Book of shadows
The Book of Shadows is one of the most important and also one of the most mysterious of Wiccan tools. Television and movies generally portray the Book as large leather bound volumes with parchment pages full of cryptic poems, calligraphy, elaborate drawings, and bits of herbs poking out from the pages. While many of us would love to have something that exotic and lovely, most Books of Shadows are a far cry from what you see on Charmed.
A witch’s Book of Shadows is as individual as the one who keeps it. While it is possible to purchase beautiful leather-bound books, it is just as common to grab a $7.99 sketchbook off of the bargain table at your local bookstore. You can make your own Book of Shadows, or you can purchase one. (If you would like to look into binding your own book I have included links to a couple of great books at the bottom of this page.) I have even known of people who have taken inexpensive bound composition books and filled them to bursting with magical items and information.
Nowadays, it is even common to find folks who have a 3-ring binder of shadows or a disk of shadows. However, in my tradition, the Book of Shadows is a bound book which pages cannot be removed from, nor do we feel they should be. There will be mistakes and for some of us that is a great struggle to accept. But the Book is representative of who and where we are on our path, and of our growth. None of us are perfect, and the Book reflects that. My personal Book of Shadows has its share of mistakes. It shows where I was when I began it and how much I have grown since then. I am not perfect and I learn from my mistakes.
There is power in the pages that have been filled by hand. Things you have done or that you have learned are more readily committed to memory when you write them out rather than typing them. Some witches work on their Book only in the sacred space of a cast circle. Others will only use a dip pen and ink for their magical notation. And for some, the beautiful array of colorful gel pens make their pages come to life. You choose what feels best to you.
The biggest hurdle most people have to overcome is simply starting. The blank page can be so intimidating, especially with a book this important. My advice… Just start. Make a mark on the page, or glue a picture of a Goddess or God, find a poem that has meaning to you and just start. Once you have begun, and especially once that first mistake is made, you will find that it is much easier to continue.
About witchcraft 
coming soon!
Circle Casting
DERECTIONS:
Take your second finget or tool that you are comfortable with,and draw a circle (clockwise) around you,when drawing the circle imagine that you are drawing a pure white light with masive energy,While drawing the circle say:
"I now cast the magickal circle of protection,power and love.The circle that supports me in this,the magickal circle of light."
Once the circle has been cast seal it by by saying:
"As above,so below this circle is sealed,so mote it be!".
then stomp you foot on the ground.
then carry on with your working.
Releasing the circle
With your finger or your tool,move around the circle in a counterclockwise derection.Then draw the magickal circles power into your tool,hands or altar(feel the energy move to the object of your choice and imagine it).Once the movement is complete then say:
"The circle is open,but never broken.Merry meet and merry part until we merry meet again,so mote it be!"
Then stomp your foot once.
Calling the quarters
Calling The Quarters 
Calling the quarters is a very important part of creating your circle, but before you can call the quarters you need to decide what it is that you want from these "forces or beings" if you will; What is your intent? Do you want quarter entities to attend or witness or guard (or all of the above) your magical circle??
In her book "To Stir a Magick Cauldron", Silver RavenWolf discusses the finer point and issues and mechanics of the quarters. For example, she discusses the difference between "elements" and "elementals". An element has power and energy but is not considered a sentient being, while an elemental is considered a sentient being in possession of the powers of the elements. If you have questions as to what watchtowers are Vs elements or elemental, I strongly suggest reading "To Stir a Magick Cauldron".
I have written a quarter call which requests that the elementals join my circle, bringing their particular gifts to the circle. Since I usually do no magick that needs a guarded circle this call works well for most of my circles. In this case the elementals are called after the circle has been cast or are called as part of casting the circle.
Welcome Elementals of the North, of Earth.
I ask that you bring your gifts of patience, endurance, stability, and prosperity to this circle.
Welcome Elementals of the East, of Air.
I ask that you bring your gifts of wisdom, intellect, perception, and inspiration to this circle.
Welcome Elementals of the South, of Fire.
I ask that you bring your gifts of passion, strength, energy, and will power to this circle.
Welcome Elementals of the West, of Water.
I ask that you bring your gifts of emotion, pleasure, fertility, and receptivity to this circle.
Welcome Elementals of the Centre, of Spirit.
I ask that you bring guidance to this circle.
Elementals of the Centre, of Spirit.
Thank you for the gifts that you have brought to this circle.
Stay if you will; go if you must.
Hail and Farewell!Elementals of the West, of Water.
Thank you for the gifts that you have brought to this circle.
Stay if you will; go if you must.
Hail and Farewell!Elementals of the South, of Fire.
Thank you for the gifts that you have brought to this circle.
Stay if you will; go if you must.
Hail and Farewell!Elementals of the East, of Air.
Thank you for the gifts that you have brought to this circle.
Stay if you will; go if you must.
Hail and Farewell!Elementals of the North, of Earth.
Thank you for the gifts that you have brought to this circle.
Stay if you will; go if you must.
Hail and Farewell!
As with all matters of the heart, mind and magick, make sure that your intent is worthy of the beings that you call to watch or guard your circle. Such things can back-fire on you in very unexpected way.
Invocation and Evocation
These two words are descriptive of that mysterious something emanation, voiceless appeal, inherent urge towards the light which is innate in all forms, which produces interplay and relationship, and which is the cause the cause of all progress or pushing forward along the path of an expanding consciousness and a penetration into the light.
This is true of a plant pushing its way out of the darkness of earth into the light of the sun, a child extricating itself under the life impulse from the womb of its mother, of the human being pushing himself into realms of greater knowledge and effective physical living, of the aspirant driving forward out of the Hall of Wisdom, of the disciple penetrating into the realm of soul light and life, of the initiate passing from grade to grade in the Hierarchy of Liberation, of the Christ moving on into the Council Chamber of Shambhala, and of the Lord of the World Himself undertaking those processes which will lead Him into realms of divine life of which even the highest initiate on our planet has no conception.
All comes about as part of a great system of invocation and evocation, of appeal and response, and all are distinctive of the "mode of Life" which governs the entire graded hierarchy of Being upon our planet.
This evolutionary pushing forward along the Lighted Way, out of darkness into light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality, is an inherent urge in all forms. It constitutes one of the most subtle and one of the least understood laws of the universe, being related to the Life principle, of which we know as yet naught; it underlines the Law of Evolution as well as the law of Karma and is, in reality, the law of the Life Purpose of the Planetary Logos; it is an expression of His dynamic intension as it forces all substance in manifestation and in time and space to act and react in conformity to His Will. He thus enables His form - the planet which is a compound of all the seven kingdoms in nature - to express logoic intention for the "duration of the Great Breath"; of this breath, time and space are the two aspects. It affects the tiniest atom and the most exalted Being within the sphere of His consciousness and the scope of His livingness; it affects the subhuman kingdoms, unconsciously to them, and is ( in relation to them) sometimes spoken of as "the Law of Life of the Sun".
The human family, after the stage of the personality integration, after the stage of personality integration is reached, reacts with increasing consciousness of the divine purpose. One the antahkarana is constructed and the higher initiations are taken, the initiate then cooperates with that purpose in full understanding and intension. He no longer simply reacts to his own interior urges, which force him ever to invoke the higher aspect of life and of consciousness which he senses on ahead. He now knows. He sees; he participates in the Plan; he relates himself to the divine Intention through an understanding of the doctrine or Science of Tension; he makes the divine Intension his, as far as he can grasp it. This reciprocal interplay produces the mutability of form and the immutability of the divine nature which is distinctive of those liberated Consciousnesses which have freed Themselves from the prison of form.
The definition of religion, which will in the future prove of greater accuracy than any yet formulated by the theologians, might be expressed as follows: Religion is the name given to the invocative appeal of humanity, and the evocative response of the greater Life of that cry.
Days of the week
Sunday: Is ruled by the sun and oversees friendships, jobs, the healing of divine power, and intuition.
Monday: Is ruled by the moon and oversees love, home, family, women, clairvoyance, subtle changes, medicine, the ocean, emotions, and dreams.
Tuesday: Is ruled by mars and oversees confrontation, battle, athleticism, hunting, surgery, physical streangth, courage, contests, competition, and men.
Wednesday: Is ruled by mercury and oversees communication, computers, learning, divination, teaching, self- improvement, and intellect.
Thursday: Is ruled by jupiter and oversees wealth, legal matters, money, materialism, and luck.
Friday: Is ruled by venus and oversees love, music, pleasure, joy, and women.
Saturday: Is ruled by saturn and oversees terminations, the dead, reincarnation, alimination, faith, solitude, self- discipline, self- respect, and banishment.
Colors and Their Meanings
White: A balance of all colors; Spiritual enlightenment, cleansing, clairvoyance, healing, truth seeking; Rituals involving lunar energy' May be substituted for any color candle.
Yellow: Activity, Creativity, unity; brings power of concentration and imagination to a ritual; use in rituals where you wish to gain another’s confidence or persuade someone, or in rituals that require solar energy.
Gold: Fosters understanding and attracts the powers of cosmic influences; beneficial in rituals intended to bring about fast luck or money, or in rituals needing solar energy.
Orange: Creativity, ability to speak one's mind, ambition, career matters and the Law, self-confidence. Solar color and also stands for Leo.
Pink: Promotes romance, friendship; standard color for rituals to draw affections; a color of femininity, honor, service, brings friendly, lively conversation to the dinner table.
Red: Health, passion, love, fertility, strength, courage, will power; increases magnetism in rituals; draws Aries and Scorpio energy.
Silver: Removes negativity and encourages stability; helps develop psychic abilities; attracts the influence of the Mother Goddess.
Purple: Power, success, idealism, psychic manifestations; ideals for rituals to secure ambitions, independence, financial rewards, or to make contact with the spiritual other world; increases Neptune energy.
Magenta: Combination of red and violet that oscillates on a high frequency; energizes rituals where immediate action and high levels of power or spiritual healing are required.
Brown: Earthly, balanced color; for rituals of materiel increase; eliminates indecisiveness; improves powers of concentration, study, telepathy; increases financial success; locates objects that have been lost.
Indigo: Color of inertia; stops situations or people; use in rituals that require a deep meditational state; or in rituals that demand Saturn energy.
Royal Blue: Promotes laughter and joviality; color or loyalty; use to attract Jupiter energy, or whenever an influence needs to be increased.
Light Blue: Spiritual color; helpful in devotional or inspirational meditations; brings peace and tranquillity to the home; radiates Aquarius energy; employ where a situation must be synthesized.
Blue: Primary spiritual color; for rituals to obtain wisdom, harmony, inner light, or peace; confers truth and guidance.
Emerald Green: Important component in Venusian rituals; attracts love, social delights, and fertility.
Dark Green: Color of ambition, greed, and jealousy; counteracts these influences in a ritual.
Green: Promotes prosperity, fertility, success; stimulates rituals for good luck, money, harmony, and rejuvenation.
Grey: Neutral color useful when pondering complex issues during meditation; in magic, this color often sparks confusion; it also negates or neutralizes a negative influence.
Black: Opens up the deeper levels of the unconscious; use in rituals to induce a deep meditational state, or to banish evil or negativity as in uncrossing rituals; attracts Saturn energy.
Moons
new moon wanning gibbous waxing gibbous first quarter
wanning crescent 
waxing crescent
last quarter
New Moon (0 - 45 degrees in front of the sun)
The energy of the new moon is birth and its metaphor is spring. It's a good time to start new projects, begin relationships, and plant gardens. You might find yourself feeling impulsive and you have access to a dynamic burst of energy.
Crescent Moon (45 - 90 degrees ahead of sun)
Consciousness comes into the picture now with a little bit more light. In our own life cycle, the crescent moon symbolizes the period when you become aware that you're not part of your mother, that you are your own entity. A dawning realization shows you that you have a choice, that you can struggle against the established pattern.
Psychologically, it's the beginning of individuation, the setting apart of the self. You may find it very important during this time to broach your own idea. Some religions have important celebrations honoring the crescent moon.
First Quarter Moon (90 - 135 degrees ahead of sun)
This is a time when things come to a head -- some might call it crisis time. You feel the friction in the air, but that's not necessarily bad -- friction starts a movement toward solution. Think of starting a fire. You need friction to create the first spark. Rub two sticks together or strike a match; the fire will warm you and cook your food. You may sense a problem, but not know what it is. Awareness is still moving toward understanding. It's the time to implement ideas, look at possible solutions if you've identified the knot in a situation.
Gibbous Moon (135 - 180 degrees ahead of sun)
Now we move to analysis and evaluation, understanding why we've taken action. We appraise our personal progress. This is more intellectual than the first quarter, which was dynamic and intuitive.
Full Moon (180 -225 degrees ahead of sun)
The full moon is the pinnacle, the climactic point. Now we get answers.You'll see a lot of extremes now. The way you interpret those has a lot to do with your inner landscape -- you reflect what's going on around you. With such a polarity, projection runs rampant. If you go outside and see people acting like lunatics, that's your projection. If everyone looks beautiful, that's also your interpretation. What you perceive depends on how you're feeling.
The gravitational pull of both sun and moon, with the earth in middle, sets up these extremes. The trick here is to find balance. If we're out of balance, we'll go one way or the other; we'll either be blinded by the light or we won't even see it. The moon's magnetic pull makes this a very powerful time. Whatever Sun Sign the full moon is in has a strong effect on our energies. That effect will play out according to each person's individual chart. A lot tends to happen around the full moon: more people end up in emergency rooms, the police scanners go wild. But it's also a time for romance. The play of light over the water, the moon hanging in the branches of trees, the huge orb rising over a cityscape -- all these put us more in touch with our creature sense. Time to howl at the moon. The full moon is also associated with fertilization and ovulation.
Disseminating Moon (135 - 90 degrees behind the sun)
A strong desire to demonstrate to others what you've learned makes this a time to share your knowledge. Your intellect is in charge: you see, you acknowledge, you tell somebody.
Last Quarter Moon (90 - 45 degrees behind the sun)
Like the first quarter, this phase is about movement. This time you can engage in conscious action. The choice is in your hands and you know it. It's up to you to create the outcome. This is dynamic, conscious movement. You decide whether to take action or not.
Balsamic Moon (45 - 1 degree behind sun)
We have another word for this moon phase -- Karma. This is the closing, the conclusion of the cycle during which you reap what you've sown. If you haven't learned the lessons, taken the action called for in the first seven phases, you can't move on. People born during this phase often have a mission, something bigger than themselves that they must carry out. This energy is greater than yourself. This time, the outcome of whatever's going on is not yours to decide. You have already taken the steps that set up this outcome. It's a time to release the past.
Book of shadows
Book of Shadows Basics – The Book
Altars
An altar can be a place where you reflect on the things you truly value.
If you were to ask a randomly selected group of people if they have altars in their homes, most of them--at least here in the United States--would automatically say no. The word "altar" makes many people feel uncomfortable; it brings up associations with exotic religions and strange cults. Some recall the Ten Commandments' injunctions against "graven images" and the worship of "other" gods. For many, the word altar conjures those images and gods.
Altars carry a lot of historical baggage. With the exception of Roman Catholicism, most Western religions--Judaism, Islam, and many sects of Protestant Christianity--have equated religious imagery with idolatry. This heritage runs deep. At a gathering of religious women many years ago, I watched as observant Jews and Muslims walked through a Tibetan Buddhist temple, clearly feeling they were in an alien and dangerous world.
And yet most of us have altars in our homes--although often we don't know it. If you rephrase the question and ask: "Do you have a place, or several places, in your home where you put family photos and other mementos, like shells, a favorite rock, flowers, or other natural items?" most people would answer yes.
An altar can simply be a place where you come to reflect on the things you truly value--often deeper, more lasting, more eternal aspects of life. The objects on an altar are often symbols of larger ideas. Even family photographs are not just about the people themselves but also about your feelings toward family, community, love, and friendship. Objects--a rock or feather, even things you might not expect, like a poem, an old toy, or piece of clothing--can be, in the words of Theodore Roszak, in his book "Where the Wasteland Ends," "a transparent doorway" to deeper realms.
While there is certainly idolatry in our culture--our worship of money, success, and political power--to assume that the devotee kneeling before a shrine to a Hindu or Tibetan or Wiccan god or goddess sees only an idolatrous image makes no more sense than assuming that serious Christians think God can be reduced to a white man with the beard that appears in so many paintings and other works of art. To think this about other religions may even be a form of racism.
Although private altars are a beautiful way to reflect on deep issues, public altars can also be created. Every summer, I make a personal pilgrimage to a beautiful country graveyard, Abel's Hill cemetery in Chilmark, Mass., where the actor and comedian John Belushi is buried. Belushi died at the age of 33 of a drug overdose. While I didn't know him personally, and didn't really follow his career, his grave has drawn me back year after year because of the makeshift community altar that has grown atop his gravestone.
Abel's Hill Cemetery is on a beautiful part of Martha's Vineyard, quite near the ocean. There are wild rose bushes, pine and cedar trees, and lovely old New England stonewalls. Inside a small enclosure marked with a wooden fence is a large and beautiful black boulder, simple and rough, with the single word "Belushi" carved into the stone. There is a small bench and a more recent, traditional gravestone that notes Belushi's birth in 1949 and death in 1982, with a phrase about rock and roll living on. The top of the rough boulder is flat, and over the years people have left mementos. For a long while, most of them were about addiction. In addition to rocks, shells, and flowers, people would leave coke spoons, rolling papers, pills, cigarettes, money, candy. The altar became a place to meditate on what addictions symbolize: lives wasted, for example.
But this past week, I noticed that the altar had changed. The symbols of addiction were not as prevalent. Besides a bouquet of flowers, there was an orange with a poem on it, some beautiful shells, and expressions of love and affection. That a community altar would change seems fitting. After all, almost 20 years have gone by since Belushi died. Over time, people tend to celebrate a life more than dwell on the reasons for its end.
One of my favorite things to do is create a community altar with a group of friends--or even a group of strangers who meet for a workshop or meeting. You simply tell everyone to bring one or two personal items. The objects have to be meaningful--things that relate to their lives or to an important experience they had. The objects can be anything, from a piece of jewelry or a photograph to a computer disc containing one's writing.
Then, have everyone sit in a circle and introduce themselves by saying their name and talking about their objects and why they brought what they did. What happens might surprise you. You come to recognize that you have created a simple but powerful ritual because, at the end, you will know rich and important things about the people in the room, often more than you could have learned by any other means in such a short period.
Common themes will be expressed, which become the take-off points for conversation and new friendships. At the end of the ceremony, you will have a temporary but beautiful altar full of objects, each one representing a life story. Every time I look at one of these community altars, I am struck by how utterly fascinating most human beings are, how rich their histories, and how little of that depth we usually allow others to see
Sabbats
Samhain (sow-in or sowen) - Oct 31st
Also known as Halloween and The Feast of the Dead, is the Witches' New Year. It signifies the end of summer, honoring the dead and temporary fair well to The God until He is reborn of the Goddess again at Yule. It's a time where it is said that the veil between worlds is at it's thinnest. Candles are lit and cakes and wine are left out as an offering to the dead. Altars can be decorated with colorful fall leaves, an apple and a pomegranate (if you can find one). Pumpkins are obviously quite popular as well. It is a time for reflection. A time to look back at events that have taken place in the last turn of the wheel and how you have grown from them. After your ritual, bury your apple outside as an offering. If you cannot go outdoors, bury it in a planter of soil. Colors are red, orange and black.
Yule-Dec 19 - 22
The winter solstice celebrates renewal and rebirth during winter. It is the shortest day of the year when the Goddess gives birth to the God which marks the return of the sun. Candles and fires are lit and small potted trees are decorated to welcome it's return. As Samhain represents death this turn of the wheel celebrates rebirth. If you can't make a fire you might want to get a Yule log, carve holes and place candles in it. Take every precaution to make sure the log doesn't catch fire. Colors are green and red. * Yule is commonly celebrated on Dec 21.
Imbolc (im-BULK) - Feb 1st
Also known as Candlemas, Festival of Lights, Feast of Torches & Brigid's day marks the lengthening of days and light encouraging the renewal of the sun. It is a time of purification. It's a traditional time for initiations into covens, self dedication and renewing your dedication. Seeds for planting are placed on the altar and a ritual is performed to bless the seeds. Some place a lamp or candle in every room to encourage to return of the sun. A dish of snow along with evergreens and candles decorate the altar. Colors are white, green and white, or blue.
Spring Equinox - March 21st
Also known as Ostara (oh-STAR-ah) is the beginning of Spring. The light of day and darkness of night are equal. The Earth is charged with the fertility of the Goddess and the mating of the Goddess and God compel the wilderness to do the same (Spring fever?). It is a time for new beginnings and letting go of things holding you back. A potted plant decorates the altar and a cauldron or bonfire is lit. Mirrors are displayed. The color is white. At this time of year it is traditional to wonder through forests, gardens and the like as a celebration of nature.
Beltane - May 1st
Also known as May Day is the time of fertility when the Goddess becomes pregnant of the God. The symbol of Her fertility is celebrated in ritual and feast. Witches joyously dance and weave the May pole which along with homes can be decorated with flowers, branches and other greenery. Wearing a wreath of flowers upon your head is also traditional. Fresh flowers are placed in the cauldron. Color is white.
Summer Solstice- June 19 - 22
Also known as Litha is when the powers of nature are at their peak. A great time for magick of all kinds when the Earth is saturated with the fertility of the Goddess and God. Bonfires are lit and leaped over encouraging fertility, purification, health and love. Cauldron fires are lit and mirrors used to capture the fire or sun. Altars are decorated with a ring of flowers around the cauldron which the athame is in. The cauldron being a Goddess symbol and athame God, this is a symbol of their union. The color is white.
Lughnasadh (Loo-nassa) - Aug 1st
Also known as Lammas or Feast of Bread is the time of first harvest and a time to give thanks for the bounty that the Goddess and God have given us. The days light grows shorter as the God represented by the sun slowly begins losing His strength. In this turn of the wheel seeds, fruit and vegetables fall to the ground for us and to ensure a good harvest next year. Special breads are made to eat and pieces thrown into the fire. We celebrate the warmth of the sun and the bounty of harvest in the food given to us as summer draws to an end. Corn dollies are made in Goddess and God shapes. The colors are red and orange.
Autumn Equinox - Sept 21st
The Autumn Equinox, also known as Mabon, signifies the second harvest often the corn harvest. The days and nights are again equal and the God prepares for His temporary slumber. Nature prepares for winter. As with every turn of the wheel, it's a good time to wander through the wilderness and attune with nature. Ritual celebrations often include apple cider and corn bread. Altars are decorated with things associated with fall. Leaves in their endless varieties and colors, pine cones, acorns etc. The colors are red and brown but any color associated with Autumn are appropriate.
How to write your own spells and rituals
Know the Basics
Know what magick is. Know different ways to raise, direct and ground energy. Know how to cast a magick circle. Know how to open a circle. Know the basic outline of a spell.
Know the Intent or Purpose
What is it you are trying to do? Heal an illness? Increase your concentration? Bring love into your life? Sell a house? Celebrate a Sabbat? Before you begin any magickal working, you should have a firm grasp on what outcome you are seeking.
Know the Best Time to Work the Spell
Do you know what type of magick should be worked during the waning moon and what type during the waxing moon? What type of magick is best worked on the full moon? The new moon? What days of the week are best for what types of magick? Learn how the moon phases and days of the week affect magickal workings so you will know when to work your spell.
Know Correspondences
Learn which colors will bring what results. Learn a little about herbalism; which herbs can be used for what magickal purposes. Learn about image magick and how it works. Learn about elemental magick; which elements can be used for what types of magick.
Basic Working Spell Outline
We all have different ways and routines when doing spells and rituals. Below is a basic guideline suggested by many books and web sites that you may find helpful if you feel that following a structured routine will work best for you, or if you aren't sure where to start and need a guideline. These are not set in stone and can be changed to suit your needs.
Ritual Preparation
Choose a time. Decide the intent. Choose an aspect of the Divine, if you wish. Decide how to raise energy (ie: dance, chanting, drumming, etc.) Choose how to cast and close the circle.
Cleanse yourself and your magickal space.
You can do this with a ritual bath for yourself, or through meditation to still and focus your mind. You can cleanse your space with your magickal broom or with incense or burning herbs.
Cast the Circle
Invocation of the Divine
Statement of purpose
This is simply to tell the Divine why you have called Him/Her to the circle; what you are trying to accomplish.
Magickal Working
Raise energy, through chanting or drumming or however you have chosen to do so. Direct or channel this energy by using candles, herbs, stones or whatever other correspondences you found to fit your specific need. Ground your energy when you have completed the working.
Cakes and Wine (optional)
Eat a small piece of bread or cookie and drink a little wine, milk or juice to help restore your energy.
Thanking the Divine
Closing the Circle
Elements
There are five elements (including spirit) here is a list of what kinds of items should be used for reprasenting the elements when you do magick.Also when setting your elemental items on your altar make shure you put earth in the north derection,Fire on the south derection,Water in the west derection,and spirit in the middle (this will be explaines in the altar section on this site, But when you pu those in the derection, i think it raises more energy,and respects the elements and derections.But this is your choice you can set your altar how you want, look in the section "About witchcraft" for more info on altars and altar set up.
Earth: Gems and stones, or dirt,sand or anything "earthy".
Water: Bowl of water,(holy water, or spring water works best!
Fire: Candles
Air: Insence
Spirit: Salt or cristals
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