As it stands, my altar faces the West with my back to the East. Regardless of the direction, I still place the altar items as I would as NSEW.
I cast based on the traditional Item layout. When my OCD kicks in, my brain has a bzzzzzt moment telling me it is all wrong
I personally think it that I am ok with the Altar placement despite me casting a circle based on True North. Just every now and then, my logical mind has a conniption fit.
Does anyone have an opinion or experience this conundrum?
LOL I can relate to that! If I start overthinking I end up spiraling out of control!
The short answer is: This is YOUR altar, for your solitary practice, so you may do whatever feels right to you.
Having said that, the direction or quarter you face can dictate the energy of the work you’ll be doing.
So if you follow the Western tradition, for example, an altar facing West will be ideal for bringing the emotional essence of Water to your ritual; if it’s facing South it will be infused with Fiery passion; if it faces North it will be grounded by Earth, and if it faces East it will channel the wisdom and ideals of Air.
That’s just one idea. It shouldn’t be taken as dogma. And there are other possible associations as well (e.g. if you live in the Southern hemisphere you may use a different approach).
LOL… @Apikaile I’m going to save myself a lot of typing and just echo what @Francisco wrote about placement.
We must be three peas in a pod. I know just how you feel, but I finally came to terms with what is practical in the moment. It took me a long time to figure out that perfection was a barrier to being in the moment. Intention is what matters most. Once, I felt compelled to cast a series of 12 spells sitting on my bed with just my grimoire.
@Francisco and @berta First, I had a sigh of relief knowing that I am not alone and, Thank you for making me laugh! I hesitated to post at first but this has been a running issue in my brain with intermittent mind-spiraling moments.
Thank you for the wonderful idea! I do not take it as dogma; however, it does resonate with potential ways of amplifying intent within the given set of energies. I will check out the link that you sent. My Ceremonial Magic background kicked in with your explanation, it expanded into a matrix of possibilities. I am still exploring my spiritual path. Based on the History lesson in one of the courses, i resonate (more often than not) at 70%:30% Alexandrian:Gardnerian respectively.
I am so with you on that one. Within this coven, I can see that I can just be me which makes me very grateful.
12 spells in a row.... I had a good chuckle on that one.... I may try that one day!
