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Altars for Children

© Cosette Paneque

My best friend Lori tells a charming story about her childhood. As a little girl reading children's stories of Greek mythology, she often read with disdain the lines about how people no longer worshipped these ancient gods. Having an affinity for Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite, Lori placed a cinder block between two pine trees in her backyard. Upon it, she placed whatever she found - snake skin, pinecones, flowers, feathers, shells. She visited that spot every day and it was there that she talked to and communed with the Goddesses. She often wondered why nobody worshipped them anymore. Little did she know. Thirty years later, Lori now has a more formal, indoor altar, but Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite are still there.

Altars serve as physical anchors for our deities and spirit allies as well as focal points for worship and magic. We often go to our altars to meditate, to pray, and to make offerings to our Gods. Many Pagans couldn't imagine their homes without at least one altar. Some Pagans have altars in all the main rooms of the house. Others have one large family altar and smaller personal altars. And many Pagans don't like others to touch their personal altars. Altars are, after all, personal sacred space. So what about our children? Do they need altars as well?

Although children may not need a personal altar, they deserve one. As they grow older, they should have a concrete means of working with and honoring deities. The creation and maintenance of a personal altar provides a child with the opportunity to fully experience personal communication with the Divine.

The altar can be a very beneficial part of a Pagan child's upbringing. Allowing children their own sacred space teaches them that they need not go through another person to access the Divine. They can communicate directly, functioning, in a way, as their own priests and priestess.

An altar also allows for the development of responsibility and self-confidence. The objects a child places on his/her altar are special. The child will respect and take care of these things and, in turn, respect the special objects that belong to others. As they grow older and the altars become more complex, there is a gradual increase in trust and responsibility. A five year old may have a special feather or stone on his/her altar. A ten year old might have a breakable statue. A teen might be trusted with candles and incense.

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