This article was originally posted by The Moonlight Shop here: 6 Essential Wiccan Altar Tools You Should Have By Now
As you follow the Wiccan path, several fundamental altar tools are essential. Rituals, honoring higher beings, and expressing gratitude form the basis of any religion, and accomplishing these tasks is challenging without the right tools.
An Altar Space Is Essential
Having an altar is crucial for your rituals and spell work. You need an altar for your practices, be it for rituals, spell casting, or meditation. Your altar can take many forms—perhaps a tree stump, a table, or even a chest. If you can’t purchase one or find a suitable item in your home, simply designate a sacred corner for your practice. It should be a quiet location that isn’t frequented by other household members. Ideally, it should be near a window so you can enjoy a view of nature while you practice. Avoid using a closet, as it should not be a cluttered space.
Now, here are 6 of the essential Wiccan altar tools that are a must-have for those serious about their Wiccan practice.
Pentacle
When I mention a pentacle, I’m not referring to your necklace—you should always wear that piece. Instead, I mean a pentacle altar paten, which can be made of wood or brass. If you’re going to carry a pentacle with you, it’s equally important to have one protecting your altar. Pentacle altar patens are beneficial in focusing energy and enhancing strength during your spells and rituals.
Cat Familiar in Crescent Moon and Pentacle Plaque from the Moonlight Shop
Candles
Candles are also vital as they’re needed for almost every ritual and spell you perform. The typical setup includes one black candle and one white candle. The black candle absorbs negative energy, while the white candle counters it with positivity. They symbolize light and dark, good and evil. Having both candles helps to maintain balance on your altar, even if other colored candles are included to signify different meanings.
Chalice/Cauldron
A chalice or cauldron is equally important. Both represent the Element of Water and the goddess. Their shape symbolizes the womb of the goddess, making them practical for rituals, as they can hold water, salt, and can be used in smudging. Brass cauldrons are often favored for their associations with strength and purity.
Your Dragon Guardian’s Chalice from The Moonlight Shop
Wand
Wands are essential for channeling energy, invoking the quadrants, and casting circles. They also serve to repel negative energies. Wands crafted from any of the 9 sacred woods are particularly beneficial due to their unique properties that can enhance your spiritual practice. For instance, a Willow wand aids in fortifying intuition and refining your senses, as well as assisting in understanding visions and dreams.
Wand of Wisdom and Wand of Dreams from The Moonlight Shop
Altar Cloth
A cloth for your altar is necessary to cover the space. You can drape it over a table, a chest, or a tree stump. If your cloth features pentacles, you may forgo using a separate pentacle altar paten. However, for added protection, you may keep the altar paten beneath it. The purpose of the altar cloth is to prevent your tools from absorbing any external energies from the surface beneath them.
Altar Bell
The altar bell is rung to mark the beginning of the ritual, summon the goddess, invoke the Watchtowers, and dispel negative energies and spirits. Use the bell to call for the goddess’s assistance, ensuring she hears your requests clearly during your ritual or spell casting.
Triple Goddess Altar Bell from The Moonlight Shop
That covers it. These are just 6 of the essential Wiccan altar tools you should have, whether you’re new to the practice or on a budget. As you deepen your understanding and experience, feel free to expand your collection of Wiccan supplies. It’s perfectly fine to begin with a few items and gradually acquire more tools as your knowledge grows.
Sorry, but these items aren’t “non-negotiable”. There are some people, such as teenagers living in homes that are anti-pagan and run a real risk of being found out, and adults who may have roommates or live with family and aren’t out of the broom closet, who absolutely cannot have an altar space out in the open, so a closet may be the only place they can have one (which goes double for the weird opinion of HAVING to wear a pentacle necklace. I don’t wear one because I’m still in the broom closet and I don’t wear necklaces because of claustrophobia/fear of strangulation issues). The God/dess isn’t going to look down on you for doing what you have to do, and if you think so, then you’re not as well versed in the religion as you think you are. They also can have their altar boxed up and hidden and only taken out when needed. A chalice is not necessary. A wine glass can be used, or something similar, and can be purchased for $1 at the dollar store. Some people also do not use a wand, and instead opt for an athame. I’ve only used an altar bell once. I have other ways of cleansing and purifying a space and I call on the quarters without using a bell. It’s the Goddess. She can hear you whether or not you’re ding-a-ling-a-linging. I am pretty displeased with this article, because there are many variations of Wicca, and many different reasons for having things a certain way. This article is another example of demanding “my way or the highway”.
I am pretty displeased with you, everyone’s alter is different ” my way or the highway” ?? What’s that ?? Was that childish comment coming from you ?? You just made wiccan look childish. Grow up and act like a mature adult and not a child.
What the fuck are you even talking about? I’m not Wiccan, first of all. Second, do you know how to read? You seem to lack even the most basic of comprehension skills. I was not saying it was my way or the highway. I was saying that this article was implying that all of their “must haves” were ridiculous. 3rd, don’t come at me with that “childish” bullshit when you have a stupid screen name like you do. If you didn’t mean to reply to me and mean to repmy to the original article, please learn how to comment correctly.
I fucking know what I’m talking about, any body can have what ever they fucking want on there alter, so why degrade a comment instead of ignoring it?? Your comments need to be left at the trailer park instead of putting down what others can have on there alter. Oh and ok grammer nerd I was learning the correct items to put on a alter than my nose in a book learning how to comment correctly, lol. Really?? Idiot.
Don’t know what my weight has to do with anything, but nope! Not fat. Maybe you get slammed because you’re dumber than a box of rocks? If you have a problem with everyone, that usually means you’re the problem. Nothing in my original comment was rude. You’re still not getting a single point of my original comment. Clearly explaining it to you is like talking to a brick wall, but here goes: MY WHOLE POINT OF MY COMMENT WAS THAT ANYONE CAN HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT ON THEIR ALTAR, THAT NO ONE HAS TO HAVE ANYTHING OR FOLLOW ANY OF THE SUGGESTED “RULES”. THAT THIS WHOLE ARTICLE WAS A JOKE BECAUSE THEY WERE IMPLYING THAT ALL OF THEIR SUGGESTIONS WERE MANDATORY AND IT ISN’T. Get it now? Probably not. The moment someone spells ‘there’ instead of ‘their’ negates any right they have of calling someone else an idiot.
I know what I’m fucking talking about, any body can have what ever they fucking want on a alter, so instead of ignoring the comment you show your ignorance threw a post, save those type of comments in the trailer park, oh and sorry I’m not a nerd for not knowing how to comment correctly I was learning what CORRECT items to place on a alter.
Well everything in your post was negative remarks you only got one thing correct, and that’s my learning to comment correctly got me on that one. I wasn’t sticking my face into a book being a nerd so I wasn’t planning on getting a job with the grammer police, that’s the lowest of the lowest. Oh and are you fat?? I’m 5’4 and 105 pounds and size d breasts cause I “ALWAYS” get slammed from the fat bitches. I let it go in one ear out out the other, I “DONT” pay attention “to you people” anymore.
I know Jays comment is 3 years old but it is still so relevant! I’m new to Wicca and even I know material goods are NEVER mandatory for a spell or ritual and if anyone disagrees they should read ‘Wicca’ by Scott Cunningham, you don’t have to read a lot of it before you see Scott says it himself and he was a very experienced Wiccan.
Wicca celebrates nature so material goods are never mandatory to connect with the Goddess & God!
Also there are other tools to achieve the same thing that these ones do. Not everyone can afford to buy tools and some people live in a place or situation where it is not practical to use these tools. For example, I live in a rented house and we are not allowed to burn candles, there are other ways to dispel negative energy & attract positive energy. I also can’t use a bell if I want to do rituals at night because the noise will disturb my housemates & I don’t want people asking too many questions because I don’t want them to know I’m Wiccan as if they don’t understand & react badly I can’t afford to move out and a lot of people are affected by these issues as well, which makes this article really inaccurate!
You’re writing as an experienced Wiccan to less experienced ones like me so please write more responsibly!