Altar :)

[InnerPeace]

So i am curious if you had to set up a basic alter with just household items what would you use. It would be an alter with no specific purpose. Just the basic things an alter involves. I am curious as to what people would come up with.

[~Elise~]

First of all...it's an altar, not alter. big difference.

What you put on your altar is whatever speaks to YOU. What someone else puts is something personal to them and may not speak to you. What ever it is that you decide on...don't let anyone tell you it is wrong if it truly speaks to you.

[InnerPeace]

sorry for the spelling error i meant altar and i do not appreciate the tone of your reply. I was just curious. i like to see the creative ideas people come up with. In past altars i have seen they used very unique items. things i never thought of using but worked very well. I don't know if you think i posted this as a way to make fun of what people use but that was not my intention.

[Zai]

Elise is right, I think. Your altar should have items with personal meaning. If you're honoring a particular deity or spirit, you might add items that are associated with that being. For example, a nature deity might like flowers, or maybe even stones, depending.

I don't think your altar has to be "unique" in any way, nor do I think that should be much of a deciding factor on what objects to use.

Anyway, I don't know what to say in regards to a "basic" altar. To me, you set up an altar for something(s) or somebody(s) specific, so there's not really a basic setup. It's a personal thing, but I've always considered a cloth and a candle or two to be pretty basic.

My two cents.

[InnerPeace]

Maybe then i was not specific enough. I was thinking along the lines of what you use to hold your representation of earth or what type of incense burner you use. maybe the color of the cloth and the candles. also as to why you choose these things. what meaning do they hold for you? stuff like this.

[Astucity]

http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=4454

A ton of our altar pics there. Maybe you'll get some inspiration from those?

[InnerPeace]

http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=4454

A ton of our altar pics there. Maybe you'll get some inspiration from those?

thank you this is very interesting :)

[Zai]

Well, okay, I see what you're asking now.

I don't use incense, as a rule, because of severe asthma and allergies. While I love the scent and the smoke, it's not worth half-suffocating over. Not only that, but my mother seems to think that burning incense invites Satan into the home, and I live with her, so. . . yeah.

My tendency is put things on my altar that represent a particular deity I'm worshipping. For example, my Odin altar (before I took it down) had some stuff representing Draupnir, Geri and Freki, Sleipnir, etc. It's my way of saying, "hey, I've read your stories. I think you're totally cool." It's meant in the most respectful way, of course. :)

If I don't know exactly what color to use, I prefer white candles and cloths. To me, white is such a neutral, calm color. The candle is a fun tool during meditation, although I wouldn't use it if a particular deity hated fire or something. The cloth just makes the whole thing look nice, in my opinion.

My next altar will hopefully have pictures I've drawn and poems I've written. I want the next altar to look more personalized.

Was that reply a little more useful?

[Goddess Daughter]

Hi InnerPeace :)

My altar cloths and candles change in color with the season and/or Sabbat. For example: Black/orange for Samhain; Pastels for Ostara; Brown for Mabon; Red/green for Yule, etc.

I have a "generic" Goddess figure that is always on my altar as well, and she stays there year round.

A small crystal bowl for salt and another for water, and you can find really cheap incense burners (dollar store or Walmart)... the long wooden ones with a hole for the incense to fit into.

I hope that helps a little. :)

[sparrowspirit]

my full altar at home would contain: my goddess Tara statue, along with my meditating Buddha. I have some star-shaped tea light candle holders, a mini goddess doll my friend made me, a small collection of stones, seashells, pebbles, a pine-cone and an acorn. :)

at school, my mini alter is a small shelf that "book-end" framed by two shadowboxes with my poems in them connecting to earth and sea that my mother made for me. in between the boxes it contains, my mini goddess doll, my meditating Buddha statue, my Mala bead necklace, and a few crystals.

if i were using household objects and wanted to be cautious, my previous altars have been a simple corner of a dresser or bookshelf, decorated with a small bowl of water, a small household plant or fake one, some crystal and stones, and maybe an acorn or two from outside.

i hope i helped you out in some way.
-Krissa

[~Elise~]

sorry for the spelling error i meant altar and i do not appreciate the tone of your reply. I was just curious. i like to see the creative ideas people come up with. In past altars i have seen they used very unique items. things i never thought of using but worked very well. I don't know if you think i posted this as a way to make fun of what people use but that was not my intention.

Personally, don't care what the hell you think of my tone. Don't read more into this than what it said...I never thought you were making fun of anyone, if I did--you would have been banned.

what you put on your altar should be personal to you. There are as many ways to represent the elements as there are witches.

[The_Cricket]

Apparently he didn't notice the giant letters in your signature, Elise.

On topic: follow your instincts. If something feels right, then it probably is. There is no right or wrong, per se.

[MoonAmethyst]

Trust me you're not alone on this way. I haven't even gotten this far yet, right now I'm working on exercises. You should meditate and try to picture on how you want you alter to look like. It's amazing what you're mind can do, do what feels to you. Look for places around your area for statues or certain items that you want for you alter, good luck. Share once you've completed it. :) I'd like to see what you came up with.

[chrestomancie]

I feel that the altar is a very personal thing. I am still working on mine and have been practicing since 2000. Currently I have some gemstones and shells, my goddess, and candleholders along with athame and inscence. It needs some major rearranging.

[Twinkle]

My altar has something that is traditionally associated with the specific Deity on it.

For example, for Hera I have peacock feathers and a crystal apple. I use a spice incense and and a cinnamon candle for her, as well.