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Altar/Alter

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 2:50 am
by Firebird
As Witches I would hope that we all know the difference between Altar and Alter
I see it spelled wrong all the time, and I'm beginning to wonder if we all are knowing the difference.

While it's true you may become altered at your Altar :fairy:

ALTAR
Please remember the place you kneel is the Altar It can be a table or a cloth on the ground, sometimes it is a location like a shrine indoors or out and used for purposes of a place worthy of being capitalized, like a proper noun, a big "A" though this isn't the norm... altar/Altar
The more important point is this... the second vowel is an "a" this second vowel differentiates the word from the other.
Example:

A space amongst the trees roots became the scared Altar.
*or*
I'm going to set the Altar with my magic tools.
*or*
The Priest aspersed the room with high altar incense.
*or*
The Priestess stood at the Altar and called to the Goddess.
*or*
Our indoor altar is a lovely short table made of mahogany, the outdoor altar is a cloth we lay upon the Earth.
*or*
Sacrament of the Altar is consumed at the end of ritual.

ALTER
The word alter differs like this, it's a thing you become, to change your way of direction, transforming your way of thinking, rearranging the living room or remodeling the house ...alter.
The second vowel is an "e" and the word is never capitalized, unless it is the first word in a sentence.
Example:

Alter the plans and swing by the bank first.
*or*
The meditation was deep and it forever altered his way of behaving.
*or*
We will have to alter that spell and use a different ingredient.
*or*
The actress would slip in to her alter ego to preform.
*or*
An alternative to having the couch against the wall is putting a tall table behind it.
*or*
Smudging the room would alter the feel of the place.

Let's put them together in sentence:
The High Priest and Priestess flanked the Altar. They were skilled at their ability to alter reality in a magic circle. As the sphere was cast it was clear the space between the worlds altered the feel of the place. The group sat in quiet contemplation after the High Priestess wove a meditation that alters the brainwaves in a deep way. One by one the Page brought each member forward to the altar where a prayer to alter ones direction in life was made. Upon completion of the ceremony all declared they had mind altering experiences and felt the energy while at the altar had shifted their focus and had altered the outcome of the ritual.
(how many do you count, how are they different?)

They're similar in one way...In that the place you kneel or put you tools of "transformation" is the place that will transform your way of thinking. :fairy:

Remember...Altar (table) noun ...alter (change) verb

sorry in advance for being like such an old school marm.
Blessings, Firebird

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 7:28 pm
by whisperingMaiden
I'm glad this was posted and that more would see it. I'm getting really tired seeing "Help With My Alter". -.-

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:20 am
by miachrhys
Thank You!

I hate being the grammar police but find this type of error so annoying. It is forgivable only because of the confusion and the newness of the topic, though barely. I understand that purposefully misspelling words is "kewl" these days but I see my English teachers throughout my school years screeching whenever I run across mistakes on the Internet. Usually I just let it of because I don't want to make a person feel uneducated. Often times I find myself assuming that is the reason...

newangel

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:18 pm
by SylverSparro
Not gonna lie, I'll probably mess it up a lot. A lot a lot.


Also, do you all keep your Altar out all the time or do you store the Altar pieces away when not in use?

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 2:43 pm
by Starwitch
I see this error a lot. In fact, it seems that more people spell it the wrong way than the right way. And yeah, it's a bit annoying. You would hope they had read a few witchcraft books and would know how to spell it, but I think some people's brains just aren't good with remembering proper spelling and grammar. You really need to be taught well at a young age and read a lot of books to get a good grasp on spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

I understand that you may wish to capitalize "altar" because it's important to you, but grammatically speaking, it's not a proper noun. But I do see it capitalized frequently. Witchcraft really shouldn't be capitalized either when used in the general sense, as most of us use it.

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:35 pm
by myrrhwind
Great thread! Sometimes a little constructive criticism is in order. If offered correctly, as here, it can be accepted as education. BB

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 7:30 pm
by Doktor Avalanche
I recently Altered my Altar.

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:50 pm
by Firebird
I altered the original post :lol:
Hopefully it makes even more sense now
BB, FF

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 6:34 pm
by SpiritTalker
What’s the alternative? 😁

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:31 am
by Firebird
Ummm, witch 101...spelling for today.

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2023 8:54 pm
by RavenClaw
Thanks for this topic. I too get tired of seeing altar misspelled as alter. I can forgive it in a chat because I believe that auto correct changes altar to alter. What I still can't get over is that I saw online a bottle (it was some time ago so I can't remember what was in it) but the label had the word alter when it was for the altar. Like c'mon, that's a finished product and I expect to see correct spelling, etc. Also, spell check does not know the difference between alter and altar.

Re: Altar/Alter

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 9:25 am
by Ethelrande
So curious. I guess if I didn't know about the "alter" variant, I wouldn't have guessed what was meant.
I read this topic with great interest. I did not realise that the problem was so widespread. In my native language, the word "altar" is spelled almost the same, but with an accent on the second syllable, so people don't confuse it with anything.