I read this article and felt that it would be a big help to some of our members. The article discusses how to make a miniature altar that you can take with you (or hide your practices for those of us that may need to do so.)
I don't know if anyone is planning on taking their altar with them , but making a miniature altar would be easier to conceal from friends and family, so I thought I'd post this info here to give everyone some ideas.
The following is a list of items that can be used in rituals/spells and also easily hidden when not in use. Keep in mind that these are just suggestions and you can create your portable altar however you like.
Tea light candles. These come in a variety of colors and are relatively cheap. (you might want to put these in a zip-lock bag to keep the wax from getting on your other items)
A glass tea light holder for your candles.
A lighter or book of matches.
Cone incense (you might want to put these in a zip-lock bag the residue off of them can stain your other items)
A small heatproof dish for your incense.
A tiny bag of salt or sand to put in the dish under your incense.
Miniature statuettes of your deities. If nothing else, you could use candles to represent them; a green tea light candle for the Goddess and a red one for the God.
Small packets of salt for purification of ritual space.
A small pocket knife as a replacement for the athame(though you don't have to have one, keep in mind that these are all simply suggestions)
A small to medium sized camera or laptop case to carry/hide your items in.
You can use a small table or stand as an altar you would just have to set it up and take it down before and after rituals/spell casting.
If I am going to be away from home for an extended period of time, I have my own portable altar that I take with me. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. It is housed inside of a small box, the box then serves as a makeshift altar. Inside of it I have tealight candles, a small box of matches, cone incense and a small censer, an offering plate, salt packets, a small dish to hold water, and a cat figurine to represent Bast.
Source:
''Portable Altars'' - article written by Tabitha Bradley - Article found in the Llewellyn's 2011 Witches' Datebook.
An idea to add - you could make your own little representations of the deity/ies you honour using cheap modelling clay (I use some from Amazon for under £5, but you could get it almost anywhere) if you can't buy or afford any tiny statues or representational objects. I make little disks, no bigger than maybe 5cm in diameter, that I carve imagery into that is associated with the deity in question. You could even use a cookie cutter to make them rounded, or could make them square to stand them up if the cutter isn't ridged. Just an idea, if anyone is stuck on what to do to symbolise their god/s.
Great post! I've been thinking of making something like this for some time now. I saw a version that was made inside a tiny box, no more than 3 for 2 inches. Very easy to carry around but one should probably carry less things. Thanks for the list!
I know I posted this somewhere else, but I often use jar altars for when I'm on the go or I want something to be discrete. You can buy cheap mason jars at your local walmart or dollar general. They're easy to lug around and can be subtle so family/friends aren't aware of them.I tend to use mason jars or something slightly bigger, if available, for ones I am keeping permanently. These are easy to carry around when traveling and can be sealed effectively. I place various things within each jar that I dedicate to a specific deity to wight. For instance, in Loki's jar I have placed bits of glitter and shiny gems, an orange and red candle, bits of bones and oddities I've found, snake skin, fur, and a firecracker (huehue). In Freyja's jar, I have placed fur, a cats tooth, bits of amber, a pink candle, and a feather.
