Offerings (food)

[Bastemhet]

I saw the other thread, but my question is different.

I understand offering solid objects, because you can leave them at the shrine.

But one thing that's confusing me and kind of making me feel embarrased is food offerings. If you want to make food for your deity...well, what do you do with it? I think I read something before that said you should make the food with the deity in mind, offer them the first bit, meditate (or something?), and then when all that's done you make sure it gets eaten and is not wasted.

I just don't get it. I think the deity will appreciate it, and I want to do it, but something about eating it myself just makes it seem kind of stupid and irreverent.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask if anyone has offered food, what their experiences are, what their deities' favorite foods are, and any recipes you feel like sharing.  

[queertastrophy]

From what I've seen and heard from friends' rituals, the deity is invited, presented the food offering, and then, after the dinner, the offering is either burned or buried, followed by the deity's dismissal. Again, that's just to my understanding. I'm sure there are many wonderful ways to go about this type of thing within different traditions.

Personally, I've offered alcohol to Odin and Thor a few times (which I disposed of by pouring it into the ground). I had an interesting dream involving the former a few nights later--not sure if it was his way of saying "Thank You" or not. sweatdrop Confusing buggers, they are. As of now, I consider myself a "confused, eclectic pagan" and I haven't offered anything to any deities in quite some time. Maybe it's time to poke at them again and see if they warm up to what I give this time around.  

[patch99329]

What tradition are you sohpist?  

[Bastemhet]

patch99329

What tradition are you sohpist?

I guess I'm kemetic reconstructionist. I am in the process of joining a practicing group, but from my understanding you can only come so close as to what they did in Ancient Egypt until it becomes incongruent with modern life and what we currently view as "appropriate." I suppose at that point it's a mix of following history and UPG.  

[Ulfrikr inn Hrafn]

Heilsan Allir,

In the germanic folkway, the process of eating food was always intimately tied to being with the gods and goddesses, especially at the time of the larger gatherings of folk. To understand the processes involved, we have to come to terms with two ideas, *Wihaz and *Hailagaz. These can be translated at a basic leve as 'apart' and 'whole'. In terms of ritual process, something was first made *Wihaz, that is, it was taken out the of the normal space/time of Midgardr (Middle Earth - i.e. the world within which we live) and was placed into the space/time of the otherworlds. This made the thing (often a living animal or sometimes a person) 'other'. The item, person, animal would then be brought back to Midgardr, being made 'whole' or Holy (yes, that's where the term Holy comes from). It was then killed, and either offered into a bog, or other Ve (a Holy enclosure), or in the case of animals, consumed at a ritual feast. Archaeologists have found swords which have been bent out of shape, ritually killed if you like, in some of the bogs in Scandinavian countries.

So for us, there is no particular issue with the consumption of food as you can see, given that it has already been offered, having been made other, then being made Holy then being consumed.

Ver thu heil  

[TeaDidikai]

Within the Ancestor feast that we had at the beginning of November- the concept was similar to what Ulfrikr mentioned.

A non-corporeal portion of the food was eaten by the ancestors- and in that case, we gave the rest to the fire.

I do indeed leave some kinds of food outside after having offered them in total. I have also eaten meals which have been offered before.

It depends on who is getting the offering.  

[Bastemhet]

Thank you Ulfrikr. That makes sense. I suppose the dilemma is knowing when the deity is done. neutral  

[saint dreya]

i know that with the Romans, ritually sacrificed animals were actually left to temple priests to eat and any left overs were sold back to butchers to be bought and eaten by the masses.

a local set of Hare Krsna's here actually own a temple and resteraunt, and after/during their worship, food is cooked and sacrificed to Krsna, and still served to those who have attended. (best vegan food i've ever had. great food in general.)

for me, i think it depends on who i'm offering the food to and what i'm offering. i'm definitely one for shared offerings (especially beer and mead). "one for you, one for me" kind of thing. it seems to get a big response especially when i'm asking for a boon.

more often than not, i do tend to have a bit of a problem eating what i've given fully, though. the idea of making it sacred, taking it out of human use, doesn't go well with food, to my thought.  

[Neko_Bast]

I sometimes give offeroings of food to Bast. the esence of the food is eaten by her and the phisical part of the food is eaten by the person making the offering unless your giving it at a temple and then the prist or pristess is supposed to eat the phisical. Bast seems to like chocolate. ^-^