Across a variety of pagan and folk religions, spirits connected with the natural world play a very large role in daily beliefs. While the specific powers or intentions of these spirits might vary between cultures, there are many common factors in how these mystical beings are honored. For example, an offering to a spirit is a customary way of showing respect to or making a request of that entity. Naturally, any item offered is going to have a different impact on the spiritual world. Look over this guide and get a better feel for the common offerings to spirits.
Create an Altar
The practice of offering something of value or importance to a spirit goes back to the earliest days of human civilization. In fact, some of the earliest signs of human culture are religious structures like altars. Though more dramatic rituals surrounding animal sacrifice often dominate the public concept of the religious altar, a “living offering” to a deity is far less common than most realize. Typically, an altar acts as a staging area for spiritual actions like prayer, meditation, and offerings to spirits. Modern pagans typically create small altars in their homes using items of personal significance.
Setting up your own altar is actually a very easy task. Find a table or shelf in a part of your home that brings you peace of mind, and drape a piece of fabric over the top. Place items that have meaning to you around the surface. You can use items with religious significance, treasured keepsakes from youth, or even a personal belonging of someone who matters deeply to you. Additionally, you may want to research herbs, candles, incense, and other items usually found on altars to learn more about what each helps you manifest.
The Most Common Offerings to Spirits
Every being in the spiritual world is unique. This means that the preferences of one will not always match that of another. You should always cater the offering to the spirit you are trying to appease or engage with in order to increase the odds of a positive response. Still, there are a few items that tend to work well no matter which spirits you are attempting to connect with. As mentioned, candles and incense are always a good choice and are traditionally found on altars of all varieties.
Beyond this, herbs and flowers picked fresh and left to dry can be useful to place around your altar. Dishes or cups of spring water, liquor, coffee, honey, or milk can also be used to appease various nature spirits. Money is also a classic offering, usually used as a way to help bring about good fortune and luck.
The Abstract
What you present to a spirit does not always need to be a physical item. Just as prayer connects a person to a higher realm, so can a more abstract offering appease a spirit. Coming to your altar with an offer to help others, do charitable deeds, commit to a positive change, or commit acts that align with the spirit’s nature can all work to your advantage. Again, this is where research will help. Dig into the specifics of the spirit you are trying to connect with and understand what it likes and dislikes.
The Rules of Thumb for Offerings to Spirits
Finally, be sure to handle offerings to spirits in the right way after use. It is important to never eat, drink, or use anything you have given to a spirit. Instead, the items should be buried or left somewhere in nature. Those made of organic material can be composted in a garden, for example, while coins and handmade items can be buried safely below the soil.
The practice of making offerings to spirits is one that has existed for millennia. Learn more about spirits that interest you and discover how to best create an altar that helps you connect with the realm of ghosts, gods, and ancestors.