Everything Under the Moon

Oops - see below

oh yea! creative use of emogees, very cool!

An altar is a meeting place with the divine and a magical tool for shaping energy. A devotional altar is where you'd pay homage to your Deity, guardian or ancestors & seek their input in your life. It would have symbols representing them. There might be floral bouquet, food/drink, scents & aromas, music, chants. Readings could be presented as offerings and prayers would be made there. You might see vigil candles & petitions. Something as simple as a candle to represent spiritual light and water to represent physical life is enough. We go there to offer prayers, to listen & meditate.

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The altar is our work space for assembling spells, where the energies are summoned & stirred to carry our will; where spell materials are combined & magnetized. 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. Energy flows from passive to active in nature so it will do likewise across the altar & spiral upwards.

Simple altar Ex., Place divinity & fire symbol🕯above, pentagram placed below = “as above, so below”; water & earth passive symbols and air & fire active 🗡symbols mimic Nature’s -/+ energy flow like a battery.
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(-)>  >  >🗡(+)

The candles for Goddess and God can also serve as altar lights. Pacifying earth and water symbols are the salt, pentacle & chalice and the activating air & fire symbols are oil, incense & athame. The incense can be shared by both deities.

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The 4-way layout can restore the natural cycle when life or a given situation seems 'as if it’s stuck. The 4-way X places elemental symbols in their associated, true compass quarters. Energy flows in a spiral. If you face East across your altar then north (earth) is on the left.

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N- - - -S

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The pentacle layout is popular & places the elements at their respective point on the star . The pentacle is a protective sign.
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An eclectic arrangement could express the Crafter's state of mind at the moment. It just feels right. It is the Crafter & by creatively making changes to the layout the Crafter is also being changed In their magical persona.

An eclectic layout can also be a spell saying what we want from the Universe. Each theme would use colors, scents, symbolic objects & herbs/flowers/stones that are associated with the intention. Ex., a prosperity goal might use symbols of abundance like roses, money, magnet to attract, basil & pyrite, a petition,

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