Do You Need A Wicca Altar?
A Wicca altar is an important aspect of the Wiccan religion for many witches. A value that goes way beyond having someplace to put all your witchy stuff!
A Wicca Altar Is . . .
- A focal point and container for magickal energies.
- A reminder of your ideals.
- An echo of your beliefs and wishes.
- A Home for the Divine.
- And, perhaps most importantly, a Wiccan altar is a magickal "spell" for your success and well-being.
And this section will tell you everything you need to know to get started.
Everything You Need To Know
About Your Wicca Altar
What really is an altar? What goes on an altar? How do you create and tend an altar? And why would you want an altar in the first place?
Fabulous questions! I'm glad you asked.
Let's start at the beginning - the why - and work our way down to the details - the how.
Why Is A Wicca Altar Important?
Any altar is a symbolic manifestation of your innermost self.
It is an expression of your heart's longing and your soul's potential.
It is also a focal point for your devotion . . . A spiritual practice arena for devotion to the Divine.
Temples Within And Without
We each have a Temple in our inner hearts. And any spiritual process is about entering and worshiping there.
But it's not easy to access something so abstract.
So, like your symbols and tools and Gods and Goddesses, you create something that comes through the gate of your senses. Something you can see and smell and touch. Even hear and taste, if possible.
The more senses you engage, and the more you balance your sense perceptions, the more you can access the spiritual levels that you seek.
In this context, altars are not some esoteric mystery, but the most natural expression of what has value to you.
Natural Altars
So, in the broadest terms, an altar is any collection of items that are personally meaningful.
Almost everyone has one . . . That collection of photographs on the bedside table. The mementoes that gather on the mantle place. These are altars to your loves and your life.
When you want to make an altar dedicated to your spiritual life, you simply focus a little more. You put only items that uplift your spirit and remind you of your ideals.
That's all any spiritual altar is - Wiccan or otherwise . . .
A symbol to help you remember . . .
- Who you really Are,
- Where you really come from, and
- Where you are choosing to go!
Your Altar Nourishes Your Soul
Once you make your first conscious altar, and discover how beautiful and nourishing it can be, you may find yourself wanting to make altars everywhere.
Go for it! How could you possibly go wrong, bringing the blessings of the Divine wherever you are. Your office, your car, your bedroom, . . . all are perfect places for an altar.
. . . Because every altar becomes a home for what you enshrine there. When you create an altar to the Divine, She lives there.
(So behave accordingly!)
Your Inner Temple
You'll probably want to keep at least one altar private.
Put it in a personal part of your house, or somewhere you can discretely close a door and keep it from sight.
This can be your innermost Temple's altar . . . the Heart of your witchy heart. This is where you can put your most personal and meaningful items.
The Power Of Keeping Silent
This privacy isn't about hiding. It's the Fourth Power of the Witch: holding silence.
When something is very sacred, it's not easy to talk about it. The words don't exist, for one thing. Even more, the respect for Soul and Spirit isn't common in our culture.
So to expose your innermost Temple to idle curiosity, disdain, or ill intent is to open your Heart to violation and disperse the Power gathered by your altar.
Your Private Relationship With The Goddess
You will want to give your Wicca altar the respect it deserves. Especially once you've experienced the Power that your altar can move, in your life.
Only those to whom you could safely entrust your most tender feelings should see this . . . if anyone. Even then, think about it carefully. There is no reason why you should share this altar at all.
Your spiritual life is between you and the Divine. Your Wicca altar is the outward manifestation of this relationship. It can be kept completely confidential.
Sometimes the most sacred things need to be kept silent about.
Your relationship with the Divine is the deepest of relationships. Just as you are unlikely to let people watch while you and your beloved are making love (or so I assume
), keep your most personal altar truly sacred.All your other altars can be as open as you (and they) like.
It's Simple
A Wicca altar doesn't have to be complicated or costly. You don't really need anything other than what you have on hand, or can easily find for free.You don't even need a specially designed altar table. Many people set up altars in convenient places, like an end table, a dresser, a mantle, even on top of the tv! For a private altar, a hutch with closing doors, or a bedside table can work well.
And don't forget your outdoor spaces - perfect for Wicca altars!
- Old stumps,
- Hollows or nooks in trees,
- On top of stones,
- Beside creeks,
- Small caves . . .
Tending Your Wicca Altar
Tending an altar is a wonderful spiritual practice that anyone can do.
It's very forgiving, as spiritual practices go. Which makes it perfect for those of us who are not yet particularly disciplined.
The Magick In A Wicca Altar
The benefits of tending your altar are not all in the spiritual realm.
Your daily life will reflect what's happening on your altar. In other words, when you make changes on your altar, you will alter your life.
If you feel stuck at work, for instance, alter things in the spiritual realm. Clean your altar thoroughly. Put on a fresh altar cloth in a bright colour. Decorate it with some new Wiccan stuff. And then watch your life transform.
This magickal benefit creates motivation to keep your altar devotion up.
The Care And Feeding
Of Your Wicca Altar
Your Wicca altar is the external expression of your living soul. And like your soul, it needs some Tender Loving Care.
A Wicca altar is almost a living entity. It may not be sentient. (Although I wouldn't try to prove that.)
And tending an altar can be a rewarding meditative practice.
Your altar is capable of . . .
- Generating energy,
- Boosting you to your goals, and
- Positively influencing your life.
What does a Wicca altar need?How can tending your altar improve your life?
These questions and more are answered below. Let's start with the basics . . .
What Kind Of Care Does Your Altar Need?
A Wicca altar, just like a garden, needs at least occasional tending. Nurturing the plants, taking care of your tools, and seeing to the health of the soil will create a productive garden.
With an altar, tending means feeding it energies, caring for the altar tools, keeping things clean - essentially freshening up your "soul garden" on a regular basis.
The High Cost of a Neglected Altar!
Of course you don't need to do this. . . but what happens to a garden that you neglect? It not only fails to produce positive benefits, it begins to produce negative ones - weeds!
It’s the same with an altar. Cared for, your Wicca altar is a beneficial force of divine energy.
A healthy altar funnels positive energy into your life, creating health, success, love, and happiness. Neglected, it becomes a drain on those very energies.
And the more time you spend with your garden, even if you're just sitting in it, the healthier it will be. Just like your altar - when you bring your energy to it, even if just sitting there thinking, or tidying, or whatever, it will flourish.
So . . .
What Does Tending A Wiccan Altar Mean?
Three basic things:
1) Caring for Your Wicca Altar Tools
- Finding and choosing the right Wicca altar tools
- Buying altar tools with a proper attitude
- Purifying your new altar tools
- Dedicating and consecrating altar tools
- Appropriately storing altar tools
- Respectfully disposing of old altar tools.
2) Freshening Your Wicca Altar Regularly
- Keeping your altar current
- Dusting
- Replacing candles
- Changing altar cloths
- Reducing clutter, etc.
3) Tending Your Altar as a Spiritual Practice
- Making offerings to the Divine
- Caring for your altar Deities
- Respecting your own and others' altars
- Doing all of these tasks with care and mindfulness
What Freshens An Altar?
Freshening a Wicca altar is mostly basic housekeeping - keeping it clean, tidy, and uncluttered. Mostly.
Why Is Housekeeping Important?
A dusty or dirty altar creates sluggish energy. Things become hard to achieve in your life. You may feel lethargic, overwhelmed, or stuck.
A jumbled altar, or one with old spells and symbols on it, makes it hard to move ahead in new projects and to think clearly.
A cluttered altar makes it difficult to assess priorities and do anything well.
These are examples of ways your altar can affect you. Or, to be honest . . . how they affect me. These situations might have different results in your life, depending on what things you find challenging.
The thing is, they will have results, and not beneficial ones.
Of course, all these conditions in your altar usually reflect those situations in your life, too. This creates a sort of feedback loop, where your life gets muddled and your altar gets muddled, and then your life gets moremuddled, and so on.
An Out-Dated Altar?
There is one extra point to "housekeeping" your Wicca altar which may not be immediately obvious . . .
What really keeps an altar fresh is keeping the altar decorations current.
Just as you don't keep Hallowe'en decorations up all year 'round, so your altar decorations need to stay in tune with the seasons. A bright green altar cloth at Samhain will be as out of sync as New Years decorations in June.
But having your Wicca altar decorations reflect the Wiccan calendar is only part of it.
Reflections of Your Soul
Your altar decorations also need to mirror your internal seasons. Altar decorations can reflect your moods, and they can help you shift them.
For instance, if you are feeling a lot of anger, your altar decorations can reflect that in two ways . . .
- Expressing that energy, as with a red altar cloth, black candles, Kali dancing with Her necklace of skulls, etc.
This can help you access any buried levels of the anger, so that you can understand it, take action, and clear it out.
OR . . .
- Mediating that energy, with a pale pink or white altar cloth, turquoise candles, and Tara, Kwan Yin, Mary, or Brigid bringing Her compassion to your sacred space.
This can help shift a stuck energy into a higher vibration.
The second method is safer and much more gentle.
Wicca Altar Etiquette
Wiccan etiquette around altars is especially important. A Wiccan altar is sacred space, and ritual tools are highly attuned to the person using them.
So there are some basic guidelines for good conduct that you need to be aware of.
- You don't need to let anyone touch your sacred items. If you trust them, and if you are confident that they have positive energy and won't put yucky things into your rituals tools, you may let them if you wish.
- Just because you've said yes once, doesn't apply to any other time or place. You are under no obligation to let them handle it again.
- Never touch someone's altar or ritual items. If you are close to them, or you Circle together, it's okay to ask if you can hold it.
- Interpret any hesitation as a "no."
- And gracefully accept a "no." It may not be anything personal. Some things are simply too private to share.
- Ask before placing things on a group altar. Usually for group work, you will know ahead of time the kinds of things that might be appropriate. But sometimes very specific energy is being raised, and other items may not serve the ritual.
- Avoid talking about your sacred items and spiritual practices with "outsiders." People who don't use them don't understand, and it dilutes your Power to share sacred things with them. Especially if they turn out to be judgemental about it.
With Bright Blessings,
Now you can buy your Altar tools or you can make/find them in Nature. If you prefer the latter read on...
So what do you need to know about harvesting Wiccan ritual tools from nature?
Three things:
- What you can use,
- How to find it,
- How to accept the gift respectfully.
That's what this article covers.
Wiccan Stuff In Nature
Everything you find in nature you can use as Wiccan stuff. You can give it as an offering to the Divine, on your altar, or in a special place outdoors.
Stuff from nature all embodies an element / direction too. So they can be used to "hold the direction," that is, to represent that direction.
So you can set up a very quick and virtually invisible sacred space anywhere you are.
Here are some of the most common natural objects that are utilized as Wiccan ritual tools.
- Stones
Wicca symbols of Earth element, direction North.
Stones can be used as altar offerings or even as a Wicca altar. Can also use stones for healing and for spells.
- Shells
Wicca symbols for Water element, direction West.
Shells can be used to hold energy, to invoke the Goddess, and for spells.
- Sticks
Wicca symbols for Fire element, direction South.
Branches or sticks can be used for wands or staffs, or for dowsing.
- Herbs
Wicca symbols for Earth, direction North.
Many herbs and plants can be used as sacred scents and Wiccan incense. They are also particularly useful in spells.
- Seeds
Wicca symbols for Air, direction East.
Seeds are used to represent new beginnings, and find their way into many Wiccan magick spells. They can be a promise of future joy or success.
- Flowers
Wicca symbols for Earth, direction North.
Flowers are often used for offerings, and to decorate altars.
- Feathers
Wicca symbol for Air, direction East.
Feathers can be used to ritually cleanse energy, and to fan to smudge smoke.
Harvesting Wiccan Ritual Tools
Before you take something from nature for ritual use, remember that it has a living spirit - even a broken branch or abandoned shell. And it is part of a system of interconnected life that has a living spirit - the soul of the forest or beach or park.
So before you make off with it, ask. And then remember to say thankyou!
Only Take What Is Willing
Ask the stuff if it is willing to come with you. Ask if it agrees to do the work you have in mind.
Most things are happy to participate in sacred rites, or even to help out other beings by adding to a spell. Even living things like plants and trees are usually willing, when asked, to sacrifice themselves for a good cause. Humans could learn a lot from the generosity of nature!
One thing is certain. If you take something that is not willing, it won't be a beneficial Wiccan ritual tool for you.
How Can You Tell If It's Willing?
Sensing the agreement and readiness comes with practice. And it may be different for each witch.
You may feel a difference between a "yes" and a "no" with your hand on it. It may feel like a sense of peace for yes, or a sense of discord for no. Warmth generally signals yes, and coolness no.
And ask the Divine to help you understand. With a little practice, you will come to feel something, and know how to interpret it.
After Agreement
If you're taking a plant, give it some time after it agrees to come.
Plants don't seem to have individual souls the way humans do - or so it seems to me. I've found that if you give them a minute or two, they will withdraw their life force into their roots.
In this way, they can send their soul into another growth.
Then it seems that you're not actually killing the being, but pruning it, like a very long toenail.
What Can You Offer?
If the item says yes, then you are free to take it. But remember to offer something back to the spirit of the place in return.
This is a way of saying Thank-you to the spirit of the being, and to the Divine Source.
A piece of hair, a little water, a bit of food . . . whatever seems to you like an offering.
And the greater the gift nature offers you as a Wiccan ritual tool, the greater your thank-you should be.
The important part isn't what the Earth gets, but the recognition that you've received a gift, and a grateful desire to offer something in return.
To take something without gratitude and respect is to harm the Earth, even in a minute way. You also harm yourself, to take without giving.
Plus, there is the energy involved.
Bottom Line on Wiccan Ritual Tools from Nature
If you want something that will add to your rituals or spells, you want it to be filled with good energy and willing to help you.
Otherwise, you're sabotaging your efforts.
Choose your ritual supplies with awareness. Gather them with conscious gratitude.
If you do this, your Wiccan ritual tools will serve you well. And you will serve them well, too.
This goes for when you buy Wiccan ritual tools too.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Cleansing & Preparing Your Ritual Tools
Now you've got your ritual tools, what do you do next? You certainly don't want to just put them on your altar or on your person, without clearing them of any energies they've collected!
Preparing your Wiccan ritual tools doesn't need to be long or complicated. But it does need to be done.
And what about after using them? Where do you keep your sacred objects, and what do you do with them once you're done with them?
This article covers all the basics of using sacred tools . . .
- Using Animals
- Purification Methods
- Dedication Tips
- Consecration Reasons And Tips
- Charging Your Wiccan Tools With Magickal Energy
- Storage Of Ritual Items
- Passing Sacred Objects On
- Caring For Altar Deities
You've Got Your Wiccan Ritual Tools, Right?
The first step, once you've chosen your location and altar table, is acquiring altar items and other ritual tools.
If you haven't, see Getting Started With Wiccan Tools for tips on how to find, buy, harvest, and make your Wiccan ritual tools.
Using Animal Parts As Ritual Items
If you choose to use horn, antler, bones, or other animal parts you need to attend to the spirit of the animal.
Purification, blessing, and thanksgiving are particularly critical, more so than for other altar tools: it does you no good to have anything with lingering negative energy on your altar!
In fact, that is the most dangerous place to have it.
If it is an item that was dropped naturally, this is not an issue. For example . . .
- Antlers in the fall,
- Feathers in the molting season,
- Snake skin sheddings.
If the animal was harmed in taking the item, do not use it. Some of that harm will linger, no matter what you do to purify it.
Can You Use Animal Parts Safely?
Well, we're not talking about life and death situations, probably. But the energy cancontaminate your spiritual progress, your rituals, and your spells.
Because of the subconscious training that we are programmed with as a European-derived culture, death is tricky to work with.
Even if consciously you reject the Western attitude toward death, on a subconscious level it can linger. And it certainly remains in our cultural energy field, of which you are a part. This will draw contaminating energy to the item. So . . .
It is safest to refrain from placing parts of dead animals on your altar, or using them in ritual.
At the least, wait until you are able to sense energies clearly. That way you will be able to perceive whether a negative residue lingers in the object, or rises in you when in its presence.
If you must use them, purify thoroughly and on a regular basis, and offer something to the spirit of the animal to help it on its way either to the Divine or to rebirth.
Purification of Your Ritual Tools
Purification and dedication of your Wiccan ritual tools should be done as soon as you can after you get them.
Certainly purify them at least, before using or wearing the object!
Items that have a heavy or dark or hot energy need purification. This is particularly true of crystals. When clear, they will feel cool, tingly, bright, or positive.
A purified object is much more powerful than a contaminated one, and its magick is less likely to go awry.
Purification, dedication, and consecration of ritual objects take place in sacred space - that is, within Ritual. So begin by casting a Circle.
_______________________________________________________________________________
WITCH TIP: Before going further, check that the item won't be harmed first . . .
Water - Crystals and other stones may be damaged by hot water. Always use cool water. Some crystals may be damaged even by cool water, I've heard, but I've never experienced that. Leather may harden in water. Fabric may run, fade, or shrink - especially in hot.
Sunlight - Gem stones, crystals, and other items may also be damaged - faded, melted, or broken by the heat.
Salt - Opals, metal, leather, and fabric can be damaged by salt, either dry or in water.
Smudging or Flame - Stones may be damaged by heat. Other items, like cloth and plant material, may be flammable - use extreme care.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Moon Bath
The simplest way to purify Wiccan tools is to bathe them in Moonlight. This will not only cleanse them, but recharge them as well.
Except for the very lightest cleansing, you'll probably need to leave them at least one full cycle of the Moon. Full to Full, or Dark to Dark . . . whichever feels right to you. For lighter Moon-washes, use the Waning Moonlight.
If your altar is in the Moonlight, this is the best place to leave your ritual tools for a Moon bath. Otherwise, hanging them in a tree is good. (If it's sparkly and you have lots of crows, ravens, or magpies around though, they might make off with it when you're not looking!)
Herb Baths
You can bury your Wiccan tools in herbs for cleansing. Particularly effective are rose petals, sage, and mint. This is a lovely way to clean sacred objects, but it can take a while.
Sea Salt
A faster method is a sea salt bath. You can bury your Wiccan tools in dry sea salt, or a salt-water bath.
Washing it in the Ocean, or even running wild water like a river, is even better.
If it feels like it needs a very deep cleansing, you can leave it in the salt water for a period of time - even in the Moonlight, for a double whammy.
Earth Cleansing
You can bury certain items in Earth for purification - like stones and crystals. This will do a very deep cleansing.
Simply bury them, pointing downward, into Earth outdoors, between the roots of a tree is ideal. If you can't manage that, bury them with a potted plant.
The real trick to this method of purification is remembering exactly where you buried your ritual tools! Be sure to leave a marker that is unlikely to be removed.
Smudging
Even more rapid is smudging, particularly using cedar or sage. Pass the ritual tools through the smoke a few times. This is enough for most purposes. But you can do as much as you need.
This is a great method for healing tools, especially stones.
Bathing In Light
Similar to smudging, you can pass ritual tools through (or above) the flame of your Goddess candle.
The Light will purify and remove any negative energies.
It needs to be done carefully, to avoid burning yourself and scorching your tools.
Cleansing Breath
After coming to a place of calm and peace, you can blow into your ritual tools, with the intention of being a conduit for Divine Energy.
Blow the negativity away, and blow positivity in - imagining this as white or golden light replacing any shadows in the object.
Running Water
Holding your ritual tools under cold running water can cleanse them, but this is usually unadvisable except for stones.
In which case, if they are pointed, make sure the points face downward with the flow of water, so the negative energy flows out and away.
You can do this with tap water as a last resort, but living water is much better.
Dedication Of Ritual Tools
The dedication, or programming, of Wiccan tools is simply setting an intention for their use. And communicating that intention to the ritual item, making sure that you have its consent.
- This cup will be my Chalice.
- This knife will be my Athame.
- This shell will be for healing.
- This stone will be for grounding energies.
- And so on.
It continues when you pick up the items, and ask them whether they are willing to work with you, and in what way.
The purpose of dedication is to have the two of you - you and the Wiccan tool - coordinating your energies and focusing them on a single purpose. This magnifies the Power available to you.
How To Dedicate Your Ritual Tools
Once you've purified your Wiccan tools, take a minute or two in sacred space — that is, still within the Ritual Circle - to quietly feel the item's energy.
Once you have a sense of that, visualise clearly what purpose you have chosen it for. Send that image or idea into the ritual item. Ask it if it is willing to participate in this.
Then sit quietly, and open yourself to hearing its response. You may feel an increase in energy - which signifies yes, or a decrease - which means no.
Chances are that at this stage, the objects will be right on board. If so, this step serves to clarify the item's purpose.
If The Object Disagrees
But it is possible that it rejects the idea, even now. If so, there are three likely reasons . . .
- It has not been sufficiently cleansed. In this case, do a deep purification.
- Your intention is not clear, or in some way harmful. In this case, spend some time exploring your intention and getting clear on what you want to do . . . and why. Divination might help, since it is excellent at revealing hidden currents.
- It has a specific purpose in coming to you, but not the one you thought. In this case, spend some time with this item, and ask it to reveal its purpose to you. Sooner or later - generally, as soon as you're willing to hear it - you'll understand. At which point you can dedicate the object and yourself to that intention.
Consecration Of Sacred Objects
For some items, dedication may be enough. Personally, I think you can never go wrong by invoking the Divine.
Consecrating your ritual tools is a way of setting them at a high vibrational level. This protects them from contamination by negative energy, and charges them with Divine Energy. This greatly increases the item's Power.
Consecration is especially useful for anything that may be used in healings.
You may want to consecrate your ritual tools to specific deities. For instance, Tara or Quan Yin for compassion, Kali for releasing the old, Hecate for protection, Artemis for clear focus, etc. Or you may simply align it with positive energy.
How To Consecrate Sacred Objects
After purification and dedication, you can do one of the following in sacred space, using both your imagination to visualise it and your voice to ask for it . . .
- Hold the item in your dominant hand (usually the right), and focus on the purest, brightest white Light you can imagine. Imagine it filling yourself, your sacred space, and the ritual object.
- Smudge the Wiccan tool with cedar smoke, visualising the sacred Power of the cedar aligning its energy with the Most High.
- Pass the object "through" (or above) the light of your Goddess candle (or if you choose, both Goddess and God candles). Think of that Light penetrate and filling all the spaces between the atoms in your Wiccan tool.
State clearly "Only the most pure Divine energy may enter and work through this sacred object."
Hold this intent, until you feel it has completely "taken." Then close your intent with "So mote it be! Blessed be."
Your Wiccan tool is now consecrated.
Charging Your Ritual Tools With Magickal Energy
You can do this the same way you consecrated, essentially. The difference is that you build up a certain magickal energy beforehand - in Ritual space, and then fill the Wiccan tool with that energy.
In this case, you can use a smudging herb that contains that energy.
You might want to use essential oils to instill certain energies into your Wiccan tools. They can be dabbed onto the object. But be sure it won't damage the material.
Another option is to place your ritual tools on the altar during rituals and spell-casting. This is especially popular - and practical - to do at group rituals, when appropriate. Lots of good magickal Power can be raised, and if you've set the intention, the object can soak it up.
Storage
Storage of ritual tools eventually plagues every witch, it seems.
The key to good storage is to remember that your Wiccan tools are sacred objects, with a consciousness of their own. They must be treated with respect.
How To Store Your Ritual Tools
Ideally, you might have a wooden chest or something similar to store your ritual tools when they're not in use.
However, in my experience a cardboard box can work, as long as it's a nice one, and clean. And small enough that you don't need to pile things on top of other things.
But make it more than shoving things out of site. You could use some nice tissue paper to store them in. (Pick some up cheap at discount stores.)
Another good alternative is to find scraps of nice fabrics, and sew pouches for your ritual objects. Natural fabrics are definitely best. You don't need to sew them yourself, of course, but pouches are very easy, and putting your care into them will convey your care to the objects that are stored in them.
Plastic mini-drawers are not recommended. Although they are very handy - and I admit to having used them myself. But they seem to stifle the energy in ritual items.
Still, it may be better than a jumble of items in a bag stuffed under the bed.
Where To Store Your Ritual Tools
Keep your ritual tools under the altar if at all possible. Or beside it if necessary . . . as near as may be.
If there's too much to fit, chances are you need to release some. This is actually always a good idea. (See Disposal of Your Ritual Tools, below.)
Disposal Of Your Ritual Tools
When something comes off your altar, you are likely done with it. Unless it is expensive or hard to replace, you'll likely find another one when you need it.
So when you clear something off your altar, consider passing it on.
While it's still vibrantly alive, it will appreciate going to good use elsewhere. Plus, this relieves you of caring for hundreds of ritual tools that you never use - something that simply can't be done properly.
Where To Pass On Wiccan Tools
You can give ritual tools to other witches.
One lovely way is to have a give-away. Wrap each item, and then take them to your next ritual. Let each person there choose, until they are all gone.
This is not only a kindness to your Wiccan tools, but shows your appreciation for those you Circle with!
Another option, if the energy is good and the object agrees, is to give it to someone you love, as a blessing.
You can also release things to the wild. If it came from nature, you can take it back to its natural environment, if possible the place you found it.
Or you can offer them to the Goddess at a natural "altar" - a stone, tree, cave, beach, or whatever feels right. From there, their life is their own. They could end up anyplace! Wherever the Divine chooses for them, or they choose for themselves.
Before Letting Go
Remember to give this object your thanks. It gave a lot of itself for your benefit, and receives so little in return. Show it real gratitude.
In doing so, you become more honourable, and more ritual tools are then happy to work with you.
What To Do With Expired Spells
When you've crafted a spell, and its work is done, you must release it.
Generally, it is best not to recycle spell materials, although everyone has their own ideas about this. Solid objects that can be purified are easier to reuse than herbs and feathers. Use your own judgement.
And what to do with what you can't reuse? Give them to the Goddess . . .
- In fire, if safe to burn (no artificial fibres etc),
- In water, if not toxic or dangerous to wildlife, or
- In earth.
"Losing" Ritual Objects
You can't really lose a sacred object.
They may disappear, but you haven't lost them.
When sacred items have completed the work they needed to do with you, or if they find someone who needs them more, they may wander off.
This doesn't mean you can't look for them, ask around, do a finding spell, and so on. But once you feel it's really gone, let it go with your blessings, and your thanks.
Care of Deities
Deities that you have on your altar may be statues, pictures, or items that symbolise a deity, like a shell for Aphrodite.
But no matter what it's made out of, an altar deity is not just a thing.
It is the Divine.
Anything that is venerated as a goddess or god becomes Divine. You may not be able to sense it, at first, but it happens.
So treating altar deities with respectful care is very important. As you treat Her representatives, so you treat the Divine.
Cleaning Altar Deities
The great way to tend to altar deities - besides making offerings - is to get a couple of new makeup brushes. A fat fluffy one, and a narrow one will take care of any dust that accumulates.
Keep them specifically for tending your altar.
When you are going to handle a deity, it is respectful to bow or lambaste or in some way greet Her, and share your intentions.
Then handle Her gently and with care, as you would a baby in your care. And when She is refreshed, set Her back with another bow, and gratitude for Her presence.
Keep the Goddess fresh and well-loved on your altar, and She will be strong and happy in your life.
With Bright Blessings,
