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What is the preferred material used in making an altar? Is plastic out?

Preference is personal.Go with what you have or what you'd like.I have a sideboard/cabinet I use.
Storage of items inside and the top is the Altar surface.I t cost me pennies in a junk shop and I stripped and revarnished it by hand.

Everyone who sees it comments favourably.It is a beautiful and practical piece of furniture,as well as sacred space,lol.

I 've used all manner of nic knacks for altars,over time.From fireplace tops to window ledges and shelves etc.

You can use what you like but natural would be what I recommend.

Simple. Any surface with nothing else on it. Make it an altar. Put the object of your desires on it. When done, tell the gods to un-altar it! WELLA!

Insta-altar!

I've been meaning to finish my altar now for a while, I had it set up in a space beside my bed, but that's been repurposed now

I'm planning to put all my essential altar bits into an aluminium flight case, as a portable altar
http://images.maplin.co.uk/full/gl34m_new2004.jpg

But really, as others have stated, any flat (or flat-ish) surface can be an altar

Ooh shineeeey,Vashta,I like a lot. [grin]
That can hold a lot of fripperies and doodads,very cool item.

A small bookcase is a good one too,you can cover it with an altar cloth and use the shelves for storing bit s n bobs,the only limit is your imagination really. [thumbup]

Natural seems to be the preference of most people, but it eventually boils down to:
1. What you prefer
2. What's available to you

If you go the natural route, wood or stone usually. But whatever works. At the moment my altar is the top of a plywood storage unit.

I'm using an imitation wood (laminate) dresser top right now, but I'm looking for a smallish cabinet, preferably a pretty one, although I don't care what it's made of.

Best old pic I have of mine,lol.
I still need to get new screws for one of the drawer handles...oops.

http://beyondchaosmagick.wordpress.com/ ... the-trade/

That's how my modest altar looked last year, I'm starting to expand it this year since
I will be adding more stuff into it.

That,MrBlack,is what we here would call 'well cool'. [thumbup]

I have so many Occult fripperies and nick nacks,that I could open a shop,lol.I collect carved wooden plates and brass ornaments also,as a hobby and most of these get utilised as ritual objects from time to time too.

My altar appearance changes frequently depending on current workings and season. And I got many of my objects from thrift,charity and junk shops for pennies.

@Nahemah: i'm trying to keep at that whole "minimalism" bit and I think I've
been doing fine but I've got some projects on the works and I know that space
is not enough so.....moving and making more space.

It's still in the same shelf but got promoted higher and bigger space.

I have a mix of man-made items and natural items on my altar. I have things that just seemed right to me at the time, and still seem right. I'll post a picture once I can of the altar. I go with what the gods/goddesses seemed to "urge" me to get, if that makes any sense.