Building your first wiccan altar can be a daunting task, but it is an important step in your witchcraft. With a little research, a good understanding of the type of witch you want to be, and a combination of DIY skills or a little extra money, you can pull together an altar that is perfect for your needs – and that’s what matters. While you may feel obligated, and others may encourage you, to make an elaborate and expensive altar, the intention and your feelings about your altar are far more important than the trinkets and detail of it. The altar is one of the most important tools a witch can use. It is a tool for focusing energy and magic, making them as potent and powerful as possible.
Steps to building a Wiccan altar
The first step in making your Wiccan altar is to establish where you’d like it. Indoors or outdoors? Do you want to dedicate and entire room? Or will your altar fit comfortably against a wall? If you have children or animals that may get into your things, it may be best to set up your altar in a way that allows it to be stored safely. An altar doesn’t have to be a station all its own – many Wiccan witches use their kitchen countertops! What matters is that the space is easy to use when you need it and that it can be cleansed and ready to harness your energy and magic when needed. It’s not just the surface that makes an altar, but also what you use on the surface.
Sacred Cloth
The next step is to pick your sacred cloth. This is unique to the witch and should be something both practical for its uses, but also meaningful in some way to the caster. For example, if you are the sort of Wiccan that will be smudging, using candles, or mixing herbs, you will want to go for a fabric that has some utility and won’t be ruined when it’s tossed in the wash to be cleaned. You’ll most likely want to go for something inexpensive so that it can be replaced when it is worn out. However, if you are someone who tends to be a bit more ceremonial in your casting and your cloth is unlikely to get dirty during your rituals, you may feel drawn to something fancier, like lace or hand-embroidery. It doesn’t matter if it is a piece of burlap or a smooth, supple silk – what matters is your needs and preferences. The only requirement is that it be large enough to cover your altar and fit whatever you will be working on.
Wiccan Altar Tools
In general, there should be a consistent set of tools on your altar: candles, bowls, ritual plate and cup, idols, and your spell book. If you are a Wiccan that likes to work with the elements, then you may also want to have stones, herbs, flowers, feathers, ashes or seaweed present. You may also want to include any crystals that you use, incense that you like or other magical tools.
