Complete Indoor Altar Room , From the ground up.
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I have as much space as I need for my altar, and privacy is not a factor. If this is an issue for you I'm going to be creating another lens soon with information on making an inconspicuous altar. One that can be in plain site, but no one would know what it is.
Define your space
Jute Natural Braided Round Rug Size: Round 8'
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)
A traditional Wiccan circle is a sphere that is nine feet in diameter. An eight foot round rug is a nice way to define working space. I will be placing the rug on a hard wood floor with the center of the quarter candles placed one foot from the edge of the rug. This method is less cumbersome than trying to measure out the full circle and define it with string.
I chose this particular rug because it is hand woven out of all natural material. I will try to use as few man made materials as possible in the construction of my altar space.
Ouch My Knees!
or butt
Park B. Smith Eco Houston Recycled Cotton 18 by 18 Decorative Pillow, Mushroom
Amazon Price: $28.14 (as of 05/31/2012)
OK, so admittedly there is a flaw in my rug plan... it's not very soft. This is where a beautiful floor pillow comes in. I tend to kneel at my altar, but if you sit this will work too. Unfortunately the table I've chosen will not work well for a chair or meditation bench. I like natural colors, nothing too bright, and the mushroom tone of this pillow goes with the rug very nicely. This particular floor pillow is green in more than just it's color :)
The fabric on this pillow is made of 100% recycled material , mostly cotton. I honestly have no idea if the other fabrics are natural or synthetic, but it's recycled and that's good enough for me.
The Altar
This is where the wallet GROANS
Groovy Stuff California Rectangle Teak Wood Coffee Table - Tf-067
Amazon Price: $749.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
This is my major pain point - a eight hundred dollar altar. That's almost a punch in the guy, but I found this little guy and as much as I tried to find an alternative that felt right to me i simply couldn't. I probably added and removed over thirty other products, my search lasted over two days just for this piece. I'm sure a suitable alternative for most people would be around $100-200 , much more reasonable. I'll list a few of them in a second... But here is my reasoning.
I've worked so hard to find a redeeming quality in each of the parts that I've chosen. Whether it be eco-friendly, fair trade, reclaimed material, recycled, whatever. This table is made of completely reclaimed teak - no additional trees were harmed in the making of this table. The work area is large enough for full size tools and it's just beautiful. So even if it takes me a little longer to get, this is the table i've settled on.
The Quarter Candles
Reclaimed Wood Hurricane Pillar Holder & Glass (Pack of 2) by Midwest CBK
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)
First I'd like to say *more* reclaimed wood for these babies. I was very excited about that, but here's the thing... I don't like the glass sconce thing. I figure once these arrives i'll make them into a fun art project. For the actual altar room I would like to do the following.
Step 1) Remove the glass sconce, place at the four corners ( East, South, West and North )
Step 2) Fill the divot that was intended to hold the sconce in place with an elemental corresponding item. I chose the following:
Air -> Feathers
Fire -> Lava Granules
Water -> Well water, naturally - preferably from a local outdoor area
Earth -> Dirt from Ireland , how cool is that ?
Step 3) Secure the pillar candles you've chosen to the candle holder.
Viola~ Your corners are set. Don't forget to place the very center of the candle holder ( and thus where the flame will be lit ) 1 foot away from the rug. You'll need to buy 2 sets of 2 of these.
IRELAND!!
well not really , but i still think the dirt is cool
Pillar Candles
The Layout - Phase 1
YAY! We are done with phase 1. I suppose it looks weird since I'm using cut photos from the amazon pages - but hopefully we will at least get a feel for the awesomeness that is our new altar room! This is to scale where 10 pixels = 1 inch. Check out phase 2, the tools!
Status Check #1
How are we liking the progress?
What are you thinking you crazy witch?!
I want to rub my face on the eco awesomeness that is that floor pillow!
goo2eyes says:
i am trying to be diplomatic and say the second choice.
lorindaleigh says:
I love how big your altar table is. I used a small end table and am constantly struggling for space. But it's all I can afford and it works for me. You can get someone to make that table for you for half the price. I think it will be even more special because of the good energy and love that will go into it being made by hand and all. There are local Amish places around here (near Lancaster, pa) that would do it for $150 tops.
On to tools
So begins part 2 of my search
It's much more difficult to find tools that are eco friendly, so my emphasis when searching for stuff to fill my altar was an even balance between god and goddess, masculine and feminine, and equal representation of the elements. In my practice I like to pay special attention to balance. I personally like indirect representation - so for example I chose a candle holder that reminds me of the moon rather than a goddess statue. I think the below tools are simply lovely. The Goddess
statue and candle
Kosta Boda Cool Moon Votive
Amazon Price: $42.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
I think this candle holder is absolutely beautiful. I can definitely see the moon represented in the style. The swirls are so mystical to me, I feel like I could get lost in the swirls - like it could pull me out of the physical world all by itself. I can't think of a lovelier representation of the Goddess, and trust me i looked. The search for this candle holder took me days. I did toy with the idea of some of the candle holders that were also statue representations... but the problem was they were all for taper candles. This is not a problem in and of itself, but I was not able to find a similarly sized taper candle holder for the God. In the interest of balance my search was for something of similar size, and held the same style candle.
The God
statue and candle
Dark Bronze Deer Candleholder
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)
As I said, I am trying to find something around the same size. If you've read the amazon description already you'll notice that this holder is quite a bit taller than the goddess one. I would like to explain my reasoning as to why it would still make a perfect masculine half. First it will take up about the same amount of surface space on the altar, as the length and width dimensions are approximately the same ( plus or minus an inch or so ), but even in height, the bulk of the deer is shorter. The antlers are what make this piece so tall - and I like the large strong masculinity of them. This holder also cradles a standard sized votive candle, so the balance there holds.
Goddess and God votives
The Cauldron
Triple Moon Cast Iron Cauldron 7"
Amazon Price: $59.95 (as of 05/31/2012)
So the honest truth here is that I was just looking for a reasonably sized ( everything on the altar is relatively small, but not tiny ) cast iron cauldron. My main requirements were that it looked well made and I liked the symbol embossed on it. This one fit the bill. I like the shape, I like the symbol, and I could see myself using it. The cauldron is the feminine tool which I counter with the athame below for balance.
The Athame
NEW Tree of Life and Pentagram Athame - RAK18
Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
This is the same deal as above. I was looking for a nicely sized athame with decorations that I found pleasing. I have been wanting to work the tree of life into the altar at some point , mostly because I really just enjoy the tree of life symbol. This seemed like a good place to do it. I think that the athame here is attractive, and not too gaudy. This is the masculine counter piece to the cauldron.
The Goblet
White Onyx Glasses 6 Pc Set Goblets Glasses Comes in Gift Box
Amazon Price: $59.00 (as of 05/31/2012)
I fell in love with these glasses about 6 months ago and have been looking for a reason to order them. When the goblet / chalice portion of this search began they were the first that came to mind. I am extremely excited that there is no glass or metal , a completely natural container for my offerings! There are both green and white onyx sets on amazon, I prefer the white. If you pay attention to the description then you'll see that you can purchase a single glass if you'd prefer not to order the set.
The Offering Plate
Round White Marble Cheese and Pastry Board - 10" Diameter
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 05/31/2012)
Of course you also need to have your food offering. I picked this particular cheese and pastry board partially because the description said ' cheese ' and ' pastry ' , and these are some items I use to fill the board with. I know, it's not a rational reason as any place can be used to put these items on, but I am not always sure why I am drawn to a particular product. This is large enough to place the goblet on the place and add the food offering.
The Pentacle
Triple Moon Pentagram Silver Plated Altar Tile
Amazon Price: $45.00 (as of 05/31/2012)
This silver plated pentacle altar tile is balance in itself. It represents the masculine and feminine elements in the pentagram symbol. I just like the triple moon as a design element, on pretty much everything. I picked this tile mostly because of size, should you choose to place a cauldron on top of your pentacle tile as I sometimes do , it's large enough to not be an awkward fit.
Air
Round Soapstone Cone Incense Burner Tea Light Holder B
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)
I prefer working with cone incense, it's compact, it smells great, and it's not as difficult to work with as a full on charcoal censer. I picked this soapstone incense burner for two reasons. First it is made of a natural material , which I try to get if i can ( if you havn't already noticed the pattern here ) and second the little design patterns remind me of stars > sky > air. It looks well made, which anyone who has purchased incense burners off the internet knows, my not always be the case with wood/metal burners.
Incense
Fire
Serpant's Fire Dragon Tealight Holder
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)
A candle is often / usually used to represent fire because , well what better item to represent fire than fire itself? I wanted to be a little more fun in my representation, however, than just a candle, so I found this dragon tea light holder for a base. It is not often I find a dragon I like the look of - but this one looks powerful and handsome. The poly-resin material is not ideal , but if i find something better I'll update here and explain why.
Fire Candles
Water
Abalone Shell & Wooden Tripod
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
Natural shell atop natural wood. The idea is to fill it with water, and perhaps a few small shells as listed below. The water would ideally come from a local outdoor pond/lake/ocean , whatever you have access to. It's pretty , it's small, it fits the bill. Mostly I like that it's not just a plan shell to lay on the table, it has a tripod which to me makes it seem a little more ' special '. It's also about the right size taking up around 4 inches. Most of the elemental representatives i've found are around 3 inches +/- 1.
Small Shells
Earth
Small Moss Agate Devotional Bowl
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 05/31/2012)
The final item I want highlight in this lens, the green moss agate bowl is about 2 inches in diameter and can be filled with whatever earth representative item you wish. I will likely add some more of the Irish dirt from above, but many people use course salt or something similar. Moss agate is a stone strongly allied with earth, so I found the material fitting. This lens won't allow me to add any more items, so I think this concludes our little show for the moment. These are most of your essential tools for your altar, there is only one more image i would like to share with you below... How I intend to lay these items out.
The Layout - Phase 2
So I have listed the bare essentials for my altar, there is naturally some space for additional items such as books, spells, herbs, pictures... whatever it is you need for your ritual.
My Other Lenses
What do you think?
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davespeed
Mar 31, 2012 @ 8:09 pm | delete
- Nice lens. I love the goblets...they're beautiful. Like kougar, I'd like to see the photos once you're finished - I've never seen a Wiccan altar room. All the best.
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TTMall
Feb 23, 2012 @ 5:00 am | delete
- great work!
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kougar
Jan 21, 2012 @ 12:45 am | delete
- I love this lens. I hope we get to see photos of the finished altar room.
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lexxsweet
Jan 31, 2012 @ 11:22 am | delete
- haha - some day when i have enough money to complete it I will be sure to add them :D
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goo2eyes
Jan 19, 2012 @ 3:20 pm | delete
- i hope that i don't get excommunicated for liking your lens. i am bewitched.
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