Constructing an Altar

If anyone was wondering why my Pagan Blog Project post was so scatter-brained and late last night, its because I decided to start a little project at 8 o'clock last night!  My husband is out of town for the weekend, so after laying the little ones to sleep I had a big block of time all to myself; and I really wanted to use it to complete an altar project that I've had rolling around in my head for awhile now.  I was up until three, so bear with me if this post is a bit meandering as well!

My altar is on top of my dresser in my bedroom (though, by this point, most of the clothes have been moved to the closet to make room for supplies and tarot decks!).  It's a nice big dresser with lots of space, but lately I've been wanting to separate some space out - I want to have a separate moon altar, space to work magic, and another space for my ADF and Druid things.  I spent a few days coming up with the plans - building a little desk hutch that would have three distinct areas, while still leaving the space underneath open and usable.  I bought some lumber a few days ago, and have been waiting for the right time (and an empty garage) to put my plans into motion.

We don't own any power tools, so this was done with an old hand saw and some wood glue.  I also used my wood burner to put some designs on the top and the two pillars.  I glued everything together, and set it up to dry overnight.  Tons of books are piled on top to keep everything stuck together while it's drying!

And here's the final product!  Well, mostly final - I'd like to get some light stain and seal it once my husband is back with the car - but this is the general idea!  The space on the right is devoted to a Sun altar at the moment, but it will be moved for any magical altars I'd like to set up.  My favorite is the new ADF area; the seasonal Tree, Fire, and the Well tucked beneath them on the lower shelf.  Overall, things are much less cluttered, and I feel like my daily devotions are more focused since each area has its own purpose.

And now that I've shared mine, please share yours as well!  I love to see people's altars; they're such a wonderful window into the spiritual practices of others.  If you don't have one of your own due to a lack of furniture, let my project be an inspiration!  This is literally the very first thing I've ever built out of wood, if you don't count the scrap pieces my dad used to let me glue together as a kid - and it didn't turn out too bad.  Just remember: measure twice, cut once!