So my group of four Tarot readers and spiritual practitioners needed an altar. We didn’t look online because we knew it wouldn’t be anything even worth considering, and it was kind of just this crazy idea. But just for fun, I drew a little sketch of what it might look like, how it could work etc. (with four secret drawers, a North-South-West-East pattern on top, some sturdy flip-up shelves so we could each display a spread of cards, space for candles and what-have-you) in a “Hey, wouldn’t this be cool” kind of way. And then dropped it ‘cause that’s silly, right? 

Not so fast, said the Universe. Enter Dave. He’s basically a shamanic carpenter who got wind of my wee sketch and felt moved to give it a go. Naturally we were psyched, but had absolutely no idea what manner of thing this would actually turn out to be. 

Let me just say that what materialized into our physical plane was nothing short of magical. He took the basic concept and lovingly and adeptly created something even greater than what we could have possibly imagined. Even the choice of woods had purpose, beauty, and power. The altar came with its own voice because the process of making it involved tuning into what it wanted to be, so Dave channeled what it had to say to each of us, and how our mutual work would be actualized. 

Musicians can well attest that playing on a high quality instrument is a wholly different experience, and so it was in practicing our craft for the first time with this altar: laying cards, working with our powers and intuition, and experiencing a new kind of synergy. 

Our coven is now five instead of four, thanks to Dave and his ability to blend the practice of woodworking and shamanic insight. We will never be the same.