Gifts for the Gods & How to Dispose of Them
Not sure what to give your deity? It’s not as weird as one might think to pick out gifts for disembodied spirits. Some great choices are tobacco, wine, marijuana, incense, flowers, herbs, cash (especially large or rare bills and coins), fruit, well preserved butterfly wings, wine, cat whiskers, freshly baked cake or pastries, chocolates, or whatever else sounds nice to receive! Anything that you think would be a nice little gift or treat to receive probably would be appreciated by the spirits. The most important thing to consider when making an offering is to think about who you are making this offering to. What would they like? Just like any other good gift, it should be thoughtful. If you are working with a local fertility goddess as I do with Tonanzin, she has specific likes. Do your research to identify what would be an appropriate gift or sacrifice. In my experience, lovely ripe avocados and nice chocolate bars are a hit with Tonantzin. A lot of ancestors and deities love liquor. You may want to explore what kind of energies you're working with, and what kind of ritual you want to design. Unpersonified forces of creation are going to be different to work with than deities with families and stories and histories. Consider those things when making these choices!
After ritual, once the last candle has long burned out, I clear away my space and clean up. I leave my offerings under the rose bush in my backyard so that the spirits of the earth and my Goddess can claim their gifts. Before I lived in this house, I left offerings at the base of a tree in my neighborhood. Pick an appropriate place, don’t leave wrappers or things that aren’t biodegradable. Do not put salt on the earth. Cash offerings should stay on the altar. I let mine pile up and make a donation to a corresponding charity or mutual aid group once the pile feels big enough. Anything you’re finished with and don’t want to leave on the earth should be buried, if it’s safe to do so. Only burn things that don’t contain plastic or metal. If the item you’re disposing of is toxic or isn’t biodegradable, go ahead and wrap it in paper or cloth and put it in the trash. The garbage bin is a last resort for me when it comes to disposal of offerings or gifts because these items are not trash. I choose to send these things to the city dump only if adding them to the environment would cause harm to wildlife.
