Setting Up Solitary Witchcraft Part 2

Setting Up Solitary Witchcraft, Part 2: The Altar and the Circle

Ian Elliott September 19, 2013

The Altar

Now that the cardinal directions are marked out in the living room or some other room in your house (perhaps your basement if you have one), and the central spot between them marked, we can turn our attention to the altar.

For an altar I use a low black-lacquered Chinese table, perfectly square, and set it over the central spot with the four sides squared to the cardinal directions. The altar arrangement I am going to describe is different from most accounts of a modern witchcraft altar, but it is simpler and works well for a solitary, I think.

In the center of the altar is a thick candle, or sometimes two thick candles. The number, and their colors, depends on the time of year, on the changing character of the solar cycle or 'wheel of the year.' The colors for the Lady are white for the Maiden, Red for the Mother, and black for the Crone. The colors for the Lad or Lord (Cernunnos) are red for the Oak King and green for the Holly King.

The four cardinal directions correspond to the four lesser or physical Sabbats: east is for Ostara, the spring equinox; south is for Litha, the summer solstice; west is for Mabon, the autumn equinox; and north is for Yule, the winter solstice. The intercardinal or ordinal directions, northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest, correspond to the four major or spiritual Sabbats: Imbolc for northeast, Beltane for southeast, Lammas or Lughnasadh for southwest, and Samhain for northeast. The major Sabbats lie on the cusps of the four quarters of the wheel of the year and thus mark important points of transition between the elements and their powers. These are air for the eastern quarter, fire for the southern, water for the western, and earth for the northern quarter.

The characters of the eight Sabbats and the elements and their powers must be studied elsewhere; here we are only concerned with the setup on the altar. From Imbolc to Beltane the Maiden rules nature, accompanied by the young Oak King. Thus, from February 1st (some traditions celebrate Imbolc on the 2nd February) to midnight on April 30th, the center of the altar will hold two candles, side by side as one faces east: the white candle of the Maiden on the left and the red candle of the Oak King on the right.

From May 1st to midnight on the eve of the summer solstice (often June 21st, though it varies from year to year), there will either be two red candles in the center, or these can coalesce as one red candle (which can be seen as two when the eyes are crossed).

From the summer solstice to midnight of July 31st, the red candle of the Mother will be on the left, and the green candle of the Holly King on the right.

From August 1st to midnight of October 31st, the black candle of the Crone will be on the left, with the green candle of the Holly King on the right. At the end of Samhain (the morning of November 1st), the Crone goes down to the Summerland and the Holly King reigns alone from that point on the wheel of the year to midnight of the winter solstice, so there is only one green candle; however, it is not centered but is kept in the same place as before, to the right of the center of the altar, leaving a space of commemoration on its left for the departed Crone.

The morning after the winter solstice, the Oak King is reborn and his red candle replaces the green candle of the Holly King, still placed in the off-center position. This is the arrangement until the following Imbolc.

At the center of the eastern side of the altar, right along its edge, the incense burner is placed, as the tool of air. Similarly placed along the southern, western and northern edges of the altar are the fire element candle (a red cup candle), the chalice, and the pentacle. A flat circular or oval stone can be substituted for the pentacle. The pentacle is flat and circular; it may be made of wood or some other material, and is painted or engraved with special symbols, as illustrated, for instance, in Doreen Valiente's Witchcraft for the Future.

Between the central candle or candles and the incense burner the wand is laid, with its head towards the north. In a similar position between the central candle or candles and the fire element candle in the south is placed the athame, with its point towards the east. The chalice and pentacle (or stone) are their own magical weapons.

Other supplies for the circle ritual can be placed on a tray under the altar table. A small bowl of salt can be placed at the northwest corner of the altar, and a hand bell, for signaling the beginning and ending of sacred time, can be placed at the southwest corner. This is handy for the solitary, whose station is on the west of the altar looking east.

Tapers fixed in disk-shaped holders (for catching the melting wax) are placed at the edge of the circle towards the four cardinal directions, and cup candles at the intercardinal or ordinal directions. The cup candles are only lit between Yule eve and Imbolc, for providing extra light.

Enough space for circling round the altar should be provided for when setting out the candles on the circumference of the circle. It is not necessary to make the circle exactly nine feet in diameter, especially as the solitary will generally be celebrating alone.

The sequence of setting up the temple is as follows: (1) central candle or candles; (2) elemental tools, beginning with the incense burner in the east; (3) magical weapons, beginning with the wand; (4) accessory items on the altar, beginning with the hand bell and finishing with the salt bowl; (5) items on the tray under the altar, such as cakes and wine, or bread and ale, plus a water ewer; (6) the tapers are set on the cardinal points, beginning in the east; (7) the cup candles are set on the intercardinal or ordinal points, beginning with the southeast.

The altar and circle are now arranged. At the conclusion of the rite, all articles are removed in reverse sequence.