The altar is often the focus of religious ceremony, and is usually found at the center of a Wiccan rite. It’s essentially a table used for holding all of the ritual tools, and can also be used as a workspace in spell casting. You can have permanent altars that stay up year round, or seasonal ones that you change as the Wheel of the Year turns.
It’s not uncommon to meet someone who has more than one altar in their home. A popular theme is the ancestor altar, which includes photos, ashes or heirlooms from deceased family members. Some people enjoy having a nature altar, on which they place interesting items they find while out and about – an unusual rock, a pretty seashell, a chunk of wood that looks appealing. If you have children, it’s not a bad idea to let them have their own altars in their rooms, which they can decorate and re-arrange to suit their own needs. Your altar is as personal as your spiritual path, so use it to hold the things you value.
The altar in the photo holds a bell, a wand, a cauldron, statuary representing the god and goddess, an athame, a pendulum, and more. Put the tools that are important to your tradition on your own altar.