The Offers - The Bulk of Spirit Work

After paying homage to the Sun through Surya Namaskar , my day continues with the offerings to the altar (and the subsequent disposal of the ones offered the day before).

These are placed in a specific devotional altar, available to the gods / ancestors / spirit ships etc. for their nourishment.

☽ What is a devotional altar.

A devotional altar is your sacred space, where to meditate, praying or just enjoying a break in company of your patron deity (if you have one), your ancestors etc.

The kind of altars you can set up are endless, for both for the purpose and the modality ... It doesn't have to be a monumental altar in a dedicated room used as sanctuary, it can also be a corner of your room or a shelf of your bookcase.

The important thing is that the altar needs to represent a sacred space where you can find peace and serenity in your daily life.

 

☽ Why making offerings to deities and / or spirits.

Making offerings of food, incense, candles and so on. is a way to thank the Divine for having been present during our ritual, listened to a prayer or just becoming part of your spiritual path.
As in almost all esoteric practices and laws of nature, it is an exchange: They offer us  their presence, we offer them a gift for having listened to our demands; especially when it comes to rituals or prayers for abundance and prosperity. Would you put you commitment and energy, without receiving a reward or gratitude? I guess the answer is self-explanatory, do not expect otherwise from creatures that do not belong to this dimension.

Slightly different situation for what concerns the spirits, whether be your Ancestors or Natural Spirits. The offer is always valid as a gratitude gesture obviously, but it is also a proper nourishment: spirits need of an offer, especially in food, to get in touch with us in this dimension; in particular the spirits of the departed.

As us mortals need some type of procedures to cross the veil, also the Spirits need their key to open the door that separates them from our world. Having no bodily substance, an offer in libations is the best way to call them in our realm and give them a way to stay briefly in our dimension.

☽What to give

Again, the possibilities are endless. If it is a God, just think of a suitable offer for the kind of deity whom you are dealing with (example: flowers, shells and honey are welcome gifts to Aphrodite).

If it is an Ancestor, just think of things he/she used to enjoy in life (eg tobacco, if he/she was a smoker. Rum, if he/she  preferred this kind of alcohol, etc. etc.)

We can offer libations such as fruits, water etc. to the Spirits of Nature. If these offerings are left outdoors, it is advisable to leave offerings that do not contaminate the environment such as fruit, bread and flowers.

Once we work for a while with spirits and deities, it will become clear to us their preferences, however a good starting point can be simply water and bread, the very essence of diet in many ancient cultures and symbols par excellence of Life.

Other offerings can be incense, essential oils, flowers or material goods such as money, jewelry etc. If an offer is made in money, it will be belonging to the Deity / Spirit and can not be used for personal purposes.

☽ How to dispose the offers from the altar?

Once the entities to whom we offered our libations are satisfied, we can proceed with the disposal. How?

If, for example, the offer consisted of water; we can use it to water our plants, or let it evaporate. The food, once offered, can be consumed by ourselves or left at the disposal of wildlife (if safe for the animals around you - for example do not leave chocolate as an offering for wildlife as toxic to many creatures).

The candles can be reused again by melting them into new candles, the money can be used to buy upgrades for your personal sanctuary. The important thing is to make the offerings as environmentally friendly as possible, in order to respect and help our Mother Earth.

♃Ludna

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