Altar Essentials
What is an altar?
Altars are a set of objects arranged in a location that has spiritual significance to you, or that symbolise an element, archetype or energy whose influence you would like to have present in your spiritual practice. All altars are sacred spiritual spaces, however small or large, no matter where they are placed.
The objects on your altar represent the elements, spirits, feelings, intentions, even specific goddesses or gods that you would like to connect with in your spiritual practices. Commonly seen on my altars are small sculptures of the Mother Goddess, stones, bones and crystals, a small crystal gazing ball, snake skin, and items that represent the elements, as discussed below.
The tools you need for your altar setup varies on its location and purpose. The tools you use in a portable will be quite different to the more permanent space you might set up at home. With all altars, the spiritual journey you undertake with each ritual remains the only constant. There are some basic essentials that will always aid your focus and empower you to achieve your desired result. These are both organisational items and ones which represent the elements you are channelling. Whether you prefer a permanent, organised altar with arrangements to represent the elements, a portable kit to take out into nature with you, or even set up your altar fresh each ritual and change your focus elements to suit, there are some essentials that every altar needs.
Use the below information as a guide, but the real power behind altars is your heart, meaning and intent and so use the symbols and tools your intuition guides you to, as these will always be the most powerful.
Where do I place my altar?
Altars can be placed anywhere. You can have a permanent dedicated space set up in your home, a bag of tools and symbols that you take on the go with you, or a shoebox of tools that you set up as required.
Essential Altar Tools
We have a specially curated collection of Altar Essentials available at a discounted price. Get yours here!
Altar Cloth
It's a great idea to start at the foundation and place an altar cloth on your altar. Altar cloths are a representation of your magickal approach and serve to protect your altar from burning incense, candles & hot cauldrons. It is a good idea to choose an altar cloth that represents you and your approach to magick, whether that is a tapestry, rug, or even a towel if you're a sea witch. It does not matter the fabric, as long as you feel a connection to it.
Choose whichever design you connect with, whether that be Celtic prints, witchcraft symbols, pentagrams, herbs or bones.
Athame
Athames are ceremonial blades that are typically used to draw circles, direct energy, and symbolise male energy. While they may look like a knife they are not often used for physical cutting, but rather for channeling and focusing magical intent.
Learn more about athames here!
Bell
Altar bells are cherished tools across many spiritual practices and paths, used for their ability to both clear and enrich ritual spaces.
Learn more about altar bells here!
Besom
Besoms (also known as witches brooms) are typically made of twigs or brush, Typically they are round, rather than flat and are formed by a bundle of twigs tied to a central pole. The term "besom" also evokes imagery of broom riding, and is associated with witches and freedom. Besoms are often used for sweeping and cleansing ritual spaces. It helps to clear away physical dirt and negative energy from your altar, and is associated with the element of water and serves as a purifier.
Candles
Candles are an essential part of your ritual toolkit. A lit candle represents the fire element, and the colours of candles take on different meanings for different rituals. Basic black and white spell candles are a good place to start, as these candles represent the goddess and god or masculine and feminine in nature, and are useful in most rituals, but these candles can also help provide protection, or cleansing and purification. Because colours have different meanings and what matters is your intent behind choosing, a set of chime or spell candles are an easy way to draw elements of focus into your ritual so are a must-have for your altar setup.
Our top pick for a starter candle kit is this multi-pack of Chime Spell Candles - they are an affordable and easy way to ensure you have all different candle colours for your rituals and spellwork.
For more information about candle colours and their meanings, read our guide on simple candle magick and the meaning of candle colours here.
Cauldron
Cauldrons are arguably the most well-known symbol of witches, and they are indeed an altar essential. Cauldrons hold many uses including mixing ingredients such as your herbs, burning loose incense on a charcoal disc, making black salt or to burn petitions. They are not only a useful tool, but they are a symbolic symbol for witches - you can keep one or multiple cauldrons on your altar!
Multiple cauldrons are handy for rituals where you need to keep ingredients separate. For example, you might be burning incense in one cauldron, burning resin in another and need another cauldron for mixing herbs together with your hands. The amount of cauldrons you keep on your altar is dependent on how extensive your rituals become.
To learn more about cauldrons, head to our cauldron blog here.
Chalice
Chalices represent the water element. Fill it with water or wine to drink at the conclusion of the ritual. This can be any sort of bowl or cup, but you can incorporate powerful symbols into your altar with use of a dedicated goblet or chalice
Other tools and items for your altar
Crystals
Crystals have a broad range of uses on altars, but generator crystals specifically, those with 6 faces that come to a point on one end, are designed to generate and project energy during spells and rituals. Rainbow moonstone, for example, is great for helping you attune erratic emotions. Red jasper can make a strong connection with the earth and can make longer rituals more stable and balanced. Clear quartz can not only amplify the energy of other crystals, but it helps to draw off negative energy.
Wands
Wands are used to direct energy, and also represent the air element in ritual work. Many traditional wands are made out of wood or crystal, but its greatest power is the symbolic so choose one that you feel speaks to you spiritually. Many witches craft their own and integrate meaningful elements although this is a journey that can take years to complete. Alternatively, you can keep a selection based on different forms of spell work.
Offering bowls
An offering bowl, sometimes called a libation dish, is again dependent on your form of magick, but they are essential to most rituals in some way. Offerings give thanks, or invoke requests from the spirits and are a sign of acknowledgement that you are asking the universe to grant you what you desire. If your offerings are organic, such as flowers or herbs, these can be returned to nature after use for further effect.
Book Of Shadows
It’s important to have a book of shadows (also known as a grimoire)if you are going to be working magick. It’s a notebook for writing down spells (and the ingredients/elements you are using), rituals, results and any other important notes or things you’ve learned along the way. Some witches like to make theirs decorative and full of illustrations and drawings, but if you are not that creatively inclined, it’s fine to just write in it as a journal, and/or stick in clippings from other texts. How to organise it is up to you and your personal style – some like to divide with stick-in tabs to create sections, and others prefer a more linear approach, in which you can flick through and relive your magickal progression. If your practice has rules or laws, it’s good to include these right at the front or back for easy reference. It’s also handy to create a correspondence table somewhere in the book, with lists of common substitutions for spell ingredients or ideas on how to represent the elements with what you have collected for your altar.
Refer to our blog post on substituting spell ingredients for ideas on how to substitute.
Altar tables
A small table is perfect for an altar setup. Place a plush cushion next for comfort when sitting or kneeling to meditate or perform rituals. Tables that come with an inscribed pattern, such as a pentagram or triple moon can also enhance your rituals without the need for a particular cloth or additional items (more on that below).
Decorating your altar
Representing the Elements
Collect four items that represent the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Candles are the easiest way to represent fire, and you can start simply with a black pillar candle and then grow your collection with symbolically coloured candles for specific needs. For water, an elemental resin or chalice filled with distilled water are good choices. For earth, crystals are the perfect starting point, particularly as most have multiple meanings and so building a crystal collection meets both the elemental symbology, and addresses specific focus needs. A dish of sand can also be used for earth, although this can be a bit messier especially if you are clumsy! For air, a feather, athame, a wand, wind chimes or bells are all good options.
You can also use tarot cards to represent the elements if you have a deck handy.
Triple moon or pentacle?
A pentacle or pentagram is one of the most powerful wiccan symbols. A pentagram represents the creation of the universe and the relationship between the macrocosm and microcosm, or ‘as above, so below’. This powerful symbology therefore is a benefit to any altar setup. Whether inscribed into the surface below the altar, or on the altar cloth, or hanging nearby, we recommend you have at least one in your altar setup. The triple moon symbol, which represents the three stages of womanhood (maiden – mother – crone) is also powerful symbolism with a strong history of use in magick. When using either of these symbols on the surface of the altar, power is enhanced by placing ritual items strategically on the points of each symbol.
Statues & Symbols
Adorn your sacred space with statues and symbols that resonate with you. Choose a deity (or deities), who embodies the essence that best represents your approach to magick.
Flowers & Greenery
Fuse your energy onto your altar by embracing a vibrant array of flowers and greenery that call to you. The presence of these offerings not only adds a visual feast to your sacred space but also fosters a profound connection to the Earth.
Altar Accessories
Elevate your altar with an array of enchanting accessories that embody your energy. Prepare your sacred space using spell jars, crystal grids, crystals & more. Include altar accessories like a bell, tongs, and resins that fit your intention & requirements.
