Offerings

Appropriate Worship

Appropriate worship comes into play with my idea of offerings really strongly.  Essentially, appropriate worship is a system that encourages you to give offerings to deities and beings in a way appropriate to their energy, archetype, and demesne.

How do you know what to give a specific deity as an offering?  Well, that depends on the deity.  What does their culture say about them?  What are their myths?  Their history?  How were they traditionally worshiped, and what were traditional offerings?  Are they associated with any specific herbs, trees, plants foods - what are their symbols?  And most importantly, what powers do they have, and how do they use them?  This has a lot to do with the deity's general energy and personality.

Let's have an example.  Aphrodite is the goddess of love; she's feminine, connected to the sea and sea shells, had a former lover named Adonis, and is considered very beautiful.  You might seek Aphrodite when you're working on self-esteem issues, self-acceptance, self-love, or just becoming comfortable with yourself, or your sexuality.  She can also help you with finding a lover or a soulmate, can be a good ally for glamour magic, and for helping out relationship troubles.

As a feminine woman who is associated with the sea and matters of the heart, it would be appropriate to make offerings of sea shells, floral scents, make-up, and self-care products.  If you're looking to spice things up, try more dedicating more risque things like a special lubricant, condoms, or lingerie to her - even a toy would work.

You know what you wouldn't offer to Aphrodite?  A sword, bow and arrow, cleaning supplies, or masculine herbs.  These go against her general vibe.

Making An Offering

I haven't really changed the way I make an offering since I started looking into Hellenism, so I'm not a hundred percent sure if it's accurate for Hellenic Reconstructionists.  For the most part, I select an offering (usually incense), hold it up, with my eyes closed (sometimes my head is bowed), facing the lit deity candle.  For a moment, I'll pour my own energy - my intention - into the incense stick.  Then I'll say something like:

O Blessed/Great [Deity], I, your humble servant, ask you to accept this offering of [item].  May it please you and serve you well.

I'll light it from the deity candle, waft the smoke around the altar a bit (sometimes in a specific shape or symbol associated with the deity), and put it in the incense holder.  I'll then take a moment to close my eyes and meditate on the deity.

My offerings are generally short, not because of my attention span so much as my cat having a morbid fascination with fire.  I just don't get the same kind of satisfaction and connection when I use battery-operated candles, so I do prefer to use actual wax candles and incense; but if I get too deep in a meditation, I won't notice my cat sneaking onto the altar, batting at the candle/incense and knocking it over.  That, of course, is a major fire hazard.

Disposing Offerings

Not all offerings need disposing, obviously.  Objects that are crafted or bought for this specific deity should be on the shrine at all times; when the shrine is not up, or there is no more room to display specific objects, they should be stored away safely.

Offerings of liquids and food should be disposed of daily.  These can be burned in a ritual fire, poured out onto the ground, left for wild animals, or buried.

Ash from incense should be disposed of immediately, or as soon as possible after burning.  This is mostly to prevent knocking over, spilling or otherwise scattering the ashes all over the shrine if the incense is knocked over or nudged.  Physical cleanliness of space is as important as the energetic cleanliness of a space; treat the shrine with the same respect you treat the deity.

Petition

In general, I don't petition a deity unless they're one that I have already spent some time working with (and feel we are on good terms).  I don't like the idea of working with a god specifically to get something; like, working with Aphrodite just to get the attention of a hot guy, and then going back to ignoring her after I get what I want.  My goal is to build a relationship with the theoi, not to use them whenever I see fit.  I look at it this way: if an acquaintance asked me to hang out just to get the number of my hot roommate (who they're crushing on), and once they get it (if they get it), they're rude, ignore me, and pretty much show me the door, I would be highly insulted.  If I saw them again, or if they asked me to hang out with them or do something for them, I would probably ignore them or just say flat-out "No."

Why should I expect the gods to do anything different?

So yes, while I do use petitions, I have some rules associated.  The petition needs to be for something that I need help with (and can't reasonably expect to get the desired outcome on my own); needs to be for a god I am currently working with or have worked with before and are still on good terms with; and it needs to be clear and precise.

1.  Preparation

I typically do this at a shrine dedicated to the deity, or at my working altar.  At the very least, there is a candle and a physical representation of that deity in place (this can be their symbol, a rune associated with them, or a picture of a statue, an actual statue, or some other crafted item to help give me a visual of that deity).  I purify myself, ground, and center.

2.  Invocation

I call upon the deity by stating their name out loud while lighting their candle.  This is followed by an appropriate epithet, so that the deity knows which aspect I am calling upon.  The epithet needs to be relevant; it doesn't make sense to ask Hestia to aid me in matters of competition, for example.  A song or traditional (or custom-made, if I created one) invocation follows, which can - and often will - incorporate the deity's name and epithet.

3.  Past Honors

Now would be a good time to remind the deity of what I have done for them in recent times, and how I have been a loyal and worthy servant in my practice.  Naming specifics is a good one; "If you have ever enjoyed the incense I have left for you," or "If you approve of the blood I donated in your name," type of things.  The point here is to point out that I have been consistent and dedicated follower, that I have worked to have a good bond with the deity already, and that a pattern of worship has been established.

4.  Request

State what it is that I want very specifically.  The gods often have a sense of humor, so I like to be very clear about what I want, why I want it, and how I want it; I avoid using euphemisms, and am quite blunt with this.  I typically like to include a concrete idea or plan of what I plan to do in return for this granted request.  To commemorate the occasion, I like to write my petition down on a piece of paper, hold it in my hands, visualize it coming true, and place it beneath the candle until the petition has been fulfilled.

5.  Gratitude

I say thank you to the deity, usually with an offering and a closing prayer.  With the closing prayer, I gut the deity candle.  If incense is used (it almost always is), I let it burn out completely.  If food or perishables were offered, they are disposed of after the ritual.


This system was derived from this tumblr question and answer.  The way that the practitioner approached petitions seemed pretty realistic to me, and was already close to the way I approached deity to begin with; it just got me to think about specifics.