As gorgeous as many of them may be, sometimes an elaborate, fully covered altar space just isn't practical. Like most things, my altar space Pinterest boards are much more elaborate than realistic for me. For many it may be due to budget, keeping "broom-closeted," lack of space or just preference for a minimalist aesthetic. Thankfully there is a world of minimal and temporary altar ideas we can turn to that are just as diverse in opportunities!

Personally, my altar space is constantly changing and evolving. Seasonally I will take everything off to change and rearrange it accordingly to refresh the energies for the new season. My space will greatly vary from abundant with items to very minimalist. It depends on what energies I feel are needed at the time. Every "Spring cleaning" season I tend to go minimal to clear out and refresh all of the energies there. Then I will slowly grow my altar up again, reflecting the new growth of the Earth.

Several have reached out to me about wanting to set up their altars and start doing spell work, but cannot leave their homes (due to pandemic stay-at-home orders) or afford to obtain these items. I'm a firm believer that you don't have to spend any money to be a witch. I will try to include ideas below that you might already have access to in your home! You can also refer to my Free/Cheap Spell Supplies post for more ideas!

What is your altar being used for?

When creating your altar, you will first want to ask yourself what you intend to use your altar for and then cater it to your needs from there. It could be a space to honor and work with nature or deities. Some see it as a physical representation of the witch's spiritual self and what they wish to achieve or release. Or it could simply be a "tool" itself, as a sacred workspace to keep your tools and do any magickal workings. Many altars are an amalgamation of some or all of these ideas. What do you want your altar to be? How do you hope to use it?

All of the ideas below are "eclectic" in style and not based on any particular path or tradition. They are shown with varying tools and items. I wanted to give a broader spectrum of ideas and try to show just how different one altar can be and can look from the next!

Making it Sacred Space

No matter how you choose to use your altar, it will likely play an important role in your practice. As a place of honoring, working or spiritual representation, you will want to make it special. Once you have made your space as minimal or non-minimal as you like, you may choose to consecrate it as a sacred space. I have a video and a post on that here!

Elemental-Based Altars

Many magick users are on nature-based paths and like to work closely with the elements. These symbolize the 4 forces of nature: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. If this speaks to you, you may want to have representations of each element on your altar. I like to use the energies of the elements when casting and closing circles, blessing and consecrating tools and in many of my spells.

Fire: Candles, An Athame, Cinnamon Sticks, Lighter or Matches. Colors: Red, Orange, Gold.

Air: Feathers, Incense, Pens, Bells, Lavender. Colors: Yellow, Light Blue.

Water: A cup or chalice, Cauldron, Vessel containing Water, Seashells Colors: Blue, Aqua, Silver.

Earth: Pentacle, crystals, dirt, wood, plants, flowers. Colors: Green, Brown, Black.

Here are two samples of minimal elemental altar ideas:

Elemental Altar Sample 1: lavender for air, candle for fire, crystal for earth, seashell for water

Elemental Altar Sample 2: Burnt matches for fire, water for water, feather for air, dirt for earth

Seasonal Altars

No matter what holidays you do or don't celebrate, you can still decorate your altar seasonally if you wish to. If you work with particular holidays, Sabbats, solstices or equinoxes, or just want to embrace the energies of the season, you can add elements to make it vibrate how you want it to. For example, a Spring/Easter/Ostara altars could have fresh Spring flowers or statuettes or images of a butterflies, bunnies or bees. Here's a sample of a minimalist Beltane altar:

Beltane Altar: Yellow candle, small pentacle, bell, fresh flowers, mini DIY'd maypole

Minimalist "Toolkit" Altar

You may decide you just want to have your magickal tools at the ready for work and not much else. Not all of your tools need to be on display! I keep most of mine in a nearby drawer until they are needed. Decide which tools are important to you to be there and why. Here are samples of what this kind of altar space could look like:

Your altar could look just look like a desk space if you wanted it to!

Temporary Altar

Your altar does not have to be a permanent setup. If you don't want to take over a surface in your home because you don't like the look, don't have the space or want to keep it private and not on display, you can set up and dismantle your altar when you need it. It can be as minimal or abundant as you'd like. You can either set it up on a table, floor or other surface. Alternatively, you could consecrate a blanket or altar cloth as your altar so wherever it is laid out is your sacred space. Here are a few ideas for a temporary minimalist altar: