The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

So I have been currently rethinking my choice in paganism and come to thought I should probably honor gods I'm more familiar with( I grew learning about Greek mythology). And I wish to find a way to honor Greco-Roman gods, but I first want to know what type of offering should I make to see if which one calls me to honor them. Also, how should I do it? Thank you for your time
Best of Wishes
A Mongolian Cow.

Hey  only going from memory here, but in Homer (ie the Illiad and Oddessey) strong wine is often offered, i think placed in a bowl on top of a tripod, possibly over a fire.  There is often talk of diluting their wine by many, many times - which often led me to think that the wine was "adulterated" with other "things" - just personal speculation there.


Sizzling morsels of meat were sometimes used as well i think.

Hey  only going from memory here, but in Homer (ie the Illiad and Oddessey) strong wine is often offered, i think placed in a bowl on top of a tripod, possibly over a fire.  There is often talk of diluting their wine by many, many times - which often led me to think that the wine was "adulterated" with other "things" - just personal speculation there.


Sizzling morsels of meat were sometimes used as well i think.

 
Thanks for the advice but I don't have any access to wine.

So I have been currently rethinking my choice in paganism and come to thought I should probably honor gods I'm more familiar with( I grew learning about Greek mythology). And I wish to find a way to honor Greco-Roman gods, but I first want to know what type of offering should I make to see if which one calls me to honor them. Also, how should I do it? Thank you for your time
Best of Wishes
A Mongolian Cow.

Okay, this is going to be a bit long, and this is the caveat that I am not a typical recon Hellenic, just one who worships Hekate and the household gods as a Hellenic druid, but I hope this is at least helpful and gives you somewhere to begin.
 
I've offered all kinds of things to the gods. Grains including barley, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds, cheese, eggs, olive oil, sea salt, rose water, bay leaves, bread, rum, milk, water, garlic, sprigs of rosemary, rose petals, or grains of incense, and sage. I mostly honour Hekate, and my other offerings are for the household gods (Zeus, Apollon, Hermes, Hestia, etc), but that list is probably good for most gods, I'd assume. If you're any good at cooking, you could also cook some Greek food for them.

I generally work on the basis of what I have available that suits the deity I'm offering to. If all else fails, bread, water, milk, honey, and olive oil, would be hard to beat as general offerings for any god, particularly if you can't get wine.

And don't forget about incense! Frankincense and myrrh, and other scents that you might deem appropriate (I burn rosemary for Hekate because of its associations with Her, and with remembrance of the dead). Appropriate incenses were listed with the Orphic hymns, but to be honest, frankincense is good for any god if you have nothing else. You can burn that for anyone. Resin, stick, cone, whatever you have.

As for making that offering, it really doesn't need to be any more complicated than washing your face and hands with water or khernips (khernips = mix a little salt into a bowl of water, then drop a match in it), light a candle for Hestia at the very least, and then reciting a hymn for the god/s you're offering to, and making the libation or offering into a bowl. You can do meditation now, or ask for the gods to make contact, and ask for a particular sign if or do divination. Whatever you feel like doing. Then you can thank them and end the rite.

Don't over-complicate it, or over-think it. Just keep it simple, and speak from the heart. The gods will hear you, one way or another. I am an 'offer to Hestia first and last' person, so I'd add in offerings to Her at the beginning and end of any rite to the Greeks, but this is not something you necessarily need to do right now when you're still seeking them out.

The altar can be as simple as a candle, a libation bowl, and any symbol of the god/s you're offering to. It doesn't need statues or elaborate tools. A simple table would do. Use a white cloth, if you have nothing else, or a colour associated with the god. Use whatever you've got. It'll be fine, whatever you use.

Some Hellenics might be strict and tell you not to eat or take part of the food offerings given to the gods, but I don't stand with that. Share some of the offering for yourself, and share the rest with the gods. The only time I'd say not to do this is for offerings given to the dead; some might also include chthonic gods in this, but that's up to you. I won't touch Hekate's deipnon, that's for the dead, but if it was a full moon rite to Hekate, then I would share the offerings.

Generally speaking, offerings to the Olympians were typically burnt and their altars were raised off the ground. Offerings to the chthonic gods and ancestors went into pits in the ground. It's good practice to think of when making offerings, but to be honest, do whatever you feel you're able to do. I don't burn mine, because I don't have the ability to do that, so all mine go in the compost. And my altars to Hekate are off the ground because I am terrible at floor altars because of my joints, so tables it is. Work with what you've got, and what space you have available.

If I had to suggest any gods to start with first, I would suggest Hestia and Hermes, because they're so fundamental to household practice and Hermes is a good friend to humans, and then work on the rest of the Olympians, but if there's any others you feel particularly called to, start there and see where it takes you. You could also just do ritual for the Olympians as a whole, and see if anyone responds, and then you can make more specific offerings once you've made some connections.

And be patient! Relationships with gods are like relationships with people; they require work, effort, and time, and you aren't always compatible with everyone, and you won't always like everyone, and sometimes, you need to say no and walk away. But if you find gods you do click with, go for it. You never know where it might lead.