Hi everyone! Today I’m showing you what my “travel” altar looks like! I first created a travel altar while my mom was in the hospital. I needed something small (at first, it was just an Altoids tin) that I could take while visiting my mom. The size of the altar grew slowly over a few weeks until it achieved this final form! Now that I’m living with my Christian grandparents, the travel altar has become my only altar.
This little box holds most of what I use during my daily practice while still being small enough to throw in a tote bag while out and about. Ironically, I purchased it at Hobby Lobby. I tried out 2 smaller boxes before finally settling on this one.
Having my altar in a box has helped keep my practice a secret from my grandparents. I’m not at risk of getting kicked out of the house (after all, I pay the bills). However, being open about my practice would lead to many uncomfortable conversations and situations that I just don’t want to deal with.
This is my altar cloth. I found it in my mom’s tablecloth collection. It’s a little stained, but I don’t mind. If anything, the stains keep me from being too precious with it!
I attached this photo on the inside of the box’s lid. It’s a reminder of my mom. I have another frame that I want to put on the right-hand side to represent Brigid (the primary deity I work with). I’m still looking for the perfect picture!
I’m not sure where the lucky cat bell came from, but I keep it on my altar as a way to sound cleanse. It comes in handy if I can’t use smoke!
The first thing I usually pull out of my altar box is my deck of mini tarot cards. These are truly tiny! Before I purchased them, I saw a review that said these cards were too small to shuffle by hand. I remember thinking, “I’m sure I could shuffle these!”
I was very wrong. The cards went everywhere! Instead of torturing myself by shuffling the cards, I threw them in a purple velvet bag. I always use my intuition to choose a card anyway (I don’t just pick the first card at the top of the deck).
After pulling a tarot card, I write down the results in this tiny book. I had the book in a drawer for quite a while, so I’m unsure where I got it. I use a sterling silver band as a compartment for the book. The band belonged to my grandfather.
Another item that I keep on my travel altar is my rosary. I bought it on Etsy from a shop called FreeRangePriestess. It’s run by Reverend Julienne Givot. She makes what she calls “free-range” rosaries (they’re not just for Catholics). This rosary immediately caught my eye because I love tarot, and I love the colors of the Strength card!
I keep two kinds of candles on my travel altar: birthday candles and tea light candles. I use the birthday candles for quick spell work (after all, they don’t burn for long). I use the tea light candles if I’m doing something that might take longer, like venerating ancestors or worshiping deities. I sometimes anoint the tea light candles with oils or herbs, which leads me to…
My oils and herbs! You can find these adorable glass jars at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I put the bottles in these small metal tins in case they leak. The oils I currently have are lavender, orange, and eucalyptus. The last bottle is empty (I’ve been meaning to fill it with Florida Water). As for the herbs, I only have dried lavender and catnip at the moment.
The final items I keep in the altar box are tiny sheets of paper and a pencil. These came from a prayer box that my mom never used. When my mom was in the hospital, I would write down my prayers and blow out a birthday candle. I would fold up the paper and keep it in my pocket for the rest of the day. It was all I had the energy for at the time, but it was incredibly effective. Everything I prayed for came true.
That’s the end of my altar tour! I hope that it can give you some inspiration for creating your own travel altar. Just remember that your altar doesn’t need to look exactly like mine. After all, everyone’s practice is different.
Morifemme 