6 Alternative Altar Inspirations For Witches That Are Bored Of Altar Tables

6 Alternative Altar Inspirations for Witches that are Bored of Altar Tables

No matter what path you follow as in witchcraft are, chances are you have some sort of sacred space. If you are a witch whose practice is part of your religious beliefs, this might be a place to communicate with your deities. If you work with spirits, this could be a place where honor your ancestors. Non-religious witches like myself often use altars as a space where they can connect with their magical and spiritual sides. Even though we all share this desire to have a place all our own dedicated to our craft. 

That doesn’t mean we all need the same type of space. Whether you are a new witch who can’t show off your craft publicly (we’ve all been there) or just a witch who isn’t really into the more standard altar table setup, there are plenty of options for customizing and creating an altar space that meets your needs.

Window Altars

One easy way to create an altar is to take up a windowsill. Depending on the arrangement of the room you’re using, your personal preference, and the space available, the size of this type of altar varies. 

This generally small altar space can be good for witches in the broom closet and green witches who like to keep their altars populated with plant friends. Because it is literally a window to the outside, these altars are also great places for charging things like crystals, spells, and water under the light of the moon. 

Benefits:

Good for altars that are heavily planted (hello, sunlight!)

Generally discreet

Keeps your altar space contained (for all us witches that do not know when to quit)

Garden Altars

While pretty much any altar can include plants, there is something else to say for an altar that is almost completely plants. If you have some space indoors, why not design a witch’s garden that doubles as an altar space?

A small tray planted with succulents with offering bowls and candle dishes set into the soil and crystals scattered around can be a unique, and even moveable altar! You could also use potted plants so that you can change the arrangement or plants out whenever you need a refresh.

Benefits:

Deeply connected to nature and the earth

Pluck herbs for spells right off your altar

Generally pretty moveable

Bath Altars

If you love bath magic as much as I do, you’re a water witch, or your bathroom is one of your most sacred places (self-care anyone?), a bath altar could be the perfect thing to give your craft a physical home.

We’ve all seen those pictures of wooden tray tables for baths surrounded by eucalyptus and candles. Add a statue of your deity (or a symbol of something important to your craft), some crystals (check how your crystals are affected by water and humidity first!), and some jars of your favorite things to mix into bath spells, and your bath altar is set.

Benefits:

The perfect place to combine witchcraft and self-care

Perfect for witches that incoroporate the water element in their craft a lot

Magic really does belong in every room in the house

Travel Altars

If you tend to practice on a whim rather than waiting to be in a specific place or if you need to be able to stash your altar quickly, a travel altar is perfect. These altars can be fit into matchboxes, Altoids tins, jewelry boxes, and even hollowed out books! If you can carry it with you and find supplies small enough to fit, anything goes. (I’ve even seen locket altars!)

Some witches will create multiple travel altars for different purposes or focuses, but don’t feel like you need to collect them if that’s not your thing.

Benefits:

Small and discreet, it’s hard to make a mess with these

Very customizable (and easy to have multiples of!)

Perfect for witches in the broom closet

Virtual Altars

Tech witches, I haven’t forgotten you. If you’ve been following me for a bit, then you might know that I threw out the idea a while ago about a altar lockscreen/wallpaper for your phone/tablet/etc. Now that I’ve talked to some tech witches, I know this is actually a pretty sound idea! 

Whether you commision an artist or design one yourself, a lock screen wallpaper for an electronic device (you could even go as big as a laptop with a touch screen!) could make the perfect altar for a tech witch. Even if you decide not to use it as a wallpaper, designing an image that serves as an altar and opening it in GIMP or Photoshop where you can create additional layers for placing other virtual elements could be useful.

Benefits:

Travel friendly

Can be synced across devices, so your altar is always with you

Easy to change and “redecorate” throughout the year

Paper Altars

(This incredible paper altar was created by Stella Witchcraft! Please click here to check out their full post and their blog!)

Similar to a virtual altar, a paper altar is a portable, customizable altar. Many witches choose to include paper altar setups in their grimoires, but there’s nothing stopping you from making larger paper altars with poster paper that can be rolled up and stored away.

If paper altars are attractive to you, don’t be deterred if you aren’t an artist! Minimalism in paper altars is perfectly fine. You can always outline your altar with symbols or even words alone. If you’re happy with it, it is perfect. You don’t have to meet any requirements for aesthetic or any other witch’s expectations.

There you have it! Of course, there are so many more types of altars, and even table altars can be created to fit your own personal needs. If you’re attracted to more than one of these, why not try combining the elements that call to you to make something entirely your own? The possibilities are endless.

Looking for more? Check these out: 6 More Alternative Altars for Bored Witches

I am the stars made flesh.

I have the ocean in my veins and the moon within my soul.

~ Marjolijn Ashara

Ottenby Woods

spell jars 101 ⚱

how to craft a spell jar: 

gather your ingredients

charge & program each ingredient before adding it to the jar (aka, give power & instructions to your ingredients)

add the ingredients to the jar

close the jar

enchant the jar as a whole object (see my post on enchanting items for further guidance)

seal with wax, ribbon, or string to finalize & cast the spell 

optional: decorate your bottle if you wish

what you can use as a jar:

tiny craft store jars

mason jars

pickle / pasta sauce jars

old medication bottles

food storage containers

what you can add to a spell jar: 

dried herbs

dried citrus peels

magickal powders

small crystals

gem chips

essential oils (a drop or two will go a long way)

infused oils (carrier oils such as olive or grapeseed oil that have been infused with herbs)

a few drops of charged water (storm water, war water, sea water, holy water, rain water, moon water, sun water, etc.)

paper (with sigils / symbols / glyphs drawn on it, an incantation, a name, a phrase, etc.)

coins

beads

glitter or confetti 

seashells / shark teeth / beach sand

leaves

DNA (finger nail clippings, a piece of hair, etc. to be used as a taglock)

animal fur, nail clippings, teeth, or whiskers***

nails, glass, pins, needles, thorns, & other sharp objects (great for cursing, binding, banishing, or protection)

vinegar, lemon juice, pickle juice (mostly for “souring” a situation)

honey, sugar, syrup (to “sweeten” a situation or for attraction)

pretty much anything that fits & corresponds to your intent

what you should avoid putting in a spell jar: 

fresh herbs or plant material (this can cause mold to grow inside of the jar)

biological secretions (i mean, you can if you want but it’s not necessarily sanitary & there are cleaner, more easily obtained taglocks to use instead)

what spell jars are good for: 

containing your spell, theoretically making it easier to manipulate & control

manifesting goals/intentions over time

manifesting goals continuously 

passive manifestation that doesn’t require much ongoing participation from the caster

what to do with your spell jar once it’s been crafted:

keep it on your altar

depending on the intent of the spell, keep it in a different area that you frequent (for glamours, keep it in the bathroom; for sleep or dreams, keep it in the bedroom; for safe travels, keep it in your vehicle; for cursing, keep it concealed in a black box; etc.)

wear it around your neck

put it in your pocket, purse, or backpack

bury it in your backyard or within a potted plant outside (for spells you don’t plan to undo or want to last indefinitely)

if burying is not an option, hide it somewhere on your property

leave it at a crossroads

recharging spell jars: 

shake it up

light a candle on top of or next to it

submerge it in a bath of herbs or crystals that are associated with energy

submerge or surround with sea salt (a natural conductor of energy)

anoint with oil / blessed or charged water

pair with a tarot card or rune stone that matches your intent

suffumigate with incense smoke

energy work & visualization

disposing of & reversing spell jars - when you feel like the spell has done its job or you need to undo its effects:

do not throw the entire jar into an open flame - this is incredibly dangerous

remove the contents from the jar & either burn them or bury them

for items you wish to save, cleanse them thoroughly before using them again

take the jar & cleanse it in whatever manner you choose & either save it to be reused; or shatter it & then dispose of it properly

***please practice safe & ethical harvesting when it comes to using parts from a living animal in your craft; don’t ever trim whiskers off of your pet (if they come out naturally then it’s okay to use them); routine grooming is a great way to obtain some of the things i mentioned; you can use the baby teeth that you inevitably find when your puppy or kitten is teething, also! 

Trust the universe’s timing.

september will be kind. september will be magical. september will bring the missing energy. september will be working towards our goals and self. september will be a month full of growth.