My offerings.. chocolate and oj.. ;)

[lamoka]

So today I did some badly needed spellwork and when I was done I saw some dark chocolate and had a glass of oj nearby (cause of my cold) and so I used them as offerings of gratitude for our blessings..
I see where others typically do bread and wine or something similar..
what do YOU typically offer if anything...
aho

[Sabriel MoonStar]

Flowers, baked goods (especially portions set aside of things I baked myself) tea leaves, incense, water, juices (usually apple or grape), wine, ale, fruit.

It really all depends on what deity I'm offering too (ie. The tea leaves are always offered to Hestia on my kitchen shrine.) what I'm offering things for (a spontaneous show of gratitude vs. Sabbat ritual) and what I have on hand. If it's for a planned ritual it's more likely to be something like flowers or wine. If it's something I just spontaneously feel the need to do it's more likely going to be whatever I have on hand that feels right.

[Lunacie]

When I do rituals I don't usually offer anything except my gratitude. When my Grove does rituals we usually do "cakes and wine" and offer a bit of those to the gods. (cakes are cookies)

I had a thought as I was putting together our last ritual... we've always left a cookie on the plate and a bit of wine in the chalice and after the ritual gone and left them under a tree. But that suddenly (after all these years) seemed disrespectful. When you have honored guests who visit you offer them the plate and the chalice first, not last. So I set out a small ceramic cup and before passing around the cakes and the wine I put some of each into the cup for the gods. And when we were finished I asked the priest to take them and leave them under a tree.

But anyway, if I were a goddess (and I am :nyah:) I'd love to have an offering of chocolate. :drool:

[wolfjan1]

IT really depends. Tonight I made Fudge for my Mom, so I put a little piece out as and offering of thanks for continued prosperity.(we can still pay the bills.)
Our darlings are slightly mischevious, but LOVE chocolate and little crystals or a bit of crystal dust. I buy it just for them.

[LunaWolfe]

I usually offer whatever I have around me, I'm a poor student with no oven to bake with.

I offered Recese (sp?) Peanut butter bells a few days ago after my esbat ritual. XD

[EvieLee]

I have a tough time choosing offerings personally. As most of the things I would think of are natural (ie flowers, baked goods, juice, water, etc.), it makes me wonder that these products a made of a majority of natural ingredients which came from the goddess in the first place. It makes me think of getting an average x-mas present and giving it back to the giver the next year.

I think the most significant offering I've made was along a slightly different vein. I cut and apple in half, ate one half and left the other in a tree for the possums. So it's more of a sharing of sustinence thing rather than a gift. A show of mutual respect? I don't know. I'm still a little confused on the subject.

Edited to add that I for one always appreciate gifts of the chocolate variety, but I suppose it ain't very nourishing really? But who cares.

[aranarose]

It really depends on who I am working with. Lately I've been working almost exclusively with the Loa, and they have very specific offerings that they prefer. Pink Champagne for Erzulie Freda, chocolates, rich foods that make you go ooooohhhhhh....

[Nitefalle]

Usually, it depends on the Sabbat. When milk goes slightly sour in my fridge, I pour it outside and offer it to the land or to Brighid. I always offer some salt to the house fae when I am cooking. For Sabbats, I try and make it seasonal - bread at Lughnassadh, milk or cheese at Imbolc to Brighid, berries or flowers at Beltane and Litha, salt dough ornaments in seasonal shapes at Yule, etc. For the ancestors, I usually offer a shot of Jameson or Everclear (whatever is in my liquor cabinet at the time).

[lamoka]

I had never felt the impulse before of offerings, but when I got done with this spellwork it seemed right and appropriate..
Also, after the work was done (it was a three fold spell) not long after, my husband started to receive more work (self employed body shop owner), I got a call to do some part time stuff, and this morning (the day after) we got a call from some very promising perspective renters..
I think it must have been the dark chocolate!!! ;)
aho

[Lunacie]

I think you're right about the dark chocolate. I'll have to remember that idea. :)

[CloeOtter]

I feel that Dark Choco or Reeces cups are perfectly fine and lovely offerings to the god/desses or nature spirits. There are of course the traditional offerings to different beings. But lets be reasonable here some times we can not afford to get the offerings we would like to give. Or we do not have the means to make it our selves as we might prefer. It is our intent and the respect we wish the give that I feel is important.

In sharing that thought I do feel that for offerings the we intend to leave outside or share with animals, I feel that at is safer for whom ever might consume it that we try to leave offering that are as natural as possible with no to little preservatives for instance.

Another thought for those who do not have a lot of means, I find a lot of wildflowers, berries, stones, herbs while walking and being out and about. These make lovely offerings and just cost a moment of our time to gather. Just a idea you could try.

Blessings...

[aluokaloo]

i rarely only use one sort of offering. Sometimes I've just used stones, flowers, incense, chocolate, tea, fruits cakeslices, even energy, or doing "divine community service"