Wicca Altar and Tools: A Beginner’s Guide to Wiccan Altars, Tools for Spellwork, and Casting the Circle: Volume 2 (Wicca for Beginners Series)

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I’ll use the term altar throughout. Everything here applies to a shrine as well. There are subtle differences in uses between a shrine and altar, but you shouldn’t worry about this in the basic setup. Your magical altar is a place for ritual and spellwork, and can be set up anywhere you have the space. A Wiccan altar is a "raised structure or place used for worship or prayer", [1] upon which a Wicca practitioner places several symbolic and functional items for the purpose of worshiping the God and Goddess, casting spells, and/or saying chants and prayers. TIP: If you buy an altar, look for one made of oak or willow. Oak has properties of power and strength, while willow is sacred to the Goddess. Research the magical properties of trees to guide you. In the middle section of your altar, you may choose to place a vase of flowers or dried plants associated with the current season. Research the magical properties of herbs and flowers to get some ideas – or use whatever you have available.

The bell is known for the magical value of the sound that it creates by vibration. The bell can be rang a certain number of times to indicate something specific during a ritual: Wand: this helps you channel energy and cast spells. Set it on the God’s side, near the element of fire. White: White is the Moon’s color and the celestial bodies, and it is symbolic of purity, light, hope, and spirituality. Answer: I am drawn to the cycle of life and death as well! I think celebrating mortality and the oneness of living and dying by incorporating your cat's remains into your practice is a great way to move forward. If you still have your cat's remains, I would recommend getting in touch with a professional bone processor who has a colony of dermestid beetles. These beetles will consume the soft tissue so you can obtain relatively clean bones. Hopefully there is someone with this resource in your area.Spells often make use of natural ingredients, such as grass, stones, crystals and feathers, each with its own special magical energy. It is good to remember to treat nature with the respect it deserves, even when collecting grass and plants. Some people use a cloth draped over the altar. This allows them to change the primary color involved. If it’s a purification ritual, you can use white. If it’s a love spell, use red, and so on. You can make a crystal grid on your altar if you want to channel something specific. Witchy Altar Tip #7 Have fun!

You can easily make clothes by yourself to wear during ceremonies and rituals. Take an old sheet, cut a hole for the head and sew the edges (shorten where necessary). You can also try to dress in monochromatic clothes. Make sure you don’t wear your ritual clothes for anything else than working with magic. When you wear such clothes, you let your subconscious know that you are now working with magic. Statues & FigurinesAnswer: You do not "need" to bless each item per se. It is never a bad idea, however, to cleanse any altar item prior to using it in a spell or ritual. Some of your altar items can be used to cleanse others. For instance, some individuals burn sage, cedar, or other dried plants in their cauldron or chalice, then hold an altar tool they plan to use over the smoke to cleanse it. My personal favorite plant for cleansing is rosemary. Other practitioners might place a mineral (or any other altar tool that would not get damaged if wet) into a bowl of water and leave it outside under a full or new moon overnight to cleanse it prior to using it in a spell. I hope this helps answer your question! Candles – I actually use one candle to represent air (fire can’t burn without oxygen) and one to represent fire. In this way I’m covering my 4 elements. Some Wiccans arrange their altars to represent all four elements and directions. [5] [4] In the North the earth element is represented; in the east is air, in the south is fire, and in the west water.