Rebuilding the altar wasn’t quite the first thing I did upon returning to Sunrise, Indiana, but it was close. I have been tinkering with it a little every day, but I think I am mostly done.
The uppermost portions are little changed. The left side contains my idols of Dionysus and Hephaestus; the right side has my shrines to Rhea and Athena. The center is currently a collection of my personal talismans and artifacts of power, waiting to be remade into a seasonal altar. Behind it all sits a mirror, in which reflect my library, textbooks, and an image of Dionysus which I cannot fit on the altar itself. The reflections were unplanned, but work beautifully: my books are every bit as much a part of my life as my gods.
The level below has been changed significantly. While Sue and my vision mask still reside there, the have both been moved, and now share space with images of and offering bowls for my Natal Genius and Demon. Those shelves also bear representations of the planetary powers: the “masculine” of the left; the “feminine” on the right.
The two double bookshelves on either side of the table contain various magical experiments. Going counter clockwise from the upper left: my various active talismans and sigils; my house wards; my safe travel spell, money-for-Greece spell, and anti-fertility charms; and a collection of talismans of people and places close to me. In the middle are my “God” and “Goddess” statues beneath a miniature cosmology.
The flat surface of the table is, finally, pure workbench. My Triangle of the Art holds the place of honor at the center of my elemental symbols. To the right sit my ritual knife, my talisman of the Beneficial Sign, my brazier, and the coffee I just offered to all my household spirits. To the left are my copper ring and bracelet that I use when channeling forces, my “bolean” and my cauldron.
Misclaneous tools and projects hide below. My wands are visible in the corner on the left.