The first step in creating your wicca altar is to thoroughly clean the room that will contain your altar. It is best to mix sea salt in water. If you can’t find sea salt to use (any new age store should have it), just use the cleaning products you would normally use.

Scrub the walls, ceiling, and floor (if you don’t have a rug). Make sure to pick up clutter and organize the room as best you can. The less clutter and clutter, the easier it will be to control the energy that builds up.

Now you need to determine where north, south, east, and west are. You can use a compass or ask someone who knows (if you don’t know). Once you discover them, be sure to mark them with any small objects so you don’t forget them. The reason you are doing this is because your altar will be facing north because that is the direction of “Earth” and the primary energy you will be connecting to.

Next, you need to mark your circle. You can use white cord or any small object that is sacred to you. (such as candles or figurines) If you have enough space, try to mark the circle between 5 and 9 feet in diameter. (If you don’t have enough room, your circle can be smaller, but it may be a bit more difficult to stay inside the circle while casting your spell.

When you mark the circle, start in the east and move clockwise around the circle, ending in the east again. Think of this as a “permanent” circle that you will “redraw” each time you perform rituals or spells. (you will see how to redraw it later)

Now it’s time to decorate your temple (the area around your circle). You can hang meaningful posters, fabrics and pictures. You can place candles all over the room in any way you see fit. Try to establish a mystical feel, one that generates strong emotions for the Magick work. The decoration can be simple or elaborate, whichever evokes strong feelings within you.

Next, you need to do an initial cleansing and purification of your space. So you must first prepare the cleansing water for this ritual. You will “charge” the water with positive and pure energy from your heart. You will then use this water to cleanse your space.

This purification is very important to do correctly or your space will become polluted and it will never “feel” right. Your Magic will likely suffer as a result.

I cannot stress how important the preparation of your cleansing water and the actual cleansing and purification of your space is. It is so important to you to see the rituals being performed that I have included a DVD section about them in the complete Witch Academy. Not only is there a detailed step-by-step guide for you to follow (with photos and images), but you’ll also see a demonstration of this powerful (and important) ritual.

Once you have thoroughly cleaned and purified your space, it is time to set up your altar. Throughout this process, keep in mind that you can use any material to set up an altar, but it’s best to avoid using synthetic or metallic materials. You can use a small wooden table that is between knee and chest height (you can even consider a circular table, which are popular for altars). The idea here is to maintain the natural energies of the Earth by using materials that come directly from the earth (if possible).

Set up your female deity items on the left and your mail deity items on the right. (for Wiccans, Goddess elements on the left and God elements on the right)

If you want to see a full layout of the items and how to arrange them on your altar to increase your connection to Magick, check out Home Academy for the exact steps. It also includes images of different altar setups and a video demonstration of the setup and “consecration” of tools and other items on your altar. (This is essential to harmonize the energy within the tools with the energy of the altar and its sacred space)

Replace the markers you used to define the directions (North, South, East and West) with white candlesticks. On the DVDs you will also see how you can use colored candles that represent each of the elemental colors of the four directions. I like to place more candles around the edge of the circle because I like to do my magic by candlelight.

Finally, repeat the purification ritual in the Home Academy for your altar and the circle. Then grab a broom or use your arm to clear the circle space and push away any negative or dark energy.

Your first witchcraft alter is born, congratulations! You can now gradually increase the power of it to draw in the magical energies you’ll need in your spellwork by adding meaningful items to it. There are many specific examples of altar setups and examples of objects you can add. Above all, these objects should be a reflection of you. The more of “you” that enters your altar, the more power you can draw from it, and the more protection it will offer you while you work your Magic.