! And if you're out of doors, there's no reason for you to lug your altar outside with you.
You can use a stone or rock that's been placed in a ready area or even set up for your purpose. You could
also use a branch that's lying around, or even a low tree branch. What matters most is that you know
what it is, and are happy with it. (note: Wiccans aren't the only ones to use Altars, most other Religions
also have their Altars or Shrines, and should you ever visit them, you should pay them as much respect
as you pay your own! After all, they are there in honour of that person/group's Deity form, and as it says
in the Rede, 'An it Harm None, Do as Ye Will!', so showing disrespect may cause harm and upset
to some of those there!)
Where Would I Place an Altar?
The Altar can be indoors or outside, (as stated above) depending where you
are planning on doing your ritual or honouring the Deities that you are following. If used for Rituals, then it
is usually located within the area of Sacred Space that will become your Circle once you have cast it, and
within the Circle it may be located in the center, or more traditionally, in the North or East areas of the Circle.
Some of us have a Daily Devotional Altar as well as a Ritual Altar, for performing our Daily
Devotions at (for Daily Devotions you could think of it as a form of prayer, but not like the usual idea of
prayer that most have, that of the Christian ones, where you supplicant yourself before an Almighty,
and beg for forgiveness or whatever it is that you currently desire! I think of my Daily Devotions more as
having a conversation with my Deities! Sometimes I may choose to give thanks, other times I may ask for
them to Bless me in a particular way, but only if that is their will!)
What Goes on the Altar, and What About the Layout?
Well, firstly, the Altar cloth. This is a cloth that may be coloured in various
colours for special meanings on Sabbats and Esbats, or just a cloth that you like. You may also like to
put a mat on the Altar if mixing herbs/oils etc, to protect the Altar cloth during this work.
Also it's good to have God and Goddess representations, the Goddess ones to the left, God
to the right. You can use statues, pictures, stones that are marked with Goddess and God symbols, or
candles. You'd usually include a work or illuminator candle in the center. And a Pentacle is great to
have, particularly if placed in the center to give protection and grounding to the Altar.
You also should have Elemental representation on the Altar, (As well as the four representations
placed in the four compass points of the Circle, for which you may use coloured candles, or other representations
instead, i.e. feather for Air, Rock for Earth, a seashell for Water and a red candle for Fire are other popular
ones). It is customary to have a consecrated bowl of salt symbolizing Earth, placed to the right of
center, being male in it's symbology. The work candle is often used to represent Fire, placed in the center.
Incense is placed to the right of the Altar for Air, with the bowl of consecrated water to the left for Water (female symbol).
All that then remains is to add the tools that you are going to use for the Ritual. The Book of Shadows
should go to the left, being about the mysteries which are feminine in their correspondance. The chalice also
to the left, again being female in its symbology. On the right you'd put the bolline being male in energy. The athame
and wand are subject to your personal preference. The athame (a male symbol) is often placed to the right, and the
wand (the female representation) is placed to the left. However, this is not always done with every altar. Some
Wiccans choose to reverse the two, placing the wand to the right and athame to the left, to show that both energies
are part of one whole. And also to represent the union of the two in the One, or the All (represented by the altar).
It doesn't really matter, either way, it's what feels most comfortable for yourself. The offering plate can be
in the center, or if you are pushed for space (which can happen, and there's no problem with that!), wherever it will
fit! The Cauldron can be in the center or left of the Altar, or if short of space, on the floor in front of it, a drum (if
you feel the need for one) to the right of the Altar, and a Besom to the left.
Why Is the Altar Layout that Way?
It is done this way for a few reasons, actually. Firstly, there's the symbology
present in the layout of the Altar, with the left side being considered the Goddess or Female side, and the
right hand side being considered the God or Male side of the Altar. The central area is then used for both together.
Secondly, there's the correspondance between the various symbols and the Elements, which have their own
corresponding directions, and lastly there is personal choice and tradition. Although the layout of the Altar does
have a structure, in the last analysis it matters more that you are comfortable and happy with the layout than following
what anyone else 'says' should be the way to do it!
Stumble!