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Practical Magic Tech: Microcosm Method of Altar Building

This post is part of a series of animistic, spirit-oriented spellcasting for beginners. Go to the masterpost to see them all.

I'm a very big believer in intuitively building altars. But that doesn't mean people who can't or don't want to build an altar intuitively should be left hanging.

This post is part of a series on practical spellcasting. In this series, a spellcasting altar is defined as something pretty specific with specific uses. So this post is not meant to address all spellcasting altars everywhere, but just the style I'm describing for this series.

One method of building an altar is to make it like a map of the metaphysical cosmos. This is where we can utilize our elements/directions correspondences, if you're into that sort of thing!

In this post I'm only speaking about my own understanding of the metaphysical cosmos, as it is the only one I'm qualified to speak on. If your understanding is much different, I believe the same concepts apply; your altar would just look a lot different than mine.

Pros of microcosm altars:

Just as a poppet of a person contains their essence, a map of the otherworld contains it's essence. It's a good way to link yourself to the powers you seek to work with.

If you're really into correspondences, microcosm-type altars are going to help sort and categorize them for you. Each correspondence goes somewhere on the map you create with your altar.

If you're not vibing with your intuitive flow, a microcosm altar is a safe bet. Put the representations down and be done with it.

A microcosm type altar can help you visualize what's happening metaphysically: these elemental building blocks and powers are feeding into a central cauldron, and once the spell is done brewing it can be drawn into our world through the axis mundi

Cons of microcosm altars:

If you don't have a concept of the metaphysical cosmos that you believe in, you're going to have to either just accept what someone like me says, or you're going to have to sit down and figure it out. And sometimes these beliefs can be elusive and not so easy to just hash out.

Just copying someone else's microcosm isn't going to necessarily work for you. I put Fire in the East, Earth in the South, Water in the West, and Air in the North. But just because that works for me doesn't mean it's going to work for you. There may still need to be some intuitive modifications, or extra research, before it clicks.

This method can feel stilted or excessively formal.

Here are some example altars I built for the purpose of demonstrating the microcosm method:

In this first altar, the microcosm is represented by the three worlds. I may visualize power coming from each world and running through the antler into my charm bowl where I work over my spells. This altar might be much improved by painting my central bowl to represent the four directions and their corresponding elements.

[Photo Description: A picture of an altar containing tarot cards, antler tips, a small dish with a charm bag inside of it, and a cup of coffee. Text from top to bottom: "Coffee and coffee warmer (very important)", "Lower Middle, and Upper worlds represented by tarot cards and antlers", "Tarot card used as a focus point to represent intent of spell", "Central bowl holds charm bag to bee worked over; it can hold offerings too", and "Tarot cards that represent personal authority and the ability to change the strands of fate".]

In my second altar, the microcosm is represented by the four roads and trifold Hekate. I once again have a central bowl which I use to gather power. Objects can be left in this bowl to charge. It can also be used to send offerings, or to help spirits imprint on vessels (among many other things). Hekate is brought to this altar because her power, if she chooses, will open the four roads. The four roads themselves are represented by decorated wooden tokens.

[Photo Description: A picture of an altar where a figure of Hekate overlooks wooden tokens surrounding a stone bowl. There is a clay figurine, nails, and bay leaves within the bowl. Two candles are near the Hekate figurine. Text from top to bottom: "Figuring to the goddess Hekate (elevated to show respect)", "Hand made directional tokens used to open the four roads", "Devotional candles", "Central stone cauldron holds ingredients, spirit vessels, and offerings", "(No altar cloth)".]

In my third altar, I've chosen simple colorful stones to represent the four directions and the central Spirit which collects and combines their powers. The rabbit-skin altar cloth only covers part of the working space, mostly to ensure it isn't damaged by nearby candles and salt water.

[Photo Description: A picture of an altar composed of five rocks arranged in a diamond pattern, a clay frog figurine, and a nearby container for salt water. A candle holder on a fire safe dish is located next to two small plastic containers labeled "Cloves" and "Chamomile." Text from top to bottom: "Candle and offering dish away from flammable surface on fire safe dish", "Spell ingredients nearby", "Salt water used for cleansing", "Frog figuring acting as a spirit vessel", "Altar cloth only covers a portion of the working space", and "Colorful stones represent the four elements and four directions".]

In my fourth altar, the decorated altar cloth (a casting board repurposed for this picture) does most of the heavy lifting. The ritual wand is placed nearby. This altar would be much improved if the spirit vessels were placed in their appropriate corners (fire and water respectively).

[Picture Description: A picture of an altar. The altar cloth is painted with a circle divided into four sections. Planetary symbols are on the outside of the circle. A wand lays across the altar and a bottle of salt and candles are nearby. In the middle of the altar cloth is a clear quartz tower standing on a wooden disc. Text from top to bottom: "Common spell ingredients", "Spirit vessel", "Quartz tower represents the axis mundi", "Decorated altar cloth indicates elements, directions, and planetary powers", and "Spellcasting tools are stored nearby".]