Setting Up My First Altar

I also set up my first altar tonight and consacrated it and my tools.  It was a great experience and also my first magickal experience ever.  I can still smell the incense and, boy, does it smell o so good!!  Anyway, my altar is very small for now but it is sufficient. 

To set up my altar, I started out with a wooden table with a pentacle and half moon carved on the top, then I added 2 small white candles to represent the Goddess and God, 1 larger green candle for illumination (I chose green simply because that is what I had on hand), a dish with sea salt and a pine cone (just because I had one) to represent Earth, a dish with Water, a censer, an incense or oil burner and a couple of feathers to represent Air, a cauldron with my smudge wand and a pentacle incense burner in the center. I figured with all the candles and incense burning, these would have Fire covered.

Overall I am happy with my little altar, as it is all I really need right now. I do have a few more tools to use as well- a mortar and pestle, a candle snuffer, a few more censers, plenty of the small spell candles in various colors and some incense and herbs.

After I gathered my altar and all my tools and supplies, I consecrated them to get rid of all the existing energies and make them sacred to me and my practice.  This too was a very nice experience for me. 

The ritual I used is below:

You will need: your altar, a bowl of salt (about a tablespoon), a bowl half full of water, your censer and incense burner, unlit and a lighter, all your other ritual tools, a dry rag or towel.

Clean: Clean your altar and tools using whatever method is applicable based on the material it is made of.

Prepare: Place your altar in the center of your sacred space. Place a white candle on the altar and light it. Put a bowl of water and one of salt and all your tools beside or under your altar.

Cast a magick circle: Draw a circle clockwise three times around you, your altar and your tools using your finger. Now visually cleanse the space around you and ground yourself. I place my hands on the floor or ground and visualize a glowing ball of light that starts out in my chest and gradually grows to completely engulf me to the limits of my magick circle.

Call the Goddess and God: Say:

"Great Goddess and God I ask you to join
me tonight to assist me in my rite,
please guide me, protect me and help me,
I ask this of you. So mote it be".

Bless your altar: While sitting in front of your altar, put both hands on the surface and visualize the energy flowing from your hands and filling your altar, infusing it with power and pushing out any existing or negative energy that it possesses. While visualizing this, say:

"I bless and consecrate this altar in the names of the
Goddess and God and in the presence of the
powers of the four elements. May it aid me in
honoring my gods and working my will.
Blessed be."

Bless the water and bowl: Place the bowls of salt and water on the altar. Place your index and middle fingers in the water and visualize all your energy infusing and energizing the water and bowl it is in. While visualizing, say:

"I bless and consecrate this water and bowl in
the names of the Goddess and God and in the presence
of the powers of the four elements. May it aid me in
honoring my gods and working my will.
Blessed be."

Bless the salt and bowl: Now place your index and middle fingers in the salt and visualize all your energy infusing and energizing the salt and bowl it is in. While visualizing, say:

"I bless and consecrate this salt and bowl in
the names of the Goddess and God and in the presence
of the powers of the four elements. May it aid me in
honoring my gods and working my will.
Blessed be."

Mix: Pour the salt into the water and stir with the same two fingers.

Bless the Censer and Incense: Place the censer and incense on the altar and visualize all your energy infusing and energizing it. While visualizing, place your hands on the censer and incense say:

"I bless and consecrate this censer and incense in
the names of the Goddess and God and in the presence
of the powers of the four elements. May it aid me in
honoring my gods and working my will.
Blessed be."

Light the Incense: Now put the incense in the censer and light it.

Exposure to Elements: When consecrating tools, it is tradition to expose them to all four elements. The four elements are represented in the incense and saltwater. Sprinkle the altar and censer lightly with the saltwater, then pick up the censer and fan the smoke over the altar and bowls. Now everything on the altar has been blessed by the elements. Now you can start on your tools.

Bless the ______ : Place the _______ on the altar and visualize all your energy infusing and energizing it. While visualizing, place your hand on the tool and say:

"I bless and consecrate this __________ in
the names of the Goddess and God and in the presence
of the powers of the four elements. May it aid me in
honoring my gods and working my will.
Blessed be."

Sprinkle: Sprinkle the ____________ with the saltwater and hold it in the incense smoke for a moment. (When doing your athame or utility knife, you will need to wipe it clean immediately so it will not rust, but anything else can be left to dry on their own.) Repeat this procedure with all your other tools until they have all been blessed.

Thank the Gods: Thanks the Goddess and God for attending your ritual, say:

"Lady and Lord, thank you for
sharing this time with me.
My thanks for watching over me,
guarding and guiding me.
Go if you must, stay if you will,
but remain always in our hearts
and know you are always welcome here.
So mote it Be !"

Take up the circle: Trace the circle counter clockwise three times to take it up. Ground yourself by visualizing the ball of light gradually getting smaller and smaller until it is absorbed back inside your body.

This is an altered version of the ritual found in Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) .