Offerings

[toxicyarnglare]

As someone who's never properly made an offering before, (if you don't count those monetary ones at church back when I was a christian) I'd like to know a bit about how they work in a practical way. For instance:


1) Is it okay to leave offerings for a deity if you simply respect them, but are uncertain as whether or not to work with them?

2) What about if you're first trying to get the deity's attention? Is it appropriate to start off with offerings, or should you do a meditation or something else first?

3) Are offerings generally only food? If so, is it more proper to cook the food, or leave it raw? Are they allowed to be eaten afterwards? Or does it depend on the deity?

4) If offerings can be things other than food, what could they be? And could they be used after the offering ceremony?

5) How long do offerings need to be left out on the altar, or sacred space? If food needs to be left out a long time, and eating afterwards is okay, is it appropriate to leave the offering with plastic wrap over it? (I'm kind of wary of doing that one either way, but it's just a question that came to mind.)

6) What sorts of offering ceremonies can be done, and how do you do them, in general?

7) Is there anything else that would be helpful for me, or anyone else reading this, to know about offerings before starting one?

[Torey]

Re: Offerings

I will comment from the perspective of my own practices. Others may have differing opinions and ways of working.

1) Is it okay to leave offerings for a deity if you simply respect them, but are uncertain as whether or not to work with them?

In my personal practice, I wouldn't leave an offering for a deity that I simply respected only because it has no real meaning or purpose. I leave offerings for entities with whom I have a relationship - sometimes merely as a token of friendship and other times as payment for something. I personally view giving a deity whom you neither know nor work with an offering as being akin to giving a celebrity a gift because you admire them.

Giving offerings to win the favour of the gods is certainly something that has been a part of the archaic practices of many world cultures as well as more modern traditions - so it isn't invalid. It's just not something that I do.

Another thought is to first at least understand what manner of offering the deity in question is likely to enjoy before offering something to them - there are entities/deities out there that may be offended by some things, so I would just advise that if you were going to leave an offering to a deity whom you do not know and with whom you do not work, research them beforehand.

2) What about if you're first trying to get the deity's attention? Is it appropriate to start off with offerings, or should you do a meditation or something else first?

Again, for myself, an offering wouldn't likely be the first step that I would take to get a deity's attention. Consciously or subconsciously speaking to the deity about your desire to initiate contact is what I often suggest. Some use petition rituals to initiate contact and others use Shamanic journey or dream states.

3) Are offerings generally only food? If so, is it more proper to cook the food, or leave it raw?

Anything can be used as an offering. Food is a popular choice because it is something that we, as human beings, value as a key component to sustaining life. Additionally, depending on the deity, mythology can sometimes suggest that the gods themselves were partial to certain foods or took part in feasting - so it may be assumed that at least some deities also regard food as having great value.

Regarding cooking or leaving food in a raw state, my opinion is that it would depend on the nature of the offering and the deity in question. My general rule of thumb pertaining to food offerings: if you wouldn't eat it yourself, don't offer it to your gods.

Are they allowed to be eaten afterwards? Or does it depend on the deity?

I personally feel that it is acceptable to consume an offering so long as it was indicated to be a shared meal. Some practitioners simply "bless" the food or consecrate it in some way and then consume it. I do not do this myself as I am rarely inclined to offer food items to my deities. When I do, I tend to refrain from consuming it.

4) If offerings can be things other than food, what could they be? And could they be used after the offering ceremony?

Anything that you value can be used as an offering - cigarettes, alcohol, blood, sex, jewelry, incense and even less tangible things such as pain can be offered to the gods. As for whether or not they could be used after, I would likely not use them myself but dispose of them instead (that is, respectfully, and not simply dumping them in the rubbish) or, depending on the deity to whom they were offered, recycle them.

5) How long do offerings need to be left out on the altar, or sacred space?

For offerings such as incense or liquids which can either burn away or evaporate, the time required would simply be for as long as it takes for the aforementioned processes to occur. For items which do not break down such as metals or gemstones, I would bury in the earth or toss to the sea (although some would object to this from an environmental perspective). I generally observe a 24-hour rule.

If food needs to be left out a long time, and eating afterwards is okay, is it appropriate to leave the offering with plastic wrap over it? (I'm kind of wary of doing that one either way, but it's just a question that came to mind.)

If you were going to consume a food offering, I would do so straight away after consecrating it versus leaving it out or wrapping it in plastic wrap. You may consider something like a challah covering if you intended to leave the food out overnight.

6) What sorts of offering ceremonies can be done, and how do you do them, in general?

There really is no generic answer here as I believe that this is dependent upon your own beliefs and traditions and the deity in question. Sometimes a fully ceremonial ritual is necessary and other times a simple thought and gesture are all that is required.

7) Is there anything else that would be helpful for me, or anyone else reading this, to know about offerings before starting one?

Be wise about who and what you are leaving offerings for as sometimes unintended consequences may occur. Offer with clear intentions and meaning.

[habbalah]

Re: Offerings

1) Is it okay to leave offerings for a deity if you simply respect them, but are uncertain as whether or not to work with them?

I don't, because I think it's kind of rude to call upon someone if you don't intend to talk to them. If you're trying to form a relationship, that's a whole 'nother thing. I've left offerings and spoken to entities that I was reaching out to to see if working with them would be good for us both, but not at random. I give offerings to Hera. I only worked with Her once, but I feel it appropriate to continue to respect Her, and I may work with Her again.

2) What about if you're first trying to get the deity's attention? Is it appropriate to start off with offerings, or should you do a meditation or something else first?

I try to do both? I'll light a candle for them, leave an offering (if needed), and try to speak with them through meditation. If the last named doesn't work, I try again another day. I had an extremely difficult time getting down communication with Camael; I ended up making a "ladder" (just a string of prayer beads for him) that helped bridge that distance.

3) Are offerings generally only food? If so, is it more proper to cook the food, or leave it raw? Are they allowed to be eaten afterwards? Or does it depend on the deity?

Every entity is different. The Kemetic pantheon require their offerings to be consumed, so when I leave offerings to Bast (dark chocolate and water), I consume them. I do wine offerings to nearly everyone else, and I usually pour them out, unless I get a very stroke urge to taste or consume it instead (straight vodka+Loki=A very drunk Habbs). I've never done any kind of food offering that needed to be cooked, but I have eaten offerings of fruit I've left.

I've heard some say you should leave the offerings outside for the animals, but I live in an urban area. It'd just attract squirrels and rats.

4) If offerings can be things other than food, what could they be? And could they be used after the offering ceremony?

The biggest thing I offer outside of food or wine is time or work (or a combination of both). Besides meditation and thanks, I volunteer at an animal shelter as dual devotional work to Bast and Kwan Yin. Expanding my knowledge by learning about new topics (and more about old ones) is dedicated to Saraswati. I also donate to charities that are within the realm of the entities I work with (ASPCA, Tiny Kittens, Wounded Warriors Project, Feeding America, medical research, women's shelters), and try to support local and amateur art as a devotion to Apollo. I also thank Him when my work gets accepted for publication.

For an actual, physical thing, I used to do flower offerings to Kwan Yin and Saraswati. I stopped because I can't afford it anymore.

5) How long do offerings need to be left out on the altar, or sacred space? If food needs to be left out a long time, and eating afterwards is okay, is it appropriate to leave the offering with plastic wrap over it? (I'm kind of wary of doing that one either way, but it's just a question that came to mind.)

I do all of my spiritual stuff in its own room with a closed door, and I generally leave it for one day (sometimes I forget and leave it longer, though). As for plastic wrap, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't do it with anything that would spoil quickly.

6) What sorts of offering ceremonies can be done, and how do you do them, in general?

The ceremony I do for offerings isn't elaborate at all. I give the offering, light their candle, and thank the entity for being with me, and for anything in specific I can think of that ties into their realm.

7) Is there anything else that would be helpful for me, or anyone else reading this, to know about offerings before starting one?

I would definitely research the specific deity, what kind of offerings are appropriate and or favored by them. If possible, I'd also see if their's information on how that pantheon's followers disposed of their offerings after they're given.