What to Do With Off-Season Altar Stuff?
Wednesday April 2, 2008
Blog reader Sara writes in with an excellent question: What do you do with your altar objects after the sabbat or solstice? Do you save the altar cloths and reuse them, and what about objects such as the Brigid's cross that you gave instructions for? I hate to do the same thing twice, so I am curious as to what you and others do.
Hi Sara! Excellent question, and I know our readers here always have some great ideas, so I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say. Personally, I have an entire room that I use to keep my Craft supplies in -- it's got cabinets and shelves. Once a Sabbat has ended, I generally put everything back into a tub and store it. Altar cloths and seasonal candles I save for later use. Some items, though, like for example the Brighid's cross, I often burn later on (typically at whatever Sabbat is six months later) so I can make another one as part of ritual the following year. As an example, I made a "green man" back at Lammas, and I plan to burn him in my Beltane fire.
For some people, space is an issue, though. If this is the case -- because let's face it, not everyone can use their dining room or whatever as their "Pagan room" -- consider using a chest or some other container as a storage place. Although you'd be limited on how much stuff you can put in it, it provides a good place to keep seasonal items like altar cloths, candles, and smaller decorations.
Okay, readers, it's your turn. What do you do with the seasonal stuff when a Sabbat has passed?
Hi Sara! Excellent question, and I know our readers here always have some great ideas, so I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say. Personally, I have an entire room that I use to keep my Craft supplies in -- it's got cabinets and shelves. Once a Sabbat has ended, I generally put everything back into a tub and store it. Altar cloths and seasonal candles I save for later use. Some items, though, like for example the Brighid's cross, I often burn later on (typically at whatever Sabbat is six months later) so I can make another one as part of ritual the following year. As an example, I made a "green man" back at Lammas, and I plan to burn him in my Beltane fire.
For some people, space is an issue, though. If this is the case -- because let's face it, not everyone can use their dining room or whatever as their "Pagan room" -- consider using a chest or some other container as a storage place. Although you'd be limited on how much stuff you can put in it, it provides a good place to keep seasonal items like altar cloths, candles, and smaller decorations.
Okay, readers, it's your turn. What do you do with the seasonal stuff when a Sabbat has passed?
I happen to be one of the pagan girls who has very limited space. My entire apartment is 585 sqr ft. So, what my spouse and I did was to go down to our local Walmart(yep I said it) and buy the stack storage drawers. They run about $15.00 for a 5 drawer unit. I am a label fanatic, so I have organized the drawers by holiday. They hold quite alot by the way. Each drawer will hold an entire altar setup. As for the special items that need to be burned at a later date, I have a large plastic container that sits on top of all of this with a lid on it. Just store the items in question until the time you need to burn them. Oh, yeah, the items are also wrapped in a black cloth in the container. Then all of these are covered in a beautiful cloth and it looks like a shelf going down one wall in the dining room. Then I use this as my altar base.. It works great for those of us with limited space.
We have a stack of blue bins, each labeled for the sabbat(s) and esbats the items within are used for. We change altar cloths every ritual, and clean them prior to storage.
i’m a mormon wiccan – sounds weird, but i am.. mormons believe there is a heavenly Mother as well as a Heavenly Father – in fact most other churches consider us “pagaan
i’ve been kind of in the closet with Wicca for a long time after getting hurt and badlu burnt by someone i initiated and tried to train, but that’s a long story. i used to teach online and had circles of my own say back in the late 80’s. Doing wicca for me at me age and in my physical shape – very disabled, sight and spinal – is often limited to lighting a candle, as it combines fire water air and eartg (also in a tiny apartmen)
anyways, i just thought id say hi to the Pagan world agai after over a decade half in hidding. i doubt anyone who knew me in the old days will see this, but who knows? In general, i’m just sayin hi to the pagan world in a kind of
a peek-a-b00, sticking my neck out a wee bit.
Well merry meet Matrika….hope you pop in every now and then and give us some good ole’ opinions and advice. Real stories and experiences are precious moments for us all when coming from the past.
Merry Meet, space-deprived Pagan folks!
I tend to plan my decorations with a mind to storage space, e.g. reversible altar cloths; ribbon wreaths that can be disassembled and tucked away; paper, cardboard and herbal icons that can be burnt as part of the observance. I also use an apothecary cabinet as my altar: that’s a wooden chest with lots of little drawers, traditionally for keeping medicines or spices in, perfect for all your witchy accoutrements. After Sabbat/Esbat, whip off the altar cloth and store things in their own dedicated compartments. This is also ideal for those who are nervous about guests/mother-in-law seeing all the Pagan stuff.
Hope this is helpful, BB!
I have the room so after the holidays I just pack up my alter stuff and go about my merry way. I know sometimes not have enough room is the biggest problem as pagans/witches have so to beable to have the neccesary items on our alters is a must. So I figure if you can do it ask someone who is near you or someone you trust to hold on your stuff can and sometimes be very helpful besides you may actually swap things if you dont need them anymore and so forth.
BB
Raven Ana Morganna
I am a new Wiccan, and I am just getting my supplies together for each new Sabbat, and I plan on reusing my stuff. I store it in the space under my altar, which is a set of shelves, that take apart. They are in a bag, but my altar is in plain view…
I too live in a very small apartment and have accumulated tons of stuff. I bought a huge storage cabinet that I am able to store most things in. I have canning jars for all my herbs and boxes labled for my oils and Sabbat things. I also find thos under the bed stoage boxes helpful : )
Blessed Be
i store my seasonal ritual and alter tools in a locked box at the foot of my bed. but only if i can keep it. Herbs and things that would normally decay i burn after the holiday is over. but i am curious as to why you wait 6 months! i think that is very interesting and i have never heard of anyone doing that.
While I am lucky to have very Pagan-friendly roommates and girlfriend, we all share a fairly small apartment. I have an personal altar which I keep all year round, and then dress it up for the Sabbats. Usually I can find items from nature to bring in the energy of the season and return outside when finished, when I can’t, I just use some of my herbs and stones I use for spell-crafting. I keep everything in a large woven basket with a lid. I can’t wait till the day when I am able to have an entire room dedicated to my craft!
Hellos,
Storage space is small with me; a bedroom. I have my “altar gear” in an old laptop bag. At the bottom of the bag is two wood boxes, one for incense (do not forget to label each kind!), another for candles. Inner side pockets hold the earth plate, scrying mirror, I Ching coins, and Tarot cards. My special clothes and altar cloth are on top of the two boxes. Before I zip it up, there is a list of what I have, and what I need. My BoS is the only thing not in the bag.
I use wood window/door hanger decorations for the Sabbats (like a wood snowflake). Just one for each holiday, but it means alot to me. Some I decorate to make it more then it was.
My altar is a nightstand with a drawer, about 1 foot square on top, works great for celebrating, and for Tarot and I Ching. The space in the drawer is for my BoS, the space under is where the laptop bag is. “Hidden in sight” with phone charger cord, sunglasses, alarm clock and music player; easily moved when I practice.