How to set up a Pagan altar

A Pagan altar can be anything you want it to be - as long as it's meaningful to you. Let me give you some hints and ideas to create an altar that will become your spiritual space.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• table or some sort of foundation
• altar cloth of some kind
• candles, incense
• other items that you will choose to add

1. I have a bit of a different idea about setting up an altar than many Pagans. I believe that you should use items and representations that are important to you in your spiritual path. There are a few basics that you can begin with, and build from there.

2. You can set up an altar indoors or outdoors, as many as you want, wherever you want. All you need is a table, a flat rock, a desktop, coffee table - whatever flat surface works for you. Altar cloths are nice, and can be anything from an "official" altar cloth that you purchase as that, or something as simple as a beautiful scarf, placemat, or any piece of fabric that appeals to you. Change it as often as you wish, perhaps to coincide with the seasons. You do not have to use an altar cloth, however. If you have a lovely table top don't cover it at all. Let your own taste make the determination for you.

3. You'll read that you have to have something on your altar to represent the God and Goddess, but this is purely up to you. The gods will know what you are doing without anything like that. A pentacle is a good idea, just as a focus point, but you can also use other symbols such as the triskele, or even a Baphomet if you follow a more left-hand path.

4. Your altar is sacred space, so you may want to have your athame and/or wand there. Again, entirely up to you and what feels right. Your altar can face any direction you wish; sometimes you are limited in your choices so just go with what you have. I try to find something to represent the four directions and put them on each point of the altar: for east, I have my incense burner to signify "air." In the south I have a candle for "fire." In the west, I use seashells to represent "water." And in the north I have salt and/or pine cones and acorns to represent "earth." You can use anything that you feel corresponds to the directions.

5. On my altar, I have a mirror to reflect the truth to me, and as a reminder of the myth of the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu, who is one of my favorites. I have two tin figures from the Mexican Dia de los Muertos tradition to help me remember those I love who have passed. I have rocks and crystals that I have purchased and/or found, that feel good to me. I have a bell to signify the importance of sound and its ability to move me.

6. I would suggest not cluttering up your altar with too many items; it is not only disorganized but will not give you clarity of mind when you sit down before it. You can keep special items in a box or a drawer and change them around from time to time, to keep your altar fresh and to remind you of these special representations periodically.

7. For setting up an outdoor altar, obviously you will want to use items that will not be damaged by rain, nor blow away in the wind. If you have a protected area then you can use whatever you wish. Natural objects are nice indoors and outdoors; anything you find that feels "right" to you would be perfect for your altar.

8. If you travel a lot, you may want to assemble an "altar in a box" that you can set up in a hotel or motel room. I keep mine in about an 9x7x6 plastic box. I have an altar cloth, candles, incense (cone incense is small and perfect for this purpose), a small dish for the incense, a small pentacle, matches or a lighter, and various small items that have meaning for me. I've enjoyed exploring while on my trips and adding tiny items that I've found to my altar, such as sea shells, rocks, feathers, etc.

9. An altar can be much simpler than I've described, too. Once when I was hiking along the Columbia River, I created an impromptu altar on a flat rock, with two big rocks to represent the God and Goddess, and a third focal rock in the middle. There on a windy, sunny, fall day I did a short celebratory ritual. Altars can be made anywhere, anytime to give you a focus point for connection to deity.

Tips & Warnings

• Collect things that are meaningful to you to add to your altar.
• Follow your intuition when deciding how and where to place things.
• There is NO right or wrong way to set up an altar; it is what feels right to you.
• Don't put too many doodads on your altar; keep it neat.
• Don't let anyone tell you that your altar set-up is wrong. If it feels right to you, that's all that matters. You are the one using it.

[quiquiq]

on 10/1/2009 That was a lovely, helpful, and best of all inclusive article. Thanks for the guidance.

[jennen]

on 1/25/2009 Thank you... I am in the process of studing altars from different beliefs and it amazes me how different they are from each other... I am still stuck on their purpose though...5**