What do you need on your Wiccan altar?

Altar tools dont have to cost you lots of money, You can gather them from nature by making your own wands, or simply from car boot sales or second hand stalls. Key is if you spot it, hold it and it feels good then its right for you.

Ritual tools are as individual as the witch who uses them. However it helps to know what the basic tools are and how to use them.


1, Athame

Is a ritual knife, or athame, is one of the prime Wicca altar tools.

(It is pronounced AH-tha-may or ah-THAW-may.)

Traditionally black-handled, the athame lives in the East, the direction that represents mind, thought, and choice.

An athame doesn't have to be metal. You can find ones made out of wood or carved stone, if you prefer. It's not used as a physical knife, anyway, but a symbolic one.

Athames hold yang [god] energy.

Athames are used to direct energy, typically in casting ritual Circles and recalling them. They may also be used to cut energetic ties.

Ordinarily, an athame is not used to cut anything on the physical plane.

2, Bell

Bells are like the Voice of the Goddess. When you ring one, it brings the Divine's attention to you. And your attention to the Divine!

A bell with a lovely tone will call beautiful, healing energy to you. Bells can also be used to clear energy. At the end of a ritual is a good time for this, but if unwanted energy crops up during a ritual, you can use the bell to disperse it.

3, Candles - Direction Candles

One candle for each of the directions, colour-coded, are often used on a Wiccan altar. One would go in each appropriate direction . . .
For North: black, green, or brown

For East: yellow or white

For South: red or orange

For West: blue or aqua

For Centre, where you aren't using God and Goddess candles: white, silver, or gold.

Candles are used to invoke and hold the Powers of each direction.

4, Candles - God and Goddess Candles

Often large candles, such as pillar candles, are used to represent the God and the Goddess. These are usually set on either side of the Pentacle, or somewhere in the centre of the altar.

Other options are having just one large candle for the Great Goddess, or three - white, red, and black - for the Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

Where they go is up to you. Somewhere they won't drip onto delicate items or catch things on fire is always good.

These candles invoke the Energies of the Divine.

5, Chalice

The Wiccan chalice is one of the most important altar tools. It signifies the Mother Goddess.

As such, it is a "yin" altar tool.

Some people like very fancy bejewelled cups for their altar chalice, but this is not necessary. A cup or wine-type glass of any material will do, or even a bowl. Something that holds water and, ideally, is round or curvy is good.

Silver is always nice for Goddess tools - a silver chalice is a perfect Wiccan chalice.

The altar chalice is placed in the West, the direction of Water and the yinnest of the yin.

The Wiccan chalice is used for ceremonial drink, offering libations to the Divine, or holding the salt-water solution.

6, Deities

Images or representations of any gods and goddesses who are special to you are always welcome on an altar. Though of course we could not respectfully consider them "altar tools."

They are more than reminders of Divinity. Statues of the gods and goddesses can actually hold the vibrations of the Divine.

So your altar becomes a living temple - a place where the Divine dwells.

7, Libation Dish

A small dish, bowl, or cup can go in the centre, ready to receive offerings for the gods and goddesses. (See below.)

You can also use your altar chalice or cauldron for this purpose.

Later, pour or bury the offerings in the Earth, or into living water (rivers, lakes, etc) to carry them to the Divine.

8, Offerings

When you would honour the Divine with a gift of thanks or prayer, you can bring them to the Altar as an offering.

Often flowers are kept on the altar as an offering. Anything that is beautiful or special to you, or symbolic of the purpose for the offering, can be offered.

It is probably not necessary to point out that offerings should not be anything that could harm anything (but just in case, I'll point it out anyway).

For one thing, since the Divine lives in all things, anything you harm is an injury to the Divine. And pragmatically, you'll be giving the offerings to the Earth later.

Offerings are one of the most overlooked practices in Wicca today, yet one of increasing spiritual power and importance.

9, Pentacle

The Pentacle, a 5-point star within a circle, usually is placed in the centre of the altar. The pentacle is one of the most important altar tools, offering protection and power in magickal work.

10, Salt Water

A small bowl of water with salt dissolved in it, for cleansing. This would be appropriate in the centre. Alternatively, the altar chalice may be used to hold the salt water.

Water and salt are both purifying agents, not only in the physical realm but the energetic as well. Salt water also represents the energies of earth and water united, the ocean womb which gave birth to all life on the planet. So while this may seem an insignificant addition to your altar tools, it holds great power.

11, Scent or Feather

Some representation of air, commonly something scented like incense, essential oils, or smudges, or else a flying bird's feather goes in the East, to represent Air.

Sacred scents are used to cleanse an area energetically, call in certain powers, or help witches shift consciousness.

Feathers can also be used to cleanse energy fields, and to fan incense or smudge smoke.

12, Stones or Crystals

For the Earth element, in the North, stones and sometimes crystals are used.

These bring in Earth energy, which helps with grounding (except perhaps for quartz crystals). Gem stones also carry certain energies which can be invoked by having them on your altar.

(Another option is to have elements of nature such as plants or animals represent Earth.)

13, Wand

The wand is like a portable, handy version of a broom. There is a theory that originally one instrument performed all the purposes served by the two today.

A wand can be made of any natural material. Wood is traditional. Since all woods have unique Powers, you may like to choose the wood to suit your particular needs.

Wands can be used for divination and channelling magickal energy. They can be used to cast and recall circles, in place of the athame.

The magickal wand goes in the South, for the power of will, magick, and transformation. It also represents yang, or god, energy.

14, Broom

A broom is not necessarily classified among altar tools, but it is indispensable for energetically cleansing sacred space.

While handy to keep nearby, brooms are usually too unwieldy to put atop an altar.

15, Cauldron

Traditionally cast iron, a cauldron is like a 3-legged rounded cooking pot. You can get them in sizes from huge to tiny.

Cauldrons are handy items for burning things, like incense and herbs. This is one of the reasons it is one of the most common altar tools.

Put an incense charcoal in the bottom, and sprinkle the herbs and powders onto it for very pagan incense.

(Caution is required when burning anything, of course. Cast iron on legs, if made properly, will keep the heat from the surface it's standing on, but check to make sure. Also be aware of anything flammable nearby or above the cauldron - particularly sleeves and hair!)

Cauldrons can also be used to hold "witches' brews," that is, magickal spells in liquid form. These range from simple salt-water purifications to complex spells.

16, Working Knife

A knife you use to cut things, draw lines in the Earth or runes on candles, and other functions. Traditionally the working knife is white-handled.

This knife usually distinct from the Athame, which is a symbolic knife only and not used for other purposes by most witches.

Not all witches count the working knife as one of their altar tools, but just a functional implement.

17, Sword

Some people like to use a sword for casting in groups. (The difficulty may be emotional safety in addition to physical safety. The symbolic hostility inherent in swords is more than many sensitive people can cope with, especially in as intimate a situation as ritual.) Often awkward around an altar, swords may be kept near or under it to be held in the magickal aura.

In the past, swords were the athame of the nobility, but this custom is obviously ridiculous from a spiritual standpoint. Blue blood does not equal spiritual nobility!

Unlike knives, however, swords have no practical use other than as weapons. This link with violence makes swords unadvisable as altar tools for most people.

18, Altar Cloth

An altar cloth is optional, but useful. By choosing one with an appropriate colour or design, you set the stage for the energy of your altar.

It's also handing on a pragmatic level. It keeps dripping wax from marring your altar top. And since dripping candles are a hazard common to all witches, you may want to choose a cloth that isn't too hard to remove wax from. Or so expensive you'll cry if it gets ruined.

19, Book of Shadows

If you have a Book of Shadows it should be kept on your altar, preferably. It is one of your most important altar tools. If your altar is not private enough, or you can't keep it there for another reason, then keeping it under your altar is best.

If you have other books that you use for reference for spells or rituals, it may be handy to keep nearby. It's better to remain within the cast circle than to leave it to look up something.

Blessed Be