Profferings

[Pelta]

Preffered offerings

For those of us who work with external spirits and deities, offerings and sacrifices are an age old way of interaction. Bribery works on humans too, so why not? But there's more to it than that. The act of sacrifice means more when it is something one really cares about.

Like whiskey, for example. I like my whiskey. In fact, it's the only thing I'll drink. Un/Fortunately, my God also has quite a taste for it. I've experienced him to actually become hyper after recieving an offering of whiskey.

However, there are some circumstances in which offerings aren't accepted, like the shiny silver coins I left out for the Magpies years ago when I thought I still belonged to them. They used to sit there for days. Thus perhaps some sacrifices are not meaningful enough.

Perhaps the most amusing experience was when I sacrificed frankincense to Helios. I thought I belonged to him when I didn't. The offering was accepted, with a sort of, "Um. Thanks... But who are you?" xd

So this thread poses a few questions.
Why do some offerings work and some not?
What sorts of offerings are meaningful?
How do sacrifices work in your tradition/experience, and would you like to share?  

[CuAnnan]

missmagpie

Why do some offerings work and some not?

Sacrafices are a resonant connection. "This means something to me, it means something to you and we are connected."

missmagpie

What sorts of offerings are meaningful?

Stuff that means something to both parts.

missmagpie

How do sacrifices work in your tradition/experience, and would you like to share?

Depends on the sacrafice.
Sometimes I will eat a meal, by way of sacrafice.
Sometimes I will set aside a portion of a meal, by way of sacrafice.
Sometimes I drink the whiskey, sometimes I burn it, sometimes I pour it out the door.

If it's for the ancestors, it gets burned. If it's for the Otherlings, it gets poored out the door. If it's for the Gods, it gets drunk.  

[Deoridhe]

I tend to try to pick things which are appropriate for different situations and react accordingly. I've also had sacrifices taken unwillingly; for instance, half of a bottle of homemade meade evaporated in my bedroom, and apparent offering for the housewights who took it upon themselves. Given the state of my room, I can't really blame them.

When I'm making ancestor-offerings to the male ancestors I tend to use Wild Turkey or Maker's Mark; I have a bottle of each. These were the types of alcohol my grandfather preferred. I also honored him through making Maker's Mark the drink-of-choice for a character I started playing around the time of his death, Uriel Susan Gray who was born in a Niel Gaiman universe. Offerings to the Disir tend to be wine or embued spirits or mead; none of the Disir I know by name had any particular drinks associated with them. Also related to the dead, I have things I consume ritualistically or regularly in honor of the dead I love who are no longer here.

With the gods it's very situationally dependant. Once, as atonement and thanks to Thor, I did a Blot with straight, expensive vodka. My managing to drink it with a straight face and without complaining was as much a part of the offering as the drink itself. I often Blot Eir with milk and honey when I'm sick.

My most interesting experience of sacrifice was when I sacrificed a memory; I think I mentioned it in another thread. The experience of not having that memory anymore is a bit odd, but as I have it on decent authority that it was a bad, self-destructive memory, I'm probably best without it. That was an offering to Frigga whom I also consider Saga.

I've heard of people offering expensive coffee to Odin or Loki, and I have to admit I've a serious temptation to offer Loki a seriously girly drink to see what he'd do; maybe osme of the Rum Lemonade I've become so fond of, only with cherries and orange slices in it with a fan. A week or two back I did a "me and thee and thee" kaffklatch with whisky for Odin, Loki, and me, but that was less offering and more hanging out.

I haven't gotten feedback yet on offerings that didn't work. That may be insecurity on my part.  

[TheDisreputableDog]

missmagpie

...for the Magpies years ago when I thought I still belonged to them.

missmagpie

...I sacrificed frankincense to Helios. I thought I belonged to him when I didn't.

I have a question that may be better suited to its own thread, which I may construct anyway but I can't think of a good way to phrase or title it yet.

Basically, how do you know you "belong to" a deity? I don't know that I sacrifice because I don't know that I have anyone to sacrifice to. UU being a god-optional religion and me being your typical displaced white Amerian mutt, I don't exactly have a tradition to guide me.

I mean, I believe I have sacrificed creative works of mine, but I don't know to whom. Possibly to my ex's skewed sense of reality more than anything...I just don't know. I permanently deleted quite a few of my short stories and poems from my harddrive (with no backup copies) and threw out the original copies of a portfolio of artwork, nominally for some peace from her (but not at her behest). I mean, I survived, so maybe it worked. //Shrug.//

I might have sacrificed certain feelings or ideas--I write out an expression of those feelings or ideas that I don't want to have and then tear up or burn the pages. I don't know if that's a sacrifice or just psychology.

Can something be a sacrifice if you don't know who it's for? Or does the act of sacrificing necessitate an indirect object, for lack of a better phrase?  

[Deoridhe]

I personally think mindful sacrifice for its own sake can be valuable, but then I belong to a self-sacrificial god.

I can tell you how I know who I belong too (and the feeling is sometimes very much like an owner with an unusually self-expressive cat, let me tell you); I had a vision. It took me a week to place him as Odin, and by then it was too late.

Stupid Old Man. stressed Stupid tasty food. stressed Never accepting food from anyone without asking their designation first again. stressed  

[CuAnnan]

Deoridhe

I personally think mindful sacrifice for its own sake can be valuable, but then I belong to a self-sacrificial god.

In the case of the Anú/Annan situation, likewise.

Deoridhe

Stupid Old Man. stressed Stupid tasty food. stressed Never accepting food from anyone without asking their designation first again. stressed

Perhaps I was lucky in the "having myths about people accepting food on quests and dissappearing for centuries" warnings to take from.  

[Deoridhe]

reagun ban

Deoridhe

Stupid Old Man. stressed Stupid tasty food. stressed Never accepting food from anyone without asking their designation first again. stressed

Perhaps I was lucky in the "having myths about people accepting food on quests and dissappearing for centuries" warnings to take from.

*sniffs* Fine, rub it in. emo Especially since I had read a lot of those by then...  

[Pelta]

TheDisreputableDog

Basically, how do you know you "belong to" a deity?

I think I've mentioned this before in other threads, but it's basically a bit like knowing where home is. Knowing who's part of your family. You don't choose your family; they're just there. That's a bit like it, but with a god it's a much more complex relationship. I like Deo's analogy of the outspoken cat. It is a bit like that.

Incidentally, I also belonged to my god and had accepted it before I knew who he was. Nothing to do with eating suspicious food or anything (I don't tie myself to foreign gods) but he had claimed me well before there was anything I could do about it. And I'm definately not complaining.

I hadn't really thought of the sacrificing of non material things, though now that I think of it I've done that too. Perhaps most notably with music.

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Can something be a sacrifice if you don't know who it's for? Or does the act of sacrificing necessitate an indirect object, for lack of a better phrase?

I don't think so. You can sacrifice things just in general, but I would think usually people do it for a reason. I mean, you could sacrifice your paintings to the memory of an ex. You could sacrifice chocolate to lowering your weight... or something like that. And by sacrificing chocolate I mean like giving it up for a while.

As for alchohol and sacrifices, I once met a spirit who demanded offerings of champagne and moonstone. I'm a poor student. I haven't seen her since. xp  

[jaden kendam]

Just to get this out of the way before I am asked, in Spiritualism it is not neccary to make offerings/sacrifices. The only thing that spirit asks is that you are open to them. If you are not, they can get pretty annoying. Like hiding your wallet when you need it the most. Bastards anyways.  

[saint dreya]

personally, i understand the concept of offereing something that does mean something to oneself. as it means a lot to you, it would be akin to sharing of oneself.

however, as in Christmas/Yule/birthdays and any other gift giving occasion, your taste is not always shared with the recipient.

so, in some cases, with Kindreds, i've simply either had an "oh my...duh!" moment, or a full out study to find out what they'd like.  

[TeaDidikai]

missmagpie

Why do some offerings work and some not?

While this is largely dependent on the offering itself, most of mine that have fallen short have done so because the object being sacrificed was not "prepared" properly. Awake, not awake, mokado... heh... really quite embaressing actually. sweatdrop

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What sorts of offerings are meaningful?

The right ones.

I know this sounds flipent, but in the scene, how many people do we know make basatt sacrifices based on "corraspondences"?!

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How do sacrifices work in your tradition/experience, and would you like to share?

Animal sacrifices are usually proffered to the deity in question before being consumed as food. Some of them are burned, more of them are buried.

Whole bottles of brew are spilt onto moist earth.

Things are left by a specific post.

Art (clay, eggs, shaped breads etc) are left to be taken by deities... and any critters that are hungry.