The Witch's Altar by Jason Mankey

Author:Jason Mankey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: CVR12202017;witch's altar;witches' altar;witches altar;witchs altar;jason mankey;laura zakroff;witches tools series;witch's tools series;llewellyn's witch's tools series
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2018-10-17T14:20:47+00:00

Seasonal Altars ( Jason)

Many of us keep seasonal altars and are completely unaware of it. If you decorate your living room to reflect the turn of the wheel, you’ve probably got a seasonal altar in there somewhere. Seasonal altars don’t have to be flashy, and most of my non-witchy friends don’t look twice when we place Demeter prominently in our house every September. Even they know her myths!

Often the first altars we experience in our homes are fireplace mantels and bookshelves decked out in seasonal finery. When I was a boy (and still a Christian), I used to walk past the fireplace mantel at our house around Christmastime and wave at Jesus and Santa, who I just assumed were living there. They were the gods of Christmas after all, and that mantel held our stockings and several family heirlooms. To me it was something more than mere decoration, and I think most of my family felt that way too.

Today my seasonal altars are a bit more thought-out and contain more Pagan elements than the elaborate displays my grandmother set up when I was a child. But much of the intent is the same, and the seasonal altars in my living room today are a focal point for my wife and I’s daily practice. We utilize them for small rituals and as a space to honor the gods we associate with each turn of the wheel.

I’d like to tell you that I decorate my seasonal altars uniquely for all eight sabbats, but that’s not quite the case. I refresh them about six times a year, and the seasonal altars at my house generally run through the following cycle:

Autumn: My autumn altar is up from about the middle of August through the start of October. Some of my autumn decorations are removed for Samhain-specific stuff and then replaced in early November, where they stay up until nearly the end of the month.

Samhain: At my house, Samhain and Halloween exist side by side, with many of the things on my Samhain altar looking like they were purchased or created just for Halloween. I put the Samhain-specific stuff up in October and leave it there through the first week of November.

Yule: Growing up I absolutely loved Christmas, and as a Pagan I was delighted to find that most of the stuff Christians use to decorate originally belonged to us! Late November through the first week of January is generally reserved for Yule decorations, and when my non-Pagan friends come over they tell me it looks like Christmas has thrown up all over my house.

Winter: Quieter winter decorations go up in January and are generally subdued. They stay up until the middle of March.

Spring: By the spring equinox my altars are ready for spring and remain mostly unchanged until the end of May or early June.

Summer: The end of May is the traditional start of summer in the United States, and my summer altars remain in place until about the middle of August, and then the cycle repeats itself again.

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