This is as good a place to start as any. I love altars. I love the idea of them. They’re so versatile and have the ability to physically embody a person’s deepest values by way of their following their own creative and intuitive impulses. They, along with the practice of magick, embody Starhawk’s words when she says that “knowing magick is knowing the language of things” (Dreaming the Dark. Get it.) Symbolism is inherent in color, scent, texture, image, and how these all relate to both personal and social memories.
For many Neo-Pagans, altars are our Axis Mundi – our Center of the World. The place we turn to again and again in this stressful fast-changing world to see something that reflects us on a deeper level. And since we are always changing, it only makes sense to me and my friend Dianne Sylvan (noted Wiccan author of The Circle Within who is as yet unaware of my love for her) that the objects on your altar are meant to change as you do. And not just with a new cloth every Sabbat. They should reflect your internal, heck, your daily changes. When I’m on point with my spiritual practice, my daily tarot card is on my altar along with any cards I’ve recently pulled that have spoken to me. So is my herbal ally for whatever epoch I’m in at that time in my life. It’s what I meditate in front of, due spellwork at, and use in ritual. I’m at it daily. Well…when I’m on point…
