Your Sacred Space
What Makes a Sacred Place Sacred?
I’ve written and read quite a few articles about sacred places and spaces, but few touch on the theories about how they get that way other than the physical items or trappings that go into them. The place you choose for working or simply communing must be a space devoid of fear. This is extremely important for the solitary Witch, because you do not have anyone, save yourself, to rely on when odd things begin to happen.
There is no one to smile weakly at or to affirm that they are feeling the same things you are. There isn’t a High Priest or Priestess to nod knowingly at a physical manifestation, or to afterward discuss what has happened during a ritual.
Richard Bach once wrote, “Argue for your limitations, and they are yours.” Each of us draws mental boundaries on what is and is not acceptable to occur or experience. Each one of us determines what our reality is permitted to contain.
A good example of this is the town and surrounding area of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Since I have always lived within an hour’s traveling distance of this historical graveyard, I have been shuttled there a number of times on school, Girl Scout, and family sightseeing trips. I was even there for a honeymoon adventure.
Each time I visited this area, my parameters on reality were different. My last visit, over three years ago, brought up some very interesting experiences and feelings simply because my boundaries of existence had changed again. Ghosts and tangible energy were now in my repertoire. Consequently, Gettysburg carries an entirely different perspective for me now.
Movies have rendered a strong effect on us. Even though a scene has long been viewed and stored away, the mind adores dragging it up and laying it before us if the atmosphere seems appropriate. There is nothing more mind-blowing than to be in the middle of a ritual, alone in the house, and experience a supernatural occurrence that you were not in the least prepared for. If you are not comfortable in your sacred space or do not trust it, then whatever magickal working you are performing will most likely bomb.
A sacred space or place is not just an area in which to erect an altar and perform rituals, or simply commune with the universe. It is a power center either of your own making, or made by the forces of the universe, or by a drastic event in human consciousness (such as a battleground). It is a place to respect as well as a place to be respected in—whether it be a work area or a meditation sanctuary. To work in the no-limit world of the Craft, you must accept that anything can happen. If you have properly prepared yourself to operate in this environment, then the experiences and lessons you learn will reach to infinity.
For example, my best friend is not a Witch, but she does study all sorts of metaphysical and religious topics. One day, out of the clear blue, she said to me, “When I pass away, you will be able to get in touch with me by sitting in my space. Right there in front of the coffee table is my power center. It is where I always sit. You will be able to reach me there if you can find no other way to contact me.” And I believe her.
Physical Space
There are two types of physical sanctuaries—inside an enclosed area, or outside in the world of nature. A basic prerequisite for either place is privacy. Interruptions cause failure because you will simply not be able to focus as you should. Your attention and the direction of it is vital for your success in any magickal, ritualistic, or meditative endeavor.
If you share living space with another adult, now is the time to discuss your need for privacy if you think a problem may arise in the future. There is nothing more frustrating than to attempt to perform a magickal function and have someone interrupt you because they think what you are doing is “cute” or “funny.”
Solitaries who share living space with non-Craft adults may find themselves in the midst of severe arguments when defending their rights to sacred space and the protection of the items therein.
Your options for privacy and your needed tools will determine the extent and plans of your area. It can mean the difference between a permanent place or a temporary one. The more entrenched you become in the Craft, the more determined you become in your right to practice it.
The Indoor Sanctuary
If you are living alone, setting up an indoor sacred space with physical items does not present much of a problem as you can shut the door to that room when company comes. The more you become integrated into the Craft, the less desire you will have to keep everything locked away. A deep reverence for your faith and practices will emerge, along with a great deal of pride in what you have accomplished and believe in. This is a natural progression.
A full discussion on dealing with the outside world is covered later in this book. You will, however, have to make some serious considerations now, when setting up your sacred space. I firmly believe that you should not discuss your entrance into the Craft with outsiders until you fully know and understand the belief system you have chosen.
Quickie Witches are a dime a dozen these days, and they rarely stay with the Craft system longer than two to three years. In that time, they do themselves and others a disservice by flaunting the little knowledge they have gained.
If you feel there will be a great deal of negativity surrounding your choice of universal celebration, I suggest you consider creating a temporary space that can be used after everyone is sleeping, then pack up and put everything away before morning.
This does present a problem if you are doing a magickal working that requires certain tools to remain untouched and in the open. But these workings are few and far between for the new Witch, so I don’t see any difficulty in erecting temporary work areas and sacred spaces.
I began with a temporary area due to both space limitations and others in the home. My first altar was a dressmaker’s board laid out on my bed very late at night to ensure privacy. I am not suggesting that you practice deceit, but I am indicating that there is a way around every obstacle, if you are genuinely serious about your studies.
A Witch needs a place to work and celebrate, therefore one of your first major magickal acts will be the design, physical setup, cleansing, and consecration of the area chosen. This space should be ready to use when you take your vows of dedication. Creating your sacred space becomes a symphony of planning and movement. Your positive energy melded with the energy of the universe will create a melodious haven for yourself—and perhaps, in time, for others as well.
Designing the Sacred Space
For indoor work (or relaxation), you should pick a place in a nonactive portion of your living area. If you are fortunate enough to have an empty room, lucky you. All sorts of decorating possibilities become available to you. Most of us, however, must make do with some type of space limitation. Keep in mind that the space you choose should be large enough for you to move freely or lie down comfortably if you desire to do healing or vision questing.
Creativity in all things is the hallmark of a solitary Witch. Keep in mind that your sacred area does not need to be built on a foundation of expensive accessories. A closet, a corner, even an attic or basement (as long as you are not afraid of things that go “bump” in these places) are workable.
Once you have chosen the actual place, you should take some other design features into consideration. Shelving and storage for magickal tools, ingredients, books, and files should be prepared. These things need to be in close proximity to the sacred space so that you are not running hither and yon when an emergency arises. The old motto “Be Prepared” goes for Witches too!
Having to drag things all over the house or apartment when you are preparing for a ritual, working, or celebration is not only time consuming, but energy wasting as well. And goddess forbid you are in the middle of a magickal endeavor only to discover that you have left the lighter or that specific tool locked up underneath the basement stairs. To make matters worse, the key is in the kitchen on the top shelf above the refrigerator and you are in your bedroom. This predicament will definitely blow a hole in your focus!
As a helpful hint, I suggest you tape a lighter under your altar. It seems to be the thing that everybody forgets at one time or another.
Plants are a wonderful consideration for inside space. Place them on shelves or hang them from the ceiling.
Your next thought should be the lighting. Will you feel comfortable with candlelight only, or would you prefer low-watt electrical lighting at first? This may sound silly, but there are people who are petrified of the dark, even with candlelight. Don’t feel embarrassed about it, just address the fear. It isn’t going to do you any good if, in the middle of your ritual, the hat tree in the corner of the living room becomes a ferocious demon because of poor illumination. If you think something is going to burst out of the closet or snatch at your bare feet from under the bed, handle it with low-wattage bulbs!
Other lighting alternatives could be large pillar candles placed about the room, the use of hurricane lamps either hung from the walls or on tables, or four-foot-high taper candles set in sturdy floor sconces. If you are going to use a multitude of candles or lamps, I suggest keeping the correct gauge fire extinguisher or a bucket of water handy. Anyone can knock over a candle or lamp or get their hair too close to a flame.
An indoor or outdoor space can be concealed by a moveable partition. You can purchase or make them, and they are great for small sites that you wish to remain permanent but desire to keep cloaked from nonmagickal eyes. These screens can be painted on one side with various magickal designs, and the other side can match the decor of the room or patio.
Window shades can also turn a normal room into a magickal one. Designs can be painted on the inside and rolled up during regular hours. Pull them down for instant protection or space conversion.
Repainting the room can also be a step in your space preparation. You can choose a soft color for the entire room, or get really jazzy by creating self-styled designs on two or three of the walls. Stenciling magickal borders is another terrific idea. I have black cats in both my kitchen and dining room, and a wolf pattern I created for my living room which isn’t finished yet—one of these days!
Get out your notebook and begin the design of your own magickal space. List what room would be appropriate, any major structural changes you would like to make, shelving, storage, shades, lighting, etc.; anything you would like to bring into form for the shell of the room. Everything does not have to be “just so” at the moment. Your space will grow with you and change as you do.
A sacred place will carry the positive energy you generate there long after a working is over. If you invite the universe to commune with you, even in the bathroom, vestiges of that union will remain. If done often enough, it could become just as physical as the items already therein.
Outdoor Spaces
If you prefer working outdoors, and climate permits, look for a place that is totally private. This is easier said than done, as neighbors can be real deterrents to magickal workings. To conceal what you are doing, you can create a rock garden enclosed by trees, shrubs, or fencing. Ivy can be planted along mesh fences and trained to climb the fence to give you privacy. If you have the inclination, fountains and benches can be added for effect. Your herb garden can be planted on the outskirts, as well.
Presently, our family is working on our outdoor sanctuary that will include stone benches, a fountain, and a small natural pool. We are also designing a screened area with a fireplace to give us more privacy during our holidays and workings.
Keep in mind that an outdoor sanctuary requires several years of hard labor, both in the design and in the upkeep. Start small and expand a little each season. It can also be an extremely expensive endeavor. Not only must you do the required research for magickal properties of plants, but you must also study the type of ground you have, what tools are necessary to care for the land, and what plants will prosper in your climate. Multiple trips to greenhouses and country markets are usually included during the entire process, as well as a few trips to the library.
Temporary outside places are easier to handle. Take a walk to the nearest park or wooded area. There are always areas that are willing to shelter you as you commune with the universe—you just have to ask them first.
The Heart of Power: The Altar
As you are unique in design, so your altar should be. There are several types of altars—among them are the table type, the wall altar, and the stang (or vertical altar). An altar serves three specific purposes:
1. It helps you centralize your personal power. Therefore, each item placed on it should have a specific purpose. Don’t have anything there that is not needed. When the altar is dormant, you can set decorative articles on it in celebration of reverence, but don’t clutter it up.
2. It can serve as a work table, like that of a master craftsman. As such, it should be large enough for comfortable crafting of tools, talismans, etc.
3. It enables you to honor the universe and your beliefs, even when you are not physically present.
The Table Altar
The physical construction of your table altar is your choice. Witches use coffee tables, dressers, cinder blocks with two planks, desks, computer tables, etc. You can make your own altar if you are handy with woodworking tools.
The altar can be permanent or portable, and any size that is comfortable to you. There are even space-saver tables now on the market; when you fold down the side leaves, they are as small as two feet across. Most of them have wheels to enhance their portability, and can be maneuvered into small areas for storage.
The top of the altar should have enough space so you can work comfortably if you are planning to use it as a magickal work table. As a working altar, there should be enough surface space for you to place two illuminator candles or lamps safely on either side of you to provide adequate lighting.
If the altar is a permanent one, you may wish to keep the lamps or candles there at all times. You never know when you may need to use the table on short notice for helping someone.
Your altar can be decorated with magickal symbols and designs by carving, using a wood-burning tool, or painting it various color combinations.
Some Witches prefer to place the altar at the north or east points of the sacred space. This is not an absolutely necessary practice, as when you cast the magick circle around the altar area you aren’t working in the present dimension anyway, and north, south, east, and west are merely reference points of the material world.
The Wall Altar
In our home we have a working altar and a wall altar. The working altar is for my own personal use, but the wall altar is for the entire family to enjoy.
Wall altars are usually made of shelves, indentations, or alcoves in the wall. In our case, we have set the entire wall between a door and window aside as an altar. The wall has been stenciled, has various items hanging on it (including a broom, a framed picture of the god and goddess entwined, a large wreath of grapevines woven into a pentacle), and two double-glass shelves for gems, stones, nature’s gifts, a bell, and small statues of Witches and priestesses cast in pewter.
Each of these things means something special to the family, whether it was gathered from the yard, picked up on a hiking trip, or purchased as a gift for one another on our holidays.
We also have a small altar in the living room that holds a stone pyramid that can be touched by the adults who enter and leave the room. Some families use the mantle above their fireplace as an altar. Candles, lamps, pictures, nature items, masks, etc., adorn these areas.
A wall altar does not take much to create. Check local craft shops for decorative wooden shelves. These are unfinished and you can paint or stain them in whatever way you see fit.
The Stang
The stang is usually made out of the wood that is generally prevalent to your locality. It is best to research the magickal properties of your local trees and choose that which you think most appropriate.
Our family uses a pitchfork that has been handed down through the family for five generations, by accident. Yes, it made its way back to our family by sheer luck. We purchased a house that belonged to a great uncle I had never met. While cleaning out the basement, I found the pitchfork and ordered it to the shed until I could figure out why it was in the house. I later found that it had been decorated, painted gold, and carried at the front of the town’s Harvest Parade for many years by my great great grandfather—who, incidentally, set up a tent in the field over Harvest Weekend and drew astrological charts for the townspeople to tell their fortunes.
The stang as an altar is placed upright in the ground on the outside of the circle, guarding the entrance. Often the stang is decorated for the celebration at hand. Some traditions use only one stang to represent the god. A candle is placed “between the horns,” or over the middle prong of the pitchfork. Beneath would be a mask, garlands, and in some traditions, crossed arrows. Two stangs or pitchforks would indicate one for the god and one for the goddess.
If you live in a rural area you could probably get away with one of these outside; in fact, if decorated lavishly over Samhain, you would probably start a fad. As an example of how yet another custom has been absorbed by mainstream culture, take the broom craze. Go in any arts and crafts store these days and you will find brooms and baskets galore to be decorated and hung on front doors, in kitchens, etc. Gee, I wonder where that idea came from?
At the foot of the stang can be placed a small table on which the cakes are set on a platter used only for ritual purposes.
Altar Items
The tools on your altar, and placement thereof, change with the season, celebration, or need. You will collect and make several special tools and decorations over the years. Some things will become standard for each ritual. Other items will be discarded or given away.
Begin by choosing an altar cloth. It should be large enough to cover the entire top surface of the altar. The color and pattern are optional. I have used everything from plain black velvet or satin to a designer sheet! For general working, the choice should be a plain color such as black, blue, or dark green. For seasonal celebrations and other rites, I use a colored pattern that brings out the mood of the occasion.
On top of the altar cloth, I have a working cloth. This should be smaller, the size of a placemat, and it should be kept in mind that it will get soiled due to your various projects and rituals. You may be mixing herbs and inks, or creating other magickal items that would stain your altar cloth. If you have spent a great deal of money on the material for the altar cloth, you don’t want to ruin it with an “Oops!”
All candle holders should be large enough to catch any drips, and sturdy enough that they will not easily tip if the altar gets bumped. Candle skirts, which are little rings designed to catch drips, can also be purchased if you just can’t part with that favorite holder even though it spits wax everywhere.
I usually use white pillar candles or hurricane lamps for illuminators. On holidays, I change the color of the pillar candles to match the season. Keep a large tablespoon on hand to bend out the wax as the pillar candles burn. This will keep the candle in good working order for quite a while, as pillar candles are usually expensive. Candle colors and uses will be discussed in-depth further on in the book.
A relatively new fad in the illumination arena is the use of oil candles. Usually made of clear glass in interesting shapes with asbestos wicks, these vessels of light are like the temple candles of old. Many traditional Witches are using these small lamps both for illumination and magick. Oils for these candles come in a variety of colors and create a striking addition to any magickal working.
Most Witches like to have a representation of a deity or deities on their altar, as well as a picture or statue of their power animal. Representations of the deity can be in the form of a statue, pictures, or even a specific colored candle or gem.
There should be room on the altar for an incense burner, holy water, cup or chalice, and a pentacle. The pentacle is placed in the center of the altar space, or above if you are working on your mat.
The altar should also contain two objects, both the same design, one colored black and one white. I use them to represent balance in all things—one to repel and one to draw. Some Witches prefer the use of candles to represent this universal law.
Get out your notebook and write “My Altar” at the top of a fresh page. You should answer these questions:
1. What type of altar do you prefer? Will you make it, buy it, or use something you already have?
2. Where will you place your altar? Inside the house, outside, what room, which corner, etc.
3. What will you use for altar cloths?
4. What type of illumination will you work by?
5. What tools and representations of the deities would you like to put on your altar?
If you plan to make many of these things, begin by listing the supplies you think you will need.
Note: There is no need to make this an expensive endeavor. Go to local flea markets, yard sales, fabric outlets, etc. In the Craft, honor doesn’t come by spending lots of money. Here, money does not bring power or acceptance.
Summary
I could write an entire book on all the neat stuff you can do with your apartment, home, and grounds to enhance and honor your magickal life. Making and gathering the tools, planning the space, etc., are fun parts of the Craft.
The space itself, however, should be viewed with the utmost seriousness. Its purpose is both a healing and connecting one. No one should be allowed to enter this sacred space unless you are sure they will do so with respect. This is a place for positive thoughts, not negative ones.