I have had the good fortune of getting to purchase one of the early releases of the Artifactum Altar, crafted by Alchemy Moon geniuses Chris Gould and Paul Kostrach, and (relatively) soon to be available from the fine Vic Nadata at Gemini Artifacts.

The past few days have been spent around a fire with this and I wanted to share my experiences with it. If you own the Artifactum (and you really should), this is the perfect compliment to use for demonstrating the power of this wonderful oracle. The Artifactum Altar resembles what might have been a magician's walk-around platform from the 1800's - a wooden frame with small legs, the top of which sports a (just under) 9" x (just over) 12" felt surface. The aged wooden frame contains several hand-burned symbols around the perimeter of the top, which correspond to the different symbols on the Artifactum cards.

Included are an assortment of goodies - a well-constructed lined duck canvas slipcase. This will keep your Artifactum Altar safe during transportation (or table hopping). Also a wooden pointer (pictured), some wooden dice with the hand-burned symbols on the faces which correspond to the symbols on the Artifactum cards, an antiqued cardboard museum tube containing an aged, rolled parchment map that is also found on the bottom of the altar board. There is a reveal contained within the map, which is detailed in the accompanying booklet (this booklet also describes how the board can be used in conjunction with the Artifacts cards). There are also a couple other surprises which will add to the usability of this versatile prop.

For those of you who own the King in Green, there is a connection between this artifact and the King in Green. The Artifactum Altar does make a wonderful board on which one can do a tarot reading or any other form of divination. It also would be an appropriately-size surface on which to perform a whole host of effects in this genre of the art.

The handcrafted board is well constructed. I believe it will be a wise investment for the vast majority of you reading this post. Cost is $250 plus shipping - a very good bargain at this price for what you receive and the breadth of its use as a prop.

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WoW that is beautiful !!! As an Artifactum owner this looks to be the item to have for them & I love the added items like the dice & map & extra reveal within it, also the added connection to KiG which I also have.
Sounds like ( as always ) Chris has once again drawn mystic & magical things from his inner minds eye to create & share with us !

Thank you for this post David, I am in awe of his Artifactum Alter concept & the pic you posted, funds being confiscated awaiting release !!

Also makes sense why my Artifactums were happily weeping as though they sensed the creation of the alters, awaiting the soon to be union with one.....😆

Paul's work is incredible. He crafted the Moonboard, which is quite something to behold as well.

Some have asked for a photo of the reverse side of the board...

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This is a utilitarian prop that is beautiful...

Drooling over that pic !! Yes Paul does fantastic work, you lucky dog you.....lol

Fantastic!

And the new AA Card Case - A perfect fit...

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Love the case! The altar is amazing too. I drooled over it at the ECSS.

Greetings...

I'd like to add...I'm a proud owner of the Artifactum Alter...and the Artifactum Card Case. These items are nothing short of true magic...they're not only artistically special, but they add to the magical presentations of the Artifactum Cards. When the Artifactum Cards are in the case...it appears as though the cards are actually a small magical book. These items are, for me, a magical presentation in-and-of themselves...and enhance my readings and presentations far beyond what they were before I added the alter and presented the cards within the case. I am very pleased I made these purchases.

Thank You David for introducing these items...


Continued Success,
Dr. Dan

Just received my Artifactum and am drooling over it's beauty! I know too, that the aesthetics are only the beginning of this items wonder. The case is out of stock at the mo but I'll secure one soon as it's available because, as Dr Dan so rightly says, the cards then appear to be a book. Now for some study!

Just a quick heads up for those who managed to grab a copy of the Artifactum Altar.



I have just finished the full book for this, and it is available (for free to owners) from Vic at Gemini.
This is not a book for the faint of heart! It is rather long and goes into more detail than many would thank me for.
However, my whole philosophy (or I should say *our*, as more are involved) is to push at the boundaries of magical performance; to create a bridge between performance and *Authentic* Magical ritual. This is not an easy thing to explain in a small pamphlet and we are by no means finished explaining everything.

I am not convinced that this is the right time for such developments (or indeed that such a time will arrive). However there *is* a growing band of people who do 'get it' and are actively thinking and creating around this idea. So it is my hope that this book will become a living document. I still have to write more deeply about its use in a magical context and its use as a portal. Also, there is work to be done on its use as a sort of mythological parable of a persons life (a Campbellian 'Hero's Journey'). More than this, I hope that users themselves will contribute their ideas, experiences and creative work (some of which is already in the pipes). So, although there is already a great deal of writing and some deep ideas in there, I hope that this will grow. When I consider that the book is finally finished - then it will be printed and made available (but only to those who have contributed to it in some way).

When new material is ready for inclusion, it will appear on the old Alchemy Moon forum - which is now 'under construction' - not as a forum, but as a repository for this information (as well as information on other Alchemy Moon items).

I am particularly interested in any feedback from experiments that users have had in 'crossing over'.

Stay tuned..... ;-)

Big thanks to Paul (as always) for the proofing of this rather long (and tortuously produced!) document. As well as making such a fine Artefact.
Thanks too to Moonskin for her wonderful work (incidentally, Moonskin is quite ill at the moment, so it will be some time before we get more of the cases - if you register your interest with Vic, we will get these out as soon as we can).
Thanks also to Brother Owl and Yann for the inspirational chats and the images.
And to everyone else whose ideas and support have contributed to this project along the way.

Chris,

Beautiful!

Wish Moonskin all the best and a good recuperation. Regards, Luc.

Thank you for your kind comments sir.
Also, it is great to see that your 'Black Hole' is gaining some respect here (did that sound wrong?). As I said to you when you were developing this, I really like the idea and see it as a novel and emotionally engaging piece of story-telling magic.... Right up my street.

Thank you Chris. That means a lot to me...

Thank you all for the very kind words. I will have some ALTARS soon, however I do have two Museum tubes available now!

All the drooling... I hope it's waterproof.

I own the kadar cards and the artifactum. Both beautiful items.

I plan on more for me from them.

Unbelievably beautiful.

Indeed.

In my humble opinion, Christopher Gould is the most inspirational and creative thinker in all of Magic. The mechanics behind his Artifactum and Paul’s Altar are a perfect example of how we can strive to produce a truly authentic Magical experience for our spectators. And Chris’ latest writings provide you with all the knowledge and detailed ideas you need to create a lasting, impactful experience for your spectators.

I can’t say enough good things about Alchemy Moon

Patently waited for Vic to get the last of these Artifactum Alters in & just recieved it today.......as always Vic astoundingly fast shipping service found it laying upon my doorstep when I came home safe n sound !

Without hast I opened the box containing such wonders, WOW !!!!! Chris & Paul creation is unbelievabley gourgous !! Well it is believable as have been all past projects of they'res !

Love the detail & aging, just spectacular to hold all, hats off to you both gentleman !!

Now my Artifactums have a loving place to be when used, SO happy with this Artifactum Altar & love the wand, dice & extra map inside the ahed tube !!

Now I just need the Artifactum card case as soon as Vic gets those back in stock from Chris / Moonskin