The Noble Pagan Forums - Elemental Altars

ELEMENTAL ALTARS
ｩ2001 Bry FairRaven


There are many ways to create and set up your altar. If you are studying to enter a coven, you will be instructed in how they create it. If you are a solitary pagan, you are free to mix and match that which feels best.

Elemental altars are created to honor a specific element. One can create a permanent elemental altar in accordance to one's
preferences, affinities toward certain elements, or temporary ones to honor the Sabbats.

Following are some ideas"


1. Air Altar

A. Air Meditation:


Sit somewhere where you can feel the air on your body. Close your eyes and relax. Breathe evenly.

Feel the air touch your face, your body, caressing it, refreshing it.
With your eyes still closed, look up at the sky, see the fleecy, fluffy clouds moving past. Lift yourself toward the clouds and feel as if every part of your body is one with the clouds. You may feel light, weightless. Now come down and rise again toward the clouds.
Ride on a cloud if you wish....or float on the currents.

Notice how you feel, any thoughts or ideas that come to your mind?

Flying alongside birds. Fly low on the surface of a river and high again. Soar as high as you wish.

When you are ready to come home, drop closer to the earth until you are yourself again. Open your eyes.



An Air Altar may have the following items:

*Use a lace cloth or white satin altar cloth
*Gardenia or rose Incense
*White Feathers
*Yellow, White or Silver Candles
*A small representation of a bird or a faerie
*A clear quartz crystal


To Honor the Air Element on Your Altar


Anoint a yellow candle with any favorite oil.
Light some incense or place a feather on your altar.
Place some bright colored ribbon, jewelry, flowers on your altar
Light the candle on a Wednesday

Say:

"Faeries, faeries, do you wonder
What it is I have for you?
On my altar little treasures
each one there, all in view.
Come and make this place your playground
Frolic, rest, dance and sing.
Every day, from sun up to sun down
Share the joy that you bring!"



2. Fire Altar


Fire Meditation:


Sit and relax somewhere you can feel the heat of the sun, or the warmth of a flame from a fireplace or a candle. Close your eyes and breathe evenly. Notice how your skin feels the warmth of the fire.

Imagine a blue flame and imagine yourself sitting inside it. Have no fear for the flame of astral fire cleanses and revitalizes. In your mind see yourself moving an arm or a leg and notice how the flame follows your movement.

Look at your hands and see the flicker of fire travel up and down yourfingertips.

How do you feel? What are your thoughts? You are part of living fire!

When you are ready to come home and be yourself again imagine the flames slowly retreating, dissolving until you see no more flame only feel its warmtn on your skin. Open your eyes.


A Fire Altar may have the following items:


*A red or orange cotton altar cloth
*Cinnamon or sage incense
*Red candles
*A small representation of a dragon
*Red stones of any sort, even marbles


To Honor Fire Element on Your Altar


Anoint a red candle with Dragon's Blood Oil; Light candle on a Sunday.

Say:

"Dragon lairds hark unto me!
Blessed thou art and blessed be!
Come ye those that hear my call,
Welcome you are, one and all!"




3. Earth Altar


Earth Meditation:


For this meditation you will need to be outside.

Sit under a tree for shade; or close to one. Place your hands on the bare earth. Close your eyes. Breathe evenly. Feel the earth beneath your hands. Its solidity and firmness.

Is the earth moist or dry? Is it warm or cold? Sit still and keep your eyes closed. Listen to the music of the earth. Imagine with your eyes closed that your are drifting toward the ground, becoming one with it. Listen with your mind and you can hear the movement of the insetcs as they burrow deep into the ground.

With your mind, look at the roots of the trees and plants, follow them deep under the earth, where they take their food and nourishment.

How does it feel? What thoughts and images comes to mind? Can you hear a voice? A whisper? A melody? Whatever you hear is the music of the Mother. You are one with the living earth!

Once you are ready to come home, return to the above ground, breathe evenly and open your eyes.


An Earth Altar may have the following items:


*A green or brown velvet or cotton altar cloth
*Cedar or pine incense
*Green candles
*Coins for the gnomes
*A bowl of earth or sand
*A representation of a tree, or even a elf or gnomes (I have little
ceramic gnome incense holders)
*An onyx, jet, green malachite or jade stone


To Honor Earth Element on Your Altar

Anoint Green or Brown candle with Coconut Oil or plain Olive Oil
Light candle on a Monday
Place some coins on your Altar in their honor

Say:

"Gnomes and knockers beneath the soil
Hark ye now, cease thy toil.
A place is made here for thee
Welcome you are, blessed be!"



4. Water Altar


Water Meditation:

This meditation can be done in the shower, in the bath, in a pool, ocean, lake, or simply by holding your hands under running water.
And unlike the others, you keep your eyes open.

Look at the water, observe it. Run your hand through it if you can. Look at how it flows past your hand; how it curves over your hand; feel it. How does water feel? Does it feel cold, warm, liquidy? Notice how you feel when you let the water droplets fall past and around your hand.

Let yourself be taken into any direction by the feel of the water.
Does it make you happy? Bring back some memories? Let your mind and your consciousness flow with the water....

.......let the water lead you .......it will lead you.......
.......relax and drift with the water.......
.......notice your feelings, what thoughts come into your mind?
.......play with the water......let it caress your body.......let it
touch you, soothe you......
.......now close your eyes and see yourself in the water.....in a
lake....in an ocean....anywhere you like....
.......become one with the water......meld into the
water.......dissolve......and notice how you feel.....you are
now part of living water!

When you are ready to come home, shake the water off your hands.
Take a deep breath....breathe evenly and open your eyes. You may wish to take a
moment after this mediation before
leaving the water, especially if you are immersed in it.


A Water Altar may have the following items:


* A blue satin, silk or velvet altar cloth
* Sandalwood incense
* Blue candles
* A representation of any water animal, such as a fish, dolphin,
mermaid, etc
* Place water in your cauldron or a small glass with fresh water
* An aquamarine or any blue stones.


To Honor the Water Element on Your Altar


Anoint a light blue candle with any fruit oil or olive oil.
Place a cup or bowl of water (your cauldron) in their honor
Light candle on Tuesday

Say:

"Water sprites and sea nymphs do you hear?
You in distant oceans and you who are near.
This sacred space I offer to thee
To frolic and rest in blessed harmony!"


CHANT TO THE WATER SPRITES


Light a light green candle, place a cool glass of water on your
altar, and say:

"Riding, skipping, dancing, leaping
Sprites, do you ride the foam!
Gentle waters, ponds and showers
Are these your beloved homes?
I will place some water nearby
For your wee ones to practice in
Swimming, diving, gently gliding
Are you here or within?"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legalesse: Copyright 2001 Bryanny FairRaven. You have permission to
reproduce this information in any manner so long as it is not for
profit or commercial uses. I maintain full copyright. Please do not
alter the content of any of this information. Content ｩ 2001 Bryanny
FairRaven

I am bumpin this one up too because there had been a question about Altars and I thought this was a perfect post to bump up to show:
1-You can have more than one altar in your house
2-Some ideas how to Elementally Involve ( evolve, connect, express through) your altar.

Enjoy!

C*S*

Is it okay to repost this on our Tumblr...is there a way to get the original poster's permission?

As long as you post it for free in it's entirety, including her copyright and all that ( which is at the very bottom).

Some authors are cool like that and will put a notice at the bottom saying "feel free to distribute as long as it is for free and/or personal use and give me credit and change nothing" Which is exactly what I did.

If I post something that is not mine it is:

1- With direct permission from author ( this is usually mentioned as a "reprinted with permission by so n so or with thanks to so n so for providing this information......that means I got the okay to sprinkle it around).

2- Signed Anonymous as I got the info in an email or from a group that passed it around, or from a friend who has no idea where it came from, however if anyone FINDS the author I gladly make contact to see if it is all right to use the info. The answer is generally yes. If it is no then I have no choice to take it down with apologies.

So sprinkle it around

C*S*

__________________

This is pretty neat. I so far have not tried an entirely themed alter. Might have to give it a go.

If you do Gypsei, would you mind sharing? I don't think I've ever done an entirely elemental themed Altar either.

C*S*

Certainly I will share. It sounds like it might be more of a meditation practice but that's OK. We could all use more of that!

Great. I never put the entire post on Tumblr - just a teaser to get people to come back here to read the rest..this article is just the sort of 'bait' I need, but it will also be great info to share - I've seen various articles on Tumblr about Elements and altars, but never a complete list like this one. I think people will be really interested.

c*s*

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing