How to Offering

[thalassa]

Re: How to Offering

You know, if I was going to give an offering to Thor, I'd probably go to the bar at the local VFW and buy a random stranger a round.

[Ektor]

Re: How to Offering

Here in Australia, any food or scraps left outside are eaten by birds, stray cats or possums within a matter of hours. And once you are pegged as a food source, they will keep coming back to your house to clean up whatever food or scraps you leave outside, which is deleterious to their nutritional health, not to mention humanising, which is a whole other issue.

I do understand what you're saying, but where I am, the only assurance you have that the wildlife wont pick it up is if you leave it inside or have it in some sort of protected cage. Not everyone cares about that, and that's okay. It's not the law lol. That's why I say 'I don't personally like...' etc. It's one factor of offerings that many people don't think about, especially as many authors recommend that you leave offerings outside for the wildlife to pick up. I like to point out the reality of the damage that does to local wildlife and let people make their decision based on knowing both sides of the story.

That's a really good point. Offerings here are usually left in roadsides and cemeteries, there's not much wildlife in cities no more because of rampant deforestations and absurd levels of pollution around here. But I can definitely see your point.

@eating offerings discussion

I personally am pro-consuming in this case. Old Pagans mostly consumed all the food they offered to the Gods. A part would be offered and the rest eaten, Greeks burnt all fat to the Gods and ate the meat of bull sacrifices, for example.

[Varga]

Re: How to Offering

(English is not my native language, so sorry about typos.)
Blot / offering doesn't always have to be so festive and formal. It can be very simple and short if you like, and i think; "thanks for all you've done, have a drink on me!" is a good way to thank your deity.
This is just my opinion, but what come's to rituals and offerings, the most important thing is that it feels right. For example; if you have read about some ritual that you like to perform, but it doesn't feel quite right - change it. Make it more appropriate for you and your purposes. (Ritual police won't come and kick your door down, and put you in jail because of a heresy if you do so.) It's better that you feel comfortable and honest about your ritual, instead of memorizing the formal words, that doesn't mean anything to you. (and then forget those words in the middle of your ritual - and you feel like crap afterwards.)


What comes to outdoor rituals, i'd like to keep them short and simple. I don't take any other material with me, than a wooden cup and an offering drink. (Mead, beer, hot wine - they are all good choices) When i arrive in my holy place (swamp, devil's field, cup stone etc) i meditate / focus on what i'm doing for a while, and imagine this circle of power around me. (In my mind it looks a lot like aurora borealis - flame in white and green shades) Then i speak freely to deities (why i'm doing my offering and so on), pour the drink in a cup, and hold the cup high above me, offering my thanks and devotion to them - and then i pour drink on the ground. Then i fill my cup again, hold it high above me, ask their blessing, and drink my cup empty. Then i imagine how circle around me absorbs back in to the ground or scatters in the wind. That's it.