I Believe We Should Look Beyond Traditional Offerings

One of the things that I've noticed reading the lovely book that Labrys brought out is that they list offerings that the gods accept. Now there is already shaking of heads at the suggestion that only statues should be venerated, or honored, and not prints. I'm pretty sure that this has everything to do with the kind of Christianity that's practiced over there. But most here in the States love our prints. Yes, statues are wonderful but some of us don't have the money for them or are afraid that our cats, or dogs, will knock them over.

I've given the kinds of offerings that the book has suggested and, while they are nice, I don't feel as though the gods are accepting them. Now I give them something that isn't on the list and I feel that they've accepted it. The reason that I feel this way, or have gotten that impression, is that I'm trying so hard to follow how the Greeks do things that I feel that I'm sort of stuck somewhere. Traditional offerings are considered traditional because the ancient Greeks gave them to the gods.

However I believe that the gods accept what we can give them. Even if it's our time around them and acknowledging their existence. I don't believe that we should be bounded by what the ancient Greeks did. We should look beyond traditional offerings and give what we have. That's the purpose of sacrifice. Your giving the gods something that you normally would eat. In return the gods protect you and your home and make sure that you can provide for them. It's a relationship that I enjoy taking part in.

Giving what I have also tells the gods, and spirits, that I appreciate what I have and I want to share what I have. I think that makes the offerings just as good as what's written in the book.