Creating a sacred space is an essential part of many pagan, spiritual, and religious practices. An altar serves as a focal point for connecting with the divine, performing rituals, and honoring your spiritual path. Whether you are new to this part of your path or not, this guide is intended to help walk you through the fundamentals of building an altar.
For me personally, my altar spaces are treated with the same respect and reverence as an inner room of an ancient temple might have. If you have a particular spiritual path you follow, you may opt to look into the ancient temple traditions of your belief system.
Selecting a Location:
Altars can be indoors or outdoors—choosing between the two is completely up to you. The main thing that’s important is that the location you select feels right to you and won’t be disturbed by others. Ideally, it should be a space where you feel comfortable and can focus on your spiritual practice without interruptions.
You can have a stationary altar that you set up on a shelf or counter space, or you can create a travel altar that is smaller in size and contained in a designated box that’s easily transportable (super helpful for people who often stay in hotels or other people’s homes), or you can create a permanent or temporary altar outdoors, such as in your garden, courtyard, patio, etc.
For me, I have altar spaces that are in my room, bathroom, and living areas that align energetically with those areas of my home and the elements of spirit that I want to connect with. For example, the altar(s) that I have for the water entities that I work with are around the bathtub (near water). Whereas the divine beings that I do astral work with, I keep in my bedroom (near where I sleep). For you, if you’re working with household spirits, you may choose your hearth for your altar, or if you’re an herbalist, you might opt for a kitchen altar.
Cleansing and Purifying:
Before setting up your altar, you’ll want to cleanse the space of any negative or stagnant energy that’s lingering. You can use your preferred method, such as smoke cleansing, sound cleansing, spraying Florida water or cleansing spray, or whatever your go-to cleansing method is. Oftentimes, this also aligns with elements of your craft that you’re already drawn to. For example, if you’re someone who typically utilizes herbs in your practice, you might be more likely to opt for burning incense or yerba santa or something similar to cleanse with the smoke.
Selecting Your Items:
Next, you’ll want to designate what the altar is going to be for and select items that align with the energy of the space you’re consecrating. Your altar can be a general working one that is flexible to your needs (a very common option for eclectic practitioners), it can be designated for a specific deity or divine being you’ve chosen to work with and honor, it can be dedicated to yourself, such as your higher self, inner child, or inner teen, or whatever your intentions are spiritually.
While there is no “wrong” or “right” way to set up your altar (and no two altars are alike, nor should they be), here are some things you might consider to help give you some ideas and point you in the right direction.
- Altar Cloth: Many practitioners love using altar cloths to lay underneath all the other items on their altar. While not necessary, if you choose to use one for your altar, feel free to select a cloth that represents your spiritual path or resonates with your intentions. Consider what it’s made of, the coloring, pattern, or any other relevant aspects. For example, if you’re creating an altar to honor Hekate, you might opt for an altar cloth that is black or red or resonates with her energy.
- Candles: Candles bring warmth and light to your altar, are great for practicing fire magick, and are a lovely way to honor whoever the altar is dedicated to. Use different colors, scents, and so on to represent the energy and intentions of your altar or the divine being you’re honoring. There are tons of candle options, so whether you prefer pillar candles, chime candles, spell candles, taper candles, or any other—go with what works best for your craft.
- Incense: Burning incense helps create a sacred atmosphere and can be chosen based on its corresponding properties. For example, if you’re wanting to honor an infernal being, you might opt for Dragon’s Blood Incense or something that resonates with their energy.
- Athame: A ritual knife or athame symbolizes the element of air and is often used for directing energy during rituals. This may not apply to everyone’s craft, but is something that can be found on many' practitioner’s altars.
- Chalice: Representing the element of water, a chalice holds water or other sacred liquids for rituals, offerings, or connecting with liminal beings or the deceased. This may not apply to everyone’s craft, but it’s a lovely tool if you’re working with water energy, water entities, portal magick, the dead, or other similar practices.
- Wand: The wand represents the element of fire and can be made from wood or other materials, such as metals, crystals, and so on. It is used to channel energy and cast circles. Again, this may not apply to everyone’s craft, but it is an item found on many practitioner’s altars.
- Crystals: Choose crystals that align with your intentions or the divine beings you’re wanting to better connect with. They can be placed on your altar to amplify energy or used during rituals. I love charging my crystals on specific deities’ altars in preparation for rituals. If your altar is intended to help with self-love, you might include crystals such as rose quartz or strawberry calcite. If you’re trying to strengthen your connection to the divine, such as enhancing your third eye capabilities, you might consider crystals like lepidolite or labradorite. You might even choose to include protective crystals to keep the energy of your altar, room, etc., shielded by utilizing crystals like black obsidian and black tourmaline.
- Symbols and Deities: Depending on your particular path, you may want to incorporate symbols or statues representing deities, elements, or other aspects of what you believe. For example, someone who is working with Hades might choose to include symbols of Cerberus (his three-headed dog) or someone working with Persephone might choose to include symbols of pomegranates.
- Other: You can also include natural items such as shells, seeds, plants, herbs, rocks, leaves, tarot cards, oracle cards, pendulums, jewelry, instruments, artwork, letters, spell jars, trinkets, or anything else that resonates with the energy of the altar.
When it comes to creating your altar, it is important to remember that this space is sacred and should be treated as such. It is your designated area where you can connect with your spirituality or practice your rituals. Remember that there are no strict rules when it comes to designing an altar—it is a reflection of who you are and what holds significance in your spiritual journey. So let your creativity flow and trust your intuition when arranging each element on your sacred space. Ultimately, this process should bring a sense of joy, comfort, and connection whenever you engage with it.