First of all, apologies that this video is late. It’s been a busy week! Another gig I have going on is for burlesque and I just found out that I’ll be debuting on November 12 (if you buy tickets, use the code LAVINIA for a $5 discount)! I’ve been frantically trying to find a space to rent to record my act and find a videographer!
But, anyway!
Portable altars are super awesome. I especially take them with me when I travel–you never know when you’ll need one! I purchased a set of tins from Amazon, then used acrylic paint on them. As you can see, the paint chips pretty easily, but, it’s fine for me. You can decorate these with anything you’d like. You can even just use an empty Altoids tin, if you’d like.
You’ll want to include some sort of representation of the directions/elements. I, personally, use a crystal for earth, sea shells for water, incense cones (but, I’m switching to feathers) for air, and a tea light for fire. I also keep a mini Bic lighter and a small bell in there. There are a bunch of things you can put into it, including a swatch of cloth for an altar cloth, if you’re so inclined.
When you set up your altar for casting your magic circle, don’t do what I did and flip North and South. North is where you place Earth, not fire. South is where you place Fire, not earth. East is Air; West is Water. In the grander scheme, I’m sure it doesn’t matter. The Guardians still came, but it does explain why they were snickering. Regardless, there are many ways to cast a Magic Circle, and many reasons. I cast one when I want to be protected from other entities because I am, among other things, a medium. Spirits talk to me frequently, sometimes even through me–and sometimes without consent because they don’t know any better! So, a Magic Circle offers me some protection against outside forces. The Circle can be as big or as small as you need it. When I deal with banishments, I tend to extend the circle to the entire house and grounds; simple spell work is usually just the room where it happens, and sometimes, not at all. I don’t tend to cast Circles for when I’m cooking. I just focus intent; Hestia’s personal altar is in my kitchen, so I don’t really have to do too much. She’s already there.
As we move toward the New Year (Samhain), I will start doing a few more videos for Sabbat-specific rituals, crafts, etc. If there is anything specific you’d like to see or have me write about, please feel free to leave a comment–here or on the video! Also consider checking out my Patreon and supporting me in my endeavors to entertain and educate!
…now, back to rehearsing for a karaoke sing-through of Hamilton tonight, and for my burlesque act!