Do you have an altar? Why or why not?

[*~Ginny~*]

Personally, I have a wooden chest that contains my herbs, candles, etc. but I do not leave it permanently on display. Part of the reason is because I prefer to connect with my surroundings wherever I may be, whether that's inside the house, at work or outside in nature. Another reason is because I have a very curious 17 month old. :giggle:


Anyway, what are your thoughts on altars? Is a permanent one a necessity?

[DracoIII]

I prefer to have a movable one. It makes it easier when I'm going on vacation, or out to the woods.

[Astucity]

I don't believe an altar is necessary unless you subscribe to a very specific tenant that says "You must have an altar and it must be like this".

I'm an Eclectic, so, I can have one or not.

I prefer to have one, and it is permanently on display, save for my Athame because I prefer to have all knives and weapons locked up safely, for ritual or not.

I have a 5 year old.

[sunnydawn]

I used to have an alter up, but I found it to be a nuisance what with the cats knocking stuff down, and my daughter getting into it. Plus I never regularily used it.
I find I feel connected by taking a walk, gardening, and sky gazing.

[TuathaSidhe]

Currently I do not have one up due to animals and small children.

However, I have recently purchased a 5 shelf bookshelf and will be putting up a family alter in on of the upper shelves.

ETA: The family alter will be fixed where its at, and I encourage my kids to have one of their own if they want. I am very practical so anything I might need on the move can be taken with me easily.

[AsatruarMarc]

What is it with all of us having small children?:)

I do have an alter, but it is currently on the front deck of my house. As I've mentioned in other posts, I perform all my sumbels and blots for me alone; at least the neighbours don't seem to mind!

All of my ritual gear is kept in an indoor display that my wife and I share - thankfully out of the reach of our almost-two year old.

[Tanya]

yep, we have one in our house, in the front foyer as you walk in the door... it is a repro. Chinese altar (http://common1.csnimages.com/lf/1/hash/1469/1702618/1/1.jpg), so it looks good and it goes with the decor of our house which is 'large, clunky and Asian'
I have always the quarter candles on it, and seasonal candles, a large antique tin rice pot (http://www.borneoartifact.com/images/AT0375l.JPG)that is our 'cauldron' as well as my atheme, and seasonal decorations. I make most of the altar cloths, and they are seasonally appropriate.

We have a little kid, she helps decorate the altar, we've never had any trouble from her or the cats about knocking things over....or playing with knives.. but, she's a always been a pretty easy kid...

We don't use it for rituals, because we aren't much ON rituals, but.. having it where we do, it reminds at least me, as I come through the door, that I'm entering 'sacred space' that this is my HOME, my RETREAT, I find i just slow down, take a deep breath,shake all the bullshit off me... and decorating it puts me in the right frame of mind for the holiday, and is an outward way to teach the little one about who we are and what we believe in.

I also have 2 smaller altars. one in the kitchen, just a part of the counter taken over with a potted flower, a candle and as statue of Tarewet (http://www.uned.es/geo-1-historia-antigua-universal/EGIPTO%20RELIGION/meretseger2.jpg). The goddess of childbirth and 'plenty' she seems to fit in our kitchen, and well, we just love her there.

There is also a little shrine to Athena in the library... duh.... just a little bronze sculpture of an owl and a vase of flowers.

By my bed I have a little Andarta (http://www.thaliatook.com/pix/artio.jpg) shrine.... on my night stand...just a statue of her in her bear form on a small piece of tribal textile, and her sign on the window.

I guess I use them to center and focus myself... I guess that is all tools ever are.

[Cottage-Witch]

I sort of have one. I have no room in my bedroom for one, but I do have room for a bulletin board on my wall. I call it my 'altar board'. One half is cork board and the other dry-erase. On the dry erase side I draw pictures of altars and put them up there with magnets. Also on that side I 'put things out' for sabbats and other events. On the cork board side, I put notes about things I want to learn, books I'd like to buy, and things of that nature. :)

[Silverwing]

I have one in an alcove of my bedroom - it's a plank from a wooden cabinet set up on a wicker chair stand. It has a statue of the Goddess surrounded by smaller statues of a cat, dragon, angels, and some fairy dolls I made when I was little. :) It also has some candles, my cauldron and offering bowl, wand, chalice, athame, and incense burner. I love my altar - it's such a nice place for me to work and meditate, plus it's not immediately visible upon entering my room so my parents and brother won't notice it straight away. lol

[Xentor]

My wife (Kaylara) and me have an altar up. It used to stand on top of the television cabinet, a centerpiece of the livingroom. People had to see it, but most that did, didn't recognise it for what it was.

Now we've moved the furniture around and the big television cabinet is going to be regifted, and the altar winded up in a corner, taking up much less space, and practically hidden by all kinds of trinkets.

Kaylara is Gardnerian Wiccan: they find altars useful. I find it useful as the focus of my attention, an outside locus rather than focussing on myself all the time. My religion however doesn't prescribe the use for an altar.

[Sharizzy]

I have one on the nightstand by my bed. Looking at it when I wake up first thing in the morning makes me feel at peace :D

[Windsmith]

We have an altar in the bedroom, one in the living room, and one (during non-Winter months) in the center of our backyard labyrinth. I also have one in my study, and by the end of the year we should have one in the kitchen, as well, and eventually my wife will have one in her studio.

Folks who are keen on the distinction between altars and shrines might argue that we actually have shrines, because we don't "work" at them in the way a lot of Pagans work at their altars. For us, they're mostly there as touchpoints for our spirituality and prayers to the world and the things we hold dear.