Plentiful Earth
Altar Builder: Design Your Witch Altar
Lay out an altar before you set up the real one. Pick a cloth, place your tools, and see what each one is for. How to set up an altar
Your Altar
The far edge of the altar points the way you face while you stand at it. The elements follow a common Wiccan-style layout: earth in the north, air in the east, fire in the south, and water in the west. Many traditions place them differently, and some practitioners in the Southern Hemisphere swap north and south. Salt, incense, candle, and water from a starter layout move with the directions until you drag them.
How Do You Use the Altar Builder?
- Start from a layout, or press Clear altar to begin with an empty cloth.
- Choose your altar cloth, the shape of your table, a center design, and the direction your altar faces.
- Tap a tool to place it, drag it into position, and drag the gold dot to turn or resize it.
- Tap any tool on the altar to read what it is used for and to change its color.
- Check off what you already own in My Altar List, then press Save as image to keep your layout.
Your altar saves in your own browser as you work, so it will be there when you come back on the same device. Nothing is sent to us.
How Do You Set Up a Witch Altar?
To set up a witch altar, choose a flat surface, cleanse it, lay down a cloth, put one focus piece in the center, and add a tool for each element around it. Everything after that is personal, and a simple altar with a candle and one meaningful object is a complete altar.
- Choose the spot. A dresser top, shelf, windowsill, or small side table all work. Pick somewhere you will see it every day and where a candle can burn away from curtains and shelves above.
- Cleanse the surface. Wipe it down, then pass incense smoke over it, ring a bell, or sprinkle a little salt and sweep it away.
- Lay down a cloth. An altar cloth marks the space and catches wax and ash.
- Place a focus in the center. This can be a candle, a statue, a photo, a tarot card, or a crystal: whatever the altar is for.
- Add the four elements. Salt or a stone for earth, incense or a feather for air, a candle for fire, and a bowl of water or a chalice for water.
- Add your tools and personal pieces. An athame, wand, pentacle, bell, journal, or anything that matters to you can go on last.
Set every candle in a holder or on a heat-proof altar tile, and never leave a flame burning when you leave the room.
What Goes on a Witch Altar?
A witch altar usually holds candles, something for each of the four elements, a focus piece, and the tools you work with most. You do not need all of it, and many practitioners start with a candle and add one piece at a time.
Candles
Most altars have at least one candle. Many practitioners choose the color for the working, and our guide to candle color meanings covers each one.
The Four Elements
Earth is often a dish of salt, a stone, or a pentacle. Air is incense or a feather. Fire is a candle, and water is a chalice or an offering bowl of fresh water. Our guide to the four quarters explains what each direction and element stands for.
Working Tools
The tools many witches keep within reach are an athame for directing energy, a wand, a cauldron for anything that burns, an altar bell to open and close ritual, a besom for sweeping the space, and a Book of Shadows.
Personal Pieces
Photos, crystals, flowers, shells, a tarot card, or a gift from someone you love belong here too. The personal pieces are what make an altar feel like yours.
Which Direction Should an Altar Face?
Many witches set their altar facing north or east. North is the direction of earth in many Wiccan-influenced traditions, and east faces the sunrise and the element of air. Other traditions place the altar in the center of the circle or wherever the room allows, and that is fine too. Use My altar faces in the builder to see how the four directions land around your altar for each choice.
Altar Ideas to Start From
Ancestor Altar
An ancestor altar holds photos of loved ones who have passed, a white candle, a glass of water, and their favorite foods and flowers. Marigolds are the traditional flower on Día de Muertos ofrendas, and Samhain is a common time to build one. See how to set up a Samhain altar, our list of traditional Samhain offerings, and how to hold a dumb supper for the ancestors.
Full Moon Altar
A full moon altar centers on white and silver: white candles, a bowl of water to charge as moon water, clear quartz or selenite, a mirror, and the Moon card from a tarot deck.
Four Elements Altar
A four elements altar puts salt in the north, incense in the east, a red candle in the south, and a chalice of water in the west, with a pentacle in the center. It is a classic Wiccan-style layout for casting a circle.
Winter Solstice Altar
For Yule, many practitioners bring in evergreens, gold and red candles, and a log or sun symbol. Our guide on how to decorate a winter solstice altar has examples.
Can a Small or Hidden Altar Work?
Yes, a small or hidden altar works just as well as a large one. A single shelf, a windowsill, a tray you can lift away, or a box with a candle and a few stones inside are all real altars. If you share your space or keep your practice private, fold the cloth over everything when you are done, and the altar disappears until you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Altar Builder free?
Yes. The Altar Builder is free, there is no sign-up, and your altar is saved only in your own browser.
Do you need an altar to practice witchcraft?
No, you do not need an altar to practice witchcraft. An altar gives your practice a home and keeps your tools together, but many witches work at the kitchen table, outdoors, or with nothing but a candle.
Where should I put my altar?
Put your altar on a flat, stable surface in a spot you will see often, away from drafts, curtains, pets, and small children if you burn candles. Many practitioners choose a north- or east-facing wall, but any quiet corner works.
How do I cleanse an altar?
Clear everything off, wipe the surface, and cleanse it with incense smoke, sound from a bell, or a sprinkle of salt that you sweep away afterward. Many practitioners cleanse their altar at each new moon or before a big working.
Can I have an altar in my bedroom?
Yes, many people keep their altar in the bedroom because it is the most private room in the house. Blow out every candle before you sleep, and cover the altar with its cloth if you want the room to feel restful.
Can I keep a digital altar?
Yes. Some practitioners keep a saved altar image as a phone wallpaper or a printed photo when they travel, share a room, or have no space for a physical altar. You can save any layout you build here as an image.
If the download button does nothing, right-click the image (or press and hold on a phone) to save it.