31/1/2021 0 Comments A Permanent Altar Is Not NecessaryI have an instagram account and follow a lot of really inspiring witches. One thing I see a lot is altar set ups. I love looking at them; some of them are huge, and intricately designed. Statues, bottles of herbs, huge crystal towers, placed everywhere. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty. My altar is just a small chest of draws with a few essentials on it. In fact, I don't really use it at all. It sits in the spare room/junk room as there is nowhere else to put it, in an upstairs room with no curtains. The room is a mess and everyone can see in, so I tend to do all of my spell work downstairs at my 'hearth', which feels more appropriate for someone who considers kitchen witchcraft to be a large part of their practice.
I've mentored a lot of new witches, and one of the main comments they always have is 'I just can't find the time to practice my craft'. It's a valid thought, and one that I struggled with when I first started out. We always talk about how witchcraft is a 'lifestyle', but especially when you are beginning your path, it can be difficult to work out what that actually means. It takes time to build up habits, and that is exactly what we mean when we say witchcraft is a 'lifestyle'; you are building these habits of practicing magick into your every day life. Sure, some things you need to set time aside for, such as full on rituals, but we strive to entwine magick with the mundane on a physical level. As such, my whole house is my altar. I keep a bottle of quartz water in the bathroom cupboard, so I can anoint myself and say my morning devotion as I'm getting ready in the morning. My tarot cards live on my desk, so I can pull a card for the day after logging into work and checking my emails. The herbs I use in spells or potions live in the cupboard in the kitchen along with the herbs and spices I use for cooking. The park where I take my lunch time walk is my altar. I enjoy making offerings to the water spirits in the local park, or connecting with the trees to help heal. You may instead have a lot of 'mini altars' set up about the place. A statue in the kitchen that represents Hestia, a small collection of crystals and a special sigil on your desk to encourage creativity, for example. Just because these aren't big or elaborate doesn't make them any less powerful. I have to remind myself when I see these fantastic altar set ups on instagram that sometimes, the traditional altar just doesn't suit some witches. If that's your vibe, then go for it (and show me pictures lol, I do love looking at them). But if you don't have the space for an altar, or even if you just don't really care for altars, that doesn't make you any less of a witch, or your practice any less valid. I believe it is much more important to focus on making your witchcraft a habit, and a true part of your lifestyle, and this often means working 'on the fly'. So, if that is you, embrace not needing an altar! Your craft is your own, and the witch makes the magick.
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The Weekly Witch:Once I week I talk about something 'witchcraft' related I have done with my week. How we incorporate witchcraft into our every day lives is always a topic that has interested me, so I wanted to start this blog to explore it further! Archives
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