altar facing cardinal directions?

[amandabruner]

If you want your altar to face north, does it have to be the actual cardinal direction of north or just where north would be on a compass, at the top, with the other three in their usual places? Also, when people say an altar should face a particular direction, which part of it faces that way, the part furthest from you or are you supposed to do something like, say, have the left side facing north so you'd have to go to the southern side so that you can face north, too, to begin invoking the elements? I hope this makes sense. Lol. Please let me know if it doesn't. Thanks.
Bb,
Amanda

[Sylvan]

I would say that an altar "faces" the direction that *you* face when you're... uh.. facing it. :) So my North-"facing" altar actually has its "back" to North, so that *I* "face" North when I stand in front of it.

I can't say that too many modern homes are lined up exactly to the compass points. I want my altar in the North, so when the sun rises more or less to the front of my house, and sets pretty much to the back of the house, I put my altar against the wall that *would be* North if it *was* perfectly aligned.

Outdoors, I would probably break out the compass and find magnetic North and go from there. Simply because the sun doesn't rise and set at the exact same spot every single day all year long.