Pagan Blog Project- A is for Altars part 1

Pagan Blog Project-A Altars: Part 1 If you ask different people what their idea of an altar should be, you will probably get all different answers. There is no 100% right or wrong way to set up an altar. It will ultimately depend Imbolc 2012 Personal Altar on what is important to you. So what is an altar? Basically it is a magical tool one uses to practice magic or to simply honor deity. It can be made of wood, metal or glass. I do not recommend plastic, since this is not an earth friendly product. The top can be round, square, rectangle, triangle, etc. Some people prefer round since it is equal distance to everything on the table and they are easier to get around when doing ritual. If you can not find anything to use, you can simply just use the ground in front of you. Of course you will want to pick up any items used in your work as soon as you are done :) First and foremost, your altar is YOURS! Not your spouses or your high pries Mabon Family Altar 2011 t/tess's. It should reflect what represents you and your faith. Do what is the most comfortable to you. If this will be a family altar, then it should reflect what is important to the entire family. Will you have a permanent altar, meaning it will always be "up", and may require only seasonal changes, or will it need to be a portable altar? Due to non-pagan relatives, friends or roommate, a permanent altar may not be feasible. If you can have a permanent altar, it can be made out of just about anything, a shelf, a dresser, a table. You can make your altar or buy it. I have seen some beautiful altars that were family heirlooms, but also some that were acquired through flea marke Samhain Family Altar 2011 ts, garage sales or even Walmart. A portable altar, means that the altar will be put up and taken down each time you do ritual, it will not be free standing and "up" all the time like a permanent altar. There will be times when you just can't leave the altar up for the world to see. The point is to be able to create sacred space and put up an altar at any time you need it. My personal altar is a cabinet that was made out of an old 1970's TV set. Back then, televisions came in wooden consoles. Mine is about 4' high and is square, by approximately 2'x2' wide. The TV was removed and a shelf put in. This is a wonderful tool for me to have all my tools accessible to me. Pics of my pe Yule Family Altar 2011 rsonal altar and the one I keep in my living room will be below. My personal altar has representations for the god and goddess with the 4 elements: air, fire, earth and water. I also have some Egyptian elements as well. My patron goddess is Isis. How much or how little you put on your altar is up to you. Some of the most beautiful altars I have seen have actually been very simple ones. Do what feels right for you. It is your altar after all. Magical Blessings Always, Annette aka Autumn