Creating your own sacred space
Although I love the company of other people, I have always needed "my own space" and enjoy retreating to it on a regular basis finding that even if I can only spare just a few minutes in solitude I am able to function much better following some quiet time.
Now I realise that we are not all the same, it would be a very boring world if we were, but do feel that having a sanctuary well worth the effort, especially if you wish to study seriously.
If there is not enough space for you to have your own room, then try to find a corner of a room in which you can place a table and a chair that is away from distractions like the television etc. Arrange special things nearby that hold significance to you (perhaps ones that signify the elements) and ask others in the household to respect this space and that they avoid, if at all possible, disturbing you when you are in it!
I know and constantly appreciate how extremely fortunate I am in having a room that I can call my own and although it is quite small (8 by 5ft), it is a haven in a household of seven people and numerous pets, especially as our three "children" frequently have their friends to stay.
Before we moved to this house and had this luxury I used a small table set with my special things and had a wooden box that contained all the extra bits and pieces. As my interest grew, so did my 'magical' possessions, which gradually took over our bedroom, especially when my husband also became involved!
Moving house brought with it an opportunity for sanity to be restored as we were able to create the retreat we now have by transforming a small spare room. Don't worry if you can't do the same, the simpler arrangement blessed me well and served its purpose just as well as the grander version that it is now our good fortune to have. Indeed we have many happy and positive memories watching candles burning while laying in bed! Spirit are not impressed by grandeur and the Goddess and the God don't judge you materially, so please believe that good Magic can be made in unelaborated surroundings and that you will receive great pleasure from doing so.
If we see a beautifully shaped piece of wood that has fallen from the trees during a storm or an unusual stone or a feather we will pick it up (giving thanks to the Goddess for her gift) and add it to our ever growing collection of "Bewitching Paraphernalia". We will often use choose natural things to make an amulet, adding this information to the notes of where and how we came by it to our magical journal (Book of Shadows).
Although there isn't much clutter in the rest of our house I have to say that there is very little space that we haven't utilised inside our retreat. Our "Craft" room stores the huge variety of things that we have collected over the years and use for our magical life. Some of these things have no monetary value what-so-ever but are among our most treasured possessions, a few are quite old now and hold many fond memories, such as a piece of driftwood my husband and I picked up on Mansands Beach in Brixham (a favourite place of ours) that is shaped like a heart, pebbles with holes right through the middle (Hag stones are considered both lucky and protective) and shells that now are part of our elemental water display. I can tell you where each thing was collected, when and what it meant to us at the time! I also treasure a statue of the three witches (from Macbeth), which is something I bought when I was thirteen and marks the time when I became aware of (and celebrated) the fact that I was a little different to most other children. All these things are a positive tribute to our own personal spiritual development.
We have hundreds of jars containing herbs, barks, resins and other ingredients such as essential oils stored in a very large bookcase, the contents of which spill over to the baskets stored on top and around the room. In fact we are now in the process of buying another bookcase to rescue us from drowning in books! This room also houses music, incense, oils and our 'fire' garden (an old fire grate filled with candles and other objects that represent fire, including crystals, flowers and herbs and many baskets and boxes of a wide variety of things for making seasonal decorations, alongside pieces of material, thread, ribbon... oh the list is endless.
I love the fact that this little room is full of nature's gifts, it's a great place to "work" in, especially as the impression of a Hobbit's cave is somewhat amplified by the contorted Hazel wood that is fixed to the ceiling from which there hangs a large variety of crystals and faceted glass shapes. The overall effect is, I feel, charming - a veritable treasure trove and really does remind me of being that child who lovingly cleaned the garden chalet, put curtains up at the windows and set out a table with her special things upon it and who would creep out of the house late at night or early in the morning to sit, read or just to think in her own magical place.
The large bookcase that I have mentioned was a bit of a sore point when, after it was delivered, it was discovered that it wouldn't go up our old, tiny and steep staircase!!! My husband (a very patient man and one who doesn't give up easily) actually cut out the stairs (yes, I did say cut) to get it up under the stair well and it will probably remain behind when, one day in the distant future, we leave this house. I have written a verse, which is now on the back of the bookcase, explaining - all in rhyme - how this particular piece of furniture will never go down the stairs without a great deal of carpentry work!
Our altar is now situated in the dining room as all of our friends and family now know about our magical life and we needed the space upstairs for a work area! Our altar is made from beautiful solid oak, covered with a piece of thick glass that has been bevelled at the edges, which has saved the top being marked on many occasions and is, I feel, a worthwhile and inexpensive investment if you decide to obtain a nice piece of furniture. Due to practicalities, we are unable to place this in the middle of the floor as we would actually prefer to do but have positioned it against the wall facing north.
our altar showing how the pentacle is protected by glass
We also found that the glass top enables you to place a slim pentacle (e.g. on a piece of paper or material) underneath, thereby protecting the design and making cleaning the surface easier as we always spill candle wax no matter how hard we try not to! Doing this means that you are able to paint your own pentacle design if you wish and preserve it by the glass, which can be changed to match the colours of the seasons or your magical work.
We did consider actually engraving or pyrographing a pentacle directly onto the wooden surface, which is
underneath the glass, but have not been brave enough!!
Lots of my clients comment upon our altar when they come for Tarot readings, seeing it as a wonderful celebration of the seasons. We all enjoy making various decorations for the different sabbats out of natural objects that we find when out walking, which are then decorated with very realistic-looking artificial flowers, berries and fruits.
a very simple pentagram that I made to show the reawakening of nature at Imbolg
an Imbolg table, where the white cloth represents the snow
We have also created a large sacred space outside, which is a very simple arrangement centred around a nine foot stone circle that has a sun on it. The huge stone slab that we use as our altar here was discovered on clearing the wilderness (when we moved here in the summer of 2000) that is now our garden. We have planted several trees, each of them holding special memories or meaning around to create a sacred grove and find it a very special and beautiful place to honour the God and Goddess in the finer weather. We often sit out there to either greet the sun or watch it set and breathe in the tranquillity of the moon when She claims the night sky.
Most of us are familiar with the broom (besom), cauldron and wand as these have been taken by movie makers and used by them in descriptive film-making such as Harry Potter, Charmed and the like. It is true that these tools are very important to the Witch but each Wiccan or magical altar is different, because WE are all individuals and what is important to one person may not be to another. This is why I feel so at home with Druid-Craft as it is a unique path that gives us all the chance to express our individuality.
If you simply do not have any space that you can call your own, either within the home or garden try finding some reclusive walks around the area in which you live and use our Earth Mother's garden!
After all it was good enough for our ancestors... ... ...
May all your rituals reward and refresh your spirit.
Brightest Blessings From
Celtic Moon
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