How you setup your altar depends on several things: whether it will be a permanent setup or if it will be necessary to put items away when not in use, whether you have space available to dedicate to an altar exclusively, and personal reflections of your personality and spirituality. But, for the sake of tradition, we’ll discuss two classic altar arrangements here. Ideally, your altar should be constructed of wood and dedicated solely to the use of being an altar. But, hey…life is what it is. So, if you have nothing else available but your living room coffee table, making it necessary to clear the space for communal use each time, then so be it. If this is the case, then it’s important to cleanse the area – both physically and spiritually – prior to its function as an altar.
The Duality Altar
One of the most popular altar arrangements is one that divides the table or other space into two spheres representing duality with the left being dedicated to the Goddess, and the right honoring the God. Thus:
| Goddess (Left)Goddess Candle (White or Silver) Goddess Statue Chalice of Wine Bowl of Water Asperger (used to sprinkle water) Cauldron Pentacle Bell Crystals or Stones Libations Dish (for Cakes and Wine) |
God (Right)God Candle (Gold or Yellow) God Statue Wand Censor with Incense Bowl of Salt Athame (Magickal Knife) Boline (knife used to cut things) Lighter or Matches |
Additional incense, herbs, candles or other objects that speak to you (such as rocks, shells, crystals, etc.) may be placed where convenient for you. You may also wish to include your Book of Shadows, if you have one, in a central location.
The Elemental Altar
Another common arrangement is to setup the altar according to direction and corresponding elements, as depicted below:
| North (Earth)Pentacle, Bowl of Salt, Stones, Plants, Flowers, Green Candle, Offering Cakes. |
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| West (Water)Bowl of Water, Seashell, Chalice with Wine, Blue Candle, Cauldron | Goddess and God Candles or StatuesBook of Shadows | East (Air)Incense, Feather, Bell, Wand, Yellow Candle | ||||
| South (Fire)Red Candle, Athame, Boline, Anointing Oil, Candle Snuffer | ||||||
Patens, or altar tiles, are very popular on any kind of altar setup, as well as being functional. Tiles/patens are used to represent diety, elements, or simply used to place a cauldron upon (heat resistance), or to use when scrying or divining with a pendulum.
