An Overview Of Altars And Tools
by Blayze
In Wicca , the Altar is a space that is set aside as sacred. It holds tools and symbols and is a focus for the witches’ connection with deity and with themselves. Altars have many purposes and no two will look alike. They can be for personal use only, holding items held sacred by an individual or group, erected when the need arises or kept permanently and tended with love and care. The need determines what the altar looks like and what it holds. 
A wooden tea chest or blanket box works well for an altar as magical & spiritual items can be stored within and the flat top used to hold them during the ritual. A tree stump works well too, as long as the top is flat. Coffee tables are fine, especially ones with magazine racks as they too can be used for storage. An altar cloth will hide anything stored underneath. A large flat rock or worked stone is great for an outdoor altar (or an indoor one if the rock can be moved). It doesn’t really matter what shape the altar is. A round altar is good when placing it in the centre of the circle. A rectangular one works well if the altar is placed in one of the quarters. It is probably a good idea to make or choose an altar that does not contain a large amount of metal as some feel that the metal interferes with the properties of the other tools. It would also be a good idea to have an altar that is big enough to hold everything you wish to put on it. 
An altar should be as beautiful and as meaningful as the witch can make it. This does not mean it needs rare tools and expensive cloth to make it so. Just some imagination and intent is all that is required. An altar can reflect the witch’s state of mind, where they are in their life. An outward manifestation of self brought into the physical to convey a message. It can be cluttered or bare or in between… it is still an altar and should be treated with and cared for with respect. 
As well as altars that are personal or for a group, temporary or permanent, altars can be divided into esbat, sabbat and elemental types. 
Esbat:
An Esbat altar would be one set up specifically for the esbat ritual and ideally it would follow the theme of the ritual itself, both in tools placed upon it and in decorations and props. If the ritual contains spellwork then all items needed for the spell would be placed upon the altar, if this is physically possible. Obviously, placing a flaming cauldron upon the altar could be dangerous, so this would be placed away from anything that is not intentionally flammable. All items set aside for use in the ritual would then be blessed and consecrated before the spell was begun. 
If the esbat was celebrating say, a full moon, then decorations for the altar could include, white or silver cloths, white or silver candles, white flowers and a silvery cup or bowl for scrying. 
Sabbat:
A Sabbat altar could contain items and decorations appropriate to the Sabbat being celebrated. For a harvest themed Sabbat, harvest baskets of seasonal fruit, grain and vegetables could be placed upon the altar as decoration and also to be eaten during cakes and ale. For a festival honouring the Sun, the altar can be filled with baskets of candles ready to be lit during the ritual as well as yellow & orange flowers and cloths. As no actual work tends to take place during a Sabbat ritual, the witch may choose not to have all the usual working tools present and just items being used within the ritual. Of course it is not necessary to have an altar at all, although they do tend to provide a good focus for the ritual. 
Elemental:
Some witches like to have a small altar at each of the quarters that hold representations of the element aligned to that quarter. This works particularly well when a ritual focuses on elemental magic and understanding. An air altar, for example, could include items such as an additional censer or incense holder, some feathers, some hazelnuts or some writing implements such as quill and paper and may be covered in a yellow cloth. A water altar could include a bowl of water and some shells and be covered in a blue cloth. 
The Working Tools 
Athame *~
Pentacle *~
Chalice *~
Wand *~
Sword ~
Scourge ~
Cord ~
White Handled Knife ~
Bolline
Besom
Bell
Cauldron 
* 4 main tools used by solitaries
~ 8 main working tools 
Elemental Tools / Items 
Incense and Censer
Fire Candle
Water
Dish of Salt
Altar items
The Lamps of Art (Goddess & God Candles)
Goddess symbols
God symbols
Flowers and decorations