My ritual space is my bedroom, as I’m sure most people’s space is. Some are lucky enough to have a separate room to work in, even a closet would be neat, but for the rest of us, we have to work around our beds, dressers and other non-magical objects. Here are some ways to make your magical room feel more magical!
1. Paint - The most dramatic thing you can do it paint your room. Think of a color you like and go from there. I personally like green and purple. Green and purple could go together, but I prefer to work just with green. My room is a sage green. The trim is off white. I wouldn’t paint it some mishmash color - I want to create a serene space with colors that go good together. Purples, greens, and blues are good choices, but reds and black could create a tense, dark mood. Pick a color that makes you feel good. If you want a open door, “foresty” feel, then go with different shades of greens (not neon or bright green) and maybe a brown for trim or accents. You could also paint a mural on a wall too. I painted a spiral goddess figure on my wall, right above my desk to remind me of the Goddess when I come into my room. You could buy stamps and make a border, or paint other signs and figures on the wall. Maybe in the northern wall you could paint a mountain scene, in the east a scene with birds, the south a big bonfire with figures dancing around it and the west an ocean scene. Stencils are fun to use as well. You could buy one of ivy, or flowers and do that around the walls. Be creative, there are many different techniques to do.
2. Furniture - Unless you have gobs of money to spend, buying new furniture is not an option. If you have wooden furniture then that would be nice because it creates a “witches cottage” sort of feel. Plus wood is natural so it would be a good choice in a magical room. If your furniture is unappealing, then you could cover it. There are all kinds of neat throws you can buy, even ones with pentacles and Celtic symbols on them. You could also buy 2 yards of any color fabric and throw it on a dresser as well. Fabrics with a design on them are nice, like moons, flowers, stars, etc. On your bed you could put the fabric as well.
3. You Altar. My altar is the focal point of my room. It sits on top of an antique wooden dresser and hold all my ritual items. Above it on the wall hangs a few things: a grapevine wreath with moss, stones and other natural objects with a pentacle in the middle, a small pentacle, a Horned God image, and a clay crescent moon. You could place your artwork, or some other art you like that has a pagan theme. Near your altar could go the rest of your magical and ritual items. I have a shelf for my jars of herbs and other things. I don’t keep them put away because I like to see them when I come into my room, it put me in a magical mood and creates a magical atmosphere. So if you want the same, keep your magical things out.
4. Books - If you’re a seasoned practitioner, its more than likely you will have a bunch of pagan books laying around. Instead of pushing them under the bed, or keeping them in a trunk, buy a bookshelf (you can find them cheap at garage sales or at department stores) and put them in there. Its nice to have easy access to all your books, so make sure to keep them all in one place. On your book shelf you can place small objects like candles, shells, little statues, etc.
5. Accessories - There are all kinds of things you could put around your room. Candles are the most popular option. Buy pretty candles with candles holders that look old and antiqued. Ones made of crystal or glass are nice and add a “rich” look, ones that look worn and “country-ish” add to a natural feel. There are candle garlands available out there to place around candles holders, ones with flowers, leaves and ivy are the more popular kinds. Buy candle holders that work with the room. Of course, if you like to light all kinds of candles all over the room, you have to put them in spots where they wont catch anything on fire. Don’t put them under anything that could catch and don’t place them near anything that could catch, like curtains. Speaking of curtains, I have off white lace ones that again, give it a “witches cottage” feel. Long flowey ones are nice, and pick a texture and color that go with the room. Natural objects scattered all over the room give it a nice feel as well. Placing acorns, leaves, flowers, shells and stones make it feel more like you are outside in nature. You can buy garlands and string them over windows and down doors. I have ivy ones around the windows, doors and draped around the furniture. In the fall you could buy fall colored leaves and the winter, fake pine boughs are easy to find in the x-mas section. Another neat thing to consider is white lights. You can get these around x-mas time for a few bucks. Drape them around the walls, around the altar or over the windows. Posters and art work around the room fill the walls and make it feel more comforting. Look for ones with a pagan feel. One last thing you can do its to put potpourri or incense around the room. When your in there, light some good smelling incense, and buy or make potpourri and place them in bowls around the room. That way it will always smell nice when you walk into your room!
6. Use It! - The most important thing you can do to make your ritual room feel more magical is to actually work rituals in there! Light the candles and the incense, put up the altar and do your working there as much as possible. If you do this it will start to have that "magical" aura. Whe you walk in it will feel good to be in there, it will be comforting and safe and you will want to spend time in there. So the most important thing to do is to use that space! |
