...Only If Your Goddess Is Martha Stewart

Questions about appropriate use of colors, incense, stones and other objects are pretty common from Wiccans today, and it's frustrating because of how focused people have become on stuff, rather than the purpose of said stuff. This weekend I came across a question regarding whether one's altar has to have an altar cloth.

Only if your goddess is Martha Stewart.

Has the commercialization of Wicca has become so acute that some people fear the gods won't listen (or worse, might be retaliatory) if the altar doesn't include a tablecloth? When did our gods become so petty? Why would you want to form a relationship with said gods who have nothing better to do than critique one's design skills? Does anyone think a piece of cloth really confers power to an altar?

An altar is a focus and a reminder of one's relationship with the gods and what task is at hand. Each individual knows how to best accomplish that goal. If an altar cloth (or any other item) adds nothing to the ensemble, then it has no purpose. As you become more involved in Wicca, becoming more comfortable with your own rituals and understanding more about why different Wiccans use different items, you may find that an altar cloth would be a valuable addition. But if you do use one, it should be because it has a purpose, not because you're working off some shopping list.

Out of all of the books on my shelves, only a couple discuss the proper "working tools" of Wicca - nine items considered central to Traditional practice. Many books (and many more websites), however, provide long lists of stuff: candles, bells, brooms, jewelry, stones, altar cloths, cloaks, robes, herbs, amulets, and so on. One commercial Wiccan website I recently encountered even had a category for "bath and beauty." If you find these things useful, so be it. But when these become the center of attention in your practices, the gods lose out to Martha Stewart.