Prompted by Elvin's excellent post about the elements I wondered what you used to symbolise the elements on your altar?
I have been using a candle for fire, incense for air, fresh spring water for water, and salt for earth. With a pentacle in the centre of my altar to represent the spirit both of the way I approach my magical workings and of me.

Anyone use anything different?
I'd love to hear about them.

Personally, I use those same elements to represent each of the four corners. For air = incense, Water = purified/blessed water, Earth = salt, maybe actual earth, and Fire = a colored candle, either black/silver/red/white. And for spirit, I either use a pentacle in the middle of the altar, or a scrying mirror.

~DA~

I use Incense for air, A candle for fire, (I read that some spells work better if you use a candle of a corresponding colour, and others work better if you use a white candle as they represent all colours.), I use water or sometimes apple juice for water, and rice or soil to symbolize earth depending on the type of spell/ceremony/ritual I'm doing. I would love a scrying mirror, but cannot find 'the' one. I feel that it is out there somewhere, I even know what it looks like, but I haven't found it yet. For now I have a slab of blue/green slate that I use in the centre of my altar, it holds my clear crystal sphere that I use to symbolize spirit.

The sphere you use Darke, is that a glass crystal one or a quartz crystal one?
I wish you the grea-*test*-('") of fortune with your search for the mirror. I know what it is like to have an idea in your mind that nothing in reality comes close to or can ever replace.

I hope you find it.

Have you thought of making your own scrying mirror Darke?

I made my own, because, like you, I could not find exactly what I wanted.
I used an oval mirror, some jewellery putty and some crystals and stones to draw to it the energies I desired.

I could give you more info/instructions if you wanted, or perhaps the idea is enough and you can go with your own ideas from here. Whatever suits you best is fine with me.
It's just a thought.

It's a Quartz Crystal, and it's about the size of a snooker ball. A lovely feeling thing with some truly beautiful white smoke inclusions in it. I love handling it and gazing into it helps my meditation too.

I hadn't thought about making my own scrying mirror Shade, but I think that's an excellent idea. Thank you.

If it's alright with you I'll try and do some sketches and post them up for you to look over. Then if there's anything wrong with the design you could tell me what it is and why. I'd love to get exactly what I want, but if it's not possible I suppose I could be a little bit flexible.

Truly, there is no right or wrong when it comes to the tools you make yourself. If they are to your liking, and feel right to you, then there is nothing "wrong" with them. And not to sound rude or snide or anything, but sadly, when it comes to your own personal tools, no one else can tell you if they are right or not, only you can decide on that. If it feels right, and is how you want it, and how you feel it should be, then it's the way it should be. All others can do is give their opinion of what they feel it is. But all in all, it comes down to you.

~DA~