A discreet altar Is really easily done with creative substitutions. The goal is to Create No Drama & still function. The altar can't look witchy &' be discreet . A pentacle, chalice, cauldron or dagger are out of the question & wands are dead give-aways since H.Potter. It's quite alright to replace them with household dishes. We make them magical when we consecrate & magnetize them. An Athame substitution might be a
letter opener, scissors, laser pointer (cat toy) or πpen & a pedestal tea cup or Wonder Woman mug might sub for the stemmed chalice. A simple glass of water will look nice too. Real-flame candles need permission so replace them with
LED candles or strings of Yule lights coiled in a jar. It leaves no trace to breathe on a mirror & draw symbols in the mist, or to dip a finger in the Cup of water & trace a star onto a flat rock as a pentacle. You can't disguise smoke but sacred aromas come in many forms such as a bowl of
spicy potpourri, herbal sachet, aerosol mist & reed oil diffuser. The Snoop Sisters know all about the shoe box collection under the bed so give them a harmless rock or seashell collection to find that says "nothing to see here."
The main things to include on a
magical altar are symbols of the Elements and Deities. A collection of
stones &
shells (earth & water) in a jar with a few feathers (air), oak or
pine twigs &'
wheat stalks (gods), 5 elemental-color marbles can sit in plain sight as room decoration. Start looking at random objects as symbols & imagine how to repurpose them. Any flat surface with a bit of workspace can be used . Most homes don't have the room for a full-time altar so it's usual to set-up for each use & after to
redistribute tools back in plain sight - again, "nothing to see here."
A standard Wiccan layout creates energy by polarity (-/+) to aid spell work. Energy flows from (-)passive to (+)active in Nature. The symbols of passive Earth & Water go on the left & active Fire & Air on the right; luminary candles in back.
A Few Discreet Altar Symbols:
.Goddess: (-), silver, Moon, lily, lotus, rose,
wheat, cornucopia, bear, horse,
reindeer, weaving, loom,
flame/light
.God: (+), gold, Sun, pine cone, grape vine, oak acorn,
wheat, stag, wolf,
reindeer, plow,
flame/light
.Guardian spirit: their animal symbol, guardian angel, saint image
Air: (+), E, yellow/white, aromas, potpourri, bubbles & pipe, hand-fan, birds, flute/harmonica
Fire: (+), S, red/orange, LED-candle, laser pointer cat toy, Yule lights, anointing oil, dragon, guitar/violin
Water: (-), W, blue/aqua, cup/bowl, H2O, sea shells, mirror, fish, rattle, jingle bells
Earth: (-), N, green/brown, 4-Way X, salt, stones, brick, rabbit, potted plant, map, drum
Ether: purple/iridescent white, altar cloth
Useful household items for magical purposes:
. Cup as chalice, saucer-pentacle, bowl-censer, any pointer-wand, bandanna-altar cloth
. Yarn or twine can serve for knot magic; tie spaced knots for prayer & chant counters
. A pendant can be used as a pendulum
. A standard deck of playing cards can be used for divination
. Tea bags make ready-to-use potions; draw sigils on them
. Envelopes decorated with sigils work for spell packets; fold & tie closed
. Restaurant salt & sugar packets are convenient
. You can add scent to lite olive oil with anise, lemon, or mint flavoring or essential oils
.