Collection: Altar Bells

What Is an Altar Bell Used For?

An altar bell is used to mark the edges of a ritual. One clear ring tells everyone in the room, including you, that the working has started, and another ring closes it. Many practitioners also ring a bell when they call each of the four directions, between the steps of a spell, or to clear the air of a room before they begin.

Bells have held this job in a lot of traditions. Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican churches ring an altar bell at key moments of the Mass, and Hindu and Buddhist worship uses a hand bell called a ghanta. In Wicca and modern witchcraft, the bell sits on the altar beside the candles and the chalice, ready for the start of a circle.

How Do You Use an Altar Bell?

Hold the bell by its handle, not the body, since your fingers on the metal dampen the sound. Ring it once or three times to open, then let the note fade completely before you speak. Many practitioners ring it the same way to close, so the two sounds frame the ritual.

To clear a room with sound, open a window, start at the door, and ring the bell in each corner as you walk the room clockwise. Let each note fade before you move on. Practitioners often do this after an argument, after guests leave, or before setting up an altar in a new home.

What You Will Find in This Collection

2 1/2 inch altar bells. These small silver-plated and brass bells come with a pentagram, triple moon, or Earth Goddess design, or plain. They are light, bright-toned, and small enough for a shelf altar.

Brass altar bells. The two-tone brass and chrome bell is 2 inches, the brass hand bell is 3 inches, the pentagram brass bell is 4 inches, and the triple moon bell has a bident handle crowned with the triple moon. Solid brass gives a fuller, longer ring than plated bells.

Brass and wood hand bells. The two largest bells measure 4 1/4 by 7 1/2 inches and 6 1/2 by 9 inches. Their deep, carrying tone suits clearing a whole house or opening a group ritual.

Small bells. The 3/4 inch brass bells come in a set of 12, the lacquered celestial bells are 1 1/2 inches and sold one at a time, and the celestial bell string has half-inch bells in assorted colors. Many practitioners tie these to cords, jars, wands, or a doorknob.

What Are Witch Bells?

Witch bells are a strand of bells hung on the inside of a front door. In folk practice the ringing is said to scatter unwanted energy each time the door opens, and it also tells you when someone comes in. You can tie small bells to a ribbon yourself, use the celestial bell string, or hang a three-bell chime from our wind chimes.

How Do You Choose an Altar Bell?

Choose by sound first. Small bells ring high and bright and fade quickly, which suits a quiet solo practice, while large brass bells ring low and long and fill a room. Then choose the design for your altar: a pentagram for Wiccan practice, the triple moon for moon work, or a plain bell that fits anywhere.

Solid brass slowly darkens with age, and you can polish it with a soft cloth and a little brass polish. Plated and lacquered bells only need a dry cloth, since scrubbing or polish wears the finish away.

Related Collections

A bell is one of several tools for clearing a space. Our singing bowls give a long, humming tone for meditation and sound cleansing, and a besom sweeps a room before ritual. You can find the rest of the altar in altars and altar tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do witches ring a bell during ritual?
Witches ring a bell to open and close a ritual, mark each step, call the four directions, and clear a space with sound. The ring draws a clear line between ordinary time and the work at hand.

How many times do you ring an altar bell?
There is no single rule. Many practitioners ring the bell three times to open and three times to close, and some ring once for each direction as they call it.

What are witch bells?
Witch bells are a strand of bells hung on a front door. In folk practice their ringing is said to scatter unwanted energy whenever the door opens, and they double as a simple alert when someone comes in.

Can you use any bell as an altar bell?
Yes, any bell with a sound you like can be an altar bell. Many practitioners cleanse a new bell with incense smoke and keep it only for ritual use.

How do you clean a brass altar bell?
Wipe solid brass with a soft cloth and a little brass polish, then buff it dry. For silver-plated or lacquered bells, use only a dry soft cloth, since polish and scrubbing wear the finish away.