Plastic or glass?

[Jnw78666]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

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[Jenett]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

Neither, usually. I prefer ceramic for practical reasons, though I'm fine with either ceramic or glass for ritual reasons.

I strongly prefer not plastic on an altar unless there's some specific reason for something to be plastic. I'll use polymer clay for ritual icons/small statues, because it's something I can work myself at home , and that wins out for some items. Folks I know who do pop culture magic often have commercially made figures or whatever.

But if I've got a choice? Materials where I can understand clearly how they were made, and could theoretically learn how to make for myself if I wanted to invest the time and energy and resources. (Which is a lot more true for ceramic than glass, and more true for glass than plastics. I do the same thing with ritual foods.) 

Why ceramic?  Practical reason, mostly. Medical issues mean I run more clumsy than average, and I drop and shatter a couple of things every six months usually. If I do that with ceramic it makes bigger pieces, usually more visible, and I am less likely to step on shards than with glass.

Beyond that, I tend to like the artistic options for ceramics more than for glass, most of the time (or rather, I adore cobalt blue glass, but it is not ritually suitable for all the things I might want a container for.)

[Jnw78666]

Thank you! That's do helpful!

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[Morag]

Thank you! That's do helpful!

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[Jack]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

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I use a lot of mason jars for general storage, but on my altar I've got glass, ceramic, metal, wood, plastic (some of my candle holders) some kind of presumably imitation ivory. XD

I really like Jenett's thoughts on preferring things that could be made relatively easily. I acquire most of my altar stuff secondhand so it's mostly just a matter of what turns up that fits my aesthetic.

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[Dynes Hysbys]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

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Glass, stone, ceramic or wood for me. I have a deep dislike for the resin that manufacturers of pagan aimed products seem so fond off.

[Kylara]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

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While I'm not opposed to using plastic, I prefer the feel of glass/ceramic.  I have some resin figures that I like, and right now I have this weird foam mold (I hate the material...but it's a cast of my cat's food that passed this past year, so the meaning of it is way more important than the material)

And that's pretty much how I make my choices.  I'll go for meaning first, then try to find the best material I can find.  If plastic is my choice, then that is okay.

Energetically speaking, I haven't ever found plastic to be a hindrance personally.  I worked with a blade for many years that had a plastic handle and sheath.  I did eventually replace it with one I liked better, but it was never a problem working with it.

[MamaThistle]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

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I use glass, ceramic, or I have some small pewter bowls and decorative items from my grandmother.


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[Sefiru]

I have a deep dislike for the resin that manufacturers of pagan aimed products seem so fond off.

If you're talking about the stuff I think you are (what's used in those dark grey 'goth'-style figurines?) I'd like to point out that it takes acrylic paint really well. So it's possible to vastly improve its appearance.

That said, I don't use it for ritual purposes either. A lot of what I have is stone, wood and ceramic.

[Dynes Hysbys]

If you're talking about the stuff I think you are (what's used in those dark grey 'goth'-style figurines?) I'd like to point out that it takes acrylic paint really well. So it's possible to vastly improve its appearance.

That said, I don't use it for ritual purposes either. A lot of what I have is stone, wood and ceramic.

Probably - it's used a lot for fancy cast tealight holders, wands, book of shadows covers and numerous other stuff.  Yes usually gothic!  I didn't know you could paint it but it's the material itself I dislike.  I prefer to use natural materials than polyester based resins which are not the least bit environmentally friendly

[Louisvillian]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

For mostly sentimental reasons, I avoid plastic in favour of glass jar, ceramic bowls, or wood boxes. To a certain extent, glass and ceramic can be easy to clean, so there is that. Easier than cleaning plastic, in my experience.

But I have to give a bit of a second thought to the whole thing: I think that "we" tend to prefer glass and stuff like that because of some inexplicable feeling  of antiquity to it. People have been using glass and ceramic for thousands of years, while plastic is very recent. But if ancient people had the ability to reliably manufacture plastic containers, I'm sure they would have. For the same reason we do now--it's highly durable, it's cheap to make and to purchase, and it can be shaped into a variety of forms.

[Emma Eldritch]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

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Glass, stone, or metal.

[missgraceless]

For mostly sentimental reasons, I avoid plastic in favour of glass jar, ceramic bowls, or wood boxes. To a certain extent, glass and ceramic can be easy to clean, so there is that. Easier than cleaning plastic, in my experience.

But I have to give a bit of a second thought to the whole thing: I think that "we" tend to prefer glass and stuff like that because of some inexplicable feeling  of antiquity to it. People have been using glass and ceramic for thousands of years, while plastic is very recent. But if ancient people had the ability to reliably manufacture plastic containers, I'm sure they would have. For the same reason we do now--it's highly durable, it's cheap to make and to purchase, and it can be shaped into a variety of forms.

I try to avoid plastic as well, not only because of the "antiquity" feeling, but the quality aspect as well. Plastic tends to feel very cheap to me, even though I get most of my stuff secondhand and it's all cheap :p.

But if I have to buy something new and just can't afford to go the glass/ceramic/metal route, I'll get plastic. That's the problem with being broke, I guess.

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[Lovelorn]

...to hold your salt, sand, water and other elemental items?

Plastic.  I would prefer to use glass or ceramic.  But I have an 8 week old kitten and a 6 year old son with autism and ADHD.  Durability is needed.

[PerditaPickle]

Probably - it's used a lot for fancy cast tealight holders, wands, book of shadows covers and numerous other stuff.  Yes usually gothic!  I didn't know you could paint it but it's the material itself I dislike.  I prefer to use natural materials than polyester based resins which are not the least bit environmentally friendly

This (environmental sustainability) is the reason I try to avoid plastic (for everything,  not just for ritual & etc) - I know there's issues with glass, ceramic & other materials too but I really hate to use plastic if I can help it.

I also just prefer more  'natural' materials for aesthetic reasons, and I find most plastics perish before very long (and yet don't totally biodegrade well, some not ever).