I live in two places. During the week, I live where I work. On the weekends, I pack up and move to where I live with my spouse. As a Witch who needed to have her Witchy things with her, I had to come up with some tricks for packing up and moving around a lot.
Not every Witch has an altar, but I do. I figured out quickly that moving my altar every week was not optional. I also decided that when I traveled to places other than between my two homes, that I would want certain critical parts of my altar represented. In both of my homes, I established a place to set up a basic altar. It took a little thinking outside the box, but I have found two spots that work well. Once I established the selected spaces, the remainder became more natural to do.
I knew that I would be carrying some items with me as I moved from one place to another and needed a designated way to do that. I bought a bright pink backpack with pockets which worked perfectly for me and the items I carry. When I pack up my car, it has a special place. I chose the bright color so I could quickly check my car to make sure it was with me before I left to travel to my other abode.
It can get expensive, setting up one altar, let alone two. I highly suggest hunting in thrift stores and flea markets. I believe that items will reveal themselves to you when it is time for them to enter your life. Besides, shopping in thrift stores and flea markets are such fun! You never know what you will find.
Some of My Solutions
Candles—Candles are pretty inexpensive, so I have a rather large candle collection at both places. When I stay in hotels, I use battery-operated tea lights.
Cauldron—I did not feel like purchasing two cauldrons, so I bought clay pot plant trays. Those are very inexpensive and work well for my purposes. You can obtain those at any home improvement store or garden center.
Wand—I use a wand on occasion. I prefer to use small sticks, which I came across on one of my many walks. Found stick = cheap = instant wand! I saged, blessed, and let both of the wands sit under the full moon before I used them.
Moon Water—Carrying moon water back and forth between my houses was a bit cumbersome. At the home where I will not be when the moon is full, I sit out jars of water in a window where it will fall under the Moon’s spell. If I think I may need some Moon Water at my other house, I pour some of the wonderful stuff in a small vial and carry it with me.
Crystals—Okay, I am addicted to crystals. I admit it. So, this one was one of the bigger problems I had. I finally came up with putting my crystals in an old makeup suitcase I discovered in a garage sale. I store my crystals in individual organza bags inside the carrying case. If I want the entire (well the small ones at least) collection, then they are easy to carry. If I need only a few crystals, I grab only the bags I need.
Other Interesting Posts
- Magickal Wands
- How to Make and Use Moon Water
- How to Magickally Protect Your Car
Representing the Elements—My Witchcraft works with the elements. Therefore, I need to symbolize the ordinal directions when I set up my altar. I have four stones which have been with me from the beginning and travel with me wherever I go. Even when I stay in a hotel, those four stones come with me to set up the essence of an altar. I have a black felt bag for those crystals, and they are the last thing I pack when leaving, and the first thing I unpack when I arrive.
Book of Shadows— It is a little challenging to carry a large book of shadows with me. I keep it with me at home, where I am spending the majority of my time. I do pack it up and bring it with me if I know I will need to reference it. I suggest keeping a copy of any spells, rituals, or reference materials you might need in electronic form, so if you forget your BoS, you can still have the information with you.
Books—I am a bibliophile and am getting to where I have a rather large collection of books on Witchcraft. I utilize electronic books when I can, but occasionally, I need physical copies. Carrying them back and forth can become a bit cumbersome, but sometimes it is worth the extra hassle. Backpacks work wonders!
Bells— Because I like to use a bell to begin and end my work at my altar, I purchased bells for each place. I found one at a flea market and the other at a cool metaphysical store I visit on occasion.
Altar Cloths—I use a simple piece of black velvet I purchased at a fabric store for one altar and a table cloth I like for the other.
Journal—I journal almost every day. It took me a lifetime to learn the importance of letting my thoughts flow freely onto the page. I write and take note of many of the magical workings in my life. It travels with me everywhere I go, and it stays in my backpack when not in use.
Sage, Salt, and Herbs—Most of these items are relatively inexpensive, and I keep some at each home. If it is expensive, I purchase some and split it between the two places.
Many people use chalices, athames, and various items that I do not tend to use. I discovered, probably because of all the moving I do, that I did not need a large number of items to make my altar work for me. If, however, those things are important to you, I am sure you could find smaller, more portable representations to carry with you.
I would love to hear some of your innovative ideas for carrying your altar or other symbols of your life as a Witch with you as you travel. Please share!
Until we meet again,
CJ