One thing I have noticed is that beginner Heathens often have a vision of how their practice should be based on things they have seen online or in books, but it doesn't match what they are able to do at that moment in time. Instead of problem solving they get stuck and get frustrated. I have a few beginner Heathen hacks that have helped a surprising number of people. Today, I would like to share my hacks for altars.
First of all, you don't need the big fancy altar. I know it is shiny, perhaps someday you will get there, but no one starts there. All you really need for an altar is a candle and a cup or bowl to hold a liquid offering. (Some people would argue you don't even need that much, but for the sake of this article we are going with my opinion.) A few other things that might be nice on you altar include: incense and an image or depiction of a deity, or of an ancestor.
Beginner Heathen Problem: I live with people who I am not comfortable knowing about my practice
You need a covert altar. There are a few ways to achieve this. You could just give offerings outside by a tree in a park or in your yard. You could just "accidentally" leave a cup out on your night stand overnight and then dispose of your offering. Or you can have an altar that is easily packed away under the bed or in a drawer. It won't look suspicious if anyone stumbles on it. This altar is essentially the kind of altar I use on extended travels. You need a tin with a hinged lid.
My altar of this sort is larger than you need. I use a index card tin. The reason mine is so big is it holds an image of Odin (because I associate him with travelling) and picture of my great grandmother. It also has a large size tea candle, and a lighter, and a cup. And I often put a box of tobacco in there to offer to landspirits, and a packet of honey, the sort you get at restaurants, to give to the spirit in the Airbnb or hotel I stay in. I don't pack incense for travelling as it could raise questions crossing borders and is easy enough to get where ever you go (as are additional candles). I could even put a handkerchief in there if I wanted as an altar cloth.
Now you can make this sort of altar even more compact by using a mint tin from the dollar store. And it is super covert. No one will question a tin of mints. I suggest if you want a picture of a deity that you either print one off the computer in a size that is small enough or draw something, and then laminate it. You can buy adhesive sheets at the dollar store. Alternatively you could using packing tape to tape it to the lid of the tin so that the tape covers the whole image. Trust me, it is nice to have it waterproof. Life happens.
Beginner Heathen Problem: I want to have an altar but I don't really know where to put it
An altar doesn't need to take up much space. It could be on a shelf on a bookshelf, a window ledge, or even a floating shelf in the room of your choice. You might not need a covert space but choose to keep your items in a box and only take them out when you are using them just as a space saver.
Beginner Heathen Problem: I can't afford all the fancy idols I want.
Then don't. You could buy a few at a time and use laminated cards for the rest until you can afford them. Or you could use Norse themed divination cards to represent deities instead. I particularly like this set called Yggdrasil, but there are lots to choose from.
You could used whatever card you want in a dollar store frame, or you can get something more like a memory board and clip multiple deities up at once.
You could also use something to represent a deity other than an idol. Examples I have used in the past:
Freyr: a porcelain boar, a phallic shaped rock, deer antlers
Odin: a raven feather, a raven skull
Thor: a goat bone
Freyja: a piece of amber
Frigg: a spindle, a cameo of a woman with hounds
Idunn: a fake apple
Hel: dried flowers in a black vase
Skadi: a fabric snowflake
Beginner Heathen Problem: How do I keep my altar clean?
The easiest answer is an altar cloth. You can wash it whenever you need to get rid of incense dust and spills. (Candle wax can be tricky but it is better than it getting on your table or shelf). I went years without an altar cloth though. I used a placemat for a long time, or drawer liners. They cover the surface and make it easy to clean. Some people even use papers and sometimes write or draw on them for specific deities. These are easily disposable when you are done with them, although quite flammable. Don't leave you candles unattended! That is just a good idea from a fire safety perspective anyways.
I have had fire, not on my altar, but in my altar room, when burning down old candles I didn't want to use for anything else. Luckily they were sitting on a metal surface and I was right there. I quickly got the fire out with a fire blanket. (I highly recommend having one!)
I have also heard of people leaving candles to burn down overnight and almost starting fires. If you want to do this you need to make sure they are somehow contained so a fire cannot spread. A wooden holder or wooden surface below them is a bad idea, as are any items hanging nearby. The only candle I have left burning overnight were outside in my yard in the snow, so pretty safe.
Beginner Heathen Problem: I don't know what to offer
Don't overthink it. You can offer water if that is all you have, or all you can give without being found out by unsupportive family members or roommates. Liquid offerings are easiest usually: some sort of alcohol (especially mead), coffee, tea, or cream. Really any drink if it feels right, for example you might decide apple juice is a fitting offering for Idunn. If you want to offer some more it could be a part of your meal, or incense, or a special candle. I have found Loki likes strange candies so I often leave some on the altar for him.
An offering might be something like a certain stone, or something you make like an idol you made yourself and burn it or dispose of it. I have offered poetry I wrote to Odin. I carved a turnip in the shape of a horse to offer to Freyr. I let flowers decay for Hel.
Or your offering might be something non-tangible such as a service. I have offered dance to my ancestors. You might offer labour of some sort to Thor, or volunteering at a soup kitchen could be dedicated to Frigg. Whatever feels right to you. Using your intuition is a great idea. Or just asking the deity and letting them guide your choice.
You don't need to offer often, in fact, other than to start building a bond of reciprocity you don't need to. Once that relationship is established you can only offer occasionally. And you should always offer within your means.
Beginner Heathen Problem: How do I dispose of my offerings?
The standard ways to dispose of offerings in Heathenry are to burn, bury, or bog them. Depending on your living situation this may be difficult. This is part of why liquid offerings are ideal when you are starting out. You can easily pour a liquid into the ground outside to "bury" it. Or if you have a small yard space you could even have a Hogr (a small pile of rocks which you pour liquid offerings over.) If you don't have outdoor space you can really just pour liquid offerings down the sink after leaving them out for a short time for the deity, ancestor, or spirit they were intended for. I consider pouring a liquid down the sink to be "bogging" it, as I rinse the sink with water afterwards.
If you move beyond liquid offerings and cannot easily burn, bury, or bog them it is okay to throw them in the compost or trash. Some Heathens will try to get up on their high horse and tell you this isn't proper or whatever. It is your practice. They can butt out. Your practice should always happen within your means.
You might also be wondering when you should dispose of your offerings, and that is up to you. You might just leave them out as long as you have your candle lit or until a stick of incense burns down. Or you might choose to leave them out for an hour, or while you eat a meal, or while you listen to a song. I leave out coffee as an offering to my ancestors each morning. It stays out for 24 hours and then I wash the cup before I fill it again. I wouldn't suggest much longer than 24 hours or you might have mold or pests (unless you are working with a deity like Hel, where that might make sense.) There was a video that was posted by Beofeld from Wind in the Worldtree where he said you should dispose of offerings quickly because, "you don't want ants" and he suggested to dispose of them to "yeet them outside." Sadly this video is no longer up, but he made a good point.
Hopefully this has got your brain whirring with your own ideas, or gotten you unstuck if you weren't sure where to start.
Image sources:
Most images are my own.
