The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

I was recently contemplating the whys of different offerings to the Gods and I would love to hear people's take on it.

Regarding your link, those are the practices of one or more denominations of Hinduism, and I don't feel any particular thing about it. It's just their way, nothing wrong with it.

My practice mostly centers around ancestor reverence (sraddhas and blots), but for non-ancestral stuff, it's not too different. The daily agnihotra I perform inside, but for kitchen gardening, I make offerings in the garden, into a slab of rock I found while tilling several years ago that naturally has three cup marks in it. (Totally cool, right?)

For non-ancestral offerings, I only use a vegan form of ajya, that I store in a jar for whenever I need it. Each being gets his/her/etc. own libation. So, for example, being that the crops I planted have just sprouted, I shall perform the First Sprouts Sacrifice to Garddona, Miincipi and Helianthus (these are not gods, but nature spirits) by putting some ajya into each of the stone's cups with an offering spoon.

Regarding your link, those are the practices of one or more denominations of Hinduism, and I don't feel any particular thing about it. It's just their way, nothing wrong with it.

My practice mostly centers around ancestor reverence (sraddhas and blots), but for non-ancestral stuff, it's not too different. The daily agnihotra I perform inside, but for kitchen gardening, I make offerings in the garden, into a slab of rock I found while tilling several years ago that naturally has three cup marks in it. (Totally cool, right?)

For non-ancestral offerings, I only use a vegan form of ajya, that I store in a jar for whenever I need it. Each being gets his/her/etc. own libation. So, for example, being that the crops I planted have just sprouted, I shall perform the First Sprouts Sacrifice to Garddona, Miincipi and Helianthus (these are not gods, but nature spirits) by putting some ajya into each of the stone's cups with an offering spoon.

 
I'm not necessarily talking about the hinduism thing, mostly just the thought that after the food has been properly offered it is blessed and eaten by the person who offered it.

I am very curious as to how you make your blood offerings. I'm always wishing I could do so but am worried of cutting the wrong place and losing too much blood. If you could give me some tips here or in a pm I would appreciate it!

 
I've sent a pm

I'm not necessarily talking about the hinduism thing, mostly just the thought that after the food has been properly offered it is blessed and eaten by the person who offered it.

I do a small food offering to Brighid every night using whatever I happen to be eating myself.  I consider this a symbolic offering, so I use just a small amount.  I have a special shot glass (that was left to me by a dear friend when he died) that I use as a receptacle, so you can see what a small amount I mean.  

Every night, either when I have dinner or sometime in the evening if I don't do a formal meal, I clean the last night's offering out and dispose of it outside. Then I put a bit of tonight's food in the shot glass and put it back on my altar shelf, along with a glass of water that gets poured out every night and refreshed.  I have a very simple "this is for You" prayer that I say.

That's it.

I also light my olive oil lamp every night, burn candles sometimes, and keep an LED candle on all the time. All for Brighid.

~ Aster

How do other people deal with their offerings and what other sort of things do you offer?

For the Kemetic gods I worship, I will offer them up, and then revert/partake of the food offerings, either during the rite, or afterwards. Non-food offerings usually just stay on the shrine.

For the Greek and Roman deities I worship, I dispose of all the offerings into the ground, or into the compost heap. I don't have a convenient crossroads to leave offerings at for Hekate, though, nor the capacity to burn my offerings, nor the opportunity to bury them under a sacred tree because they just don't grow here. We do have a small olive tree, but it's inconvenient to use as a burial place for offerings. Otherwise, I'd probably use that.

Offerings to the dead are always disposed of into the garden. I never consume them.

As to what I offer, I have offered up food, as well as incense, artwork, water, wine/juice/tea, jewellery, journals, anything that I feel is worth offering, pretty much. Depends on the God and the rite in question.

For my ancestor altar, I have a battery operated candle I have on regularly as well as offerings of oats that I refresh once in awhile.  The replaced oatmeal would be given to the swans/birds at my favourite park or put into the green bins (organic recycling).  For my blood offerings to the Morrigan, it stays in the offering bowl for a couple hours then it gets mixed into the soil of a potted plant I have, or just washed when I have company and don't want to get into detail as to what I'm doing...

I have an unopened bottle of Guinness on my altar for Macha. Periodically I offer raw organ meat (usually a beef heart) which I leave outside for a couple of hours and then burn.

Blood offerings are rare now, but I have a small marble mortar that I use when necessary.

How do other people deal with their offerings and what other sort of things do you offer?

To Anpu I offer water, bread and sweets if He asks for them (once I was worried about giving Him a sugar high, which He thought was hilarious).  If I offer food, I eat it once He's done with it.

To the Morrigan, my offering are in actions.  If it's something that helps me claim sovereignty, it's probably going to be dedicated to Her.