MCās Guidebook to Altars
This was meant to be posted yesterday, but I kind of forgot about it. Iām so sorry for the delay! Anyways, Most witches have an altar, and there are many posts out there about them, but this is just my own little way of what altars are and what they can be :)
a table or flat-topped block used as the focus for a religious ritual, especially for making sacrifices or offerings to a deity.(google)
Anywhere as long as itās on a hard surface, but it doesnāt always have to be on a surface. Thatās because there are many types of altars for all kinds of witches and religions :) for our sake Iām going over witchcraft altars.
How Big Does an Altar Have to Be?
Altars donāt have to be a specific size. They can range from a shoe box to a dining table. That is all up to you, the one setting it up and how open you are to your craft.
Not at all. Again that is 100% to the practitioner. Some find them helpful and will state you need one but that is honestly an opinion. A lot of witches donāt have one and typically just have supplies to make spells and a specific ritual to do them. But you donāt need an altar at all.
I Want an Altar but Iām not open to my familyā¦
A windowsill and a shoe box will be your best friend if you need to. I used my desk and dresser and called them decorations when my mom asked before I told her my religious path. If you have items that will raise red flags to people who donāt know put them in a shoe box and hide it reallllly well okay?
Absolutely! They are technically a tool in witchcraft and religiously. They are a tool as in they help you with spells and for religious reasons you should think of them as your god/s home within your home. So itās important they be cared for with routine cleanings and cleansings. Especially since specific deities have rituals for it.
Like all things, Altars can and will accumulate negative energy and would need a cleansing. This is how I Cleanse my Altars(I have three).
Take everything off the altar to start.
Wipe off the surface your altar is on.
Dust all items that can accumulate dust and wash any items that can be washed in a washing machine or dishwasher.
When you put things back in their place, start giving clean energy to everything involved in the altar and reorganize it to give it a fresh feeling to it.
What if I Canāt Have a Physical Altar?
Online and Video Game Altars are a thing!! Games like minecraft and the sims, you can create rooms for specific things. The sims 3 even has an expansion pack for witches that involve a cauldron and a spell book! Online altars you can either make a website or an account on a social media for them(like tumblr for example) and post things you believe relate to your practice or your deities.
A lot of things can go on an altar, but you do not need every single item that is about to go in this list.
Statues or Representation of your gods(if any at all)
Book of Shadows(or a place to write about your craft)
The list goes on really. And again you do not need every single item on this list. They are just guidelines that can help you out.
Now this may get a little lengthy. But Iāll try to explain them to the best of my abilities.
An altar that is for spell making purposes and isnāt for any religion or path
An altar that is aimed for a God(s) or Religion alone and maybe spell work as well. This is the place one would give offerings to their deity or deities.
An altar based around all five elements or just one element. These are particularly popular with witches who work with one kind of element.
An altar to ones ancestors, especially for those who do Hoodoo and Voodoo(these are not witchcraft practices and are closed cultures/religions. You have to be initiated @witchesofcolor(tumblr) has answered asks on this before) or if you are doing general ancestor work.
A altar meant for spirits or a particular spirit companion. This can be decorated however you like with the thoughts of the spirits you are trying to please. More for a spirit worker
An altar to celebrate the different seasons and holidays within, specifically those revolving around the witches calendar.
An Altar created on social media for either the practitioner or a god(s)/religion. These are done by posting images, quotes and videos relating to what it is being used for.
An in game altar, great for closet witches for they are easy to hide, this altar is typically a room with things relating to the thing the practitioner is looking for or feels is right for their practice within the game.
Altars on a windowsill because of many reasons, but some include: space, not being out, and aesthetic
An altar meant to be used on the go! Especially when going out of town, but also for everyday outtings. This is usually something small and easy to carry in a bag or purse that wont raise too much suspicion or be too alarming to passerbyās
An altar contained in a shoe box for various reasons like above, and like a travel altar can be for many things including for god(s), seasons, spirits etc.
An altar that is contained within the pages of the journal you use to write your craft in, this is for many reasons like portability and outness to those around you. These usually are drawn out or are printed out.
There are many altars out there, look into all of them, these are only the ones I can remember off of the top of my head. Go check it out, do some good research!
Posted(Patreon): 3/21/2019
Posted(Tumblr): 3/25/2019
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