I Made My Own Altar Following Advice From WitchTok

Living in a tiny studio apartment has its perks — it’s an affordable option in my expensive city, and it’s relatively easy to clean. But when it comes to displaying items that are special to me, I don’t have a lot of extra space to work with. Over the past year, I’ve started getting serious about my crystal collection, but my display system (stashing them together on the edge of my TV cabinet) isn’t doing them justice. I’ve wanted a place to do my manifestation rituals that feels special.

According to WitchTok — my one-stop-shop for learning how to become the Practical Magic girls — an altar is the solution I’ve been looking for. It’s a place to put any objects relevant to your spiritual practice. While I initially pictured an altar as an ornate piece of furniture (blame that on the fact that I grew up going to a church built in the 1890s), I’ve learned from my fave TikTok witches that it can be anything you want. Some people will use an entire corner of a room, while others fit theirs onto a windowsill.

Like most things in witchcraft, there’s a lot of room for interpretation, and the process is mainly about creating a space that feels magical and inspiring to you. I tried to follow my intuition choosing objects for my altar, with the constraints of my space in mind.

First I Took Stock Of My Existing Items

You don’t have to spend tons of money to create your dream altar — you can work with items you already own or things you find in nature. In my case, I had a lot of crystals and candles lying around, along with a beautiful oracle deck I wanted to display.

Every video I watched suggested being intentional about what you include in your altar space. This will be where you do manifestations and cast spells, so you want it to reflect the pure, positive energy you’re trying to put out in the world. Some witches design their altars to honor a specific deity, style of witchcraft, or something they’re manifesting. (I even found a tutorial for building a money altar.) I wanted mine to be more all-encompassing of nature to bring a sense of grounding and peace, so I stuck with mostly neutral tones and things that represented the four elements — another WitchTok tip.

Then I Picked My Altar Base

Since my crystals have been sitting unceremoniously on a table, I wanted an elevated surface for them to be the main characters. While perusing Etsy, I found a piece I fell so completely in love with that I knew it was right for me immediately.

This hand-cut wooden piece was sourced from a 100-year-old fallen ash tree. It came with three risers for displaying items, plus a tea candle holder, vase, and blank cards for writing intentions. I purchased the standard size, which is about 10 inches across — perfect for sitting on my coffee table. And, as the TikTok witches recommended, I cleaned the energy of the wood with some selenite crystal and incense before setting it up to use as an altar.

I Intentionally Incorporated The 4 Elements

Now for the fun part: choosing the things I wanted to add. I knew I needed a bowl for burning incense and sage since I’ve historically been using my regular kitchenware for the task. The incense would represent the “air” element in my altar space.

At a witchy shop in the West Village in New York, I found a small marble bowl in an earthy tone. I wanted to fill my altar with natural-looking items, without too much distraction or color. (What can I say? I’m a Libra rising who loves a harmonious aesthetic.) I brought it home along with a fresh bundle of sage and a stick of palo santo. I also found a tiny ceramic bird in a Brooklyn crystal store that I had to have, so he came back with me as well.

For the “earth” element, the wooden altar base had the grounding energy I wanted to convey. I also picked up some yellow canna lilies at my neighborhood bodega, and I later learned this flower is associated with confidence and boldness. When I’m prepping my altar for different rituals, I’ll choose fresh flowers that align with the energy I want to channel.

For “water,” I’m currently using the tea candle holder to keep water in to save space, but when I move to a bigger apartment eventually, I’ll invest in a nicer chalice. Hot tip: Water can be a powerful tool for manifesting if you charge it under the moonlight overnight.

“Fire” is symbolized by a candle, which I don’t keep on my altar regularly (space constraints, baby!), but I bring it out whenever I do a ritual. I’m also displaying cards from my oracle deck, which features female writers and creatives throughout history.

My altar is still a work in progress, but I’m happy with how it looks. Seeing it brings me an immediate sense of calm, and I’m more excited to pull my daily tarot cards and do rituals now that I have a special space dedicated to them. I’ll continue to add to it and change it as the seasons pass, but this beginner witch is ready to manifest allll the good things this fall.