What you need for your alter is a very common concern for new practitioners in various crafts. I know the question is rather normal within druid and witch groups alike and there are many other paths that practise having an alter.
So what should you put on it and how should it be displayed?
Where should your alter be in your home?
The purpose of the alter
Alters are in general terms a place of worship and/or contemplation. To answer any questions about your alter, you must first decide what you want an alter for.
If it’s meant for quiet contemplation, it requires a place without interruptions and maybe minimalistic in its set up.
If it’s meant for long prayers or rituals, maybe a cushion or small chair would be needed to supplement the alter.
If it’s meant to work practical magic, you maybe need herbs, crystals or other materials you use within reach.
So the purpose of the alter determines the answers to all your questions.
The tricky thing is; crafts and alters grow. They evolve. You may start one place, but with months you find that your needs change and you have grown to require other things from your alter.
This is extremely normal.
Very few – if any – remain unchanged in their practical expressions of their spiritual path.
So if you find yourself no longer needing materials within reach or that suddenly you require a cushion, don’t be afraid to change.
In fact the more authentic and aligned with you your alter is, the better is will work for you.
A quick layout of a Druidic alter
Somewhat misleading, because you are likely to find that no two Druids have a ssimilar alter. So really, what I am unveiling here, are a still image of my own alter – and even now the alter changes frequently.
Crystals
It is rather difficult to find spare open spots on my alter, because it’s pretty much covered in crystals. I have tumbled stones, palm stones, figures, spheres, towers etc. and of various kinds.
They keep the energy almost electric, but I do feel a tidy-up coming up, because some are really just there, because I didn’t have anywhere else to put them. And I would rather save their energy for when it’s specifically needed.
If you are new to crystals and are in search for good beginner crystals, I will recommend rose quartz, clear quartz, amethyst, smokey quartz, obsidian or black tourmaline, sodalite, carnelian, citrine and aventurine. These are pretty easy to come by in most crystal shops (make sure you are using a seller with good ethics) and they covers all the esssential needs. You will have the 7 chakra system represented, as well as some banishing and repelling crystals (obsidian and tournaline).
You can buy spheres and towers if they appeal to you, but for a start, tumbled stones are perfectly fine.
For cleansing you can get a selenite plate to put your crystals on, when you have worked with them.
I let the crystals charge on the alter – you will soon learn how much energy is stored around the alter, so in many ways my alter is like a supercharged selenite plate. But supercharge sometimes gets a little too much, which is why I feel a cleanse coming up.
I use my alter for a number of things, such as meditation, fire and candle rituals and certain incense or herbal ceremony. The crystals are there so as I meditate, pray etc I can reach for the needed crystal and let the energy run through my palms as I meditate.
Some crystals are taken from the alter and brought to another place; such as a smokey quartz to my bedside table, before I go to sleep. So the crystals serve a number of purposes for me.
Herbs
Herbs is another essential component on my alter (and various cupboards as well) because I use them for spell jars and pouches and fire rituals as well as generating Mother Earth energy around my alter.
My practise is centered around the Natural, Mother Earth, Father Sky and the Realms in between and this makes the herbs on of the main characters of my alter.
The herbs that are essentials and mostly present around or on my alter are Valerian, Lavender, Chamomille, Rose, Pine, Sage, Wolfs Foot (also known as Club Moss) and Nettle. With these I rarely feel like missing essentials for a ritual or spell – and I never do relly, because while these are essentials on my alter, often more herbs and plants are present too.
If you a new to using plants and herbs, it can be quite overwhelming to seek out the right plants for starters. Like crystals, the variations are seemingly endless and the lore equally substantial.
My very first advice would be to consider your favorite plant, herb, tree or flower. Maybe choose one from each group.
For instance, I could choose valerian, rosemary, oak and sunflower – and then dive into the properties, the lore and the correspondances. But before you research, take notes of what each one means to you. How do you connect to them? Which feelings do they awaken? What memories? If they had messages what wouold they say?
This reason why I mention this, is because we often rely too heavily on theory and forget our own connections. The Valerian will always have it’s calming property, but where I use it for banishing in rituals, others may connect differently to it’s magical properties and use it for something else.
If you forget to check into your own intuition, you are loosing that instinctive connection. So feel the plant and connect, before you investigate how it has served others.
If I should recommend three herbs and plants to keep present on your alter it would be pine (for cleansing and protection), lavender (for balance and meditation) and rose (for ancestry and love). But again – if you feel you connect other words too any of them, maybe you don’t connect to them as I do, and then you should follow your own guidance.
Figurines and statues
Maybe you have a Deity that you particularly connect to? Maybe a certain animal seems to be guiding you?
Figurines and statues are another common component of an alter and the most known are figurines of Jesus, Virgin Mary, Buddha and Ganesh, to name a few.
On my alter is a statue of a meditating Buddha and little figures of the Wolf (my spirit animal guide)and a few crystal carvings of animals, skulls and the Moon. They are there to guide me in whatever endeavor I choose at the alter. For meditation, I focus on Buddha. For guidance I focus on the Wolf or the Crows. For ancestral practises I focus on the skulls. And so forth.
This subject is rather difficult to guide because it is highly dependant on the path you are on. Christian, Muslim, Norse Pagan, Animalist, Celtic, Buddhist, Hindu… or even Satanism – all come with their attached figurines or statues that represents values within this path. Some resembled humans or humanlike deities, some are animalistic and again some are not resembling any living creature.
If you have not chosen or found a specific path, then feel into what speaks to you. Maybe you don’t need figurines, maybe for you a crystal will do. Or photos of ancestors or a special item that carries a profound meaning for you.
A simple candle may also substitute the figurines.
For many the figurines serve as focus points on which the eyes can rest.
So whatever fill that purpose for you, is what will work for you.
Trust me, if you choose a figurine “just because everybody else does”, then 1) you would be wrong, because not everyone has figurines and statues on their alter and 2) the presence of the item will disturb your eyes everytime you approach your alter, thus doing harm to your practise.
So listen to your own gut feeling here.
And remember; as with all else, figurines and statues can also outgrow their purpose and find themselves being replaced.
Crafts
Adding your own intentional crafts to your alter can really add to the energy.
I have made pentagrams from twigs, incense and candle holders of clay, herbal dream catchers and wind decorations – and every item is created with intention of purpose for the alter or other places in my home. I find it to be a beautiful and meaningful way to keep your alter authentic and very aligned to your spiritual craft and path.
Like figurine and statues, this is a subject that relies heavily on your chosen path, so it’s difficult for me to suggest good “starters”. By gazing into your path, I believe you already know some common symbolism, that has a special meaning to you. Let those guide you. Is there a way, you can craft that symbol yourself.
For instance, I could have purchased to small candle holders for my spell candles. But instead I made one of clay, with runic inscriptions, my sigil and a bit of herbal spell work, that can hold two candles at ones (as I often use a pair). It’s not pretty – but it was never supposed to be. It was supposed to be effectful and that it is.
So don’t worry about your skills, because it’s not about them. It’s about crafting something in the honour of your spiritual path and/or your deity. Spending the time contemplating, as you build something that serves as a tool for your alter.
Alter expression
I have touched in on this a bit before, but it deserves some extra voicing.
Your altar is yours.
The reason I say this logical statement is that most new spiritual travelers, at some point, find themselves in a deep dive on Pinterest or another platform, where there are plenty pins that tell you how an altar should look like and which “must-haves” are needed.
As I wrote before, you need to know what the purpose of your altar is. Another thing you need is to have some sense of the kind of style you’d prefer; minimalistic, dark colours, lots of herbs, rich on artefacts – or something else.
These are the only two things you need in terms of creating your alter.
There is a third point, I would like to address though – and this is safety.
Because while I live in a country with freedom of spiritual paths and religion, and living alone s an adult, there are zero safety issues for me in terms of people discovering the altar and me facing consequences. New guests may find it odd or think I am mad, but they are not forced to return if they don’t appreciate the inventory.
This is not the reality in all places.
You may live in a country with stricter policies or you may live with and be dependant on people, that holds a different belief and who has harsh reactions to your path.
In that case, your safety always comes first. And altars can be so minimalistic, that you can put them away and maybe even seperate the parts, so it can’t really be found in one piece.
Which again only shows that there is no actual “how to” in terms of altars.
It has to fit your path, your home decor and your environmental situation.
And that gives so many variations, that no two alters will be exactly the same.
In my opinion, a good and powerful alter is made so that it fits you authentically, which is also why altars tend to change over time, because we, their keepers, change as well.
It cannot be stressed enough, and you will hear me mention this on multiple occasions, but a spiritual path or practise does not have to be expensive. At the end of the day it doesn’t have to cost anything to create your own altar, so if you purchase anything, then make sure you purchase for you and not because you want to fit a social media narrative.
Creating your alter
So with what I have written in mind, ask yourself what your altar would look like and see if an image appears in your head. Maybe you don’t have all the details, but many will intuitively have some sort of vision or feeling about aspecs of their altar.
From here, you can draw sketches, take notes – or simply just jump in and make it happen and work out the details along the way.
If you already have an altar and this text has made you realise that you want to change something about your altar, then go with that notion. Small changes can often be done quickly If they are larger – such a re-positioning furnitures and such, it may take a bit of planning, but that process can hold so much space for inner contemplating and intention setting as well.
I wish you the best and most joyful work with creating your altar.
The best to you.
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