For those who practice Wicca (eclectic or trad)... altar question?

[Ivy Artemisia]

I was perusing the altr pic thread and I came up with a question...

I practice Wicca, and my personal altar is very plain. Small space- bowl of salt. Bottle/bowl of water. Scented oil, candle, god/dess representations. Pentacle. White altar cloth. Blech. I don't do ritual in my bedroom anyway (my DH is allergic to incense, and my rituals are usually in a group setting). I'm thinking of changing my altar to be something more personal, fun, colorful, etc. Something that says HEY-interact with me!!!

Our groups altar is usually structured in a specific way, with seasonal changes, etc, if needed.

If you practice Wicca (or have in the past), what does (did) your personal altar look like? Is it like, Wiccan ritual ready or is it more eclectic?

[Brigid Rowan]

Im not Wiccan, but I always set up alters to be a bit seasonal. That way, things are always changing, and fresh. Like my hearth/kitchen alter space..in fall its stocked with wood, and gourds/onions are placed there with candles.. and in winter, greenery is hung, and I do a gingerbread tree, and a deer....in spring, all the wood is taken out of the hearth, and I put candles in the hearth space, scented with spring scents (lilac, vanilla, or linen type scents) and its all red potatoes and onions and fresh fruit...for summer I'll have summer produce, candles, and flowers.

[Lunacie]

In Wicca, group rituals are done in a particular way, altars are generally set up to a particular pattern, and one pair of dieties are honored. But in personal practice anything goes, honor any diety you are called to (or by), do any spells or rituals you need, and set up your altar to honor your patron diety or celebrate the seasons or just make you feel more spiritual.

My altar has been the same for nearly 3 years because - it works for me - and I resist changes. There are 6 candle holders sitting on top of a pentacle. Four are colored glass for the four quarters colored yellow, red, blue and green. Two are clear glass on stems, one slightly taller than the other, for the god and goddess. All are the right size to hold tea-light candles (because they are cheap and I can use as many as I need, and because they are non-scented and I can't burn scented candles). Simple, but beautiful when the candles are burning, and they help me to focus on asking the elements and the gods for wisdom and guidance.

[TempestDra]

I'm not Wiccan, but my practice has quite a few Wiccan roots, so my altar reflects this. It's a permanent set up in my bedroom on top of a dresser; I drape it with a piece of cloth patterned according to the season(right now I've got blue butterflies on a black background. I'm on a butterfly kick!). On top of that I've got two black granite 12"x12" tiles to provide a shiny, indestructible working surface(I bought them at a tile store). That background makes for enough fancy-pretty that I want to look at it without cluttering extras around the candles, incense holders, etc. Everything that counts as a supply is in the drawers underneath, so I'm never caught without matches.

Basically, it's set up so that it's nice to look upon when I'm home, isn't cluttered, and can be easily redesigned by just replacing the cloth under the tiles. Everything's ready to go for ritual: God and Goddess candles, incense holder, bowls for water and salt, pentacle, cauldron(I use a little cauldron-esque thing), chalice, compass, and athame. Sort of a Just-add-water deal.:D

[Pink_sheep]

http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=4454 This might be useful! Found that thread a while ago and love going back to re-read it. There's some really amazing Altars on there!

[Nox_Mortus]

my personal altar is usually set up similarly to the traditional Wiccan set up, with certain additions made to reflect my personality and what I use it for. The altar is a working surface and you should do what you can to make it practical for the work you intend it for, which also means changing it as necessary.

[Jeremy Westenn]

My altar is set up with personal items, some of which hold incredible value, and most all of my supplies are located in it. It's really a box when you get down to it. o_O

[RubyRose]

My altar is currently in a bit of a mess.

I have crystals, faery statues as well as the normal ... cauldron, candles, chalice, incense and salt.

[GreenEyes78]

I'm not Wiccan,,,, and I must say that my altar changes almost as much as a teenager changes clothes before going out on a Friday night!!! But as of right now I have a diety candle , incense holder, and a couple of tea light candles with holders and that's about it right now.... sometimes when I get alot of stuff on my altar it 's hard for me to center my energy when I set before it to meditate. If spell work is being done I can have up to 15 candles at a time on my altar.... and I do try to put some seasonal items on it when I go to switch it up throughout the year.

[Tigerlily]

I don't have an altar right now but when I did, I liked to put fairy and angel figurines on my altar. :)