Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

162 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

South

West

the deity within each participant. We usually place North

two taper candles to either side of these statues, the

colors depending on the season and/or purpose of the

rite. In the absence of figures, these candles alone

may represent the God and Goddess. In fact, candles

in the form of male and female figures are even avail-

able in most occult shops. Candleholders may be made

of metal, glass, or pottery in symbolic shapes.

Other items on the altar would be those to be

used in the ritual itself. These might include anoint-

ing oils, incense or herbs, a copy of the ritual script

(perhaps done up as a scroll...), divinatory implements

(a tarot deck, crystal ball, Runestones, black mirror...),

necessary materials for spell casting, photos of people

needing healing (or of the beloved dead in a Samhain

rite); totem animal figures representing people or pets,

etc. We also often weave seasonal paraphernalia

among the altar implements, such as wreaths of holly

and ivy at Yule, flowers in Spring, berries and fruit in

Summer and Fall, bones at Samhain, and so on. Again,

use your imagination!

Quarter Altars

Our community is really into altars, and we have

lots of them. For our ritual areas, whether indoors or

out, we often have Quarter altars at the points of the

cardinal directions outside the actual Circle. These

may range from simple shelves on wall brackets, as

in the Temple of Annwfn, to the big stone-and-wood

structures at Annwfn’s Faerie, Moon, and Sun Circles.

These altars can be quite imaginative, as

their purpose is to honor the

Elemental spirits. An advan-

tage is that if you have

Quarter altars outside the

Circle, you don’t have to

have all that Elemental

stuff on the central altar! For

large rituals, especially all-

nighters held outdoors,

many of our tools are kept

on the appropriate Quarter altars

when not in use. All the incense is kept by the Eastern

altar, along with the temple sword; space candles are

stashed in the South; extra water, juice, coffee, and

other beverages are kept at the West; and the North-

ern altar serves as a place to keep the ritual bread,

fruit, and other food.

So an Eastern altar may be made of branches fes-

tooned with yellow ribbons, bells,

feathers, little faeries, and wind

chimes. A Southern altar may be a

section of fire-blackened tree

with lava stones, red drap-

ing, a dragon, and a fire-

pot. A Western altar may

be made of driftwood and

covered with assorted seashells,

with a mermaid sculp-

ture and a large chalice

of water. Also in the

West, as the Gateway

to the Underworld,

we may have a spe-

cial altar to our Beloved

Dead. There we might

place a black candle

or a skull, as well as photos and

other mementos of our discorporate loved

ones. A Northern altar is always

made of stone—a large, flat stone

is ideal. It may be decorated with

crystals and potted plants, espe-

cially ferns and moss.

Household Altars

It’s hard to imagine a magickal

home without at least one household altar. Around

our place, such altars tend to multiply like tribbles,

until every horizontal space has been made into an

altar, and every vertical space has been converted into

a bookcase! Altars become established for the vari-

ous Gods and Goddesses to whom we personally re-

late. So our main Ravenheart Family Altar is on the

mantle over our parlor fireplace, and it is primarily

dedicated to Mother Gaea and Brigit (patron of our

creative work). But we also have a healing altar dedi-

cated to Kwan-Yin, an altar to Aphrodite and Eros in

the bedroom, an altar to Ti’en Hou for our business,

and various others around the house and in our rooms.

Household altars may be fairly easily incorpo-

rated into bookcases, but they may also be established

on the tops of bureaus, dressers, or cabinets. An altar

can be kept in a small corner of the bedroom, a niche

in a sewing rooms, or a convenient closet. Household

altars are not usually the focus of group rituals, but

rather of personal and family observances, prayers,

and devotions. The most important thing is to keep

them clean and fresh—don’t let them get covered with

dust and cobwebs!

Your Personal Altar

I’ve already covered this subject in 1.II: “Create

Your Personal Altar,” so I won’t say any more here.

Lesson 5: Shrines

Shrines are similar in concept to altars, but are usu-

ally more focused and permanent. There are count-

less variations—a shrine can be almost anything from

an elaborate structure with chambers and doors that

open on various scenes, to a simple box containing

sacred objects and relics; or just a marker, monument

or memorial to someone.

East

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