Every practicing Wiccan should have a Wiccan altar. It can be very simple or quite elaborate. There is not going to be one setup that works for every person.
The thing that is going to work best for you is to find an aesthetic that speaks to you. The more you personalize it, the better it will be.
Some people like minimal designs to keep focused on the key elements.
Other people like cluttered and complicated altars. It gives them comfort to see a full accumulation of experiences. Your attention can wander to whatever is most important at the moment.
Some people like a single fixed Wiccan altar for everything. Other people want to be flexible, and they constantly change the elements depending on season, day, or purpose.
Take this post as a starting point and run with it.
A Note on Terminology
I’ll use the term altar throughout. Everything here applies to a shrine as well. There are subtle differences in uses between a shrine and altar, but you shouldn’t worry about this in the basic setup.
You can go down the Wikipedia Wiccan altar chain of links for tools, but it isn’t very practical for setup.
Purpose
Before we get to how to build a Wiccan altar, let’s first discuss the purpose. Understanding the purpose will help you make the right choices for your altar.
The altar is probably the most misrepresented aspect of Wicca in popular culture. It’s common to see discussion of Satan worship or blood sacrifice.
Rid these thoughts from your mind. The altar is important for practitioners who don’t even believe in any gods.
The main purpose of the altar in Wicca is to set the mood and to channel energy into whatever ritual, incantation, spell, or meditation you wish to perform.
Yes, even if you found your way to this site as a pure naturalist meditator, having an altar can help focus your intent and make for a more positive and rewarding experience.
Of course, the most common use in Wicca is for spells. We’ll get to that later.
Main Elements of a Wiccan Altar
You’ll first need to settle on the material of the altar itself. Altars can be hefty desks that stay in place permanently or light, small tables to be moved daily.
Oak resonates with me. I love the smell and feel and energy I get from it.
I was fortunate to inherit an oak desk that I turned into my altar base. Some people like
This doesn’t have to be expensive. Look around at garage sales or on apps like LetGo. People are always trying to get rid of great pieces of furniture for cheap.
Think outside the box and be creative. I’ve even found a beautiful, old tree stump in the woods I used for a temporary altar during a recent blood moon ritual.
If you’re impatient, you can find small altar tables on Amazon:
On the Altar
Some people use a cloth draped over the altar. This allows them to change the primary color involved. If it’s a purification ritual, you can use white. If it’s a love spell, use red, and so on.
I don’t like to do this. Instead, I’ll use something closer to a runner down the middle. It provides the color, but it doesn’t completely cover the natural beauty of the wood or stone you’ve chosen.
Other people do not use any cloth at all and get the color from other elements like candles or bowls or crystals.
To me, an altar has three basic things: something fresh,
Fresh
The fresh element is one of my favorites. It breathes life into altars that can otherwise become stale.
This can very simply be a fresh-cut flower that is appropriate for the occasion or a sprig of herbs freshly picked from a garden.
You could also use a permanent fresh element like a dedicated potted plant. Early on, I used a bonsai tree when I didn’t have something else suitable.
Scent
The scent can be your favorite incense or something tailored to the occasion. You can use a sage smudge stick for a purification ritual or sandalwood for grounding before a tarot reading.
As you can see, every aspect of the altar is highly customizable.
But I think people tend to get too hung up on incense. Don’t forget about less smoky methods of scent. You could use fragrance oils or even a simple candle for the scent.
Let your intuition guide you. Don’t forget to record particularly effective things in your Book of Shadows. So much about Wicca, including your Wiccan altar, is developing your own style.
Symbols
Usually, spells or rituals will involve one primary element: earth, air, fire, or water.
If the element is earth, I will choose stones or a plant or soil, depending. There will always be an appropriate gem for the occasion, so this shouldn’t be difficult.
If the element is air, then usually incense is enough. But there are many other symbols for air like wands or bells. A bell can even be incorporated into the ritual as the opening and closing moments.
If the element is fire, candles are often suitable and an important part of any fire ritual.
If the element is water, I usually have a decorative bowl with water in it.
There are times when I want a more balanced approach to the altar, so I include something to represent all four elements.
Other Tools
Once you have the core pieces to your altar (note: yours could be different from mine), it’s time to add or subtract tools for spells or the occasion.
The main time you’ll need to add pieces to the altar is if you are going to do a spell. You’ll need to add the spell ingredients to the altar, usually at the front, nearest to you.
Many people like to use a wand for the air element. These can be a great way to incorporate more focus into a spell. You can add wood specifically to the purpose and channel energy through it.
Another common tool is a dagger called an athame. Not only can these be quite decorative, but if the handle has symbols carved into it, these can also enhance a spell.
Athames are often considered symbolic of the air elemental if you’re interested in elemental magic. If you want to learn more about these things, see my article on elemental magic or getting your first athame.
Organization
As I keep emphasizing, you should make your
There are some traditional ways to organize tools on the altar.
The left side consists of Goddess energy and the right side of God. You can also think in terms of directions. Each direction has a classical element associated with it.
You can learn more about elemental magic with my article linked above.
North is water, east is air, south is fire, and west is earth.
Mine tends to be a bit more symmetrical than this looks, but that’s only because it’s hard to cram all the optional elements and tools into one image.
Keep experimenting to find what works for you. Your Wiccan altar is one of the best expressions of your craft.
The better your altar suits you, the better your chance of successful rituals, incantations, and spells will be.
For another take on this, check out this video about setting up your Wiccan altar:
Final Thoughts
The information here is mostly traditional. I can’t reiterate enough that your Wiccan altar needs to serve you.
Do what feels right for you. Pick and choose which elements you like. Rearrange it if something looks better that way.
Tradition isn’t always the best. The most powerful and interesting magick often comes from putting your personal spin on traditions.
Make sure to use your altar in Wiccan rituals.
