Discrete Sacred Space

Whether you are 'out of the broom closet' or not, sometimes we want to have sacred space without
drawing notice to it. Perhaps you share space with people who don't share your beliefs and might not
be comfortable with an obvious altar in the living room or kitchen. Or maybe you are in a dorm and
don't want to announce to all your dorm-mates what you do. You might want a reminder at work and
not want to have to listen to your co-workers opinions about your spirituality.

Whatever your reasons, there are many ways to create sacred spaces that don't necessarily look like
what they are. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your sacred space discrete!

I'm using the term sacred space, as many people make a distinction between an altar and a shrine. A
shrine is a place you have dedicated to divinity (or to particular Gods or ancestors), where an altar is a
working space...that is somewhere that you more magical work than just offerings. I don't make that
kind of distinction in my own practice. My sacred spaces often function as both: they are places I have
set aside as special, they hold reminders of things that are spiritually significant to me, and I will often
do my work at them or put bits of workings on them.

But whether you desire a shrine or an altar, you can have sacred space that isn't going to draw undue
attention! The key is to find things that have spiritual meaning to you and to think outside of the
proverbial box in order to find things that fit your needs.

To start with, let's consider the kinds of things that are often kept in a sacred space. Many people have
deity statues or pictures, and you may want pictures of other people who are important to your practice,
either ancestors or spiritual leaders who you find inspiring. Often we keep elemental representations
and the tools of our craft (which may be elemental representations themselves). Candles are another
big thing on many people's altars, along with incense. Lastly, if it is a working sacred space, you may
have bits and bobs of whatever you have going on at the moment.

That last one is the one that I think calls the most attention. If you have a little poppet or a rune
covered paper wrapped around something lumpy those are things that are out of the ordinary enough
that they draw the eye. And there is enough depiction of these type of 'classic' witchcraft tools in TV
and movies, people might jump to the wrong (or right!) conclusion when they see them.

But just because you want to have your works available in your sacred space, doesn't mean they have to
be out where everyone can see them. I love containers of all sorts, not only because they allow me to
keep my things tidy and sort like things together, but they also let me conceal what is inside if I so
desire. There are tons of boxes, bottles and jars that you can use to keep your bits away from casual
attention.

Boxes can be found with all kinds of designs painted or carved onto them. Many are easy to open, but
if you really don't want random people seeing what you have inside, you can get ones with locks or
even puzzle boxes that don't appear to open at all. Bottles also come in a wide range, from tiny bottles
that might just hold one spell to larger bottles that can house your offerings. Jars are a good option for
larger things, they can be painted or lined with cloth to keep their contents hidden. You can even find
unusual containers! Use a fake book to keep love letters to the divine. Slip gratitude notes into a piggy
bank. Dedicate a hollow doll to a person and fill it with items for healing or blessing.

Tools are often another thing that can feel obvious. I used to keep my tools in a box when I wasn't
using them. But if you want to have a tool out in your sacred space, consider displaying it like art. If
you take your ritual knife and put it on a stand, especially if it is ornate, it becomes a collectible in
many people's minds. You may also wish to get creative in the tools you display. Think about what the
tool represents, what function it plays in your work, and if there are other objects that could be used in
it's place. I have used pencils or pens in place of a wand, fans and rocks in place of a pentacle (for
earth), shells or glass orbs for water and lava rock or chili peppers for fire. Another item that can make
a great tool that isn't as obvious is a letter opener. I have used these as both wand and blade, and they
can be quite fancy as well. You could even just have elements represented by colored items!

You may think that you can't have any kind of deity statue or image and still keep your sacred space
discrete. But think about how many figures or pictures people have 'just because they thought it looked
cool'. You can easily get a lovely deity statue and have it on display in your house without people
immediately thinking it is a religious object. In fact, many people collect and display themed items like
this, so what may feel obvious to you might not be obvious to an onlooker.

But if you still feel like an actual deity statue is too up front, there are all kinds of other figures that you
can use to represent deities or spirits you wish to represent in your sacred space. Many deities have
strong connections to particular animals, so you could seek out a figure or other representation of that
animal. You could look for a figurine that evokes the emotions you associate with that deity, even
though it might not be an actual representation of them. Look for things that fit your ascetic. If you
like primitive art, find statues that fit in. If comics, anime or computer games are your thing, look for
figures in that genre. If your tastes run more modern, look for abstract glass or metal sculptures that
appeal to you.

An interesting way to add images to your sacred space is to find greeting cards that have an image you
like. You can find all kinds online with no words on the front picture, featuring a wide range of images
from different artists. Not only do people rarely think twice about other people's greeting cards, they
are unlikely to read them. You can write notes inside, poems of devotion, or whatever feels right.

Candles are something that many people don't think anything about. Many people have candles in their
home and even sometimes at work on their desk. But sometimes you can't have candles (very common
in dorm rooms) or burn things (like incense). There are electronic options, which can look pretty nice,
especially if you put them in a pretty candle holder. You can tailor your candle holder to match the rest
of your sacred space or pick one that fits the energy you are working with. If you get a clear glass one,
you can use simple cutouts to change the look of the candle holder and swap them out whenever you
need.

Another interesting option for candle holders is to collage the outside. Find pictures and paste them on
the outside of the glass. I love pulling pictures from catalogs to use for collage, but you can also print
things that are appealing. This kind of project can be very personal, and because you made it yourself
you can decide how obvious you want it to be. You could pick images of things that correspond with a
deity, such as their colors, flowers, animals, favorite foods or areas of influence and avoid using any
actual deity images at all.

This type of collage can also be done in a picture frame. This actually works really well for ancestor or
other historical figure veneration. You can start with a picture of the person, and collage around it or
leave it plain in the frame. One thing I love about picture frames is you can easily write or draw on a
second sheet of paper and slip it behind the photo where only you know it's there. I do this to bless or
protect the people in the picture. As with the candle holder, you can pick your picture frame to fit the
person in the picture, or you can buy a plain one and decorate it.

And you don't have to limit your pictures to people either! You can find (or take your own!) nature
shots. Not only do these make a great connection to the Earth or the elements, they can also be used to
draw upon the spirit of a part of the earth you might be particularly drawn to. If you have a connection
to Egypt, having desert pictures in your sacred space can be lovely. And you can even find pictures of
temples, statues or other historic or current sacred objects out in the world. Just because you don't have
room in your home for a twelve foot tall carved God-post, doesn't mean you can't add a picture of one
to your sacred space.

Instead of incense, consider a bowl of potpourri. You can start with any kind of pre-made base that
aligns with the deities or spirits you work with or the spell you are working on, and add in your own
herbs, stones and other spell bits. In fact if you put your spell stuff on the bottom of the bowl and top it
off with the potpourri, no one will be the wiser. Not only does this work for places where you can't
burn incense, many people find potpourri normal in situations where burning incense might be seen as
odd.

Once you have sorted out what kinds of things you might like to have in your sacred space, think about
how to display them not only from a functional perspective, but also a decorative one. I can take the
same items and put them out in a very formal and traditional layout and it gives a very different
impression than if I arranged them as if I were simply decorating. Even if you want to keep some (or
all) aspects of a traditional layout, look for ways to soften the look so it looks more polished.

Ultimately, you can create very lovely sacred space that doesn't announce itself. If you don't feel
comfortable with a particular item in your public sacred space, think about what else you could put out
that would represent the same thing to you. Personal connection is key, the more you open yourself to
how you relate to the things in your sacred space, the more you can create sacred space that works for
you, no matter what environment you are building it in!

Another way to personalize your sacred space is through candle holders. Whether you plan on lighting
your candles or not, there are so many different candle holders which give you lots of options. You can
have candle holders for the elements. You may want to keep things very simple, picking a color that
represents what you are honoring. Or you can find a design that really embodies the thing you are
representing. One great thing about candle holders is you can often draw or write on the underside of
them and further dedicate the candle holder to what you want without anyone the wiser.

If you are feeling crafty, you can make your own candle holders. I would recommend starting with a
clear glass candle holder in the style you like. You can try other types of containers, but some might
not be able to withstand the heat of the flame. If you are artistically inclined, you can draw on the glass
or on paper and slip it inside (so the image is facing out). You can also find images online and print
them!

One place I have found that has amazing tools for decorating things like this is the craft store. The
scrapbooking section often has lots of little accents that can be added to really create any look you
might like. But I also think that paint is a wonderful tool for creating personalized accents. You can
cut out stencils if you don't feel you are much of an artist. You can also often tuck symbols into a larger
pattern with no one being the wiser. Play with your pattern to find one that is both pleasing and
meaningful!

In fact, art work is another great way to personalize your sacred space. Many people are much more
accepting of art, even if it depicts things that they might not otherwise accept. Your coworkers might
not be comfortable knowing you honor the cycles of the moon in your personal practice, but a print of a
woman with the moon cycle arching over her on your desk is acceptable.

I love spiritual jewelry, not only as a way to bring my spirituality into my daily wear, but jewelry can
become part of a sacred space. There are so many pendants and charms available online...consider
adding them to your sacred space! Charms can be tied onto candles,

candles- adding charms or pictures

Jewelry- make a sacred display of jewelry

jars and boxes
tools

stones

Bowl of stuff- like a magpie altar

what's on sacred space: deity/people representations, tools, work in progress