Above is a picture of my altar. Although altars and magical tools are not strictly necessary to be a witch, they are very helpful to have. I've been putting this one together for two years, but they don't have to be anywhere near this extravagant. Before you can get to buying all the fun stuff, start with the basics.
To create a basic altar, you should have these five things:
1. At least one candle. If specific colors aren't available or necessary for your spell, it should be white. If you're a Wiccan, having a God Candle and Goddess Candle would also be ideal. You can have two candles of the same color, but gold is best for the God Candle and silver for the Goddess Candle.
2. An athame or a wand. These are used for directing energy. They represent Fire and the South. Wands can be made of wood or crystal. Athames are knives, but they are not used to cut anything. They are used for the same purposes as wands and therefore aren't really necessary, but if you really want an athame and your parents won't let you have one, a dagger-shaped letter opener will work.
3. Incense and a burner, representing Air and the East.
4. A pentacle. Pentacles are used for consecrating objects, and represent Earth and the North. (If you're not Wiccan, don't feel like you have to have one).
5. A chalice, representing Water and the West (this can just be a wine glass).
These items will create a very simple altar. You can enhance your altar with...
Crystals: Crystals radiate energy and are very useful for spells. Clear quartz will enhance all your magical items and is good for cleansing. Amethyst will keep away nightmares if you keep it beside your bed. Hematite will ground your energy. Crystals and tumbled stones are easy to get and inexpensive, and you should at least have a few.
A Talisman Pot: A container for your various talismans (stones, feathers, shells, jewelry, etc.) to preserve their energy.
A Cauldron: Represents the Mother Goddess, can be used for spells and to burn things in. I use a small charcoal grill.
Herbs and Essential Oils: Helpful for spells and healing
Objects Representing the Four Elements: Such as a nut or stone for earth, a feather for air, a piece of volcanic rock or a shark tooth for fire, and a shell for water.
Salt: Used for cleansing and spells.
Statues: Representative icons of gods, goddesses, animal totems, and other spirits. You can use them as symbolic representations of the spirits in spells, and they make your altar look awesome.
Feel free to ask about anything on my altar, and about any other magickal tools and items that you think you should have.
