Is this everything i need?
-Pentacle necklace charm
-Amulet
-A white tealight candle
-A rose quartz wand
-A teacup that i use as the chalice (i hope thats ok, it was most convenient)
-A metal nail file that i use as the sword
-Many crystals (amber, agates, quartzes, tiger eye, obsidian, garnet, selenite, pyrite, citrine)
-Lavender and rosewater lotion
-A bell on a bracelet
-A plastic couldran (about notecard size)
-Oracle cards
-Crystal ball
-Charms (tree, key, faerie, heart, butterfly)
My room is crowded so i keep all this in a shoebox and take it out when i want to use it
Honestly, it is really up to you; place whatever you feel is necessary or whatever just feels right to you on your altar. You could try to use your whole room as your working space and spread out the items on your altar in your room. I placed a candle and other items in each corner of my room for the elements so my temporary altar isn't so crowded. Just go with what feels right, get creative and enjoy doing it. :)
Actually you don't need most of that although you can certainly have it if you want. But you are missing some items most Wiccans would consider essential such as representations of the God and Goddess and of the four Elements. But in the end what goes on your altar is entirely up to you.
Don't use a plastic cauldron. You want something you can burn paper and herbs in. Use a cooking pot or ceramic bowl. Also, why use a nail file for an athame when you can get a real knife at any supermarket? Crystal balls are expensive, black mirrors cost a few dollars to make and work fine. Put the oracle deck in a black cloth bag under your pillow to absorb your psychic vibratiomns. For the pentacle, you need something larger like a metal plate, jar lid, or round slice of wood so you can consecrate the water and salt. Hope this helps :)
Re: Altar necessities By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 8 Jun 14, 2015
Over the centuries we have lost the reason for having an altar. Originally,an altar was a "table" for making a sacrifice to whatever God is one's belief. So, an altar need not have anything at all! By the same logic it can contain anything you wish to have on it! Remember, the altar is basically for sacrifice.
One doesn't have to have large items for an altar. I too have a travelling altar that fits in a small wooden box but which contains a small knife (which also represents the God), a small cup (which also represents the Goddess), a shell(Water), a bit of flint (Earth), a red candle (Fire), and a small incense burner that holds a single cone of incense (Air). I have a silk scarf I use as an altar cover. That's all the tools one really needs for a basic Wiccan altar. The box itself can serve at need as the altar itself.