my altar is a dedication to the universe. because life is but a dream, and we are meant to have fun and experience life as children do — full of wonder and awe, i wanted to be playful and not take it too seriously and how better add material world playfulness than with plastic toys. luckily for me i’m a dad, and using my own kids actual toys elevates the experience that much more.

starting with the ankh, eternal life, although not a toy it has its place next to the goat. feels to me like a yellow brick road with the goat straying off the path.

the goat is rich in symbolism, but most importantly it represents the libido spirit which facilitates the endless cycle of life manifested. i might bedazzle it with red gem stickers… incorporating the trinity of red with the lust of venus (♀), the ruby slippers, and the bloodied scapegoat of azazel all rolled into one.

the skull of course a reminder of the impermanence of this incarnation, a momento mori. there are also 7 black skull beads from a broken bracelet i used to wear daily but its time has come and gone. they sit in a silver (aluminum) decorative bowl, in which sits a small mirror; a silver reflecting pool hiding 4 more below it on the ‘under’ side. so subtly incorporating the moon/subconscious.

a divine mother decoration that enchanted me as a teenager, watches from the east. i dont know what it was originally used for but to me it was just found trash that i rescued because of its beautiful 1960s era plastic sculpted case and metallic foil inner print. a mystery that teases my senses.

every man and every woman is a star. the pentagram, a rich symbol of spirit in matter, here as a broken xmas tree topper— the ultimate symbol of the star from the east, the sun, the world soul. somewhere i have some battery powered fairy string lights i want to place behind it.

the egg; the cosmic, orphic egg. a beautifully plastic plain white easter egg, suspended by the coiled energy of a slinky. together they sit with the ‘snake’; what 1950’s teenagers used to call this plastic insert adapter for 7” 45-rpm records to retrofit a standard turntable. especially fitting for me personally because i love music so much and i used to own a record shop.

the hamsa, hidden in a cheesy palmistry-inspired halloween decoration. the hamsa is misunderstood in my opinion, it clearly represents each one of us as the “eye of god” aka the universal consciousness which exists in us; we are the 5-fingered, 5-senses of the “I” experiencing this world through us.

the oversized pinecone is an actual xmas decoration my family uses every year, ever since my kids were born. pinecones are used like the blossoming lotus of the east; expanding consciousness and refining its purity, only this silver bullet resembles the pine-al gland so it speaks to me on another level entirely.

the golden apple is again an xmas decoration but so rich with symbolism i don’t even know where to start.

a pair of toy handcuff keys. i should paint one gold but i kind of like a double dose of feminine energy. admittedly i don’t fully understand the crossed key symbolism thats so prominent in hermeticism yet, but it speaks to me and i love discovering these mysteries. hopefully tossing them in the reflecting pool will help bubble it to the surface!

and lastly is aladdin’s flying carpet; the cleverly disguised metaphor for a yoga mat… which when used in meditation takes us on a magic carpet ride to internal astral adventures.

i had been thinking about this for a couple of years as i noticed the pieces individually around the house, but it didn’t take long to put together once i found the perfect tray to set them in. a strange find in the cheap seasonal impulse buy section at target! it’s a thin metal platter with nice scalloped edges and 4 small spheres as feet. i cut a sheet of holographic paper as a liner. a checkered pattern would have been nice too but i had saved an old holographic tablecloth from one of the kids parties.

and now i see why no one in this subreddit ever explains their altar’s correspondences… it took a lot of energy to write, and i was trying to be brief! i don’t expect anyone to care but thanks for reading.

My ancestral altar with some lightning effects and swamp rock

So I’m new to witchcraft and still fairly deep in the broom closet, but I thought I’d share my little corner of the world.

Foxes are very near and dear to me for a few reasons (mostly that I’d prefer not to get into), including the fact that I’m a Therian! Therians identify as an animal on some level. The Theta-Delta symbol appears twice, the symbol most commonly agreed on by the community to represent Therianthropy.

You may be able to guess my Theriotype from looking at the items, which is a Fox! Specifically a Melanistic Red Fox, or Cross Fox. The direction my mask is facing also holds significance, as it is facing towards MN’s Superior National Forest, the place I feel most at home in.

The altar also features two paper dragons from a close friend, and a partially working film camera (Olympus OM-1 for the fellow nerds) behind the mask. It works except for the light meter, which needs a very old and toxic type of mercury battery. For me this means both potential and keeping going despite anything “wrong” with myself.

Hello I am something even before a beginner witch, I dont even want to call myself that, but I am very intrigued by the idea of an altar.
Disclaimer: Anything I write here you can correct me, I have little to no knowledge and I am just beginning my journey

An altar seems in my eyes like a place I can say my thanks, wish for something or just talk about something that seems to be on my mind. I am raised polish christian so an altar is not an unusual thing for me, but i only know it as christianity intended.

Now is the question bc I switch between my home and my university dorm, so does anyone have a little altar that is fairly mobile? I am thinking about a little bag that can be laid out flat and i can just prop up some stuff. Or a little suitcase/trunk (not bigger than A4) that I can also just pop open. Kind of like the vampire hunter suitcases from the past with all things ready to go.

I also understand the whole "do it with intend" stuff, I am also asking bc I do not want to actually do harm with it. The more I read about altars the more confused I am haha!

Thanks for any help, points or pictures for inspiration!

Its been a few years but i wanted to get back into my craft and celebrate the summer :)

Hi, I want to make an altar primarily for Tara at home. I consider her my ishta Deva and I was to do a daily worship for her. I have a few questions

1: I made a drawing of Green Taras hard holding a blue lotus and a lotus feet sculpture out of air dry clay. Can I add these to the altar? I don't know what the consensus on handmade art is for altars, to me it felt out of love

2: how can I worship at the altar. Do I sit in front and meditate, do I say mantras like Om tare tuttare ture Soha, so I talk to her, offer flowers or food (which I don't know what to do with after)

3: can I put other goddesses and goes there. I'm thinking of putting other or even all 10 mahidevas in the altar. Either by getting prints of their image or their Yantra. Can input the Yantas up in the altar?

4: I know tantra is a sacred practice and I don't have a guru. Can I still worship Tara at home?

5:Any other rules on where the altar should be, and how to care for the space. Where I can get a bell or ghee lamp and other things for puja, if I'm supposed to do puja

Thank you

i'm interested in creating my first alter, specifically for Lilith. i love and collect crystals so i was wondering if anyone had ideas on what crystal or crystals to add to the alter? i want my alter to be something small by the way, nothing big or distracting. i can't spend too much money either as i'm a minor.

edit: i have a crystal in the shape of a cobra, and i believe it's onyx if i'm remembering correctly, and i've heard onyx is a good offering, so making it part of my alter should be alright correct?

edit 3: i bought an altar, and i have some crystals on it for her already, i bought a screech owl skull casting (as i can't afford a real one, and because i don't know where the real skulls would come from,) i got dragons blood body oil too as i know she likes that scent.

this is my first ever altar and i was super excited about it. i don’t have many things yet, but i used all i had!

for the past couple of years ive felt Hekate calling to me, but i was never ready up until now. i’ve been seen so many crows the past month, adopted a black dog, and just bought a black tourmaline necklace like last week because i felt called to it without knowing that is something she likes.

i finally decided i was ready. i did a lot of research on her and felt called to her instantly. i’ve been getting back into witchcraft and worshipping Goddesses. I am a Selene devotee already, however i haven’t had my own space to make an alter for her yet until now!! i’m excited to do hers next.

i first did a protection spell and kept it lit throughout.

lit a lavender incense and cleansed every tool and herb i used. used rosemary, lavender, and mugwort to surround the candle holder. moonstone for her and clear quartz to keep the space clear. i also added my necklace into her space and asked for her to make it a protection necklace, so i can carry her everywhere. didn’t wanna leave anything burning, so water will be her overnight offering.

i told her, to summarize, i was ready for her teachings.

i interpreted the way the wax forming as her showing herself to me and in the end, a mentor/student bond. and the wax only fell towards me, nowhere else. it was really cool. i definitely felt her presence. i felt very calm throughout and excited for this new journey!!!

any constructive input is appreciated:)

hey, I’m kinda new to Hellenic polytheism and I’m working on altars for both Lady Aphrodite and Lord Apollo. my altar for Lord Apollo is a little bare (really bare) and I wanna MAKE some stuff for his and Lady Aphrodite’s altars so it feels more personal. does anyone have any suggestions?

Hello, I have been practicing Hellenic polytheism on the low for some years and I am starting to be a bit serious about it in recent years. I am devoted to Aphrodite and Hermes, mainly worshipping Aphrodite at my altar and Hermes when I am out and about.

Last year I bought a statuette of Aphrodite which is cute but lately I've been thinking about getting another one if I find it/can afford it.

Is there some sort of etiquette for swapping a statuette for another?

One of my main concerns is also space, my altar is a nook above my nightstand, so getting a new statue would mean getting rid of the previous as there is not much space.

Can anybody give me any advice? Thanks!

Honors loved ones who have passed. Compassion. Death. Liberation from ego.

im a beginner to hellenism and i need help setting up an altar. i cant do candles, any fruit offerings and REAL plants. since my family is Catholic, and im a minor so i still live w them, and they'll get suspicious if i do anything too fancy. im setting up an altar in this shoebox and idk what to put in it. i have 23 dollars in my wallet so suggest cheap things. btw i am worshipping Apollo and Aphrodite, I'm working on Apollo's altar rn and I'll move onto Aphrodite. im planning to use fake flowers but idk if thats allowed!! please help:(((

I’ve had one a bit longer than the other, the second I’ve had for about a two weeks now. :)

These are all things that have been given to me over the years with the exception of the pictures of the teachers from the lineage of Buddhism I try to follow which is the Thai Forest Tradition. The picture of Jesus was given to me by my mother after my first communion as a kid.

Hello everyone!

I'm a beginner practitioner and I'm looking for advice on creating my very first altar.

The main intentions I want to focus on are:

- Manifesting a stable job and career success.

- Overcoming bad habits, repetitive behaviors, and unhealthy loops.

- Building a healthy, strong male body.

- Becoming more productive, disciplined, and consistent.

- Developing patience, emotional balance, and staying calm when things don't go as planned.

- Cultivating an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity mindset.

- Reaching my highest potential overall.

I already have a decent crystal collection. I also own a male torso candle, a female body candle, and a six-pack abs-shaped vase/pen stand that I thought could symbolize my fitness and health goals

One challenge is that I'm still closeted, so my altar has to be discreet. At the same time, I feel like if I can't actually see my altar or crystals regularly, I won't connect with them as well or be reminded of my intentions.

I'd love suggestions on how you would design an altar for these goals while keeping it subtle and easy to hide. Which crystals, symbols, colors, herbs, candles, affirmations, or daily practices would you include? I'm also open to hearing about anything that has personally worked for you.

My goal is manifestation and creating a space that reminds me every day to become calmer, healthier, more disciplined, and more aligned with the person I want to be.