My Travel Altar

(First of a series of three.)

Witches love their altars, and we especially love the many beautiful things we use to make our altars the unique structures they are. Taking them with us is rarely practical . . . so what can we do instead?

My solution was to create a portable altar.

I first wrote about a portable altar (outside of The Art of Ritual Class) in A Witch’s Guide to Crafting Your Practice.

Creating a portable altar is simplicity itself. Almost two decades ago, a friend of mine left America to begin a series of jobs in the foreign service and asked me to create a portable altar for him. Inside [an 8” x8” x6” wood box with a sliding top] I put a white votive candle, a small box of stick incense, a vial of sea salt, a small ceramic dish, a feather, a silk scarf, and a few items with special meaning for him. It all fit perfectly and was unobtrusive. He has since told me, several times, how perfect it is and how grounded he continues to feel, despite being far away from home. . . If space is at a premium, a bag is probably the best idea, especially when it can double as an altar cloth. To make a circular piece of material into a carrying bag, stitch a 1/2 hem around the edge of the cloth and run a cord through it. Knot the cord at the ends. When you pull the cord tight it will create a drawstring bag. (p. 62)

Frankly, I wrote that before I left the U.S. and started doing a lot more traveling. While I’m not out and about every month, I’m on the road nearly three months out of every year. To meet this need, I created a very tiny portable altar.

In the end, I created three and I’m going to tell you about each in a series of posts, starting with the one I travel with most often.

It’s a plain metal tin, about the size of that very popular breath mint that I got at a craft store. that closes tightly.

The kit holds:

Post-it notes. These are great for quick petitions and sigils. I chose purple because I associate it with magic, but any color or paper would work. (I’ve done magic using napkins from the cafeteria with a pen borrowed from the front desk.) You can burn, bury, dissolve or shred them and they do minimal environmental damage.

Incense holder. Mine is a flat piece of pottery and holds a stick of incense.

Incense stick (I like sandalwood). It’s in two pieces because it fits in the tin that way, and I have more than one opportunity if needed.

Embroidery floss, cotton. Pictured is dark brown, but any color will work, as will regular sewing thread. I prefer cotton as I find silk has magic-dampening properties, and polyester isn’t environmentally friendly. The floss can be used to bind paper petitions, sew sigils, or do knot magic.

Drawstring bag, cotton. This little beauty is a secret weapon in my traveling magical practice. It can hold herbs to make a tea, or a charm. I can sew or draw sigils on it. It can hold special items to tuck into a pocket or for offerings. It folds into a bit of nothing and usually holds the small items in my kit so they don’t rattle around.

Birthday candle, usually white. Representative of the element of fire, which is sometimes difficult to come by, the candle burns quickly and cleanly. I usually stick with white as it covers any magical intent.

Pendulum. Pictured is one made of lapis lazuli and silver, although I have several. Easier to carry around than a deck of tarot cards, a pendulum is my favorite way to divine while traveling.

Penny. Representative of earth, my penny is old enough to be almost pure copper, which appeals to me. Of course, any stone or bit of dirt will work for this element, but I like the association the penny has with the pentacle on my altar.

Safety pin. Aside from all of its potential practical uses, a safety pin can be used to attach notes with sigils to fabric, like the lining of a purse, backpack, or piece of luggage.

Sewing needle. I use this to sew sigils and such on the bag, but it also can act like the safety pin, if a bit more precarious in its hold. Both the safety and sewing pins are made of steel and therefore have beneficial uses when encountering the fae (and my thanks to Morgan Daimler for that idea). Moreover, it can act as a (very tiny!) athame.

Tiny stones. I have a large collection of tiny stones that are perfect for magical use. The ones I use most often are a crystal point, turquoise, carnelian, malachite, and citrine.

Other items that have come and gone over the years have included a feather, small pencils, and vials of essential oils, water, or salt.

And so you have my typical traveling altar kit!