~Sacred Space~

~Sacred Space~

Welcome! This page is all about sacred spaces; preparing them, symbolism, using them, etc. It's easy to find sacred space when you live in a lush, wooded forest, surrounded by all the beautiful things Gaia has to offer us. But for most of us, we live in cities, suburbs, apartments and apartment buildings, and the only time we get to see this beauty is on the weekends (if we're lucky). So, having sacred space in our homes, our offices, our cars, and in our yards is very important.

For a printable, text only version of this page, click here.

The first thing you should do is consecrate the area in which you will be placing your altar. We are fortunate enough to be able to devote an entire room to the Craft. In this room, we have our altar, a side altar, our Craft books, and in the closet, we hang our ritual robes. In addition, we have hung on the walls things that are sacred to us: pictures we've drawn or painted, dried flowers, pictures of our coven mates, and much more. In order to consecrate your sacred space, you will need:
  • a broom, preferably one with a wooden handle and natural bristles
  • a dish of water
  • a dish of salt
  • a dish of olive oil
  • a censor (incense burner)
  • at least three candles; one should be a good sized pillar candle

The next thing you should do it take a ritual shower or bath. Light some candles in your bathroom, take in a small cassette or CD player, and put on some soft music. If you are taking a bath, bless the water after the tub is drawn. This can be done many different ways, but a good way is to put some lavender oil in the water, along with a pinch of salt. As you are doing this, focus your energy into these items drawing out the negativity in the room, the water, and yourself. Also, asks for the Gods' guidance as you prepare this water. Dim or turn out the lights, allowing the candles to light the room. As you bathe, imagine the water taking away your negative energy.
If you opt for the shower, prepare the bathroom as above (the candles, music, etc.). Dim the lights. As the water flows over you, allow your negative energy to flow down the drain with the water. After you are finished with your cleansing, go directly to the spot you wish to consecrate. You may do this skyclad (nude) if you wish. If this is not possible for you, then put on a special garment. (ritual robe or something similar, and make sure it is clean).
Place a pinch of salt into the dish of water, and ask the Gods to bless it. You may say something like, "Let the purity of this salt drive out all negativity in this water, so that I may use it to dedicate this temple to you, O Gods." Then place a pinch of salt into the oil, saying similar words. With your thumb, take a small amount of the oil, and trace a pentagram unto your chest and forehead. As you do this, you should say something like, "I dedicate myself to the Lord and Lady. I ask for your guidance and love as I consecrate this space." (Remember, say something that is meaningful to you; I can only give you suggestions.)
Take the broom and, starting with the corners farthest from the door, sweep out all the dirt, clutter and negative energy in the room. Remember, positive energy can not properly flow in a cluttered environment. When you are finished, place the broom in a corner. Taking the bowl of water, splash a few drops on it so that it will release the negative energy, and can be used again.
Take the sensor, and get the incense burning. (if you are using charcoal incense, I've found it's very easy to get the charcoal burning if you hold it in the flame of a pillar candle.) While it is getting a good amount of smoke built up, take the bowl of holy water and sprinkle it around the room (even if the whole room isn't dedicated to the craft, such as the den or bedroom, it's still a good idea to cleanse it). Sprinkle some on the altar was well. Then take the sensor and walk around the room with it, letting the smoke fill all the corners. (see the picture at the top of the page) When you are finished, place it back on the altar. Say a final prayer to the Gods, and your altar is now ready to hold your sacred tools. (For examples of consecrating tools click here.) Your sacred tools should include, but are not limited to:
For a complete description of each one, as well as more info on sacred tools, click here.

Here is how our altar has been prepared for some of the Sabbats:

Imbolc
This was our how our altar looked when we celebrated Imbolc. This is kind of a dark picture. The large green dish is our libation dish. Cakes and ale not consumed during ritual are put in here, and given to the earth so that the Gods may partake of our offering. The table on the right holds our Book of Shadows. The tall black candle is our source candle, and you can see the chalice in front of it. On the left is our bell. The dish of yellow liquid was used in the Sabbat ritual to represent the returning sun. Also prominent is the loaf of bread. David bakes every loaf of bread we used in ritual.

Ostara
This is how our altar looked at Ostara. The first thing you'll notice is that we don't have a loaf of bread on the table. Instead, we used cookies shaped like bunnies, chicks, and eggs. When the flowers had dried out, we placed them in a vase that hangs from the wall. On the lower right corner of the altar, you'll see some little bunny tailsmans. We painted them, and charged them with energy. They were actually magnets, and all of us still have them hanging on our refrigerators.

 Midsummer
This is how our altar looked for Midsummer. By Midsummer, our temple had gotten a little more elaborate. This was due to an increase in our Coven size. The book case behind the altar acts as a side altar. We keep matches, incense, extra candles, the libation dish and many other things on it. This picture clearly shows our God and Goddess candles, as well as the athame, chalice, and pentacle. This is before we got our wand. You can also see the dishes of salt, water and oil.

This is also a good example of how to be resourcful when you are an urban pagan. The three candles on the front of the altar represent a bonfire. We could not have possibly lit a bonfire indoors, so we improvised. :-)

Behind the altar, you'll see one of our quarter candles. This is actually the candle for the south, not the east, which is the direction our altar faces. I'm not sure why it's there, but it gives you an idea about how to mark the quarters.

You'll also notice that I have a candle snuffer on the altar. Candles used during ritual should never be blown out, but should be extinguished. If you just light a candle to read by, it's fine to blow it out. But when you do ritual or spell work, NEVER blow out your candles!

Just behind the snuffer is the censor. In this picture, it has the top off (in the picture at the top, you can see the lid laying on the left side of the altar). We use a censor that had chains on it so that we can swing it. Swinging the censor helps the charcoal burn better, and makes it easier to bless the room (refer to the picture at the very top of the page. This is David blessing our altar before Midsummer).

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