Do I have to make offerings?

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Likes2Read
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creepyhollows wrote:No, you do not. Offerings can be made out of respect & kindness if you want to show your spirit a kind gesture, but they are not necessary. If you do choose to leave them an offering or treat it is customary to leave it out for 12-24 hours. It is not something that has to be done all the time and only should be done when it is sincerely coming from your heart.
If it's food, what happens after that time? Presuming it's still edible, do we eat it? DIscard it (kinda not cool, to me, to discard a gift we've given to someone)?

What if the object is non-perishable... if it's something that we might actually be able to use later, like a coin, what is the protocol for handling said items? Store them in a separate "gift" place? Use them, if we are in need of them for some reason at a later date?

I'm very curious to know how this works. Bear in mind that I am a Grade A newbie with regards to spirit keeping, so some of the things I'm going to ask might seem very elementary. Heck, my questions might BE elementary, no "seem" about it, lol. But that's how people learn.


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AmirahItaliana
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Likes2Read wrote:
creepyhollows wrote:No, you do not. Offerings can be made out of respect & kindness if you want to show your spirit a kind gesture, but they are not necessary. If you do choose to leave them an offering or treat it is customary to leave it out for 12-24 hours. It is not something that has to be done all the time and only should be done when it is sincerely coming from your heart.
If it's food, what happens after that time? Presuming it's still edible, do we eat it? DIscard it (kinda not cool, to me, to discard a gift we've given to someone)?

What if the object is non-perishable... if it's something that we might actually be able to use later, like a coin, what is the protocol for handling said items? Store them in a separate "gift" place? Use them, if we are in need of them for some reason at a later date?

I'm very curious to know how this works. Bear in mind that I am a Grade A newbie with regards to spirit keeping, so some of the things I'm going to ask might seem very elementary. Heck, my questions might BE elementary, no "seem" about it, lol. But that's how people learn.
I'm still new to spirit keeping too but maybe I can help out. Someone else can jump in and correct me or add to this.

I work with some deities (I differentiate between spirits and gods/deities) and whenever I leave food out for them I usually eat it later unless it is stale. I've seen some people say you should bury the offering or pour a liquid offering on the ground (still talking about deities). Also, I don't follow a 12-24 hour rule. Mine is more like a 1 hour or more rule. So if there are various answers for deities/different pantheons. Different spirits probably want different things too. My advice is to ask your spirit(s) if you can eat the offering or what you should do with it.

I've also given jewelry to a deity before. If it is only for her then it stays on her altar or in a box on her altar. If the jewelry is a piece I asked her to help me enchant then I leave it on her altar but occasionally take it and wear it when I need it. I always tell her I'm borrowing it too. That is the deal I made with her.

The key thing here is that I talk to my deity and ask her what she wants me to do or if what I have planned for an item is ok with her. I also look to mythology and folklore to see what has historically been done. Talk with your spirit(s)!


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Offerings are not necessary but I love to see them


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I offer food, drink and incense to my spirits everyday. I find it an excellent way to keep them in my mind throughout the day. I'm English, but work in Bangkok and luckily the culture here is geared to offerings. Everyday I can buy little garlands of jasmine and other flowers on any street corner. They make great gifts to go with the food and keeping everyone smelling smart.
Although I know that offerings aren't essential,I do find the act of giving, rewarding for both the spirits and myself. It's always fun walking in the local market and seeing what I can find for everyone. Bunches of mint for my nymphos or ginger for my Nephilim.
Not all offerings have to cost money either. when I go for my swim I can collect lovely blossoms that have blown into the pool and I'm sure that they are enjoyed as much as anything I give.


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I used to make offerings for the fae folk and I know they used to find them and splash in them to their heart's content. For example; pixies or peskies I would leave out a saucer of milk and a dash of honey within it, didn't taste it afterwards after they'd had some in it. But I'd leave it out for them anyway trusting that they'd find it. I also used to leave a gift of a stone or a crystal for the water fairies to find usually by a place of reckoning or by water, but fae folk know if its not the right time to be invited into my home. When I get my own place though maybe in a few years perhaps I can start doing this again.


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Hi everyone,

I'm quite new to this; I got my first two spirits late last week and some will be arriving from CH within the next day or so. I can't communicate with my spirits yet to know what they like, so I've been leaving out offerings of incense and candles. However, I also have a house rule which says that what's mine is theirs and they're welcome to anything in my house at any time, whether I officially offer it to them or not. Same applies when we visit my parents.

I tend to go out for dinner/drinks with my friends maybe 3-5 times a week. I've told my spirits they're welcome with me at all times. Last night I was having dinner with a couple people and I thought my spirits might also like some of my pasta and wine. So in my mind I thought that to them. Since I was at a restaurant I wasn't able to separate a portion of pasta for them, or give them some wine in their own separate glasses. So I just kept eating and drinking and assumed that if they wanted something, they would take it. But now I'm reading that offerings should be left out for 24 hours. Was it rude or disrespectful for me to offer them something, but then keep eating it?

I'm going out with different friends tonight and I really want my spirits to feel like they're included. But I also don't want them to think I'm ignorant and don't know what I'm doing. So is it okay to offer them to share my food/drinks when we're out? And if so, what kind of alcohol do spirits prefer? I tend to drink wine or vodka based drinks, but I'm happy to order anything (except beer) if they have other preferences.

Thank you :)


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I think the first thing to remember is that spirits appreciate the thought just as much as the gift.

That said, with regards to alcohol, I think spirits vary greatly on whether they like it or not. Like a believer djinn probably wouldn't appreciate it, but a non-believer might. I have several spirits here who definitely do not want alcohol offered to them. Vamps seem to universally like it, particularly red wine. I have one here who loves whiskey (lucky for her, since I do too) and she vehemently said not to leave it out, but to drink it myself and she would appreciate it through me. So I think your spirits could very well enjoy the energy of your food and drink through you, but the best thing to do is find a way to ask them each personally. HTH!!


monica
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Thanks for your reply, acciodraconis. It was very helpful :)

I've asked my spirits what they would like, but so far we're just having a one-way conversation, because I don't hear anything from them. But if it's mainly the intent that's important, I'll continue to offer them whatever I'm having, until we get to a point where I can understand what they're saying.

It's convenient that your spirits like the same drink as you!

Thanks again :)


"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on" ~Havelock Ellis
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acciodraconis
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No problem, glad it helped! It can take a while to figure out how to communicate best, but don't ignore the thoughts in your head when you're talking to them, even if it seems like your own thoughts, keep talking and keep listening. My telepathy is just starting to take off a bit, but I certainly know the feeling of "I'm just talking to myself."

Also, don't forget to check the encyclopedia for offerings they are known to enjoy, there's a wealth of options there. In addition, candles and incense are always a good bet, as well as the simple offering of your time and energy and inclusion in your activities.


monica
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Thanks, yeah, I've mainly been leaving candles and incense for them so far. Plus, I've just picked up a huge bag of lavender, since that's what my devata supposedly likes, so I guess I'll just sprinkle that around my place.

I don't think I've got any thoughts from my spirits yet, but I'm hoping they'll start coming soon. I sometimes feel a bit silly talking to jewelry and crystals, but I'm guessing this is something most new people go through. It's great that your telepathy is getting better - it's really nice to hear of people making improvements! I really hope to get to that stage too.


"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on" ~Havelock Ellis
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