A garden altar

Having an outdoor altar is a lovely idea and gives you a magical focal point in the garden.  You can use it to leave offerings for the Fae or to deity but also as a focal point to sit outside and meditate in front of.  It can be as simple as a flat stone or piece of wood or something grander involving wood, stones, shells and even mirrors and statues.  Make sure whatever you place on the altar with the intent of leaving it out is biodegradable and won’t harm wildlife if they decide to take a nibble (or your pets).  I like to leave natural spells on my garden altar whilst the magic works.

Be creative and use what you have, a few bricks laid together or some old floor tiles would work really well.  If you are feeling creative, you could make a mosaic platform using broken tiles or crockery.  If you are short of space a shelf on the garden or house wall would also work. 

What you put on it is up to you, as always be guided by your intuition.  Representations of your gods, the elements and animal spirit guides perhaps?

I found a round paving slab cheaply in a garden centre last year, it has the compass points set into it and it works perfectly as a garden altar.

Spells can be left on the garden altar that work with the elements of nature.  Leaves with wishes written on can be left out for the sun to dry.   Write spells in chalk on slate or stones and leave them out for the rain to wash them.  Paper petitions can be set out to be worked on by the weather too.  Draw symbols and sigils in the soil. And of course spells can be buried in your garden too.

Statues and plaques add another dimension to the garden.  I also have a couple of big mirrors against the wall which reflect back images of the plants, but also make the garden look bigger.

You will often find green men (and green lady) plaques in garden centres.  We even found a stone wizard statue recently, Steve (the wizard) now presides over one of the flower beds.  Windchimes are a beautiful addition to gardens and can even be hung on balconies and in windows.  The sound they make ranges from light tinkly noises from the small metal ones to a deep hollow sound from the bamboo type. 

Strings of beads and coloured glass can be hung from branches to create interest and reflections.  Solar fairy lights are an excellent electricity/battery free option and can be strung across balconies or in the branches of trees and bushes.