In short it depends on what you are doing with the water.

Everything on your alter should have a reason for being there and serve some function. A cluttered alter is like a cluttered soul, little will some of it. That being said water is most often used to cleanse other tools and to represent the element. If it is used to represent the element then just sanctifying it will do. Putting it aside with the intent that it is now something special for only magick is enough to serve the purpose. If it is used to cleanse other tools then insuring that no lingering intent still lays upon it is impotent, but also important is giving the water power enough so effect other tools. In that case you should empower the water, which is accomplished easy enough by putting in chi - I assume this is what you mean by imbued. What water you use is of little importance, save for when you use it as an offering. Then it is only proper to give no less than you would for a friend or ranking official who came for a visit.

I use river water when the need demands I use it at all. Stagnant water will multiply its native aspects in the same way water sitting on an alter will slowly gather power. Get good healthy water and in magick it is made more so, get it from a algae choked pond and you are going to get something different.

Yup, that's indeed what I meant by Imbued, In which case...I can understand when it's an offering. Though the closest I can get to some real good water is a very polluted marsh around the bend. So instead I simply boil my water and add an herb that represents whomever I give the offering to, cleanse it and give the water its purpose. That's pretty interesting though, clean river water...


I'll have to find a way to get river water, one of these days.


Elodea

This post has been edited by Elodea: Nov 13 2011, 10:24 AM

I'm wondering what to do with it after it's been used on the alter!
I kept feeling awkward and guilty for chucking it down the loo, so i started keeping it in an old wine bottle, it's almost full now.
My alter water kept getting flys in it and i'd use essential oils as-well which would eventually get quite bacterial after a while, not sure what all this strange water will do if drunk..

I took my alter down the night before last after i got dumped, it's been up an changing for over 2 years, i just got pissed off that my psychological magical side had become so fixed in material symbolism,
get's so intense moving stuff around etc..
It's been a very rewarding experience having one for so long, really helps understanding the elements, i think the main reason for me having used one is that it helps smooth out the extra effects of a magical act (regulates repercussions etc)
helps organize the whole show though, triggers~(fire) identity's ~(water) places~(earth) an effects~(air). Or whatever other way you wana interpret their functions, very usefull.

I had a very messy Alter thinking about it, can't begin to remember what kind of spells i did,
probably why a lot of them seemed to fail..

I might make some wine with it.. i'd need to boil it, would that accidentally cleanse it do u think? pressure cooker any better?
Might be the key to making some of those blighters work!, glad i wrote this post (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Drinking it will likely make you sick in several ways. One it is mixed with oils and bacteria/dead things, and Two you did all kinds of magick with it - the effects will linger.

Toss it out in your yard. Changing you alter supplies is less like cleaning out your fridge than it is changing the table flowers everyday. The point is to keep things fresh and replenish the source of the element frequently. It is important to note that you are putting energy into your alter. The water is the conduit for the elemental energy not the energy itself. It will go stale and impede your work if you let it hang around after it is used up.