Hello Ms. Rose

I’m currently 16 years old and a Wiccan in training. I want to ask about winter solisce and about the nesecity(sp?) of building an altar.

Building an altar is a deeply personal issue for every Wiccan and whether you have one is completely up to you.

Most Wiccans prefer to have a regular space for performing rituals and storing their materials, but you do not have to have an altar. Much like many of spell components, an altar is a personal tool used to help you focus on the rites at hand and serving as a reminder every day of the religion you have chosen.

However, there are valid reasons not have an altar–say, perhaps, if your parents objected. And, an altar does not have to be an elaborate or permanent set up. One pagan I know uses a television tray as her altar most of the time because she can move it to whatever part of the house she needs to and because it reminds her to put things away when she’s done. Because she has pets in the house, she does not want to leave her herbs or knife where her cats could hurt themselves.

Another Wiccan I know once had a temporary altar set up at her desk in a medical office. To most people, it simply looked like a small collections of leaves and shells, but she used it as an altar and a focus to help her get through the day.

The key to making a decision about an altar is to do what is right for you. If a few leaves laid on a computer monitor help you focus your energy, then it’s a perfectly good altar. If you want a more elaborate altar with an altar clother and ritual knife and candles and herbs, then use what makes you comfortable.