Home altars create sacred space
How to create a home altar for ritual and worship
An altar is a special place - creating sacred space for ritual and worship.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, large or obvious - you can make it as flamboyant or private as you please.
For many pagans having a home altar either indoors our outdoors, is an important part of their practice.
Some altars are dismantled after each use and tucked away, while others are kept as a permanent focal point for connection with deity.
Many Pagans have kept "altars" in their environments for as long as they can remember.
Special items grouped on shelving, low tables, in corners, windowsills and at work on the desk can all be classed as altars, in the way that they acknowledge deity in your life.
However, more formal permanent altars can be beneficial because of the energy they store from constant use.
Formal altars can be set up indoors, in bedrooms, home offices, lounge rooms or kitchens, with items which are often changed, to suit the seasons and the mood.
Whenever you get a new item of a magickal nature, such as a crystal, a special feather, shell, a new magickal tool, then it is appropriate to pop it on your altar for a while to absorb the energy which is focused there.
Dried leaves and herbs collected for use for incense making or smudge sticks benefit from being placed on an altar for a few days before packing away.
Tarot cards are energized by being on an altar, as well as any items related to magickal workings.
If you are uncertain of what to put on your altar here are some suggestions – an altar can comprise a collection of meaningful objects which will act as an energy point:
ALTAR BASICS
Indoors - if you are planning to set up a formal indoor altar, find a spot in your home where you feel comfortable placing this sacred space. This may be in the corner of a room, on a coffee table or cupboard top or shelf. Be mindful that it should be kept higher if there are small children or animals in the home.
Keep it simple to start with and you will find your collection of objects will grow in time. Initially consider adding a representation of the Goddess – a small statue, a shell, a piece of jewellery or a white candle in a holder. If you wish to balance this female energy with the male, then add a God symbol – a crystal point, a pine cone, a small statue, or similar object which represents the God to you. You may wish to add a pentagram, a cloth, more crystals, some incense.
Outdoors – an outdoor altar can be set up on an inverted plant pot, a log, or on an old table top set upon a wooden box – whatever flat surface you can find of a size which suits you. Again be mindful of small children and animals when planning a permanent altar in the garden.
Place similar items on this as for the indoor altar, although you may decide to have more garden-style items, such as a cement statue of a Goddess.
Temporary Altars – Some people find keeping their sacred items in a small chest and then using the top of the chest as their altar for ritual suits them perfectly. The items can be safely stored away between use – this is ideal when sharing accommodation with others or if you want to keep your practices private.
Traveling altar – If you travel and like the comfort of having some of your sacred space with you, you can simply pack up a few ritual items in a small toiletry bag and then set them up in your motel room or other accommodation – items could include a small altar cloth, shell, pine cone, and candles.
Caring for altars – Treat them with respect, they are a sacred space in your home and environment which you can call upon during ritual, or at any time for comfort and insight. Keep them clean and dusted, don’t let offerings, such as flowers and fruit, deteriorate, remove them while they are still relatively fresh and return them to the earth through composting or into the garden.
Enjoy your altar and the power and harmony it brings to your home.
