WHAT IS AN ALTAR? The altar is nothing more than a home for Spirit to sit. It's the place between places where this world meets the spirit world. It is a place where you can serve Spirit. You can set up an altar in honor of the spirits you work with; the only issue is that if you try to combine with multiple spirits or saints, you must make sure that they will work well together and be at peace with one another.
During slavery times, the ancestors were not allowed to have altars, even within the prayer houses. Their altars consisted of wherever they were doing the work at that moment. Altars are more a product of modern times; my mama didn't have an altar. The kitchen table was where she was always at. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and in the times of slavery, as today, it is where the fire was kept burning.
The truth is the altar can be anywhere or anything. You can leave it up, or you can take it down when you are not serving the spirits that walk with you. It is really up to you. So you can have no altar at all, or you can make it as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. Most folks need to feel connected to Spirit, and the altar will become that connection. The altar is not only a good place to honor Spirit, but it is also a good place for the worker to pray and to petition Spirit.
There is really not a set rule for having an altar space. The first step to having an altar in your home is to figure out where you want the altar to sit; again there is no set place to have the altar. Still, I would like to give you a little direction. I have my ancestor altar facing the east, because that is the place of sunrise and the Bible tells us that the dead will be raised in the east. The east is also the best place for works that are intended to draw things towards you, such as love or money. The sun sets in the west, so the west is the best place for work that is intended to remove, such as banishing. You don't want the spirits you honor to be removed. You want them drawn in to sit on the altar that will become their home over time.
One of my elders, Mimi, told me once that the north is where frost sets and the south is where fire rests. I've always worked with the directions in that way: to cool hotheads they are placed in the north. Cold hearts are placed in the south to heat them up and warm them. The main directions I work with are the east and the west for drawing and removing.
So, you decide where you want to set up your altar with these pieces of information in mind, and then it's time to cleanse the area where the altar will sit.
Make a wash by steeping bay leaves, olive leaves, and three tablespoons of salt together. Make the wash just like you would a cup of tea. Pray Ezekiel 34 V 27 over the wash three times while the wash is cooling.
Ezekiel 34 V 27
27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
Once the wash is cooled, strain off the herbs and set them aside. Mix the wash with a little cool water, then clean the area where the altar will sit with the wash. Wipe off the table or whatever the altar will sit on. The floor can also be the altar if you choose to make it so. The important thing is that you are praying and petitioning Spirit as you are working.
After you get your space cleaned and it is dry, you need some type of cloth to cover the space—or to set on the floor if you decided to place the altar on the floor. Some folks will simply use white as an altar cloth, but I have the purple shroud that was on my sister's coffin as the altar cloth on my ancestor altar. The altar is a very personal place; there are no rules to follow when setting up an altar for conjure work. I am going to give you a small list of colors here that may help you decide on a color of cloth to add to your altar.
* Red represents blood, heat, fire, love, and all of these emotions that we feel for folks we love.
* Yellow represents the sun, success, warmth, and happiness.
* Blue represents peace, water, prosperity, and, once again, warmth.
* Green represents growth, money, fertile fields, and life.
* Purple represents power, glory, success, royalty, and mastery.
* White represents purity, power, and faith.
* Black absorbs and holds things; this is a good color for a healing or cleansing altar space.
This is just a little shared information; nothing is written in stone. Follow the spirits that walk with you and decide what color cloth your altar will have.
The next step is to decide what you will have on your altar. There are no hard and fast rules about what items are placed on a conjure altar, but there are a few basic things.
A cool glass of water is needed on the altar to give Spirit a drink; you can also add a cup of coffee as an offering. You need to offer some kind of smoke for them. When I smoked, I gave them a cigarette as an offering. I still do sometimes, but now I like to offer them burning herbs. They seem to like the smoke from the herbs; you can also read the smoke as it whiffs up off the fire. The ancestors will need a candle or an oil lamp. You also need to keep a Bible on the altar, as it helps when you have questions and need answers. This type of Bible work is called bibliomancy.
Bibliomancy is nothing more than divining with the Bible. Hold the Bible in both hands and draw it close to your mouth. Ask your question by kind of pushing your breath out as you speak so your breath flows over the Bible. Then you open the Bible up and read the first passage your eyes fall on; usually you will have your answer. This is a simple but powerful way to get guidance when you are lost and don't know what to do next. You can also find powerful works in the Bible through bibliomancy. The Bible is a strong tool, if you know how to work with it.
Anything else you add to your altar is a bonus. Nowadays money is a big issue with almost everyone, with careers not paying as well as they have in the past, unemployment high, and success seeming just out of reach. In reality, success is never out of reach unless we claim it is. Words are power, and if you say something enough, Spirit is going to begin to believe it. So remember whatever you claim is what your spirit will draw to you and into your life. Here is a simple but powerful way to draw prosperity, money, and success into your life. This is called a success altar.
Clean your area and the altar. Your prayer and petition while you are cleaning is “May all blocks and crossed conditions be removed; may only prosperity and success sit here!” I truly believe success and prosperity are a mindset. I want to share a story with you before we move forward to the success altar.
Last week I was going to get a drink at my favorite drive-through, and I passed by an ole business that has been closed for years. Behind the building I saw a tent, and I thought, dear Lord, someone is homeless living in a tent. This stayed on my mind. The other day I passed by there again, and a guy was laid back in a chair under the tree with his shades on looking at his phone like he didn't have a care in the world. That is the feel that his spirit was putting off as I looked at him. When I told my granddaughter what I had seen, she laughed and said, “Well Mawmaw, ain't that what you teach us? To act successful and rich even if we only got two cents to our name; any other way of thinking would make us have even less!”
I'm not sure how I like my own teachings given back to me, but she did have a point. Even though he was living in a tent, he didn't have to act like it. He didn't have to claim it. It reminded me of my mama. I wanted a pair of boots one time, and of course, I couldn't get them yet so I said something. I don't even remember what it was, but I remember what she said to me about complaining: “The little girl complained about not having any shoes until she saw the lil boy with no feet!” I will never forget that lil lesson as long as I live.
The points of these stories have everything to do with conjure work and success because we become what we claim we are. At one time, many years ago I wanted to become a writer that would be able to help folks learn through my writings. Here I am writing book after book that just flow out of me. The time has come to stop complaining about what you don't have and start building on what you do have!
Now, let's get that success altar built! We are going to call it the “Crown of Success” altar. Don't go spending a lot of money either; you need to look around your home for the things to add to this altar.
Add a bright cloth to the altar; something that makes you feel good when you look at it or touch the material. Find things to place on your altar that represent success, money, prosperity, and the ideal job or home. This is the tricky part 'cause when we don't have something or it seems out of our reach, we tend to be naysayers. You have to look beyond what is missing to what will fill that void. If you are struggling to finish school, find things that represent graduation and the job you want. If you need a new car, place photos of the one you want on your altar to claim it as yours. Whatever it is that you need or want in your life, place something that represents having it on your altar. Build your dream and make it happen!
After you get your altar built, once a week light a candle, and give a fresh glass of water and any other offering you want to give. We will go into more about the offerings you can share in the next chapter. Give thanks for all you have and all that you will have. Claim the things you want and need in your life. Pull in the success by doing the work and by claiming what is yours. The only person that can stop you is you! Keep them altars going hot.