Building A Prosperity and Success Altar

On July 5th, I built my first altar for prosperity and success. The idea for this altar started as an idea for a spell to attract money into my life. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I wanted to carve out a little space to really focus on attracting prosperity and success into my life. Through this process of building my altar, I've learned quite a bit about how I personally use magic in my life.

Difference Between a Spell and an Altar

Both spells and altars are used to channel energy and work manifestations, but they work in slightly different ways.

A spell, sometimes called a working, channels a great amount of energy into a specific goal. It is very fast, and meant to do its job and then be done. Most of the time, the ingredients of the spell are burnt or buried after they are used. A spell may invoke a god or goddess, it may have a rhyme or chant, it may be part of a larger ritual, or it may be as simple as lighting a candle. An example would be when you light a candle for someone who is sick. You are sending your energy and magic to the person in need, for a very specific goal. If the person continues to be sick, you would repeat the spell by reciting the chant or lighting another candle. If a spell is meant to last for a long time, it generally has to be renewed every so often.

An altar, on the other hand, is meant to be a place in your home that is continually fed energy. There are many different kinds of altars. The most familiar altar is made to invoke a deity or to honor an ancestor. Spells and rituals are quite often done at altars, because there is a built in scared space that houses a lot of energy. An altar built for a specific goal is often smaller than an altar for a deity, or it may be part of a larger altar. The goal in mind is normally larger and more vague than the goal for a spell. A spell for protection may be lighting a black candle and saying "Goddess, bless this space and keep me safe", whereas an altar for protection may have many different candles, deities invoked, and gemstones that all work together for protection in both physical and spiritual space.

The one main con with an altar is that it can quickly become part of the scenery. When you see the same thing every day, you will become "blind" to it. As soon as this happens, the energy in the altar become stale. With larger altars that are a permanent part of the home, cleaning and changing the decorations on it keep the altar fresh. For a goal focused altar, such as my prosperity altar, I would only advice keeping it up for one month. A month is a good amount of time to focus on a goal - it gives enough time to see some changes, while still being short enough to avoid going stale. While a month is a good rule of thumb, how long of a stay your altar has will depend on the person. Let your intuition guide you, and make sure you are continuing to ask yourself if your altar is still filling a need in your life.

What's On My Altar

It was important that my altar felt balanced and was aesthetically pleasing. I was inspired by gemstone grids, as well as guided by my intuition. These items are personal to me and work for me. It's also important to note that not everything used is for "prosperity" or "success", some of the stones and herbs are for "fertility", but what is success if not a branch of fertility?

• Green jar candle - This is one of the cornerstones of my altar. I picked a jar candle, since I knew I would want to light the candle a lot and not have to clean up wax all the time. The color green is associated with growth, fertility, money, and success.
• Florida water - I use Florida water to cleanse before pretty much every working. I used a light amount on the shelf under the altar before putting everything down, as well as on the candle before anointing it.
• Cedar wood oil - Cedar is one of the main herbs for prosperity and success. I used a bit of the oil on the candle, and I add a bit more to the candle before lighting it.
• Dried rosemary leaves - This is probably the most non traditional herb choice. Rosemary is mostly used for protection, lust, fertility, and exorcisms. I personally associate it with money, prosperity, and abundance. Like the cedar wood oil, I sprinkle some dried leaves on the candle before lighting it. (Fire safety note: Only add tiny bits of herbs and oils to the top of the candle to avoid flares. Fire is dangerous, treat it with care.)
• Niffler figurine - I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, and Nifflers in the books are magical creatures that seek out shiny things like coins and jewels. For my practice, having the Niffler figurine symbolizes finding money in odd places.
• 9 of Pentacles card - The 9 of Pentacles is the most well known card for prosperity, abundance, and luxury in the tarot. It also signifies gratitude and having what you need. Tarot is a great way to focus energy for a goal.
• Pyrite - When I looked up the associations for pyrite, I found a lot of references for protection and shielding against negative energy. However, with it's name of Fool's Gold and shiny appearance, I always associate it with money and luxury. That being said, shielding against negative energy is never a bad thing to have.
• Green fluorite - Green fluorite is for growth, commitment, and clarity. The green color also helps to reinforce the ideas of money and prosperity.
• Crystal quartz - Crystal quartz is a hard working crystal. Here, it is amplifying the effects of the other items on the altar. Plus, it looks pretty and adds visual balance.
• Shells - Living on the coast, I have a growing collection of shells. I at first added them for the element of water, as well as thinking that shells are numerous in the sea, and that's one of the things I wanted my altar to attract. In doing research, I found that shells have been widely used as currency, and make a great item to focus money spells. I also found a recipe for a money attracting spell bag that included shells.
• Money - Money is one of the main indicators of success and prosperity. I put dollar bills of various currencies under the candle, as well as adding coins around the candle as well. Like the shells, the money is a focusing item for the altar and keeps it rooted in my goal.

How I Use My Altar

Since this is my first altar, it has taken me a bit of trial and error to find out what works the best for me. For the first few days I had my altar up, I would light the candle and have it burning in the background while I did work or meditated. I soon found that this passive experience was very soothing, but I didn't leave me feeling super connected to my altar. I then began to actively sit with my altar. I would re-anoint the candle with the rosemary and cedar wood oil, light it, and stare into the flame visualizing my life with the successes that I've been trying to attract. This active pouring of energy into my altar is a key piece of how I interact with my altar. After I started doing this, even when I light the candle while working, I feel an immediate out pouring of energy.

About five days after I put my altar together, a few friends of mine were going through some hard financial times. With a space that was now primed with energy, I decided to use my altar for a spell. While I could have done this very simple spell without the altar, it definitely gave my spell more oomph. I wrote with green pen my intentions for my friends, and burned with in my mini cauldron with the green candle. (Fire safety note: Always use a fire proof dish for any burning of intentions, and keep away from curtains, bedding, and other flammable items. My cauldron has a lid, which helps with smothering any remaining fire.) While the paper was burning, I chanted the intention loudly. After all the papers had burned, I thanked the altar and blew out the candle. The ashes went into the garden to go back to the earth.

Things I Would Put On My Altar In The Future

As I learn and grow, the things I would put on my prosperity altar will also change. Since I plan to take my altar down and build it again as needed in the future, I have been thinking about what things I would want to add. These are also great recommendations for you to build your own altar.

• Altar cloth - Right now, I don't have an altar cloth. In the future, a square of green or gold fabric would make a great back drop for my altar. This would also be useful to make the boundaries of the prosperity altar if it was part of a larger altar or scared space.
• Deity figure - As of yet, I do not work very closely with any particular deity. That being said, there are a lot of gods, goddesses, and saints that work with abundance and prosperity. Any one of their statues, or an item that represents them, would be a powerful addition. I would say that if you plan to include a deity figure, also plan to offer something to the deity for their help. This could be as simple as fresh flowers or incense, or a small piece of food.
• Herbs - As I said above, rosemary is kind of an odd herb for this type of altar. In the future, I may add thyme, basil, cloves, allspice, or cinnamon which are all more more traditional money-drawing herbs. These can also be used in oil form to anoint the candle or in offering bowls on the altar, like mystical potpourri. 
• Tarot and oracle cards - While the 9 of Pentacles is a great choice, The Empress, 10 of Pentacles, or 10 of Cups also carry the meanings of fertility, abundance, and prosperity. Oracle cards can also be used for focusing an intent on an altar. Ethony's Money Magic Manifestation cards would be a beautiful addition, as well as any cards about abundance, luxury, or fertility from other decks.
• Colors - While green is the color of money and my personal choice for a prosperity altar, gold, purple, and blue are all great choices. These colors can be brought in with candles, gemstones, or tying ribbons around a green jar candle. (Fire safety note: Only wrap ribbons around a jar candle, not around a taper. Most ribbons are highly flammable, and can catch alight when dripped with hot wax.)
• Crystals - Any crystal that is gold or green works really well for a prosperity altar. Particularly good stones are citrine, moss agate, ruby, and jade. I will definitely be looking into picking up some of these for my next altar.
• Bees and honey - Bees are some of the hardest working insects on the earth. They work together to build their home and have long been associated with abundance. Honey has often been a symbol of success, especially when it was reserved for the wealthy. A bee or honeycomb figurine would be a great symbol. While it probably isn't advisable to leave offerings of honey on the altar, drinking mead or tea with honey as you mediate or set up the altar would add a powerful ritual element.
• Sigils - Sigils are a form of chaos magic that uses letters for magical effect. There are a lot of sigils that have been made by past magicians and witches. Whether you create your own or use one from a source, by adding a charged sigil to the altar it can be another way to focus the energy. You can also draw or carve the sigil into the candle.

Over all, I think my altar has been a powerful tool for me to use. I am still excited to sit with my altar and cast spells with it, and I look forward to how it will change in the future to meet my future needs. How do you use altars? Do you like them or prefer spells? What would you put on your prosperity and success altar?