Mini altar for a friend... need ideas!

[demonique]

Hi all! I have a pagan friend who spends most of her days in a dorm room at college. She's been lax with her religious activites since starting college, and has been expressing a desire to get back into things (all that listening to me go on about what i'm planning, I guess :halohead: ) But anyway, I'd like to make her a gift mini-altar that she can have at school, though no candles or incense are allowed (even unburned). Since I'm a huge candle freak, coming up with alternatives to aid in her work is a bit... difficult for me. 8O

Ideas on what things would be nice and useful to include?

Let's hear them!

[BrigidMoon]

What about a box and altar plate? A cool star and moon altar cloth? Some essential oil that smells really good. OR if you love candles so much - and she can't light them - there are those electrical candle warmers........

Hope I helped!

[demonique]

Right. Essential oils are a good idea... and I hadn't thought of including a pretty altar cloth! Thanks!

[blueangel]

Feathers would also look really good, especially if you got some patterned ones.

Oooh just had another idea, you could include a small dream catcher because they look lovely and they have feathers and beads and stuff. You could even make one.

[fay]

umm shells for water maybe? some nice stones or crystals, possibly a mini windchime if you could find one (i got one as a present a few years ago and i thought that my altar would be the best place for it). you could get a candle holder and just not put candles in it, or a lil statue thing, of maybe a pentacle, the sun, the moon, a tree, something like that.
i agree about the altar cloth, that sounds like a good idea.
i think that this is a really nice thing that youre doing for your friend :)
blessed be

[BlueMoon13]

In addition to the other ideas, you could make the altar "portable". You could get an inexpensive, raw wood box at AC Moore or other craft shop, and finish it yourself, keeping in mind that it should open downward so the "lid" becomes the actual altar part. You could affix ties on the inside so the tools won't bang around inside. Think about old fashoined picnic baskets-ask your mom :thewave:
Also, to represent the elements when you can't go the "traditional" route due to safety concerns-I have used cinnamon sticks for "air",since you can smell them,and if they wear down,so to speak, you can refresh them just by a little scraping. For "fire" I've have used dried chili peppers or-ya ready?-hot balls _firedevil . Now mind you, you don't have to actually TASTE the fire represenatives,but each to his own. :rollingla
This is a very thoughtful undertaking on your part _twohorns_

[SandStorm]

You can put some flowers, dry flowers if your friend doesn't have time to take care of them, I love to have a little rosemary branch on my altar.

[Dragonladyofwater]

A wand might be a nice touch, an idea instead of candles woud be one of those nice light boxes, they have them with a candle on them that lights up and changes colors.

Here's a list of ideas for you hope something helps:

altar cloth
divination (tarot/rune/crystal) bag
pendulum
witch's ladder also known as prayer beads
electric tart warmer (melts wax with no flame, good for meditations and candle magick)
altar paten
natural offering plate (any pod found in nature, shells, bark will work)
herbs and dried flowers
oils
black mirror or scrying mirror
scrying bowl
a box of crayons, markers and a decent pen and pencil set with some parchment for writing and drawing.
small book of shadows or a journal
elemental items you can gather or make yourself:
earth: small whittled stick, bark, stones, live plant, bottle of clean soil, 3" by 3" square of fabric with earth symbols painted on it.
air: golden chain she can move into symbol shapes, small wind chimes, tornado in a bottle, 3" by 3" square of fabric with air symbols painted on it.
water: shell, river rock, pearl, mermaid or water element statue, glass bottle with water, 3" by 3" square of fabric with water symbols painted on it.
fire: "firewater" otherwise known as everclear in a small bottle, a small dragon statue or fire element statue, 3" by 3" square of fabric with fire symbols painted on it.

I'm gonna stop there since my list just keeps growing lol
You can also hit the banner in my siggy we have an altar items section that might give you some ideas too. This is a very sweet idea I hope she enjoys it.

[demonique]

Such beautiful you all have! Here's what I've done so far:

Painting a small square box I got at the craft store in colors she likes and symbols that are meaningful to her - runes, and celtic knotwork... Putting inside: representations of the elements: water (small baby food jar of it - it takes up a lot of space and is larger than i'd have liked, but i wanted her to be able to drop stones into it), air (a beautiful short, small peacock feather), earth (small vial of salt), and fire (small packet of ash). Added a small mirror, a few stones in a small velveteen bag, a small vial of oil, a thimble to act as a mini chalice and a ring of hematite to stand it upright in (or wear), some ribbons of various colors for color magic, small small colored scraps of paper to use for... whatever, a few packets of various herbs. Still looking for a small handkerchief or something to use as an altar cloth. May have to go through my fabric stash and see if I have anything I could sew up to work... and still looking for a nice shell and bit of antler to represent the god and goddess.

But this is just preliminary. These may change! *lol*

[BlueMoon13]

Sounds great! I love the idea of the thimble and hematite ring :woot: