Make Your Own Mobile Travel Witch Altar

With some planning, creativity and ingenuity, you can make an altar to take with you, carry it in your pocket, backpack, luggage, carry on bag, or purse. The size will depend on the container you can find to hold everything in. From there just keep thinking small.

I would like a special container, a small metal box I think. I could see the metal box as my element for Fire. So that serves a double duty without adding a thing inside the box.

What do you really need for your altar?

Make a list and whittle it down. Literally and figuratively. Decide what you need and what you can do without, for a day or two, or when you’re not at home. What can you scale down, bring less of, or find a smaller alternative?

For me, I would always have to bring at least one small rock, pebble. The Earth element is easy that way.

A sealed container can hold a little water. Another can hold air, nothing but air. If your water leaks, test it before packing it up, you could keep a second empty container to fill with a little water later. Air and water are not hard to find, even on the road.

Wrap everything in a soft cloth, which can double as an altar cloth, to keep it from jiggling, making noise, or breaking when they are in your pocket.

Get a little creative for other tools you want to have in your little box. Add a leftover (or new) birthday cake candle, or four. Use a penny as a weight, melt a dab of wax from your candle to stick it to the penny so they are less likely to tip over. You may already have a small pentacle, a necklace, for instance. Substitute for tools you can’t fit in the box. Get more than one use out of fast food containers, for example.

Pick up things along your journey: seashells, flowers, a stone, a button, a pack of matches, a postcard or other souvenir. These can be great additions to a mobile altar. They can be temporary and are no problem to recycle.

Don’t forget some salt, or whatever you choose, when you close circles, and end rituals.

Go through and use your mobile kit once at home so you don’t realize you missed something once you are using it somewhere else.

I found kits online, but as you can see from these, it really isn’t a stretch to make your own. Something personal will have much more personality and meaning for you. Buying one made by someone else just isn’t as much fun. Think of it as a challenge, see how miniature you can go.

A Pocket Travel Altar – from Etsy shop – The Whimsical Pixie11

Another, called a Witch Kit Box – Etsy shop – The Ridgeville Witch

Do It Yourself Spells and Magick

Spells and magick are a do it yourself project.

Real magick, real spells, are not something you can buy from someone who will make things happen for you overnight. That’s fiction. If someone had that kind of power why would they need to sell it? Wouldn’t they already have everything they need? Wouldn’t they give themselves everything they wanted, first? Don’t count on finding a fairy godmother who fixes everything while you do nothing, learn nothing, and change nothing for yourself.

Real lasting change is something you work for and attain. It’s an achievement.

Spells, magick, hexes, prayers, positive affirmations, mantra, call them what you like. Each are about coaching yourself to change and bring about something you want. It may be something you want to happen, stop happening, or something you want to feel. In a nutshell its about change. Change isn’t easy. Changing a habit is difficult, with ups and downs along the way. But you can coach yourself, keep yourself on track, along the way.

Keep in mind, you can only change yourself. You can’t make someone love you. But you can make yourself happier by changing what you can in your own life. Being and feeling happier will attract people to you. It may not be the one you thought you wanted who didn’t notice you or chose someone else. That’s ok. People are allowed to make their own choices, have free will. Find someone who is with you for the right, good reasons, not something artificial and temporary.

You can’t make yourself instantly rich, but you can ask for a raise, apply for a new job, try a new career, take some extra training, and so on. Those are things you can do, for yourself. Improving yourself will last longer than a winning lottery ticket, and it can’t be easily lost or taken away.

You can make your own change, without paying for a spell, a hex, a prayer, etc.

What change do you want? Money, love, romance, there are so many things and it might not be as simple as love or money. Think about what it is you really want and what you need. Plan out the path to get there and start at the beginning. Don’t get side tracked or try to take a bigger step and avoid the smaller steps along the way.

Write your own words. Call it a spell if you like. Add things which have meaning to you, create a ritual. A ritual is something that becomes a habit. If having objects as part of an alter (something you can see and touch) helps keep your focus and makes the coaching work for you, do it! This is about you. It should be personal.

Keep it simple, short and to the point. Words easy to remember, especially when you need them, are feeling stressed or upset. These are words you will use to coach yourself through a period of change.

Your words will have far more meaning for you than anything someone else writes. You don’t need approval from someone else. This spell, words for coaching yourself, are only for you, custom made.

The hard part is to believe in yourself, your words, your ritual. This is the magick. Get help from friends, family, professionals, who ever can help you to find faith and belief in yourself. But, even with outside help, its you who makes the change. Its you who makes things work. You can do this because you want to do this.

Making changes isn’t easy, it won’t happen in a day (usually) but you can do it yourself, for yourself.

What to Write About in Your Book of Shadows

This is not a full and complete list. For one thing, your Book of Shadows should be individual to you. For another thing, these are just ideas, like a writing prompt.

Magic rules and principles.
Your goals and what you wish to achieve.
Dreams and other forms of divination you try.
Drawings, doodles – any kind of illustration.
Poetry or a few words and phrases that came to mind.
Rituals and ceremonies you try yourself or attend with others.
Spells, prayers or incantations.
Anything you feel inspired by and clip out of a magazine or bring home to paste into your Book.
Herbal facts, lore and your own experiences with herbs and other plants.
Research you have done and are still working on.
New ideas and fresh thoughts.
Notes about any classes or courses you take.
Your fears and concerns, anything you aren’t sure about or second guessing.
Closing thoughts as you finish writing each time.
Draw a diagram of your altar and draw another when you add more or change positions of the objects on it.
Make note of any tools you are given or buy for yourself
Write about recipes you’ve made.
Music and dances.

Where the Wild Things Are: The Whole Circle

The magic circle, sounds so mystical… But it’s like many things in Witchcraft, it’s adaptable to your own style, your whims and personal needs of the moment.

Witch/ Wiccan rituals take place in a circle. Not always, it’s not written in stone with blood or anything really dramatic. But, it does make things tidy in it’s own way. You draw in power and you keep it to yourself, out of the way of others. Then, when you’re done you release it. It goes back to nature and the powerful parts of yourself.

We draw the circle and then we close it. Some people cast the circle and banish it at the end of the ritual. I tend to think of it as drawing and closing the circle. When you draw your circle take a moment to bless each of the elements at each of the 4 directions. Yes, you might need a map to know where north, south, west and east are in relation to your location. If you choose, bless the goddess and god too. Then bless the Earth and life, those are most important to me. When you close your circle just do the steps in reverse order. Gather your pebbles, erase your chalk, whatever you used as you go around in the 4 directions again. Sounds too simple? Why shouldn’t it be simple. You’re welcome to make a bigger production out of it. I like it simple.

You can use chalk, hemp rope, embroidery thread, pebbles, sand, dust bunnies, anything really. Consider a circle of jack o lanterns for Samhain, wouldn’t that be fun! It depends on how fancy you want to be or how close to natural elements. My personal choice are pebbles. I love them. I collected them from a beach here in Ontario. Took my time to find stones I especially liked for their shape, colour or some markings on them.

The circle represents wholeness, the cycles of life and the seasons, the wheel of life to make it simple. In theory it is without beginning or ending and perfect in it’s completeness.

To draw the circle is to make a place set apart and sacred. Where ever you are- living room, backyard, beach, clearing in the woods – the circle becomes a place where we focus on magick in ourselves and the Earth around us. The circle is a pure place where we can think, make notes in our Book of Shadows, create and practice rituals, anything. It doesn’t have to be dramatic and you don’t have to feel you must do something special. It’s your circle, your dime.

This summer when I have a road trip out to the beach I want to cast a circle on the beach. Using a piece of driftwood to draw my circle and some stones to point to the directions. I don’t even know what ritual I might do. I just want to sit in a circle of my own creation and enjoy the world, life and being alive.
–

“In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.” -Charles Lindbergh

I take thee, herb, to cure my ills
or perhaps while dancing pon the hill.
I’ll dip you in the cauldron fine
Then asperge a circle in the pines.
I’ll make you into teas and brews
when picked from ‘neath the morning dews,
or hide you in a pillow seam
to guard me close, come night and dreams.

– Marian Loresinger

Originally posted to ‘BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are’ newsletter, March, 1, 2004.

Where the Wild Things Are: Circle Rituals

I’m trying to write about casting a circle for the Wicca and Witchcraft newsletter at BackWash. But… I just can not remember the right term (or the standard term anyway, who says it’s right anyway!) for closing the circle. I know about drawing and casting it to begin with. Anyway, the funny thing is, I’m looking at websites about circle casting and such and NONE of them mention closing the circle. Not one single site in over 10 so far talks about ending the ritual by closing the circle. How incomplete of them. I’m surprised yet not astounded.

Still, makes me wonder how many people ignore this part of the ritual then? How many circles are cast but never closed. How much energy is spilled out into the universe due to sloppy rituals? If you build it you must close it too.

Where the Wild Things Are: I Believe in Santa Claus

I believe in Santa Claus. Maybe I just choose to believe. But I think there’s more to it. In part it’s the Christmas spirit generated in this season, sharing good cheer and love, friendship. Maybe it’s the atmosphere of giving and not just taking. Maybe it’s the strength of all those children who also believe in Santa Claus. All those things combine and make strong magickal forces. You may scoff all you like. But the fact is this is a powerful time of year. Each person wandering around with their own part in the whole of the Christmas spirit contributes to the power. Each good deed, each gift shared and each friend greeted is part of a huge ritual taking place.

Children traditionally set out offerings for Santa: milk and cookies, something for the reindeer and a tidbit for the elves. We send him notes asking for blessings. Santa also has ritual music and poetry, widely known and frequently chanted at this time of year. The rituals are passed on to each new child, carried along and given new life for each generation.

All those people, no matter what path they follow, know about Santa Claus. He’s the focus of the spirit of giving and good will. For children he’s the figure of authority, he who must be pleased. Cultural icon, old wives tale or commercial legend, Santa has been given power and there doesn’t need to be an actual human being for that power to exist. We don’t need to see a man in a red suit driving an air borne sleigh, packing a bottomless bag of toys to believe in Santa Claus. It’s all around us, every moment of every day in this season.

So, scoff if you choose. But, I believe in Santa Claus. I like it that way.

Merry Yule, Seasons Greetings and leave Santa a little something tonight.

Originally posted to ‘BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are’ newsletter, December, 25, 2003.