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Every morning I wake up, brush my teeth, forget to drink some water, and exchange well wishes for the day with my friend Annie. We usually talk about our plans for the day; Annie often goes out into the world, and I stay in and do handicrafts like the old person I secretly am.
Today things took a bit of a turn. I still woke up, brushed my teeth, forgot my water, and said hello to Annie. But then things got Spoopy.
Y’all. Annie saw a ghost.
This prompted a conversation about how to deal with seeing ghosts and what we should do for them and other entities that we might encounter in our day-to-day lives. FYI, Annie says hello to them; while I opt, I tell them to stop being creepers and to have a cookie.
And now I am here, sipping iced coffee (still haven’t had that water) and writing about what I do when ghosts, gods, and toddlers abound, and someone has to feed them.
In my opinion, the best food for all three is Oreos. They’re vegan, tasty, widely available in the US where I live, and often stores have their brand version that is equally great at half the cost. You can also get Oreos in various flavors year-round if that is your thing.
But my opinion isn’t the only thing that counts when it comes to offerings. Especially when it comes to your practice. Offerings should be tailored to you and the entity you are dealing with. People can say all day long that Odin likes wine, but if you’re under twenty-one in the US, you aren’t going to be able to offer Old One Eye any kind of alcohol. That means thinking about what you can do within the limits of your life. Too young to buy wine? Looks like Odin gets grape juice. After all, wine is basically sharp grape juice right? I can honestly tell you that Odin has been given worse offerings.
When giving offerings to any gods, I recommend looking at what they are associated with – either via the Lore or community gnosis (aka community UPG) – and then sorting out what you can do from the confines of your life/current situation.
Remember too that water is always a suitable offering. Not just for the gods, but for your beloved dead, any ghosties running around your space, and for all living things.
Want to make an offering to your Uncle Frank, who just passed (I am talking about myself here)? Offer a glass of water. Want to honor your land wights? Water. The Goddess Eir? Water.
Given what we have learned about the US’s infrastructure in the past few years and the absolute refusal by our government to stop Line3, a clean glass of water isn’t a simple offering. It’s an increasingly rare and precious gift.
It’s also something you can earth – aka pouring out onto grass/into moving water – without causing damage to the environment. The same can’t be said for offerings of alcohol, other liquids, or food. Not that those things are bad offerings; they’re lovely offerings. Just make sure you dispose of them in other ways. Liquid offerings can be poured down the sink. It’s a liminal space that is perfect for disposing of liquids that can’t or shouldn’t be poured on the earth. The trash is a perfectly acceptable place to put food that has been offered. If you’d rather not use your kitchen trash, you can always take the offering directly to the cans that get emptied by your municipality’s sanitation workers. If you compost, you can drop it in there (make sure to follow local composting guidelines).
However you dispose of it, please remember that the offerings were given to the entity in question and now belong to them. Earthing the offering a bit after it was given (I wait 24 hours) is perfectly acceptable. Eating or drinking the offering after you gave it is not usually well-received. At least not in Heathenry. My husband is a Hindu, and we eat any food offered to Krishna, as per his faith and cultural traditions. We don’t do the same with offerings to our house spirits, ancestors, or the gods of my tradition. I admit that this is a bit confusing for Haggis, but he is still young, and I get a general feeling that the gods know that and behave accordingly.
If you have a system or deal worked out with your gods (ancestors, ghosts, etc.), and you are allowed to eat or drink the offerings after they are made, cool beans. I am not here to tell you that your practice is wrong. If you don’t have a system or deal worked out, though, my suggestion of keeping your hands off their offerings is a good place to start. Remember, you can always make yourself something to eat or drink as well. Sitting their offering on your table while you eat your meal or having tea/coffee/water at the altar while offering them their own mug or glass is absolutely acceptable. It will likely help you to build your relationship with the entity in question as well.
So remember: Oreos and Storeos are good. Clean water is better. Something that holds meaning to you is best.
Which is exactly what I am going to do now.
Hávamál Mama 