There comes a time in every witch's practice to begin construction of an altar. I am frequently asked, "what should I put on my altar?" by both beginners in witchcraft as well as those leaving more traditional wiccan or pagan practices and entering the Luciferian or satanic realm. This post will guide you through the basics of constructing your altar as well as what you can, could, should, or shouldn't use it for.
Where Earth and Spirit Intersect
The altar is first and foremost a sacred space. If you take nothing else from this post aside from the previous sentence, I will consider this article a success. The altar is the place where earth and spirit intersect. It is not a mere table upon which we place candles and rocks and other assorted objects. Consider the ancient uses of altars in temples. The altar was often the place where a spirit manifested after being called or channeled by the priest or seer. The altar is not just a physical workplace, but a literal seat for the gods.
For this reason, we should take great care as to how we organize and care for our altars. In temples of old, temple servants would clean and care for the building as well as the altar itself. In many faiths, to misuse the altar or taint it could result in misfortune or even death to practitioners, as a poorly kept temple would anger some gods. This is not to sound scary or threatening, as I believe the spirit world has changed just as much as our physical world has, but it should highlight the urgent importance of altar maintenance. I make a habit of cleaning, cleansing, and charging my altar monthly, or even weekly in periods of frequent work. A cluttered or untidy altar space can result in miasmic or spiritual smog clouding the workspace, which can hinder the effectiveness of rituals and even cause energetic backlash. Cluttered energies at any altar can greatly harm your practice.
It is also important to keep the natural separate from the supernatural. When you enter your altar space, you should want to enter a different mindset than you use in your everyday life. This is because this space is sacred. It is special. It is different from the other spaces you interact with daily. It is a special place carved and sanctioned from the rest of the universe for a specific purpose. For this reason, I do not place any sort of mundane object on my altar or anything that is not cleansed or intended for ritual use. You will find no trash, waste, or ordinary objects on my altar. Only the things that are necessary for proper ritual, worship, and magickal workings. This being said, I will give you an idea of what objects you may want to consider placing upon the altar. This is not a definitive set of rules, but may act as guidelines to help you make the most of your practice. Ultimately, everyone's altar is different based on their tradition, and there is no one way to do it.
The Altar Setup
The altar itself can be any surface, preferably flat. For most people this means a table, but I have seen plenty of other fixtures. Some who work outdoors use tree stumps and even carve and whittle the edges into beautiful faces of their chosen gods. I find this to be a beautiful way to incorporate the earth and its natural energies into your sacred work. Most people, like myself, are not as fortunate or skilled or gifted in such types of craftsmanship or artistry. A normal table will suffice. I like to use a longer table with lots of room to work.
The Wiccan tradition lists a few basic elements to include on the altar: 2 candles on either side, some type of idol or picture representing the divine feminine and the divine masculine, an athame and wand or feather, a chalice, a libation bowl, incense burner, and some type of crystal or stone. Each of these objects represent an aspect of one of the classical elements (athame or feather = air, chalice = water, stone = earth, candles and wand = fire, etc). Often times the altar has a large cloth laid on it that gives the objects a sense of embellishment as they sit on it. The cloth often represents the cosmos or center of the universe, the black potential from which anything can be created.
Of course, the Temple's current, while including elements of traditional witchcraft, is not Wiccan and leans more into an anticosmic and theistic Luciferian current. Of course, these elements are all still essential items for any altar regardless of practice, and I will go over their importance below.
The Athame - The ritual dagger, or athame, is often a double-edged handheld steel blade, although any consecrated blade will do. If you cannot use an athame, using your index and middle finger can suffice as long as you are using them intentionally. The athame is typically used for the "cutting away" of space, to mark magickal boundaries, to banish, to ward, to protect, etc. It is most effective for casting a circle of protection, by marking the barrier between the magickal space and the mundane. You are literally carving out a space and setting it as the center of your universe. It is the place where spirit and earth intersect. Some people also use feathers alongside athames to represent elemental air.
The Wand - The wand, much like in the tarot, represents the element of fire. It is a conduit or passageway for pure energetic essence. In old English traditions, a wand of willow wood was used for benevolent purposes, and a wand of hawthorn wood was used for the baneful and malefic (Additional tip: Hawthorn is a very thorny tree, full of needles. Its roots grow straight down and branch out deep underground, giving it a connection to the underworld. Hawthorn trees are also extremely difficult to remove or uproot, making curses or hexes cast with a hawthorn wand quite unbreakable). However, the wand can be made of any type of wood (especially any wood native to you). Many people like to attach crystals to the tip as a way to amplify, direct, and project energies. I especially love wands that are hollowed out and filled with a rod of copper on the inside, which is a natural energy conduit that can help you project your personal energies through the wand and out from the crystal. Wands are essentially your paintbrush and will paint the cosmic canvas with any color you intend. Is should also be noted that using multiple wands for multiple purposes or energy types is a wise habit to have, as this means less time constantly cleansing a singular wand and avoiding cross contaminating energies. Wands also need not be made entirely of wood. For example, I have a wand that is constructed of horse bone and birch wood, which I use for dedicated rites of necromancy, chthonic, and protective magick.
The Chalice - Typically used to represent the element of water, the chalice is excellent for ritual cleansing or spiritual offerings, as well as to drink from in any ritual where such act is needed. It can be filled with elemental water or any other fluid you are working with. The chalice is often overlooked as some instead choose to use a libation bowl or dish. Others use sea shells or vases filled with fluids. I typically use a chalice for various spells that require water or as an offering holder, but I do not sit it on my altar at all times. When not in use, I cleanse it and store it safely away.
The Candles - Candles have been used worldwide as a means to contact spirits. It is perhaps because candles are a sort of combination of all elements. It has a flame, its stalk is made of wax (earth) and can be melted down (water) and lets off a smoke or energetic release from its flame (air). The flame itself is an interesting portal or window to the world of spirit, and can be used especially to invoke infernal or fire-based spirits. There are some conflicting opinions on this, as Henry Cornelius Agrippa states that certain angelic beings are strengthened by the light of candle flame, and other spirits wither by it. In my experience, however, the candle can be used to engorge the power of any spiritual body or presence depending on the intentions of the spellwork. Also note that you need not only work with 2 candles. My altar is strewn with a dozen or more candles. Many of these I use for lighting purposes and to drench the altar in a sense of sacredness, and focus my magickal workings on one or a few central candles that have been charged with energy. For example, I will use a specific candle that has been marked with runes or sigils to contact a specific spirit.
The Stone - Whether you use crystals or mere stones from a creek bed, it matters not. As long as your stone has some significance to your workings, that is all that matters (if you even choose to use stones). My altar has a variety of crystals on it, but I usually fix my focus on 2 or 3: I have a large prism of black banded obsidian, used for protection and to contact spirits; a prism of Yuperlite (a volcanic stone) used for amplifying fire or chaos energies (as I have a personal zodiacal and spiritual affinity to fire), and a few very large prisms of clear quartz to use for the manifestation of my intentions and the amplification of magick. Use whatever stones you like. Rose quartz for love workings or to help usher in spirits of romance or sexuality. Malachite for spirits or energies of finance and wealth. Amethyst for healing and empathy, etc. It does not matter what type of stone (or object) you place on your altar as long as what you do place is placed intentionally.
The Bowl or Dish - Basically the same uses as the chalice. You may want to use a bowl for the holding of offerings or the use of purifying water such as rose water. Or, alternatively, you could use this bowl for purposes of divination such as scrying or wax pouring.
Incense - The incense burner is usually placed somewhere where the smoke vapors can fumigate the whole altar, especially the area where the idols or representations of the deities are located. Since spirits lack physical bodies, incense often acts as a means for them to wrap themselves in something tangible. For this reason many practicing conjurors note that spirits will appear in the smoke. Incense can also be used as an offering to spirits, and a companion to prayer, visualizing your prayers ascending to the spirits through the smoke. Be sure to use incense that corresponds to what you're doing. For example, I use a basic dragon's blood incense for most demonic workings as I find it more suitable to their energies than a starch incense like white sage which tends to banish. I use it for cleansing and consecration as well as for cursing and baneful works. When offering incense, I will use a more flowery or savory scent like rose or vanilla. Another common incense I use is Palo Santo wood, which is a form of dead wood burnt for its beautiful smell. I use this especially in necromantic workings for its association with death, as well as with certain Qayinitic spells and rites.
Other Useful Items
There are of course plenty of other items you can use on your altar. You can also arrange your items in any particular manner on the altar itself, but choose a manner which makes it easy to do workings and feels most sacred or special. Having a certain aesthetic is also important for personal pleasure and can enhance the ritual experience by intoxicating yourself in the symbols and psychodrama of paraphernalia. However, aesthetic comes secondary to the function and purpose of the altar as a sacred space for ritual magick.
As someone who works with necromantic and death energies, my altar is strewn with real animal bones including the skulls of coyotes, jackals, pigs, stags, foxes, and even baboons. I have leg bones, ribs, pelvic bones, etc. I use them all for highly specific purposes. I also use flowers on my altar on occasion. I have other items of significance as well, such as an authentic Mayan death whistle on the portion of my altar dedicated to Saint Death. I have rusted keys on the space for Hekate. I also use crow feathers, tufts of wolf fur, snakeskin, small figurines of various demons and deities, etc. Ultimately, do with your altar as you see fit. There is an endless number of things you can do with it. But, for the sake of the favor of the gods, do so with order and intention.
Idols of the Gods
One of the most popular altar objects are statues or representations of the gods you hold in most importance. In traditional Wicca, this was usually Gaia or Hekate to represent the divine feminine, and Pan or Cernunnos to represent the divine masculine. However, any deity that you hold dear can have its image placed upon the altar. My main altar is divided into 3 sections devoted to the 3 most significant deities in my practice: the center being Lucifer-Samael, the right being Hekate, and the left being Saint Death. For some people, they may only need one idol to a specific demon or spirit. For others, a plethora is used. In the absence of statues, you may use pictures, drawings, paintings, additional candles, or other sorts of objects that you can use to channel those spirits.
If using a statue, popularly those of bronze or resin, or even wood, I recommend giving a ritual bath or anointing. Sprinkle water mixed with various herbs associated with that deity, focusing on binding the energies of that spirit to the idol, so as to form a link between the two. Imagine that the idol is that entity. Perform a dedication ritual. Submerge the idol in this ritual bath or sprinkle it with the sacred waters. This will form an astral shell over the idol and make it more habitable for the deity. At a later date I will create a post with specific instructions for an idol linking ritual. However, an excellent example of this is laid out in the first Liber Falxifer grimoire, detailing the dedication of an idol to SeĂąor La Muerte.
Regardless, the point of an idol is to give the spirit a physical anchor from which you may plainly honor and communicate with. It gives the spirit a sense of physicality and further immerses them into your life and world.
Altar Cleansing & Maintenance
As stated before, it is important to respect the sacred space by keeping it properly kept and maintained. Ritual spaces that are cluttered with junk or mundane and uncleansed objects can result in a spiritual miasma hanging around your altar and interfering with your work. Not only can this cause your spells to break apart into shreds or otherwise act improperly or backfire, but it can cause your own personal and bodily energies to become unbalanced, resulting in sickness of mind, body, and spirit. I also recommend abstaining from ritual practices that require high energy output if you are sick or feeling weak and unwell, unless those rituals are used to heal and rebalance your energies. This is because an unbalanced energy source that enters the ritual chamber can taint your sacred space and trigger a miasma. If your spells are otherwise not working, it may be time to cleanse your space.
How to Cleanse and Re-Charge
Start by physically removing all the objects from the surface of the altar. Then, literally clean and wipe down the surface as well as do any dusting or vacuuming that need be done. Wipe down any objects, etc.
As you are cleaning, imagine all impurities and imperfections dissipating and leaving. Sometimes it helps to open a door or window to allow this energy to leave. Some people like to imagine light or otherwise cleansing power to come in and purify the objects and table.
It is good to burn sage, rosemary, or another cleansing incense (as I said before I like to use dragon's blood). This helps clear away spiritual impurities.
Perform some type of banishing ritual. For most people, this will be the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. (I would suggest moving your linked idols or objects into another room so that they are not affected by this). As a Luciferian, I have an altered version of the LBRP that makes use of infernal names and energies rather than the classical version made by the Golden Dawn. Either way, a banishing ritual of this sort is good for stabilizing the elemental powers of the space and marking it as a sacred space, while also clearing away any last lingering miasma or clutter.
Perform a consecration or charging ritual. This may be as simple as using one mere incantation to dedicate the space to your art of magick.
Place the altar items back in their proper places. You may want to perform the consecration and charging ritual again, or wait until after the objects are on the table. As you place them back on the table, imagine the powers associated with those objects flowing into them and becoming even more potent in the newly cleansed space. You may consider dabbing your fingers in sacred water and tracing runes or sigils of power on the table before returning the objects to it.
Finally, burn another pass of cleansing incense and say a prayer of thanksgiving to your chosen deities, to the universe, and/or to yourself, depending on whatever practice you follow.
Conclusion
In essence, there are few incorrect ways to utilize an altar as long as your focus is maintaining a sense of sacredness and power. I do hope this post gave some of you more clarity in terms of how to begin organizing, maintaining, and utilizing your ritual space. As always, reach out to myself or the Temple staff with any questions!
đŁ ave infernum đŁ
Dorian
