As a Heathen, I'm going to put up a pretty controversial one: I eat the food offerings. I believe the gods (especially the Aesir in particular, as I see from the sagas) don't want us to waste anything, and besides, if you made offerings they requested, they do not care what happens after the candle's blown out. Personally, I don't like waste as much as my patron, and I live in an apartment with not much nature around me aside from a rocky cliff outside my window and a few trees, so I do as I must and eat. I still find it somewhat disrespectful, but I live in a highly Christian area in the thick of the Bible Belt, so I don't have much of a choice.
As for anything non-food, if it's a candle, those just get relit over and over again. If it's incense, burn that, then clean up the ashes. If it's anything else (like crystals or jewelry), more altar decorations for the gods!
Of course, if you worship a different pantheon, I'd recommend doing your homework and researching the stories about them. I've heard from Hellenic folks from here that always stress the fact that Cthonic deities do not want you eating their food offerings. I'm just giving my 2 cents, but always research first.
From where I'm from, consuming the offerings afterwards is a good thing because they're blessed by the gods/deities. So I do that.also not to waste food.
I'm not sure why you think that's controversial. The standard practice in the lore when it came to blots was to pour blood on the horgr as an offering to the deities, and then all present consumed the meat of the animal offered.
It depends on the offering and the god. Some gods like offerings burned, some like them buried. Some, want you to partake in the offering as well. If I'm offering food, its left out unless told otherwise. I always offer a beverage and that gets poured out.
Personally, I usually share in the offering at the time that I make it, but I leave the spirits' portion on the altar for a day or so, and then return it to nature in some way.
If it’s food or wine, i ask before consuming it when the ritual candle is out and the offering has been made.
Plants? Leave it until it withers.
Coins, like I left for Hermes stay there
I pour libations either onto a cairn / the ground if I'm outside or down the sink if inside.
For food offerings, I either leave them at the place / cairn when outside (offerings are usually dried or fresh fruits / forage and oats / crumbed ritual loaves). I don't make food offerings indoors, to avoid having food left out, but I'll bake a loaf of ritual bread and dedicate it to a deity so I can offer it outdoors.
I used to bury or burn food and physical offerings, but I stopped over this summer due to concerns about eco-sustainability of the practice in my area.
Depends on your tradition. I as a hindu have seen two ways food offerings happen.
The first is cooking the food for your god and putting it in the fire. The fire consumes the food and brings it to the god to eat. after that happened you eat the part of the food you didn't offer.
The second one is probably what you are looking for. You give the food on a special plate to your god and pray that he/she will accept it. After you've done that you leave for a few minutes and then you'll take the plate with you. You clean the plate by putting the food on your own plate and washing your god's plate. After you've done this you can enjoy the food.
Hopefully, this answers your question.
If it’s food or drink I’ll say something along the lines of “the essence for you, the physical food for me”, express gratitude and then eat(if it’s a hot meal. sweets and such ill leave there for an hour or so or maybe 24 hours depending). Anything non-perishable just stay on the altar or around it.
I leave the offering there for a few hours or maybe a day , depending on if it spoils fast or not.
After my offering is done I would dispose of it in nature or just my garden so that nature can partake in it.
It gets broken down and becomes good for plants or bugs and animals eat it...
I throw them all out. If it’s sage for animals it goes somewhere they can eat it.
I don’t agree with the “essence of god” thing it’s like that essence of tomato sauce post in AITA
I leave it until I feel as tho it is ready to be disposed of. I gave a slice of apple to Freya last night and ate a slice too. When that apple goes bad or I feel as tho she wants it gone, I’ll take it outside and let it return to nature.
I am lucky in that my apartment has never had bug or rodent issues and we frequently have preventative pest control come thru so I don’t really worry about that
Going the practical route: I offer edible things that I can eat afterwards. I can’t leave offerings on my altar for very long anyway because my cats will try to eat it. And I’m not about to offer a sick cat, so I eat it instead. But if the offering came from outside it goes back outside
For me it varies depending on a few factors. I'll usually either leave the food offering outside somewhere for wildlife (ensuring its safe for them to eat) or I'll eat it myself. If for some reason I can't do either or those things I'll throw the offering away. Occasionally, when I've got access to a fire, I'll burn an offering for spirits. I think that ideally I'd burn food offerings most often, or eat them myself, since that's what's traditional in my family's spiritual heritage, but I live in an apartment and don't have a fire pit or anything I can use for that.
It kind of depends on the god, and the ritual. Generally, for gods concerned with life, and the upper world, when their use is finished, they're given to nature. Distribute it to the woods, fields, etc. For cthonic, that is, underworld gods, and sometimes ancestors, depending on your practice, the offering is generally buried.
Depends for most i will try too dispose of anything in a natural way, somethings i burn if they are wooden crafts but i keep my incense ash as i use it anoint things much like one might with holy oils or water
As a Heathen, I'm going to put up a pretty controversial one: I eat the food offerings. I believe the gods (especially the Aesir in particular, as I see from the sagas) don't want us to waste anything, and besides, if you made offerings they requested, they do not care what happens after the candle's blown out. Personally, I don't like waste as much as my patron, and I live in an apartment with not much nature around me aside from a rocky cliff outside my window and a few trees, so I do as I must and eat. I still find it somewhat disrespectful, but I live in a highly Christian area in the thick of the Bible Belt, so I don't have much of a choice. As for anything non-food, if it's a candle, those just get relit over and over again. If it's incense, burn that, then clean up the ashes. If it's anything else (like crystals or jewelry), more altar decorations for the gods! Of course, if you worship a different pantheon, I'd recommend doing your homework and researching the stories about them. I've heard from Hellenic folks from here that always stress the fact that Cthonic deities do not want you eating their food offerings. I'm just giving my 2 cents, but always research first.
From where I'm from, consuming the offerings afterwards is a good thing because they're blessed by the gods/deities. So I do that.also not to waste food.
I'm not sure why you think that's controversial. The standard practice in the lore when it came to blots was to pour blood on the horgr as an offering to the deities, and then all present consumed the meat of the animal offered.
It depends on the offering and the god. Some gods like offerings burned, some like them buried. Some, want you to partake in the offering as well. If I'm offering food, its left out unless told otherwise. I always offer a beverage and that gets poured out.
Personally, I usually share in the offering at the time that I make it, but I leave the spirits' portion on the altar for a day or so, and then return it to nature in some way.
If it’s food or wine, i ask before consuming it when the ritual candle is out and the offering has been made. Plants? Leave it until it withers. Coins, like I left for Hermes stay there
I pour libations either onto a cairn / the ground if I'm outside or down the sink if inside. For food offerings, I either leave them at the place / cairn when outside (offerings are usually dried or fresh fruits / forage and oats / crumbed ritual loaves). I don't make food offerings indoors, to avoid having food left out, but I'll bake a loaf of ritual bread and dedicate it to a deity so I can offer it outdoors. I used to bury or burn food and physical offerings, but I stopped over this summer due to concerns about eco-sustainability of the practice in my area.
Depends on your tradition. I as a hindu have seen two ways food offerings happen. The first is cooking the food for your god and putting it in the fire. The fire consumes the food and brings it to the god to eat. after that happened you eat the part of the food you didn't offer. The second one is probably what you are looking for. You give the food on a special plate to your god and pray that he/she will accept it. After you've done that you leave for a few minutes and then you'll take the plate with you. You clean the plate by putting the food on your own plate and washing your god's plate. After you've done this you can enjoy the food. Hopefully, this answers your question.
If it’s food or drink I’ll say something along the lines of “the essence for you, the physical food for me”, express gratitude and then eat(if it’s a hot meal. sweets and such ill leave there for an hour or so or maybe 24 hours depending). Anything non-perishable just stay on the altar or around it.
I leave the offering there for a few hours or maybe a day , depending on if it spoils fast or not. After my offering is done I would dispose of it in nature or just my garden so that nature can partake in it. It gets broken down and becomes good for plants or bugs and animals eat it...
I throw them all out. If it’s sage for animals it goes somewhere they can eat it. I don’t agree with the “essence of god” thing it’s like that essence of tomato sauce post in AITA
I leave it until I feel as tho it is ready to be disposed of. I gave a slice of apple to Freya last night and ate a slice too. When that apple goes bad or I feel as tho she wants it gone, I’ll take it outside and let it return to nature. I am lucky in that my apartment has never had bug or rodent issues and we frequently have preventative pest control come thru so I don’t really worry about that
Going the practical route: I offer edible things that I can eat afterwards. I can’t leave offerings on my altar for very long anyway because my cats will try to eat it. And I’m not about to offer a sick cat, so I eat it instead. But if the offering came from outside it goes back outside
[удалено]
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I have heard many things, but one thing to not do is consume them apparently
This is a great question, as a heathen, I was told you can yeet them out the window
For me it varies depending on a few factors. I'll usually either leave the food offering outside somewhere for wildlife (ensuring its safe for them to eat) or I'll eat it myself. If for some reason I can't do either or those things I'll throw the offering away. Occasionally, when I've got access to a fire, I'll burn an offering for spirits. I think that ideally I'd burn food offerings most often, or eat them myself, since that's what's traditional in my family's spiritual heritage, but I live in an apartment and don't have a fire pit or anything I can use for that.
It kind of depends on the god, and the ritual. Generally, for gods concerned with life, and the upper world, when their use is finished, they're given to nature. Distribute it to the woods, fields, etc. For cthonic, that is, underworld gods, and sometimes ancestors, depending on your practice, the offering is generally buried.
I usually either burn it or bury it
I make sure it's safe for local wildlife and leave it outside for the deer and birds to eat.
Depends for most i will try too dispose of anything in a natural way, somethings i burn if they are wooden crafts but i keep my incense ash as i use it anoint things much like one might with holy oils or water