The Do-It-Yourself Pagan: August 2012

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It is very important for pagans to have a sacred space in their homes. It is the place where all magical workings are preformed, but is also wonderful for grounding, balance and divination. Some pagans choose to have only one altar in their homes, other pagans have several. One of my pagan friends has 4 altars set up in her living room, one for each element. It is a personal choice, there’s no right or wrong way of setting up your sacred space.

I have always seen my altar as a telephone line or email address, which allows me to communicate with deities, spirit guides, fairies, angels or any other power in the universe. The more time I spend at my altar the more energy it holds. If I lay my hands on it I can feel the strong vibrations.

Every time I move, the magical tools get packed away and the altar gets broken down. Unfortunately all the wonderful energy leaves too. It goes back into the universe. I don't think it likes being inside of moving trucks. After I set the altar up in my new home, the energy eventually returns. It takes a while for the altar's power to build back up… just one of the many reasons why I don't like moving.

There are many ways to create your own altar. It is best to have all your magical tools in one place. There is nothing worse then being in the middle of a spell and realizing you can't light your candles, because you forgot the lighter downstairs. UHG!!! Keep all your tools together. You can use a bookshelf. The top shelf can be your altar and the bottom shelves hold all your tools. However, if you don't like having all your tools out because you live with other people this is not the best option. You can also put all your tools into a chest and take them out only when you want to use them, but this means setting your altar up and taking it apart every time you want to us it. This isn't the best option ether because your altar won't hold as much energy.

After trying all the option I listed above and still being dissatisfied I decided to build my own altar our of a media cabinet. It is wonderful because I can close and lock it when I'm not using it. Everything is always set up and ready to go, and it is always collecting powerful energy. Roommates, children and guest can't get to my tools because it is locked when I'm not using it. Keeping it closed also prevents dust from settling on all my magical supplies. All the shelves provide ample storage space for my tools. Everything is in one space, neatly organized and ready to use.

To make your own you will need the following items:

1) A media cabinet which locks. This is the one I bought: http://www.sauder.com/furniture/product.asp?p=817
2) A saw
3) A tray table.
4) Two L-shaped brackets.

Direction:

1) Assemble the media cabinet using the directions. With one acceptation. When putting together the doors, do not assemble the very bottom shelves. The center bottom shelf of your cabinet will be the main part of your altar, where you will work with all your tools during a spell or ritual.

You want to saw the wood on the outer doors so that you can close your cabinet without knocking over your altar tools.

2) Setup a tray table against the wall your altar will face. Some people like to face east, other's north.

3) Once your cabinet is assembled, lift it onto the tray table. This requires two people because it is very heavy.

4) It will not stay on its own. You must secure the altar to the wall with L-Shaped brackets.