#spirit offerings

[aesethewitch]

Spirit Work: Connecting to Spirits through Food

We've all got to eat. I'm a huge proponent of casual, every day spirit work and devotions. In my post about Hanging Out, I briefly mentioned sitting down for a meal with your chosen spirit(s) to bond. That concept goes beyond just eating together, of course. There's far more than just eating when it comes to food.

Food as Devotion to Spirits

Food is the heartbeat of culture. Consider where your ancestors came from.

If you talk to folk practitioners, especially ones who do spirit work with ancestors, they'll tell you about all the things they've learned about their culture, their history, their people, and where their beliefs came from. Well, maybe -- folk practitioners are often a secretive bunch, and for good reason. Our practices are highly personal, constructed from local and family beliefs, cultural hand-me-downs, and word of mouth.

Even if you aren't a folk practitioner, there's value in looking to the foods and ingredients that were (or still are) crucial to the culture you come from. Especially if you work with your ancestors, but this can apply to deity and other spirit work, too.

And this doesn't just apply to immigrant US Americans whose families came from Europe, either. Think about where you live now, too. What did your grandparents or great-grandparents like to eat? What dish is your hometown renowned for? What's your country's signature dish?

Research is devotion. The time you spend asking questions or reading about the foods that formed the foundation of your culture's existence is time devoted to the spirits connected to that culture. Even for spirits with whom you have no ancestral ties, like deities from other cultures, researching the foods they were historically offered is valuable.

Taking time to learn how to make a dish and then taking the time to actually make it is a great offering. So long as it's done conscientiously and with purpose, it counts.

When you sit down to eat, dedicate the meal to the spirit(s). Set a place for them at the table and put together a little serving of everything on offer. The contents of the meal don't necessarily matter. Hell, I've set aside a chicken nugget and little pile of french fries for spirits before. Offer the first bite, a taste of whatever the spirit would like. Then, dig in and know that you're sharing a meal with that spirit.

The idea is that learning about, making, sharing, and consuming the foods that have been made for years -- centuries, even, sometimes! -- forges a strong connection. It's all about learning and appreciation.

Food as Connection... to the Living

There are few experiences more powerful than sharing a meal. Cooking for someone, having someone cook for you, going out to eat, going through a drive-thru -- it doesn't matter. People have been gathering to enjoy meals since time immemorial. Food is love, I really do believe that. To consciously choose to share a meal is an act of love.

I'm of the perhaps controversial opinion that the most important spirit work occurs with the living. Living, breathing, human people. We all have spirits, and we nurture ourselves every day. But do we nurture each other?

When we die, we don't really know what happens. There are countless theories on the subject, and I don't plan on revealing mine currently. If you work with spirits, chances are you've got your own thoughts; and even if you don't, you might still have thoughts.

The vast majority of spirit work we see in books and online occurs with the intangible spirit world. Deities, ghosts, Fair Folk, and the like. There's nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but I do think practitioners who don't turn their attention to the living are missing out.

Making connections with the living is critical. My views on spirit work have been massively impacted by interactions with volunteer programs, community outreach programs, and events in my community.

Don't wait until they're dead to respect them. Whoever they are, don't wait.

If it's your family members, ask about their favorite foods. What did their parents make them, and when? What's their go-to secret ingredient? What do they make for the holidays, and why? What traditions do they follow? Why do they make this particular soup on this particular day?

If it's your community leaders -- who can absolutely be your ancestors, too, even if you've never met them in person -- talk to them about where they came from. What did they eat as a child? Where do they like to go when they eat out, and why? Would they share that cookie recipe with you from the last community potluck?

Understanding the living will help you understand the dead. Not only will you form strong, lasting connections to people who care about you in your life, but it'll also strengthen your ties to those who are gone. Spirits of your ancestors will recognize your efforts to learn and preserve the memories of the people in your family and community. Your deities will see you reaching out and learning, and they will appreciate it as devotion to the culture they came from.

You don't need to be a fabulous cook or even cook at all. It all comes down to the effort you're putting in. Learning is enough. Reaching out is enough. The work is enough.

If you like my work, consider tossing a tip in my Ko-Fi tip jar! Support helps me keep making posts like this one consistently.

[linillinil]

Offering of Encouragement to Piorun and of Appeasement for Żmij

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires floated down and hung in the air of the Midwest states. We desperately needed a storm to help clear it away. It did end up raining and did help clear things up but I fear not by much. More storms will be coming this week. The destructive parts of the storm have passed my home so I am hopeful the offerings were acceptable.

[flamingpudding]

Bat dad meet Ghost dad

Several years earlier....

"JAAAAAAZZZZZZZZ!" Danny flew excited through the Ghost Zone with a little kid in his arms rushing past some of his former rogues as he made a B-Line for his sister that happened to be in the Zone too, currently in a deep conversation with Frostbite about something Danny hadn't cared to pay attention to long enough. But right now he had exciting news he really wanted to share with his sister. Even now as adults Danny tented to live out his childishness whenever he could especially when he and his family went into the Ghost Zone.

The Halfa came to a screeching halt as he grined brightly at his sister who looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused at her younger brothers giddiness. "What is it Danny?"

"I got a son now!" Danny declared happily holding up a young ghost teen by the armpits into his sisters face.

The 'son' in Danny's hands stared at Jazz blinking owlishly as if the teen boy still needed a moment to catch up with what was going on and Jazz blinked back at the ghost and then at Danny. That was not a child but a teen ghost. Going by the size the kid was probably around 14 or 15 and he looked very much traumatised and Jazz could not tell if that was because of Danny or because of how the teen possible died.

"Danny what did you-" Her brother did not let her finish her question as he started rambling excitedly.

"He is a baby ghost Jazz! Look how young he is! I found him floating around aimlessly, his hunt hasn't even fully formed yet and when i picked him up there was that instant connection! You know the same-"

"Danny."

"I have with Clockwork and Pandora! I instantly knew he was mine! Mine to protect! Mine to guide! When I saw him I swear I just knew, I ghost adopted him the moment I made contact! He is family Jazz-"

"Danny."

"I just know he belongs with us! Look at him and tell me he doesn't have Fenton charms! I am sure Dan and Dani will love him too! He is such a cute little ghost! There is so much I can teach him! I will be the best dad ever to this wonderful little baby ghost! And-"

"Daniel William James Fenton!"

Danny bite his tongue instantly silenced when Jazz pulled out the full name call. Both him and the teen in his arms stared at her a bit shell shocked and in that moment Jazz couldn't help but hide a small amused smile at how similar Danny and the teen in his arms looked when they stared at her.

"Did you explain any of this to him?" She indicated to the teen, who's name she by the way still didn't know. Danny at least had the curtesy to look a little ashamed as Jazz pointed that out and let go of the teen so they could float on their own. She sighed with a fond smile before looking at the teen that looked a bit unsure between her and Danny now.

"What's your name?" She asked them with a friendly and encouraging smile.

"Jason...."

Current time...

Jason was in a little bit of a predicament. Originally he really thought he never would end up in this kind of situation espacially since he didn't think he would patch up things with Bruce any time soon. But we'll here he was...

Life liked proofing him wrong.

Like with he fact that Jason could use a ghost wail in dire situation. And that something like that would naturally call his ghost dad onto the scene since he collapsed after it.

And like with how he woke up in the bat caves med bay with both Danny and Bruce standing over him and glaring at each other. Or at least he thought they were glaring at each other that looked like a pretty annoyed stare in his eyes from Danny and Bruce's jaw was really tense from what was visible and not covered by his cowl.

So all Jason could do was endure at the moment. Aaaaand refuse to make eye contact with any of his present siblings. Mainly Dick because he wasn't sure how to interpret the others' smiles. For a moment Jason wondered if he could hide out in his ghost-dad's castle in the Ghost Zone for a while until whatever storm was brewing with Bruce was over.

There was also a moment in which Jason wondered if there could have been anything done to avoid this... confrontation(?). Before feeling the need to face palm because his Aunt that sort of has been giving him free therapy told him repeatedly that communication was key. He never regretted not listening to her more than he was right now.

To be fair. Communication with Bruce espacially hadn't been his strong suit for a while now before and after his death.

"So you are his Bat-Dad?" Jason did not like the way Danny, his ghost dad was using the word 'dad' right now. Oh good was he trying to challenge Bruce?

"And you are his Ghost-Dad?" Bruce grunted, oh now Jason was sure Bruce was giving Danny a glare, and Danny was getting that protective look in his eyes Jason was all to familiar with from his time as a dead baby ghost.

He groaned loudly sinking lower onto the medbed. Why did these things always have to happen to him? At least he was lucky that his Ghost Aunt and Uncle didn't show up too.

[lailoken]

My husband gave me permission to share a picture of this special offering vessel that he made to propitiate his Kiln Spirit when working on ceramics.

I love it SO much.

[notherpuppet]

Alastor is a complex character!

Despite being one of the few characters in Hazbin with confirmed identities (his ethnic background and sexual orientation), those identities are in of themselves, complex experiences.

There’s seemingly nothing about the character that is Black or White.

I think that’s why he is such a compelling character! Also, it’s probably one reason why he is such an attractive conduit for folks’ creative expression.

His identities are not necessarily why many people may gravitate towards him, but they do offer a chance for people to investigate him and explore a character—as unique as he is—into avenues they may not have considered before.

I can commiserate with feeling defensive of a character who shares an identity with you—ESPECIALLY an underrepresented one. Discourse is natural and completely fine! (And very educational sometimes in my experience)

But I don’t think it’s fruitful to police a fandom in these matters. Some folks come to my inbox (I delete the really rude ones) or comment sections with a very cop-like attitude to a space that’s supposed to be creative and/or fun *airhorn*

That’s my take as just some guy on the internet 🤓🛜 have a good dayyyyy

[ganondoodle]

(wip)

some doodles that took me way too much effort; an updated design for Raal (aka demise when he was a mortal, he still uses that name when in disguise and modeled those forms after how he imagined he would look if he ever grew up as one) and a clunky doodle of both his blade spirits just after forging them

[little-pondhead]

The Curse Of Hope

_

Danny is in another universe. He had a reason, but he doesn’t remember anymore. He can only stare, horrified and disgusted, at the sickest city spirit he’s ever seen. Shivering and swaying with every step, core exposed, and ectoplasm leaking from wounds that are decades old. A ratty blanket was thrown over their shoulders, barely hiding the spirit’s pale grey skin and protruding black bones.

The spirit didn’t even sense him until he reached out to touch its wispy shoulders. The spirit flinched, clutching at the dozens of trinkets hanging from their neck and tucking in on themselves like they were expecting a blow.

“Oh, shit,” He swore, floating back a few feet, hands in the air, to show he meant no harm. “I’m sorry. I promise, I’m not here to steal from you.” The spirit shivered again and rolled a pearl necklace in between their fingers. A nervous habit. “Uh, I like that pocket watch? It’s very nice.”

That got their attention. They peeked at Danny, and he saw that more tattered cloth was covering their eyes, blending in with the stringy hair that reached the ground. Their blanket fluttered weakly, revealing hundreds of thousands of tiny marks etched into their skin. Scars, really. Scars that wrote out curse after curse onto the spirit’s very being. They burned with evil intent, and even reached inside the spirit’s body and wrapped around their core.

Occasionally, blinding specks of color raced across their body, temporarily erasing the writing, but it always returned quickly. He watched, a little detached, as one particular line rewrote itself across their rough forearm, drawing fresh ectoplasm like someone was writing it with a thin knife.

“Are you…alright?” Danny stuttered. A stupid question.

The spirit cocked its head. He couldn’t see their eyes, but he felt their burning gaze as they pondered the question.

“The pain of others becomes mine own.” They rasped. “The lights of the city dim as rotten wealth clogs mine veins. Magicks long forgotten have eaten mine skins, pulled mine cloak, and darkened mine skies. Helios has refused to grace mine doorstep, and the seasons of the Earth have revoked their kindness.”

Danny held his breath. It felt like he was the one with the exposed core, not the spirit.

The spirit shivered once more. “Tell mine soul, little lamb. How could this Forsaken City know peace, when it was long since ripped from mine hands?”

Shit, he needed Frostbite. And maybe Clockwork. Now.

-Or-

Danny meets the spirit of Gotham City. The villains and rogues that have plagued the city for decades are literal curses that are taking quite the toll on Gotham, and honestly, Danny isn’t sure how much longer they can hold out. The heroes seem to be doing some help, and are probably the reason Gotham made it this far, but the poor city needs help from the Realms if they want to get better.

Luckily, Danny can provide that help.

But only if he could get Gotham to leave their city behind. Because recovery is going to take a very long time.

[daily-sifloop]

Day 44: Little Goody Two Shoes (game by AstralShift) AU

Spoilers for Ending No. 1 - Moira under cut

[steven-myself]

Voodoo- Hamidou Banor by Baldovino Barani for FACTORY Fanzine XXXVI

[ambermotta]

Offerings: What's, How's, When's, and Why's

Below are some of the most common questions regarding offerings!

Disclaimer: Long post. This is based on my experience and research. I don't claim to know the absolute truth.

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TL,DR: A lot of things about offerings are flexible, subjective, and depend on culture, personal beliefs, and mundane constraints. While there are general considerations and guidelines, you will always have to do deeper research in order for the offerings to fit what you are doing and what is within your reach.

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Why make Offerings?

There are many ways to see offerings and it can vary depending on personal beliefs and religion. Some of the most common reasons people make them:

Energy exchange: you give something to receive something. This can be seen as payment, fair trade or as a way to keep balance.

Thanksgiving: you give offerings as a way of giving thanks

Honoring: you give offerings as a way to pay respect

All of the above

When to make Offerings?

It is advisable to make offerings whenever you are doing spiritual work with any kind of spirit. You can make the offering before, during or after your work.

You can also make offerings a standalone thing for praising, honoring or thanksgiving spiritual beings.

What happens to the offerings? "Why do spiritual beings need food"?

Spiritual beings also use energy. Just as you use energy to do any activity, spirits also use energy for their own purposes. When you make an offering you are offering them energy, just as when you eat you are fueling your organic needs.

If you are asking a spirit to help you they may even use the energy from your offerings to fuel the magic needed for what you asked.

They don't need energy to live like we do (they don't die), but we all use energy in some way for some purpose. When you give proper offerings, aligned with the energy you need and the type of work, you can make your magickal workings stronger and develop deeper bonds with the spirits.

The spirits are not going to literally eat food you give them, but you may notice changes in "how it feels/looks like" that are subtle.

For example, when I was a child my parents pointed out that when flowers (such as a rose) are used in strong, successful magical workings they dry after a while but the petals don't fall. It tends to preserve its original aspect.

Of course, it's not an exact science, but you may observe some weird things.

How long should I leave offerings out?

Depends. Some rituals and traditions may ask you to leave them for a few days, some are to be consumed during or after the ritual. If not specified you may leave them for a day or dispose of them the next morning. Non-organic offerings may stay at the altar indefinitely or for long periods of time before being dispatched.

How to dispose of offerings?

This varies with culture and religious beliefs, so look for what was traditionally considered respectful. However, it's also important to take into account your reality, and if you are in doubt you can try to ask the spirits themselves what is the ideal way of disposing of them.

Some cultures bury their offerings. For example, in hellenic paganism it is (traditionally) believed offerings to chthonic deities should be buried and never eaten.

Some cultures don't mind you eating and/or drinking the offerings yourself after the rite is done. In Kemeticism (again, traditionally) eating offerings is preferred as to not waste food. If you are under financial constraints and cannot afford to throw away food this can be a good way of giving offerings while also avoiding waste. Of course this only applies to edible offerings, eaten right after you are done with your ritual. Please don't ingest anything that could be spoiled, illegal (such as underage alcohol consumption) or toxic.

Leaving it in a clean space in nature. This can be controversial and/or illegal depending on where you live and what you are disposing of, so make sure to get that checked out. In some cultures it is traditional to dispose of offerings even if they contain non-organic matter, but I advocate for only disposing in nature organic, non-toxic offerings. Times have changed, nowadays we must be more responsible of what we throw in nature and the effects it can cause.

An alternative to disposing in nature is to dispose of it on garden plants, if you have them, or re-use what would be wasted in some way. This can be an option for smaller offerings and folks with location restraints.

Dispose of them in the garbage. This can be controversial but I don't see it as an issue. If someone has something that makes the other options impossible or a big hassle, should they just not give offerings? I personally don't think so. Anyone is welcome to disagree, but respect the reality of other folks.

Non-organic, devotional offerings may also be kept in your house or garden in a dedicated/sacred space.

Offerings can also be burned. Always be careful handling fire, be aware of accidents and make sure to do research about what you are burning since some things can release toxic chemicals when burned.

Side note on eating offerings: Some spiritual beings like to share food and drink with you as a way of bonding and celebration. In some cultures, it is traditional to share in food and drink for specific rituals. It also may not always be appropriate to eat food on certain occasions.

What to offer?

The most traditional offerings are that of food and I personally like these the most. However, offerings are not restrained to that! You can even give them a more devotional meaning by, for example, offering an action, a song, art (poems, pictures, dance, etc), incense, a candle, water, or your time and energy.

Some offerings are pretty generalist and work for a lot of stuff, such as water, candles, bread, flowers and fruits. You can use these when you are short on supplies or when you are not entirely sure what you should offer.

But ideally you will want to offer something whose energy aligns with your purpose and the spiritual being you are working with. For example, you could offer lilies or white roses if you are doing work associated with peacefulness, but if you want passion you might want to pick red roses and cinnamon instead.

There will be times where you will have to improvise. You don't have to go without giving an offering just because you don't have exactly what you wanted to use. Yes it's better to have everything aligned, but sometimes you may feel the urge to do an offering at an inopportune time and you'll need to be flexible. This is why it's always good to have some generalist ingredients laying around.

How to make offerings?

Again, this can vary with culture and religion. You will have to find out what is the best way for your culture and beliefs.

But if you are unsure, here is a general setup:

Gather your offerings and everything you'll need for what you're doing.

Ideally cleanse and protect yourself and the environment you're in. If you have a space dedicated for offerings it's even better.

Remember you can give offerings before, during or after spiritual workings. Know at which point of the process you'll make the offering before you get started.

When you are ready to make your offering, start by saying a prayer and/or saying a few words. Try to tune in with the energy you are making the offering for. Here you can declare why you are making this offering and what you want (if applicable). Remember offerings have many uses, so here you can give praise, express your thanks and/or petition something to the forces you are making the offering for.

After making the offering you can meditate and try to tune in with spirits and what they feel. You can try talking to them. You can also carry on with whatever you planned to do.

Finish your ritual in a way you see fit and thank the spiritual beings involved.

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Final considerations!

Please, PLEASE make sure what you are offering and disposing of is LEGAL to acquire and dispose of.

Be conscious about the environment .

There needs to be a balance between honoring tradition and your reality living in the modern era.

To give offerings is to give energy. Make sure you are "feeding" the right spiritual beings, and not just being exploited for energy. Protections first, offerings later.

Be mindful of any potential accidents, especially concerning fire, children and pets. Be careful with potentially toxic offerings accessible to children, pets and wildlife.

Thank you for reading and best of luck in your practice ♡

[samarecharm]

Love that Ann and Ryuji both love food and bond w Akira over food…something about it is so sweet to me. The ramen shop, the crepes, the hotel buffet, the afternoon diner hangouts, the attic hotpot…Ann making the hotpot suggestion; Ryuji showing u his favorite hole in the wall restaurant…all the thieves enjoying the local restaurants and food in strikers; Akira making the leblanc curry and coffee for teammates, and Akira getting volunteer help to cook restorative food for the team….i just love it alot. I want you to eat bc i want you to be well, i want us both to be well.

[alpanmix]

Hello Deathmark fandom, have a random au.

[jjolees]

[notbecauseofvictories]

Can you please drop the name of the KJ Parker book involving contracts? A (brief) browse of his works didn’t make it obvious but my silly paralegal heart is intrigued…

So the KJ Parker novellas I'm talking about are primarily Prosper's Demon, Inside Man, and Pulling the Wings off Angels. However, while I did enjoy the others, Pulling the Wings off Angels is my favorite---it should shock no one that I love infernal/heavenly deals, moral arithmetic, and trying to out-lawyer god.

(The other series I'm looking into is published by Parker's alter ego, but still sounds up my alley.)

However, maybe you're asking for the other series that ties legalese to magic---in which case, I would look into the Craft Sequence from Max Gladstone. Admittedly, I haven't read all of it, but Three Parts Dead/Four Roads Cross is one of my favorite duologies, and I could have read about Tara Abernathy, her first job out of law school, and all the headaches (and power, and conniving, and history, truth, fellow feeling) she encounters there, for much more than two books.

[artharakka]

So, how was your weekend? Rhiam met a shapeshifting god of forests who transed her gender 🌷

[leoppipi]

I take Mashita's hand and step by step, proceed into the darkness.