I’ve been a practicing ADF Druid for nearly 20 years now (which is honestly wild to think about), and over that time my Home Hallows has shifted significantly. I was recently looking back at the writeup from my Dedicant Work, and not only has the space I’m living in changed, so has my family composition and my needs for my home altar.
This setup from many years ago was definitely more a Home Shrine than a Home Altar. (note: this is likely a pedantic difference, but one that helps me make sense of my space and how I’m using it. For me, Home Shrine is a place solely to honor the spirits, and a Home Altar is a place to do both that, but also do divination, magic, ritual, and prayers of petition). This Home Shrine was on a couple of shelves of a bookshelf, and in my bedroom, where I didn’t necessarily spend a lot of time. I didn’t really do a lot of altar work or ritual there, but rather had objects of devotion that represented connections I had with spirits at the time. There was still a small bowl for my Well, a candle for my Fire, and a cross-stitched tea towel with a tree on it for my Tree, but the majority of the space was occupied by representations of patrons, other allies, and my understanding of the cycles and seasons.
When I moved into a new house a little more than a decade ago, I had the opportunity to completely reset my altar and reflect on its growth and change, and this seems to be the point when it transitioned from more of a Home Shrine to a Home Altar.
The space here is much smaller, which helped me pare down my altar to things that I actually use on an everyday basis. It now sits in an empty microwave shelf in my kitchen. I had considered moving my altar back to my bedroom, but have found that, despite the distractions prevalent with having it right in the center of the house, I like having my altar (and thus my Fire) right at the center of everything. Having the altar right in the bustle of living has meant that my devotional practice has become a more embedded part of my life, and removed some executive functioning barriers to being able to maintain a devotional practice.
Looking at my altar now, I see that I’ve reduced the number of items on it even more. Not only have I found that I tend to be a bare-bones tools kind of person, it also opens up some empty space on the altar for when I’m doing divination or magical work. The only deity statues I regularly have there now are my seated Hestia statue, a simple Poseidon statue, and a wooden carving of Garanus Crane. These are all fairly simple, which I like because it allows my mind to expand the image as I actually see those deities, rather than being locked into another person’s artistic representation of them. I have other representations that may rotate out based on season, or who I’ve been feeling more drawn to at any particular time. Brigid is often there during the later winter months, and Baba Yaga has made an appearance recently as she’s been pushing for a deeper connection with me. During Samhain season, there is often a cup and saucer as I share coffee and/or tea with my Ancestors.
I have one primary candle on the altar that is my Fire, and as such is the flame that both receives and transforms sacrifice, and that marks the center of the cosmos when I pray. My Well and Tree/Omphalos are combined into one object: a bowl with painted ocean waves and cranes on the inside of it, filled with water and a river stone in the bottom of it. Loosely set on the edge of the bowl is a small copper wire tree. While I light and use the Fire every time I pray or do devotional work (at least weekly, often closer to daily depending on my schedule and family obligations), the Well & Omphalos are only used when I’m doing full COoR rites at my home altar (which isn’t terribly often). Other things that typically live on my altar are a divination set of some sort (sometimes Greek Alphabet Oracle, and sometimes whatever oracle deck I’ve been getting to know), something to burn incense in (and matches), and the Druid Sigil Pride Flag print, designed by Mel Hill.
A typical use of my home altar is for my devotionals. I often do these either in the morning as I’m having coffee, or in the evening before bed. A devotional for me involves lighting the primary candle, and then lighting a short stick of incense off of that. I say something along the lines of: “As I light this flame I call to Hestia, and I feel myself grounded in the Earth and connected to the Cosmos. Here I feel the spirits gathering around me. I welcome the Ancestors of Blood, Heart, and Mind. I welcome the Noble Ones with whom I share this space. I welcome the Shining Godden and invite them into my life. Poseidon, I feel your presence and know you are with me. Beloved spirits, know my devotion.” Following that, I will often take an omen for wisdom to guide my day or week, depending on how frequently I’m doing devotional work at that time.
Not only do I enjoy seeing pictures of other’s altars, and hearing descriptions of their devotional practices, I also find it fascinating to look back and see how my altar and my practice has shifted over the years, and knowing that it will continue to grow and change just as I do. The benefit of having a living, breathing tradition is that when my needs change, so too can my practice in order to fulfill and support me in whatever place or situation I’m in at the time.
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