The Witches' Altar
Raven Grimassi
Llewellyn's Witches' Calendar 2000

Altars date back into times of antiquity and are found in all
cultures. The altar itself is a focal point, a place of reverence through which one can approach his or her own understanding of deity, or a source of personal power. Typically an altar is oriented to the viewer so that he or she faces a particular quarter when attending the altar. In some traditions the altar is oriented to the east. At the quarter both the Sun and Moon rise, and many cultures have honored this direction as the source of enlightenment.
In other traditions the altar faces north, the customary quarter of divine power among the ancient Etruscan and Celtic peoples. Altars are found in many different shapes and sizes. Some are round, symbolizing the cycles of nature. Other altars are rectangular and symbolize the Underworld and Overworld supported by columns of light and darkness. In some traditions the altar is cubicle, representing the four elements of creation united in harmony. In ancient times large flat rocks were used as
altars, as were tree stumps. Some rocks were large enough for a woman to recline upon, serving symbolically as the living altar of the Goddess Herself.
Whatever your choice in an altar, it should be pleasing to your personal taste in design and imagery. Carefully select any deity images you wish to place on your altar. Other ritual items used upon the altar should also be special to you. The altar is the meeting place between the mundane and the divine. It is sacred space and should reflect your devotion, whether to deity or to your magical art.

Preparation of an Altar
Setting up the altar is an important ritual. It should be
performed with focus and concentration upon the inner meanings as each item is placed on the altar. In effect, you are creating your own microcosm of the universe as you
lay out the altar. Everything you create in this magical work
establishes your own separate reality. In a magical sense your altar also serves as a "battery" for the ritual or magical work at hand. A well-established altar will serve as a catalyst to the states of consciousness necessary for
effective ritual work. Since the altar is sacred space, before dedicating it to your ritual or magical workings sprinkle it with purified water to which you added three pinches of salt. Pass the smoke of some burning incense, such as
sandalwood or frangipani, over the altar. As you do so, speak out loud the intent of why you have erected an altar, and verbally dedicate it to a specific purpose, deity, or whatever you desire. When you are ready to work with the altar, spread a black cloth over it to symbolize the darkness of "procreation" from which all things manifest. Over this you may place a different colored altar cloth to symbolize
other occult correspondences suitable to your ritual. Set a candle representing the Goddess at the upper left section of the altar, and another candle at the upper right section to symbolize the God. Statues of the Goddess and God may be placed next to these candles accordingly. This portrays their presence as they oversee the process of creation reflected in your altar setup as you continue to lay out the altar items. The exact layout of an altar will depend upon the nature of your rituals, or type of altar you select to work with. However, a basic altar typically incorporates an incense burner, candle snuffer, container of purified water, ritual bell (often silver), and decorations associated
with the seasons of the year. These are all arranged as is pleasing to the eye. Now that we have looked at the basics, let us turn our attention to some of the various types of altars one may wish to employ. For the sake of brevity, each type of altar is described with the assumption that the
basic setup is already in place. The mundane times listed in the basic setup may have to be rearranged to make room for the ritual tool placements described in the following.

Ritual Altar
Lay the altar pentacle directly centered on the altar. Next place elemental bowls around the pentacle to symbolize the elemental substances from which all things are created: earth, air, fire, and water. The bowl representing earth is set in the north position and contains sand, small stones, or salt. To the east place the elemental bowl containing incense (smoking) to represent air, and to the south place a bowl with a red votive candle for fire. In the west, place a bowl of purified water. The ritual wand is placed off to the eastern edge of the altar. The ritual dagger or athame is placed at the southern edge. The chalice is set near the western edge of the altar. You will note that the pentacle is
not at the northern edge but rather in the center of the altar. This is because here the pentacle represents the physical plane, the focal point of the ritual energy. Mundane tools such as a utility knife, candle snuffer, and so on, may be placed in the southern section of the altar for easy reach.

Magical Altar
Lay the altar pentacle toward the upper edge centered on the altar. Set a metallic bowl (spirit bowl) containing flammable liquid such as perfume or alcohol directly center on the altar. This liquid will burn a beautiful blue flame, representing the presence of divinity. In place of the fluid
you can burn a candle in a blue glass container. Next place elemental bowls around the center bowl or blue glass candle holder (the creative elemental substances from which all things are made manifest.) These bowls contain representations of the four elements; earth, air, fire, and water. The bowl representing earth is set in the north position and contains sand or small stones. To the east, set the bowl containing incense (smoking) to represent air. To the south set a bowl with a red votive candle for fire, and to
the west set a bowl of purified water. The ritual wand is set next to the air elemental bowl. The ritual dagger or athame is placed near the elemental votive candle, and the chalice
is placed by the bowl of water. Mundane tools such as a utility knife, candle snuffer, and so on, may be placed at the north. With this arrangement the altar is now complete.

A Blessing Altar
This type of altar is used to consecrate ritual tools, amulets, personal jewelry, or anything that you want to treat as special. In the center of the altar place a medium-sized bowl of purified water. Brew a tea made of the following herbs: rosemary, hyssop, and acacia. Then pour this blend of herbs into the bowl. Add three small pinches of salt to the mixture. When blessing personal jewelry you can also add three drops of your favorite perfume to the
concoction. This will help to make the alignment unique to you. It is a good to place a statue of the God and Goddess on the altar to represent the meeting point with divinity as you perform blessings. Hold the object being blessed up to each divine image and ask for blessings in
the name of your Goddess and God. A cowrie shell or moonstone can be placed on your altar to connect with the essence of the Goddess. A piece of stag horn, goat or bull horn can be set on the altar to align with the essence of the
God. Place four small bowls near the lower portion of the altar, forming an equilateral cross. These will be your elemental bowls. In the top bowl pour some salt. In the right bowl, place some mint leaves. In the bottom bowl set a red votive candle. In the left bowl pour some clean water. In the
center between the bowls place a small container of burning incense; dragon's blood incense works very well. To bless an object, dip it into the center bowl of water. Then present the object to each of the deity images. Next, touch the object to each of the elemental bowls. Finish by passing the object through the dragon's blood incense. The symbolism of this is as follows. The water represents birth.
Presenting the object to the deity statues symbolizes the bonding of parent to magical child. Touching the object to each elemental bowl empowers the alignment of the creative elements that provide the vital essence.
Concluding with passing the object through the incense smoke symbolizes that the blessing is made in harmony with the spirit that binds the four elements together.