Non Wiccan Alters - ?

[mucgwyrt]

So far I've been using an ash stang for my alter, but I now have the opportunity to set up a "proper" tabletop-type alter as well, if I want. But I'm kind of thinking - what would I put on it? I'm not wiccan so I dont need/want a chalice/athame/4 element symbols etc etc.

So, I thought I'd ask specifically the non-wiccan MysticWickers what you put on theirs! Oo and plese - pictures are more than welcome :D

[spirit wind]

HI Macha,

I am non - wiccan. I call myself an eclectic witch (and sometimes change that 'w' to a 'b' lol ) Anyway. I have on my altar an incense holder, 2 glass candle holders and an offering bowl. A lovely picture of Goddess Selene, some beautiful crystals to amplify the healing energy that is being sent out atm and that's it. I change it all the time depending what i am working on and my moods. I'll see if i can get a piccie up of it...

Hope that helps a little :)

[Aidron]

So far I've been using an ash stang for my alter, but I now have the opportunity to set up a "proper" tabletop-type alter as well, if I want. But I'm kind of thinking - what would I put on it? I'm not wiccan so I dont need/want a chalice/athame/4 element symbols etc etc.

So, I thought I'd ask specifically the non-wiccan MysticWickers what you put on theirs! Oo and plese - pictures are more than welcome :D


Hmm, well I am not Wiccan, but I do posses Wiccan influences so this information may or may not be useful to you.

My altar actually consists of the actual table and the window-sill behind it. On the window-sill I have:

Two cards from various animal oracle decks of the raven. A bird's nest in a wooden bowl with a stand, a volcanic rock, a conch shell, and three shafts of bamboo in a sphereical glass container. These do have elemental representation behind them, but they are also sentimental. The bird's nest was the first nest I spotted last year and the only one to date on our property I could safely obtain without climbing our gigantic trees and possibly breaking my neck. The volcanic rock was a gift from my mother. The shell came from my great grandmother's house, and she had 50+ of them on the edge of her wrap around porch (they were always there, if you show one to anyone in our family they know where it came from). The bamboo is the first (!!!) plant I have ever been able to keep alive. I enjoy the culture, ecology, and spirituality of asia and three shafts is symbolic of my destiny number. In the middle of all this are three cards from the Goddess Tarot Deck, one for Athene, Aphrodite, and Artemis (my patrons) which will be replaced in the future with statues, hopefully.

On the actual table I have:

Two 12" brass candle holders (I like 'em tall!). One holding a black taper candle (the left), one holding a white taper candle (the right). These are my illuminator/altar candles, and they represent both balance (with their energies symbolically meeting in the center to form grey) and receptive (black) and sending (white).

A clear quartz crystal matrix roughly have the size of my head (probably a bit bigger) on a brass dragon stand (the kind you often see used for crystal spheres). It is both symbolic of divinity as a whole (representing truth and clarity) and used as an energy matrix, to store (grounding) or to pull from when need be.

A brass bell with the handle designed into that of the feather. I actually use my bell a good deal. To signify a climatic point in a magical process or to send things away rapidly, such as in cleansing before an item is blessed.

A brass ash pot. Used mostly in petition magic to hold the ashes of what I have burned and then later scattered in an appropriate place (into the wind for some instances, buried on or off my property in other instances).

A brass candle holder, the kind with a small hold to slip your finger into for portability purposes which holds my elemental fire candle (a red taper candle inscribed with bind runes and sigils of fire). It is lit first and I take fire from it to light anything else that need be, but also the holder has its purposes, so that in cases where I need to bless or cleanse something by elemental fire it is less awkward to do so.

A stainless steel silver bowl and a small glass pitcher (the kind you often see at salad bars holding olive oil or vinegar with a glass top you pull out). Used in conjunction (to hold and fill the bowl) to represent elemental water, or when I need fresh water for a recipe.

A brass thurible (a metal censer) with a brass-plated (they don't make actual brass chains, apparently) that actually looks like a minature cauldron, complete with three legs and feathers engraved around it from China (it actually has chinese symbols on the bottom denoting what I believe to be fire-proof, as one of them is definitely fire and the other safety).

A small bowl on a stand (the stand does not come off, think an ice cream dish perhaps, similar to the wooden bowl holding my bird's nest-a bowl on a stand) with a matching spoon. They are both made from a coconut shell and I use it to hold sea salt as well as the spoon to remove mixtures from my mortar and pestle more easily.

A silver vase (I'm not sure of the metal, honestly) that I use from holding flowers, to vases, to anything else that needs to be held so it's out of my damn way and looks better. I do not make a point of obtaining flowers often and never for celebrations, but if a recipe calls for flower petals that I am using, that's where they go as I select them one at a time to strip them of their petals. Basically, it holds things to keep them out of my way.

My iron cauldron (not sure of the dimensions), and it's purposes are endless, at least for me.

My silver chalice, and again the uses are probably endless, for me at least.

Small bottles (typically glass, because frankly I like glass, despite the arguments against it in terms of ruining the mindset due to glass being time specific in terms of it was not always with us) that contain special oils, holy water, and so forth.

That's what is typically on my altar, and while I do have two items to represent each element, the ones on my window-sill are more symbolic and sentimental, and the others such as the fire candle and bowl of water are the elements in the raw and pure forms, as they truly are. On any given day there are a multitude of other things specific to what I am working with or doing, such as bones, various stones, and so forth. I've described it to people before and they claim it sounds very traditionally Wiccan, so obviously I am either not describing it well or you have to see it to understand why it is not.

[mucgwyrt]

Hmm, well I am not Wiccan, but I do posses Wiccan influences so this information may or may not be useful to you.

My altar actually consists of the actual table and the window-sill behind it. On the window-sill I have:

Two cards from various animal oracle decks of the raven. A bird's nest in a wooden bowl with a stand, a volcanic rock, a conch shell, and three shafts of bamboo in a sphereical glass container. These do have elemental representation behind them, but they are also sentimental. The bird's nest was the first nest I spotted last year and the only one to date on our property I could safely obtain without climbing our gigantic trees and possibly breaking my neck. The volcanic rock was a gift from my mother. The shell came from my great grandmother's house, and she had 50+ of them on the edge of her wrap around porch (they were always there, if you show one to anyone in our family they know where it came from). The bamboo is the first (!!!) plant I have ever been able to keep alive. I enjoy the culture, ecology, and spirituality of asia and three shafts is symbolic of my destiny number. In the middle of all this are three cards from the Goddess Tarot Deck, one for Athene, Aphrodite, and Artemis (my patrons) which will be replaced in the future with statues, hopefully.

On the actual table I have:

Two 12" brass candle holders (I like 'em tall!). One holding a black taper candle (the left), one holding a white taper candle (the right). These are my illuminator/altar candles, and they represent both balance (with their energies symbolically meeting in the center to form grey) and receptive (black) and sending (white).

A clear quartz crystal matrix roughly have the size of my head (probably a bit bigger) on a brass dragon stand (the kind you often see used for crystal spheres). It is both symbolic of divinity as a whole (representing truth and clarity) and used as an energy matrix, to store (grounding) or to pull from when need be.

A brass bell with the handle designed into that of the feather. I actually use my bell a good deal. To signify a climatic point in a magical process or to send things away rapidly, such as in cleansing before an item is blessed.

A brass ash pot. Used mostly in petition magic to hold the ashes of what I have burned and then later scattered in an appropriate place (into the wind for some instances, buried on or off my property in other instances).

A brass candle holder, the kind with a small hold to slip your finger into for portability purposes which holds my elemental fire candle (a red taper candle inscribed with bind runes and sigils of fire). It is lit first and I take fire from it to light anything else that need be, but also the holder has its purposes, so that in cases where I need to bless or cleanse something by elemental fire it is less awkward to do so.

A stainless steel silver bowl and a small glass pitcher (the kind you often see at salad bars holding olive oil or vinegar with a glass top you pull out). Used in conjunction (to hold and fill the bowl) to represent elemental water, or when I need fresh water for a recipe.

A brass thurible (a metal censer) with a brass-plated (they don't make actual brass chains, apparently) that actually looks like a minature cauldron, complete with three legs and feathers engraved around it from China (it actually has chinese symbols on the bottom denoting what I believe to be fire-proof, as one of them is definitely fire and the other safety).

A small bowl on a stand (the stand does not come off, think an ice cream dish perhaps, similar to the wooden bowl holding my bird's nest-a bowl on a stand) with a matching spoon. They are both made from a coconut shell and I use it to hold sea salt as well as the spoon to remove mixtures from my mortar and pestle more easily.

A silver vase (I'm not sure of the metal, honestly) that I use from holding flowers, to vases, to anything else that needs to be held so it's out of my damn way and looks better. I do not make a point of obtaining flowers often and never for celebrations, but if a recipe calls for flower petals that I am using, that's where they go as I select them one at a time to strip them of their petals. Basically, it holds things to keep them out of my way.

My iron cauldron (not sure of the dimensions), and it's purposes are endless, at least for me.

My silver chalice, and again the uses are probably endless, for me at least.

Small bottles (typically glass, because frankly I like glass, despite the arguments against it in terms of ruining the mindset due to glass being time specific in terms of it was not always with us) that contain special oils, holy water, and so forth.

That's what is typically on my altar, and while I do have two items to represent each element, the ones on my window-sill are more symbolic and sentimental, and the others such as the fire candle and bowl of water are the elements in the raw and pure forms, as they truly are. On any given day there are a multitude of other things specific to what I am working with or doing, such as bones, various stones, and so forth. I've described it to people before and they claim it sounds very traditionally Wiccan, so obviously I am either not describing it well or you have to see it to understand why it is not.
Wow, sounds like you have a huuuuge and intricate alter!

I've been toying with the idea of putting my obsidian ball there, and maybe making a lil clay icon to represent the land-wights i've come accross in my area, as well as a jar with a purifying mix of herbs relevant to my path... and maybe making an alter cloth with a relevant shape on it (I dont do pentacles, really)... and then making a space for my stang to sit next to it... I would also LOVE a brass jug, just because I think they're beautiful.

How do your oils cope with being "out" all the time? I thought you were supposed to keep them somewhere cool & dark :whatgives

[Aidron]

Wow, sounds like you have a huuuuge and intricate alter!

It is, and it grows more intricate every day, which I am fond of. I love complexity and intricate things, so naturally my altar would be. :)

I've been toying with the idea of putting my obsidian ball there, and maybe making a lil clay icon to represent the land-wights i've come accross in my area, as well as a jar with a purifying mix of herbs relevant to my path... and maybe making an alter cloth with a relevant shape on it (I dont do pentacles, really)... and then making a space for my stang to sit next to it... I would also LOVE a brass jug, just because I think they're beautiful.

How do your oils cope with being "out" all the time? I thought you were supposed to keep them somewhere cool & dark :whatgives


Be careful with the obsidian sphere. I would hate to see you knock it off, so make sure the stand is sturdy as this happens more than you may realize. I clean my quartz matrix once constantly to keep of dust, which does nothing but gather negativity (a lot tougher than cleaning a sphere).

Land-wights? Can't say I've heard of them, at least not by that name.

A purification or protection infusion is not uncommon on altars, whether it be Vodou or Wicca. Their purposes typically are used to annoint the altar to A.) cleanse it and treat it as sacred regularly and B.) to annoint it or sit there to protect it from energies we may bring to it that will hinder us.

Altar cloths I'm against, personally. For one, it's a fire hazard. One candle knocked over and everything could go up in smoke. I don't have the patience to worry about that while I'm working. Secondly, what happens if you get one that is absolutely gorgeous? One minor accident and it can be ruined, sadly. Keep that in mind before you use one, if you do, so that only one of us will have to endure that madness.

I've seen tons of brass jugs. I find brass items all the time, especially at a flea market near here where certain merchants sell nothing but brass. I love it, absolutely love it.

As for my oils, I do keep them in a dark and cool place, in my cabinet (which is supposed to be for clothes, but I hang everything, so eh) inside a wooden box in dark amber bottles. The one (singular) oil mixture on my altar is in a dark amber bottle inside another very small container. I also do not make much at one time, in-case fortune leaves me and it does decide to go rancid, this way only a little bit is wasted.

[mucgwyrt]

It is, and it grows more intricate every day, which I am fond of. I love complexity and intricate things, so naturally my altar would be. :)




Be careful with the obsidian sphere. I would hate to see you knock it off, so make sure the stand is sturdy as this happens more than you may realize. I clean my quartz matrix once constantly to keep of dust, which does nothing but gather negativity (a lot tougher than cleaning a sphere).

Land-wights? Can't say I've heard of them, at least not by that name.

A purification or protection infusion is not uncommon on altars, whether it be Vodou or Wicca. Their purposes typically are used to annoint the altar to A.) cleanse it and treat it as sacred regularly and B.) to annoint it or sit there to protect it from energies we may bring to it that will hinder us.

Altar cloths I'm against, personally. For one, it's a fire hazard. One candle knocked over and everything could go up in smoke. I don't have the patience to worry about that while I'm working. Secondly, what happens if you get one that is absolutely gorgeous? One minor accident and it can be ruined, sadly. Keep that in mind before you use one, if you do, so that only one of us will have to endure that madness.

I've seen tons of brass jugs. I find brass items all the time, especially at a flea market near here where certain merchants sell nothing but brass. I love it, absolutely love it.

As for my oils, I do keep them in a dark and cool place, in my cabinet (which is supposed to be for clothes, but I hang everything, so eh) inside a wooden box in dark amber bottles. The one (singular) oil mixture on my altar is in a dark amber bottle inside another very small container. I also do not make much at one time, in-case fortune leaves me and it does decide to go rancid, this way only a little bit is wasted.
I rather like alter cloths, I think solely because otherwise it just looks like a table with stuff on it :lol: I sew, so it wouldn't be expensive or invaluable; just a bit of velvet with some shapes stitched on it, but that is a good point which hadn't ocurred to me. :uhhuhuh:

Land Wights, erm... "earth spirits" :)

PS - do you speak from personal experience with the ball-thing? If so, what do you find is the most stable stand? The one I got with it is a little bit of circular wood, which the ball sits on. It's pretty hefty though, at 4.5" diameter, so I'm not sure it'll get easily knocked :huh:

[Aidron]

I rather like alter cloths, I think solely because otherwise it just looks like a table with stuff on it :lol: I sew, so it wouldn't be expensive or invaluable; just a bit of velvet with some shapes stitched on it, but that is a good point which hadn't ocurred to me. :uhhuhuh:

Ah, good. My mother is perpetually giving me altar cloths that I never use as I'm too afraid of what I will do to them.

Land Wights, erm... "earth spirits" :)

Ah. No, never heard of them in that sense. When I first read it I thought of something entirely different, ancestral spirits that are not appeased and cause trouble as 'hungry ghosts' (as they are often called in Shintoism).

PS - do you speak from personal experience with the ball-thing? If so, what do you find is the most stable stand? The one I got with it is a little bit of circular wood, which the ball sits on. It's pretty hefty though, at 4.5" diameter, so I'm not sure it'll get easily knocked :huh:

Mmhmm. Thankfully I was able to catch it every time. I'm not sure what your stand looks like, but I can provide you with some examples. Oh, and for the record, the clear quartz sphere I talk about the examples is not the one that fell so much so as to not confuse you. I have several spheres in many sizes and various stands (most I've discarded due to the fact that they are not stable).

I would not use one like this (http://www.raenelark.com/product_info.php?products_id=4499). Obviously, that sphere could be knocked off with just a mild breeze no doubt. It scares me to even look at it.

This one is similar to the one I have (http://www.raenelark.com/product_info.php?cPath=107_100&products_id=3532). Mine is brass, however, but I'm sure you get the idea. I used to own a large crystal sphere (larger than the palm of my hand) that my mother now has and it never once fell off this stand no matter how much my altar at the time rocked. I would suggest going with a durable material, no glass, no plastic, no crystal for a stand. Wood might work, metal is better though in my opinion. Be sure to check the where the ball will sit on any stand, however, as there may be a sharp point or something that could scratch it. In fact, since you seem to have a talent for sewing, perhaps you could create a small cloth to lay over the stand (crushed velvet in a dark color would be great, much like they include in jewelry boxes) to prevent this and even fold over it to shield it from dust when not in use. :)

[mucgwyrt]

Ah, good. My mother is perpetually giving me altar cloths that I never use as I'm too afraid of what I will do to them.


Ah well, I'm sure they'd look nice hung up as well :)


Ah. No, never heard of them in that sense. When I first read it I thought of something entirely different, ancestral spirits that are not appeased and cause trouble as 'hungry ghosts' (as they are often called in Shintoism).


"Wight" is the anglo-saxon word used to describe any kind of spirit; plant spirits, dead spirits, good spirits, bad spirits... I've never heard it used to mean something negative-in-general, but I suppose it could have come to have a more negative connotation through the church.


Mmhmm. Thankfully I was able to catch it every time. I'm not sure what your stand looks like, but I can provide you with some examples. Oh, and for the record, the clear quartz sphere I talk about the examples is not the one that fell so much so as to not confuse you. I have several spheres in many sizes and various stands (most I've discarded due to the fact that they are not stable).

I would not use one like this (http://www.raenelark.com/product_info.php?products_id=4499). Obviously, that sphere could be knocked off with just a mild breeze no doubt. It scares me to even look at it.

This one is similar to the one I have (http://www.raenelark.com/product_info.php?cPath=107_100&products_id=3532). Mine is brass, however, but I'm sure you get the idea. I used to own a large crystal sphere (larger than the palm of my hand) that my mother now has and it never once fell off this stand no matter how much my altar at the time rocked. I would suggest going with a durable material, no glass, no plastic, no crystal for a stand. Wood might work, metal is better though in my opinion. Be sure to check the where the ball will sit on any stand, however, as there may be a sharp point or something that could scratch it. In fact, since you seem to have a talent for sewing, perhaps you could create a small cloth to lay over the stand (crushed velvet in a dark color would be great, much like they include in jewelry boxes) to prevent this and even fold over it to shield it from dust when not in use. :)

:lol: that first one makes me cringe!
The second one is nice, although the one I have (which is nothing special) is more like this one - http://www.crystal-balls.com/phoenixorion/images3/fullsize/reconqtz.jpg

Although I do actually quite like this - www.fire-nymph.com/wap/crystlarge.gif

That dust-shield is a good idea. With black obsidian every speck of dirt shows :rolleyes: :T

[Sylvan]

This is the kind of wooden stand you find around here alot:
http://grandpasgeneral.com/ballstand1_80x107.jpg

As for finding different approaches to altars, I *love* looking through the altar pics at Sacred Source.
http://www.sacredsource.com/products.asp?dept=93
This one is one of my favorites:
http://www.sacredsource.com/pictures/altars/020902.jpg

Oh, and if your altar is on the small side, topspace-wise, placemats can work pretty well as altar cloths. Easily replaceable, too. :)

[mucgwyrt]

This is the kind of wooden stand you find around here alot:
http://grandpasgeneral.com/ballstand1_80x107.jpg

As for finding different approaches to altars, I *love* looking through the altar pics at Sacred Source.
http://www.sacredsource.com/products.asp?dept=93
This one is one of my favorites:
http://www.sacredsource.com/pictures/altars/020902.jpg

Oh, and if your altar is on the small side, topspace-wise, placemats can work pretty well as altar cloths. Easily replaceable, too. :)
wow, what a fab site!!

there's an artist who does stuff like the picture above, although I can't for the life of me remember his name....... :confused: it'll come to me.

[Aidron]

Ah well, I'm sure they'd look nice hung up as well :)


Goodness no. I'm very anal about things she makes for me. They are to be preserved in pristine condition so I can look at them and go "Look what my mommy made me!" all teary eyed after she passes on. :lol:


"Wight" is the anglo-saxon word used to describe any kind of spirit; plant spirits, dead spirits, good spirits, bad spirits... I've never heard it used to mean something negative-in-general, but I suppose it could have come to have a more negative connotation through the church.

I have no clue what any church thinks of it, beyond what I know of them as percieved in Shintoism.



:lol: that first one makes me cringe!
The second one is nice, although the one I have (which is nothing special) is more like this one - http://www.crystal-balls.com/phoenixorion/images3/fullsize/reconqtz.jpg

Although I do actually quite like this - www.fire-nymph.com/wap/crystlarge.gif

That dust-shield is a good idea. With black obsidian every speck of dirt shows :rolleyes: :T

Yours does not look too shakey, but I'll leave you to be the judge of it. Sit it on a rocky table and keep your hands near it and see how it fairs. That's the best test to be quite honest. ;)

[mucgwyrt]

:lol: well, it's been hit by my blind a few times (its on my window sill at the moment) and it's still there, so...! :D

It's nice that your mum makes you alter cloths :smile: I dont know many parents who are that ok with paganism!

xx

[Aidron]

:lol: well, it's been hit by my blind a few times (its on my window sill at the moment) and it's still there, so...! :D

It's nice that your mum makes you alter cloths :smile: I dont know many parents who are that ok with paganism!

xx


My mum is so okay with it she infuriates me at times. Sounds ironic, I know.

If you have no aversion to synthetic materials, you could try double-sided tape on the inside of your stand, with the added benefit of yours not showing it like most to help keep it in place. I'm not overly keen on that myself, given I like to pick up my spheres, but you may not.

If you want to view other altars (outside of Sacred Source which is a great resource), do a search on Google for things such as "Vodou Altar(s)", "Shinto Altar(s)", or whatever altars you from various traditions you feel would be most suitable to your personal style.

[Ivy Artemisia]

Your altars sound beautiful. I just had a little suggestion about altar cloths. One person that I know uses a beautiful altar cloth, but places a matching cloth over it like a runner called her "working" cloth. That cloth is inexpensive, but still coordinates. :)

[Aidron]

Your altars sound beautiful. I just had a little suggestion about altar cloths. One person that I know uses a beautiful altar cloth, but places a matching cloth over it like a runner called her "working" cloth. That cloth is inexpensive, but still coordinates. :)


Mmhmm, I've tried that myself. I thought it was a simply brilliant idea. Unfortunately, I wound up ruining both it and the altar cloth. *sighs*

Leave it to me to ruin a brilliant idea.

[Demeter]

Another way of dealing with the altar cloth problem is to have a pane of glass or plexiglas cut to the size of your altar-top, put down the cloth and then the glass over it. This protects the cloth from spillage, candle wax, etc. You can also use erasable markers to draw symbols on it if you like during the course of spellwork.

I have quite a "collection" of altar cloths which I acquired by running down to the fabric store and getting one yard of a seasonal fabric, then using iron-on tape to finish the cut edges. I just left the selvages the way they were. I've got all sorts of pretty cloths, not a one of them cost more than $5, and if one of them gets a bad stain on it, it can be retired. For my portable altar kit, I have several cloth napkins in various colors for various seasons and some white brocade ones that I've used at handfastings.

[mucgwyrt]

Another way of dealing with the altar cloth problem is to have a pane of glass or plexiglas cut to the size of your altar-top, put down the cloth and then the glass over it. This protects the cloth from spillage, candle wax, etc. You can also use erasable markers to draw symbols on it if you like during the course of spellwork.
What a fantastic idea! I LOVE the idea of using magic markers on the glass!!!! Very useful :uhhuhuh: