Hidden Pagan Altar Tips and Tricks #1

When making a altar you must first think of a few things before hand and keep a couple of thoughts in mind. 

• Its important to remember that no tools or symbols belong to any single faith or tradition; what they represent to you is what will be important. For example, if your parents are Catholic and you are not yet ready to tell them you have begun practicing Paganism, get a statue or picture of the Blessed Mother or St. Brigit (who, in pre-Christian times, was a Goddess rather than a Saint) and put it on your dresser. Surround it with your candles. Hang a Celtic cross above it– that is, an equal-arm cross (sometimes surrounded by a circle). The Celtic cross was originally a Pagan symbol but adapted for Christian use. Keep a set of rosary beads made of a crystal, stone or wood charged with magic. Instead of using them for Christian prayers, use them for meditation, chanting, or empowering objects by surrounding them with the beads.
• You must keep in mind that a altar can be sitting in the middle of your living room and, as long as you don’t have a giant pentacle hanging over a statue of the Horned God, most people would be none the wiser. Set up your altar on a shelf, mantle or table by using decorative candle holders, small potted plants, and artistic expressions and no one will guess that your 18th century floral porcelain plate is a pentacle or your elaborately carved medieval dagger hanging on the wall is more then just a part of your sword collection ;).
• What is important to you about your path? Do you follow multiple paths and if so what about your path are 100% got to have? I practice wicca but also practice aspects of Buddhism and Native American practices. This let me know that I want something that was simplistic but also incorporated my divination and aspects of my god and goddess but with a tie to my Native American and Buddhist aspects as well. 
• Who is your Goddess / God / Spirit Animal? What are some of the aspects or symbols that correspond to them be them known or what you feel represents them for you but also that you know wouldn't raise alarm? For example I follow Artemis and Poseidon and my Spirit animal is a Wolf, I also deal with Dragons. For me Blue and Purple are the colors I correspond with my God and Goddess. Other things would be sand dollars, sea shells, water, sand, antlers, nature, stars/crescent moon, deer, wolfs, fur.
•  What are some other things that you feel connected to or are prominent in your practices? For me salt, cinnamon and clovers are something I tend to use a lot. I also feel connected to fluorite.

• Another thing you might wont to consider is where your planing to place your altar. Do you need it to be facing a certain direction? Are you worshiping a Sun god or Moon goddess? if so it might be a good ideal to keep it within a area that gets sun or moonlight. Are you working with a small space like a small end table or bathroom sink or are you using a big space like a book shelf or dresser. 

Now that you have considered these aspects its time to think outside the box a little and see what works for you and to get you started here are some suggestions and thoughts. 

Minus the stone with the goddess if your worried about someone picking up the stone and seeing it this is a very cost effective simple altar ideal that can be placed anywhere and never raise a eyebrow. In a little bowl you place some sand/salt, place a tea light then add some stones/ crystals/ sea glass around the candle. Finally sprinkle some dried flowers or potpourri that matches with your god or goddess be it color smell or a flower/herb connected to them and your done. Make sure to dedicate your candle to your god and goddess and your done. 

This is a twist on the standard bookshelf. With it being a a circle shelf and the way its sectioned off  I love the many possibilities symbolism wise. Firstly the circle can represent the moon, the goddess, life, the wheel of the year and much much more. The sections can be dedicated to the four elements and the middle to spirit/god and goddess/yourself. Some other ideals besides the set up this person did is putting candle(s) in the middle instead  or a pic of yourself there instead of the bottom (I'm assuming that was her element and thats why the pic was there).

This is a simple autumn center piece but i love the concept and could see this a a alter in so many ways so I thought I would include it. Take a plate that you think fits your theme (sea, woods, Mabon, Ostara) you could also use a bowl. Then take and add three candles; the wood candles are a great way to add a nature element especially if your god or goddess are connected to nature like mine, you could also change the candles to fit your god and goddess better such as blue  candles if your say a sea witch or water is connected to your God or goddess or any candle really. Next you add a animal element such as an animal you are connected to like wolves or say if your theme is sea dolphins or horses or turtles or feathers for a Native American feel and to incorporate birds. Follow this with adding a wax/fake/real food that fits your god or goddess such as apples, grapes, a grain such as rice or corn. I know this doesn't seem like a altar but trust me thats the point after all. What you have just done is created a center piece for your table that has several symbols that are connected to your god /goddess and that is conveniently place on a table you can use to do your practices later.

This is kinda along the same lines as the center piece.

This is a really simple way to make a elemental based altar that can be made in just one glass or  5 it really does not matter. Taking various sized glasses (high wise) you add crystals or stones to the bottom or tied to the branches/twigs wit h wire. next add the twigs and arrange them so that they wont catch fire and allow the tea light to float. Next fill with water will about an inch below the rim, add the tea light and wahla you have a altar that you can place on a table, bookshelf, shelve, mantel the list is endless. If you do 5 you can arrange them in a line and when your ready to use them move them to the floor or on the table to form the points of a pentagram, If you use two you can dedicate one to the god and one to the goddess if so it might help to use crystals that are connected to your god in one and goddess in the other or just use different candle scents for each or color. If that is not an option keep in mind to dedicate each candle to its designated god or goddess and keep track of which is which.

This is another simple ideal that can go anywhere and is just small dishes that hold one of each  the elements and a single candle for the god and goddess.

This is a VERY SIMPLE and CHEAP altar ideal. Using a playing card deck pull out all the aces and the king and queen of hearts. Next your going to place the Queen of hearts in the center of the area your working, to the top of her sideways your to place the King (they will make a T) This is your god and goddess representation. Next you are going to place the aces in their corresponding elemental place around the god and goddess. Spade go to the right.and represent Air. Hearts go to the left because they represent Water. Diamonds go on Top because they rep Earth. And lastly, Clubs go to the bottom and represent Fire. When your done just simple place them back into your deck and your done.

Alright thats all I'm suggesting tonight guys belive it or not this had taken me about 6 hrs to plan out and write and I still think I dont make much since or messed up somewhere along the way. Anyway hope this helps someone.
Blessed Be from Baby Bear

Wicca/Wiccan, Pagan/Paganism, Witch/Witchcraft

So if anyone noticed Ive changed my about me this goes to something that I have just found out and Ive been studying to better understand.
What I changed was how i presented what I practice as being Wicca. See the problem with this is it wasn't till modern practitioners that Wicca was even named a religion.

You can search youtube and find several people post vids on the difference between Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism but what a lot of people dont know is that Wicca use to just mean that you were a male practitioner of a faith based on the worship of Gods and Goddesses. The females are called Wicche.
It wasnt until Gardner that Wicca was the name of the religious practice, and has only been around for about 60/70 years. Before then they were just Pagans who practiced various coven based practicing. Now that Ive gotten that out of the way lets begin.

Now me personally this is how I separate the difference's between the three and why I define myself as a Pagan Wicche.

WITCHCRAFT
Witchcraft is the practice of using earth, elements and natural energies. This meaning people who are herbalist or aromatherapist who use natural properties of herbs, fruits, flowers and so on to aid them in a cause be it healing, relaxation, pain relief and so on. This also applies to people who do say yoga because it helps with pain or acupuncturist who use pressure points to alleviate pain and brake habits. Witches are more so Shamans then Wiccans and do not have to believe in Gods or Goddesses and can practice any religion freely. They do not have to adhere the the Wiccan Rede and are not a religion. And a witch can be anyone who uses natural remedies as oppose to medicine, say your Grandmother who tells you about using sweet onion oil for ear aches, or chewing whole clover to numb your gums cus you have a tooth ache and are out of Orajel. Witches can also cast spells without calling on gods and goddesses for help.
Witches can be both Wiccan and Pagan but can choose not to be.
 (DISCLAIMER: This doesn't give you permission to call your grandma a witch.)

WICCA
Wicca, is a new religion based on old Pagan practicing of covens worshiping and having ceremonies and traditions for various Gods and Goddesses. The term Wicca, like I stated before is actually the male practitioner and Wicche the female. Now they are both considered Wiccans. Practitioners of Wicca believe in Gods and Goddesses and follow a standard of living and practicing based on the Wiccan Rede (the link is the full version). It was published by Gwen Thomson in Green Egg Magazine in 1975, and attributed to her grandmother. The Rede has been redone several times and most have shortened it down but all follow these rules:

 An it harm none, do as ye will. 
This means if it harms none then do as you please. 

And ever mind the Rule of Three:

What ye send out, comes back to thee.

That what you do comes back to you 3 fold, or 3 times as bad or good.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part.
Follow both the laws and the beliefs with all your heart and mind otherwise you will not be happy and you will not enjoy your practice to its fullness.

Now with Wicca you can be a Witch just like you could be a Witch if you are Christian, however you do not have to be a witch. Now most Wiccans believe that all Gods and Goddesses are real and just chose to focus on one set pantheons, or set of mythologies, or pick and choose what feels right to them, usually after spend years ahead of time studying and learning to the best of their abilities about their practice before choosing the God(s) and/or Goddess(es) who they believe has chosen them or to work with and even after then they spend all of their lives learning from their God(s) and/or Goddess(es) to learn what all they are willing to teach them in this life. Some also choose to believe in just Male and Female energy aka God and Goddess or Father and Mother. They do not choose a named god or goddess but just focus on the energies that the Male and Female represent.
Wiccans are Pagans and most are Witches.

PAGANISM
Paganism is an umbrella term for any one who dose not follow the Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Muslim and Judaism. All pagans are nature based religions or cultures and include everything from Buddhist, Hinduism, Native American cultural practices, Naturalist and Yogies. Pagans are people without God meaning the Abrahamic god. Like wise Pagans can be divided between a diagram of :
Community- worshiping with a community or focusing on that group of people (this part is controversial but I have to agree that it is a component because you can choose to worship with people or without)
Deity- The worship of a deity of any kind and can be one or more.
Self- The worship and building of you yourself.
Nature- The worship of nature and all that it gives us and the energy that comes from it.
This means you can focus on worshiping all, some or just one of the four aspects but most stick to just one or two aspects.
Pagans do not have to be Wiccan or Witches.

(I basically restated the definition on this one because there are to many that fall under Paganism also I am saying that its both nature based religions or practices but also cultural practices that are non abrahamic and this includes life styles)


Now I mix a lot of religions to make up my path both Wicca, a little bit of Voodoo, some Celtic traditions and a lot of Witchcraft, I have a lot of values that are also taken from all over the place like Buddhism and Native American because I feel they fit with my practice and are me. I believe in my God and Goddess, I worship them and hope to learn as much as I can from them. And going through my mind at this point in time is that I am a female pagan who practices a lot of various pagan religion practices spread out not just wicca and as I cover a little of all the circles but community atm and that is only because I do not live in an area where that is available, I decided for me I am a Pagan Wicche, a female practitioner of paganism not just wicca. If I'm wrong to call my self as such then I guess thats on me.