The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Hi! I'm still new around here and still getting my bearings, but I have two questions regarding offerings.

1) Can offerings be consumed after an amount of time, or should they always be buried/poured over the earth/set out for animals/etc? I live in an old apartment building (with mice in the walls) and the thought of keeping food on an altar and attracting mice or running outside after each offering makes me wary of beginning the practice.

2) Are food offerings performed on a daily basis? I know about blots, but I was wondering if there was a less formal and more regularly done version of a blot.

I'm still very new and not wanting to cause offense. There are a few gods I would like to begin making offerings to, but I have no idea where to even begin.

I appreciate the help!

I get that you specified that this is your practice and not everyone's, but I wanted to point out to OP that it's actually pretty common to consume the offerings, notably in Kemeticism (where if I recall correctly, the spiritual portion is consumed by the deity, the physical (later) by human(s)- obviously, I am saying this as a non Kemetic). Don't feel bad if you entertain the idea and/or do it, take your time to feel it out (by testing how it feels, meditation, thinking it over, whatever works) and decide for yourself.

But if you don't want to, Elizabeth, there are ways to keep mice out.

For leaving stuff out, airtight containers (left in place once you finish doing any ritual or prayer or anything with the offering), or offerings of water, would both be doable to leave out.

Water is also easy to get rid of in your own home, as are other liquid offerings.

For taking it outside, you could move it to a container (again, so as to avoid mice), then take it with you when you're going out anyway, rather than leave it or immediately rush outside.

Generally it's not super recommended to give offerings to animals unless you're specifically making offerings that are safe for them to consume (eg, nuts, maybe birdseed, which also would probably be specifically good for a bird related deity)

How often you offer is really up to you, although I'd probably figure out a schedule (that said, I don't really have one, I go by my gut).

*points to SIG title* This isn't the Kemetic SIG. We have very specific ways of sacrificing and offering listed in our sources. We are expected to share in the offering if it is food and/or drink. Offerings are very much NOT to be left in a sealed container until you 'get around to it'. If it is a non-food item, it should be destroyed or rendered unusable by human hands *immediately* upon declaration of intent.

Sacrifices are gifts TO the gods, in return for gifts FROM the gods. It's the gift-cycle we talk about so much. If someone were to offer you a meal, would you be content to wait several hours until they are done eating before they get around to letting you have your portion?

Unlikely. You may even be offended. While it is unlikely the gods would even take notice of such a thing, why tempt fate? And if the offering is meant for local gods/wights/ancestors, they likely WILL take offense AND make their offense known to you. So why tempt fate at all?