Gold Bordered Pentagram Altar Cloth, 36 x 36 Inch, Rayon

A central pentagram inside Celtic knotwork. The star gives your tools a symbolic anchor to sit on, and the endless knots of the border suggest the unbroken circle the altar stands within.

36 by 36 inches of 100 percent rayon. Big enough to cover most home altars with a drape over the edges, soft enough to fold into a travel kit or a Book of Shadows wrap.

Gold border for the sabbats. The gold edging catches candlelight, which makes this cloth as fitting for a Midsummer or Yule altar as for a quiet Tuesday night of card reading.

• Size: 36 x 36 inches; sizes may vary slightly
• Material: 100 percent rayon, thin and light
• Design: central silver pentagram with Celtic knotwork and a gold border
• Weight: about 6.4 oz

In Wicca and much of modern witchcraft, a pentagram altar cloth is used to dedicate the working surface and to place every tool on it within the symbol of the five elements. The pentagram, the five-pointed star, stands for earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, and the pentacle, the star inside a circle, has sat at the center of the Wiccan altar since Gerald Gardner laid out the tradition in the 1950s. A cloth bearing the star extends that pentacle across the whole altar.

The symbol is far older than Wicca. Pythagoreans used the pentagram as a sign of health and wholeness, the Solomonic grimoires drew it for protection, and the nineteenth-century occultist Eliphas Levi fixed the modern reading of the upright star as spirit over matter. When you spread this cloth, you are laying down a symbol that has meant protection and balance for well over two thousand years. Let it hold your candles, your cup, your cards, and the intention you bring to them.

1. Cleanse the cloth before first use with smoke from frankincense or rosemary, or leave it folded in moonlight overnight. Rayon prefers smoke and moonlight to salt.
2. Spread it on your altar with the pentagram's single point facing away from you, or toward the north, the direction many Wiccans associate with earth and the pentacle itself.
3. Arrange your tools by element if you like: candle or wand for fire, incense or feather for air, cup for water, salt or stone for earth, and the center of the star for spirit.
4. Open your working with a spoken blessing over the cloth, an invocation of the elements, or simply a breath and a moment of stillness before you begin.
5. When you are done, fold it with intention and store it flat or rolled. Some witches keep it on the altar permanently; others fold it away between workings so the space rests. Both are right.

• Pentagram Brass Altar Bell, 4 Inch: ring the circle open and closed over a matching star.
• Medieval Athame, 9.5 Inch: the blade for the east or south quarter of the cloth.
• Pentacle Taper Candle Holder: a taper for the fire quarter, on its own small pentacle.
• Wooden Pentacle Mortar and Pestle Set: for grinding the incense you will burn on this altar.
• Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft: the classic self-study course in setting up and consecrating a Wiccan altar.

How do I wash a rayon altar cloth?

Hand wash it in cool water with a mild detergent, press the water out gently without wringing, and hang or lay it flat to dry. Rayon can shrink and weaken when wet, so skip the machine and the dryer. Iron on low with a pressing cloth if it creases, and keep it away from bleach.

Which way should the pentagram face on the altar?

Point the single top point away from you, so the star reads upright as you face the altar. Many Wiccans orient it toward the north, the direction of earth, since the pentacle is the tool of that element. There is no single rule across traditions; choose the orientation that feels right and keep it consistent.

Is this altar cloth appropriate for Wiccan practice?

Yes, a pentagram altar cloth is one of the most traditional Wiccan altar pieces, and this one carries the upright star that Wicca uses. The Celtic knotwork border suits Celtic-flavored and eclectic paths as well. Nothing about it is tied to one lineage, so solitaries and coven members alike can use it.

Is 36 inches big enough to cover my altar?

A 36 by 36 inch square covers most home altars, from dresser tops to small tables, with enough drape to hang over the edges. For a larger altar table, use it as a centerpiece over a plain base cloth so the pentagram stays the focal point. It also folds small for a travel altar.

What is the difference between a pentagram and a pentacle?

A pentagram is the bare five-pointed star; a pentacle is that star enclosed in a circle, and the word also names the altar tool that carries it. This cloth features the pentagram within a knotwork frame, so it does the work of a pentacle across the whole altar surface, holding the elements in one bounded space.

Do I need to consecrate the cloth before using it?

Consecrating it is traditional but optional. Most practitioners at least cleanse a new cloth with smoke or moonlight and speak a short dedication over it before the first working. If you follow a specific tradition, use its consecration rite; if you are eclectic, a few honest words and a breath are enough.