What do you do with offerings once offered?

[LadyCelt]

do you throw them out, put any liquid into the sink, put things in the earth?


thanks

[Sage Rainsong]

Most of the offerings that I use are food so most often I will scatter the food on the ground, usuallu in a park like setting in case animals need it. I pour the water on the earth as well.

[Rowan Darkmoon]

I usually bury them in the ground.

[Amber Wynd]

I usually bury them in my garden.

[wolf]

Return them to the earth.

[Anubis]

I usually do offerings of milk, honey and or wine (three seperate dishes) any time I have ever left an offering out at night.. the next morning it's gone.. the offering dish is always clean and occasionally has acorns in it when I go out to it in the AM.
Even when I have left out fruit or other things.. in the morning they are always gone. So I have never had the problem of what to do with an offering...

[Rudas Starblaze]

Anubis that was great!:lol:

well, if its still there, then they obviously didnt want/take it. why leave something as an offering if it dosent get taken (besides for by pesty animals, which would probably explain why people have problems with them getting into their trash and stuff.) there for i offer nothing from myself but blood, they seem to like it more anyway.

[WitchCraftWeaver]

I usually do offerings of milk, honey and or wine (three seperate dishes) any time I have ever left an offering out at night.. the next morning it's gone.. the offering dish is always clean and occasionally has acorns in it when I go out to it in the AM.
Even when I have left out fruit or other things.. in the morning they are always gone. So I have never had the problem of what to do with an offering...

I do the same. I leave my offerings for the Goddess' children, i.e. the animals. I live in a rural area so, when I go out in the morning, someone has taken my offerings. My offerings are usually food and water or milk.

[Tranquility]

I basically leave offerings outside on little dishes as most people have said. Normally they are gone, and if not i'll simply bury them in the ground. I love honey, and it's a traditional offering to the fae, so I will normally leave that out and it is gone pretty quickly.

[LadyCelt]

even though what i put out were mostly herbs, i'd be worried some could be poisonous to certain animals.

[Silverfire Darkmoon]

Incense ash I usually tap out into the garbage, or flush down the toilet if it was burned on charcoal and I think the coal might still be active. In the winter water from my altar is poured down the bathroom sink; in summer I'm going to pour it out at the base of the cherry tree in the backyard. Any food offerings I put at the base of the tree, although in the summer I may put them in the composter, i've not decided yet. Any potions I pour at the base of the tree after using them for whatever I made it for.

[KaidaMidnight]

Like most people, I put the offerings out on plates. If they are not gone in the morning, they usually get buried next to my son's tree (the tree he helped plant). If your afraid that what you offer would harm the animals, bury it in a special place. :)

[AlleyCat]

I scatter it about on the ground or bury it if its food, if its herbs I usually bury it, liquid I trickle about on the ground or leave a bit on a natural dish like a curved rock or leaf or wood

Alley Cat

[Meirya]

I use them. Eat it if it's food/drink, use it if it's a tool or art supply or whatever.

But then, I follow a kemetic path, and believe that the deity consumes the spiritual part of the offering (its ka) and the offerer should consume the physical part. It becomes a shared meal.

It really depends on who you're offering to, I think, and what path you follow.

[LadyCelt]

thanks for the help

[Qeniheru]

I usually bury mine beneath a tree in the Ravine. That seems to be the best option for me, besides putting stuff down the sink, etc. If I left anything out I figure another student would take or eat it. :cutie:

[Elaethril]

Here's a different take on the original question:

What do my fellow apartment dwellers do with their offerings (ie, those of us with no yard to bury or leave things out for the animals in)?

[Astara Seague]

I return them to the earth usually or the water depends on what I am doing

[Little Billy]

do you throw them out, put any liquid into the sink, put things in the earth?


thanks


I eat em.

I figure the Gods had their chance, and the food is still there.

Why should it go to waste?

[Amber Wynd]

I eat em.

I figure the Gods had their chance, and the food is still there.

Why should it go to waste?
Offerings aren't always food and liquid, LB.
There's no way I was going to eat the silver earrings I made an offering of last summer.

Here's a different take on the original question:

What do my fellow apartment dwellers do with their offerings (ie, those of us with no yard to bury or leave things out for the animals in)? In that case you could burn anything burnable or wrap it up and put it in the garbage. I like the idea of using what's usable, too. My friend offers up whatever change she has in her purse at the end of the week, and then donates it to the community food bank.

[Renny]

I usually eat mine... if I'm outside and think I can leave stuff on the ground, I do that. But with my current situation it's best to just eat my food offerings. The offering is symbolic, and both my gods and I consume together.

[wolf]

I have some bushes outside my apartment, along with a small stand of trees that I use to dispose offerings, otherwise, you can take things to a nearby park.

I was taught that once food offerings are placed and accepted, they are not safe for humans to eat ... when the spirit goes out of the food it can make you sick (in a spiritual sense) and the items must be returned to the earth.

[Meirya]

I was taught that once food offerings are placed and accepted, they are not safe for humans to eat ... when the spirit goes out of the food it can make you sick (in a spiritual sense) and the items must be returned to the earth.

Interesting idea. I've wondered on occasion what the effect of consuming the physical part of something after its ka has been consumed by someone else is... but I've never had any trouble with it, and nor have any of the many other kemetics who follow the practice of eating any food they offer to their deities. No ill effects from using anything offered, actually.

(In fact, one child of Djehuty [Thoth] on either the House of Netjer forums or the KemetOnline forums relayed a story about offering an ink stick to Djehuty. Apparently the chinese ink sticks are things of beauty; she couldn't bear to powder it down and use it. Djehuty pretty much said "You've offered it to me; you are GOING to use it.")

The only possible effect that has occured to me of eating something that has no spirit-part is that maybe it wouldn't have any nourishment in it, not much energy value. Some odd equivalent of "empty carbs", so to speak. But I eat regular unoffered food as well, outside of ritual (or post-ritual... post ritual feasts are always good things!), so it's never proven a problem.

[Silverfire Darkmoon]

I forgot about eating them. yeah, if I had no other way to dispose of a food/drink offering, I'd eat it myself, maybe share it with pets if they're the sort who can eat people food. If I was using plain, unsalted water I would maybe pour a bit into the fish tank, I don't know. After all, we ourselves are ceartures of the Gods, are we not?