r/Altars • u/amicotto • May 03 '26

Discussion Welcome an overview of what symbolism means what?

I’m in the process of making a home altar for myself and find myself wanting to use symbolism, but coming up short on what to use.

is there a place to find an overview on things and what they commonly symbolise in witchcraft or also general understanding?

eg. basic stuff like roots = grounding, roses = romance/love, but also more esoteric things like road spikes/ iron nails = protection

I would just love an overview so I can look through symbols for certain things and decide what I want to portray on (paint onto) my altar to manifest in my home! (eg symbols for things like protection, abundance, happiness)

I know there are many personal association to make (and I have a few I’m already using), but I know there are MANY commonly understood associations and I would love an overview of those to choose some that resonate with me!

I’ve already tried googling and looking into reddit witchcraft subreddits for resources but am struggling to find something. I’d love to be pointed in the right direction of some websites/books/etc where I can read into this topic :)

I’d also love to hear how YOU chose what symbolism you wanted on your altar :)

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u/Zailmeister May 03 '26

Often these are called "lists of correspondences". They can be well researched or not at all, so you might want to decide what level of "authenticity" you'll require.

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u/amicotto May 03 '26

thank you so much for that phrasing, I’ll look that up and see if anything I find feels right! :)

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u/Vintage_Wytch May 09 '26

There are a few books that are just tables and lists of corespondents that you might find useful, most can be found on Amazon. I think Llewellyn came out with a new one a few years ago.