Seasonal Altars

I get great satisfaction in updating my altar seasonally . Now that we are moving into spring/summer, what do you all use as a central focus? I have been using spring flowers, but soon they will be gone and my garden is veg, not flowers. Any suggestions?

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I change my altar a week or two before the next Sabbat.
I remember reading in Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner that Beltane is the “wedding of the Goddess and God”.
So, on my first Beltane, I plan to decorate my altar with artificial wedding flowers and garland, and white lights (which will stay up until Mabon when they’ll be replaced with orange maple lights).
For Litha, I’ll replace the wedding flowers with sunflowers.
For Lughnasadh, I’m thinking of putting out artificial fruits and vegetables (since Lughnasadh is the first harvest in the North Hemisphere).
Hope that gives you some ideas how to decorate your altar for the upcoming seasons!

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I found me a pretty little Hallmark ornament of three spring characters in a basket, going around a maypole. I plan on using that for Beltane along with a flower crown, and some sunflowers for Summer. It’s always fun to look in dollar stores and grocery stores for seasonal items to put on the altar.

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I am all for seasonal altars, @cbd! I think they are a great way to keep an inside altar connected with the outside world and ever-spinning Wheel of the Year :wheel_of_dharma: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

In the spring and early summer, I also love to use seasonal flowers- daffodils have passed, but tulips and crocus are blooming right now :blossom:

When flowers aren’t in bloom, other greenery adds a splash of beautiful life and color to an altar. Such as colorful leaves in fall :maple_leaf: or evergreen branches in winter :evergreen_tree:

As a Kitchen Witch, I have both fresh and dried herbs and spices year round. I’ve found that a small plate of the spices that will be used later in cooking (complementary to seasonal veggies) is always a good addition to an altar :bowl_with_spoon: :herb: :blush:

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Beltane is opposite and complimentary to Samhain (halloween), so it’s sometimes considered one of the two main celebrations in the Wheel of the Year.

Just like Samhain is sober and solemn, Beltane is joyous, playful, and open-ended. Anything that sparks your creativity goes! :sparkles:

Traditional correspondences have to do with fire and sun. Beltane comes from the root bhel, which means “to shine, flash, or burn”. You could make the god Belenus the centerpiece of your altar, he was a Sun god :sunny: known as “the bright one” by the Celts.

Here’s an altar for the Sun I improvised last year:

Here’s a Forum topic on How to Celebrate BELTANE Alone? Ideas! 🔥

The maypole and colorful ribbons are another key theme of the season. Explore Pinterest for more inspiration! Here’s a link to Beltane Altar Ideas on Pinterest

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Beautiful altar @Francisco!

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Your altar is real bright and cheery @Francisco .I love the yellow flowers too.

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This is so bright and uplifting. Love it

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Thank you!! :grin:

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I love your altar @Francisco, its beautiful.

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That is so beautiful !! xx

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