4 Benefits of a Minimalist Altar

With the resurging interest in witchcraft pummeling the shores of social media for awhile now, we’ve all seen those aesthetically pleasing posts featuring sparkling crystals, a multitude of spell candles, and every available inch of an altar consumed by a variety of tools. And that’s totally cool if that’s your scene.

On the other hand, I wanted to highlight some benefits of paring down your altar to a minimalist one. By thinning out what you already have and being a bit more discernable in what you bring in for your practice, there are some very viable advantages you could reap. Let’s jump in.

1. BY REMOVING DISTRACTIONS YOU IMPROVE YOUR PRACTICE

A main tenet of minimalism is through removing distractions, you’re able to focus and do more. So while it is tempting to buy up every last witchy decoration or tool, you really aren’t required to.

Start by decluttering the things that don’t add any value. I recommend doing a seven day “cleanse” where you take things you use and afterwards set them in a separate place from your altar. At the end of the week, you visually see what you need and what you do not.

2. YOU DISCOVER YOURSELF THROUGH THE PROCESS

Keeping a minimalist altar is ongoing. Once your initial project begins, you may find yourself happy to work with your shrunken toolkit for a long while. On the other hand, you could find that you need to add a couple of things back in. Through this process, you will see your practice and altar shrink and grow, wax and wane, highlighting your interests along the way.

3. YOUR PRACTICE WILL FLOURISH

When we aren’t distracted by acquiring things, our practice tends to fall into place. A decluttered space means room for potential. What will you cast in your newly cleared area? How will your intention setting improve? By gaining control over the interference of things, your craft has the room is needs to grow.

4. YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AS A WITCH GROWS

Once you begin to detach yourself from this Insta-worthy, witch aesthetic that a lot of people feel pressure to achieve, you will start to realize that you don’t need any of that stuff to be a “real witch.” The crystals, the cloths, the wands, the candles, and more do not define you. They do not prove that you are practitioner. And while it is not wrong to want or use these things, at the end of the day, YOU are the magick.

IN CONCLUSION…

And there you have it. A minimalist altar, while not for everyone, does offer some advantages compared to keeping a traditional magickal space from which to cast. And you could always do a small declutter at first to determine if you see any of the aforementioned benefits before doing a big overhaul.

Remember: your practice and how you practice is yours and yours alone. This post, like all of my posts, are meant as sources of inspiration. Bright Blessings and Happy Crafting!