# Old Mother's Altar — Your Personal Book of Shadows

> Private digital grimoire, journal, and inventory for magical practice. (iPhone/iPad app by Katy Towell.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/old-mothers-altar/id6773058296 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Katy Towell](https://appshunter.io/developer/6773058298)
- Category: Lifestyle, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 5 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-29
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/old-mothers-altar/id6773058296/reviews.md

## What is Old Mother's Altar?

Old Mother's Altar is a private, beautifully crafted space for your magical practice. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or just beginning to explore the craft, it gives you everything you need to record, organize, and carry your work with you, and all with complete privacy.

The Grimoire:

Build and maintain your personal collection of spells and rituals. Each entry captures everything that matters: intention, magic type (candle, knot, crystal, herbal, sigil, and more), ideal timing by moon phase, season, time of day, or day of the week, ingredients and tools, incantations, deities worked with, and recurring tasks. Keep each spell as detailed or as minimal as you wish.

The Journal:

Every time you cast, write about it. The Journal is your casting log. Track each working from Pending to Ongoing to Completed, add notes as the work unfolds, and record your final results. Tasks tied to your spells surface on the home screen and in notifications so nothing slips through the cracks.

The Cabinet:

Know what you have. The Cabinet is your ingredient and tool inventory, organized by type (herbs, crystals, candles, incense, cords, oils, and more). Custom types can be added for anything that doesn't fit the defaults.

The Altar:

Your home screen shows today's moon phase with guidance for each stage of the lunar cycle, upcoming sabbats and planetary events, and your pending spell tasks at a glance.
Private by Design

All of your data lives on your device. Nothing is sent to a server, shared with third parties, or backed up to the cloud. Your practice is your own. Protect access further with a passcode and Face or Touch ID.

Old Mother's Altar is for you. Your spells, your words, your practice. It doesn’t come preloaded with any existing library because it’s yours to build as you grow.

## Key features

- Personal grimoire for spells and rituals
- Casting log and results tracking
- Ingredient and tool inventory management
- Lunar phase and event guidance
- Task reminders for spells
- Passcode and biometric protection

## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/old-mothers-altar/id6773058296/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Don’t forget your password ever

*2026-08-14*

I’m so angry and frustrated. Went to change my security settings to more secure (also allow face access) and when I toggled “require password when reopening the app” it signed me out. It doesn’t give a warning or prompt for a password or tell you that IF YOU FORGET YOUR PASSWORD YOU LOSE EVERYTHING. Hours and hours and hours down the drain.  This is a serious UX design and I’m so upset I don’t know if I want to use it again.

### 5/5 — Gorgeous and really functional!

*2026-05-30*

I love everything about this app so far. The only con that I have seen is that it acts a little funky on an iPhone 14 when zooming to add custom categories in a dropdown, but I contacted the developer about that so I imagine a fix is in the works.

Everything else about it is just so awesome. I love that it’s not just a digital journal, but a useful tool for cataloging. The app is thoughtfully organized, from the options when creating a spell, to the fact that you can create an inventory of tools and ingredients. 

I also really love the thought that went into user privacy. None of this is stored in any server or cloud, everything is only on my device. I can export an import that information, but in no way does anyone else have access to it unless they have my physical phone or one of the export files. Spiritual practice is intensely personal and vulnerable, so that just made me feel really good about using this app.

## Frequently asked questions about Old Mother's Altar

### What is Old Mother's Altar used for?

Old Mother's Altar is a private digital space designed for magical practice. It allows users to build a grimoire of spells and rituals, log castings in a journal, and manage an inventory of ingredients and tools, all stored securely on the device.

### How does Old Mother's Altar protect user privacy?

All data within Old Mother's Altar is stored exclusively on the user's device, with no data sent to servers or shared with third parties. It also offers optional passcode and biometric (Face/Touch ID) protection for added security.

### Can I customize the spell entries in Old Mother's Altar?

Yes, each spell entry in the grimoire can be as detailed or minimal as you wish. You can record intention, magic type, timing (moon phase, season, time of day, day of week), ingredients, incantations, deities, and recurring tasks.

### Does Old Mother's Altar come with pre-loaded spells?

No, Old Mother's Altar does not come preloaded with any existing spell library. It is designed for users to build their own personal collection as they grow their practice.

### What kind of guidance does the Altar screen provide?

The Altar screen, which serves as the home screen, displays the current moon phase with guidance for each stage of the lunar cycle. It also shows upcoming sabbats, planetary events, and pending spell tasks at a glance.

### What are the supported devices for Old Mother's Altar?

Old Mother's Altar is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is rated for ages 4 and up.

### How often is Old Mother's Altar updated?

The latest version of Old Mother's Altar is 1.1.1, which was last updated on June 16, 2026. The app is developed by Katy Towell.

### Is Old Mother's Altar free to use?

Yes, Old Mother's Altar is available for free. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, making it a completely free experience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.0 — 2026-08-15

Release Notes — Version 1.2.0
==============================

NEW FEATURE: Account Recovery

Passcode protection just got a safety net. When you set up a passcode, you can now add a security question and answer, so if you ever forget your passcode, answering your question resets it without losing any of your data. Want extra backup? Generate a one-time secret recovery key in Settings > Security for a second way back in if you ever forget your security question too.

If you already had a passcode set up before this update, turn it off and back on in Settings > Security to add your security question.

NEW FEATURE: Spell Ratings

Reflect on your spell work at a glance. Mark a journal entry Completed and rate how it went — happy, neutral, or not great — right alongside your notes. Ratings show up on your journal entries, your Journal list, and your Altar, and you can filter your Journal by rating too.

IMPROVEMENTS

- Homepage to-dos now show an OVERDUE label for tasks left unchecked, and you can check tasks off right from the homepage without leaving the page.
- Added daily reminder notifications for pending spell tasks.
- Added new Magic Types (Binding, Cord Cutting, Jar) and a new Cabinet item type (Jar).

BUG FIXES

- Fixed an issue that forced logout after enabling lock on background before enabling biometric auth.
- Minor bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 1.1.1 — 2026-06-16

1. Water added as a Cabinet item type
2. Minor bug fixes

### 1.1.0 — 2026-06-04

Release Notes — Version 1.1.0
==============================
 
NEW FEATURE: Custom Events
 
Your practice, your calendar. With Custom Events, you're no longer limited to the default Pagan Wheel of the Year. Now you can create and celebrate the magical events and festivals that matter most to you.
 
Add any occasion to your personal magical calendar and choose how you want to be reminded: display events on your home screen, enable push notifications so you never miss a celebration, or both. Whether you're honoring a personal tradition, a cultural festival, or a moon ritual you've made your own, custom Events ensures every significant moment is perfectly timed for your spell work.
 
BUG FIXES
 
- Minor bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 1.0.1 — 2026-06-03

Fixed an issue where tapping a custom category or magic type field would cause the screen to zoom in unexpectedly.

### 1.0 — 2026-05-29

No release notes.

## Related topics

[cult of the grimoire](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cult-of-the-grimoire)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*
