Ariadne's Tribe is a pretty broad spiritual path. People come to it from many different directions and backgrounds; our commonalities are the family of deities, the Minoan sacred calendar, a standard ritual format, and a few basic practices that we all share. Prominent among these is making offerings to the Minoan deities.

The image up top is a lovely three-footed offering table from Akrotiri decorated with dolphins. Perhaps its owner left fruit, flowers, seashells, or some other offering on it, dedicated to the ocean goddess Posidaeja or another favorite deity (though I'd vote for Posidaeja because of the dolphins).

Solid items can be set out on the altar or offering stands or at an appropriate outdoor location. Liquid offerings, called libations, should be poured - into another container (a bowl, for instance) or onto the ground. A libation can even be the centerpiece of a ritual for abundance.

The thing is, it's hard to tell exactly what kinds of offerings the Minoans made to each deity, so we have to figure that part out ourselves. We usually determine that kind of thing by a combination of meditation/journeywork and actual practice. In other words, we ask the deities whether the offering would be a good one, then try it and see what happens.

Sometimes I'll set a proposed offering near the altar and point my thoughts in the direction of the deity I want to give it to. Then I pay attention to what I sense: Do I feel compelled to go ahead and put the item on the altar? Do I get an uncomfortable feeling, like maybe the deity doesn't want that particular offering?

Each person has an individual relationship with the deities, but there will always be some commonalities with other Pagans who worship those deities. You could say the same thing about offerings.

I like to organize offerings into three broad categories. There are some offerings that are "safe" for certain deities, items you can be sure that they'll accept and be happy with under pretty much any circumstances.

Then there are offerings that they'll accept from one person but not another. There's a surprising amount of variance here, and I suspect it has a lot to do with which aspect of the deity each person focuses on. After all, the deities are every bit as multi-faceted as we are, maybe more.

The last category of offering is the "no-go's." These are the ones a particular deity doesn't like and will be miffed if you give it to them. Fortunately, there aren't a whole lot of these. I'll share a little about some of those at the end of this post.

Today I'd like to share some of the "safe bets" for the Minoan deities. These are offerings that, in our experience, each deity enjoys receiving.

Let's start with the Mothers:

Rhea: Animal milk, most kinds of non-dairy milk (she doesn't much care for coconut milk), fruit that grew in ancient Crete (figs, dates, grapes, quinces). Cooked wheat, barley, or rye (bread, porridge) or dried heads and stalks of grain. Wool, preferably raw and unspun. More about Rhea here.

Therasia: Fire: campfires, bonfires, fire in your fireplace, little fire in your cauldron, oil lamps, crackling wood wick candles. Fiery incense scents like frankincense, cinnamon, ginger. Dates and quinces. Saffron, plain or dissolved in white wine and presented in a clear container so you can see the color. Retsina. Amber colored distilled liquors (dark rum, whiskey, etc.). More about Therasia here.

Posidaeja: Water from any natural source: sea water, lake/spring/stream/pond water, bottled spring water, well water. Fresh flower wreath or garland, on the altar or tossed into a body of water (use the daisy-chain method or non-toxic, biodegradable strings and ribbons, please). More about Posidaeja here.

Serpent Mother: Pure water (not chemically treated), water, wine, whole uncooked grains, natural ingredient resiny incense (myrrh, frankincense, terebinth, copal, labdanum). Also offerings of volunteer work with a healing focus, such as soup kitchens or HIV awareness (check with the goddess first to be sure your specific choice is a good one for her).

Ourania: Pure water from a natural source, in a dark bowl, set outside at night under the stars. More about Ourania here.

And the rest of the family of deities:

Amalthea: Goat's milk, honey, wool, plain goat cheese. More about Amalthea here.

Antheia: Fresh flowers in shades of yellow, gold, and white. Fresh duck and goose eggs. Myrtle herb and berries, myrtle liqueur (Mirto), white wine, rosé wine. More about Antheia here.

Arachne: Very dark red wine, fiber arts activities and finished products that you have made yourself, donations of fiber arts projects to shelters, hospitals, and other non-profits.

Ariadne: For her World Above face, white wine, white lilies, saffron, sprouted wheat (wheat grass), honey. For her Underworld aspect, pomegranates (fruit, juice, arils), poppyseeds, red lilies, red wine, honey. More about Ariadne here.

Asclepius: Honey, fresh Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, sage, and rosemary.

Britomartis: Dark red wine; parcels of land dedicated to her and allowed to go completely wild. More about Britomartis here.

Daedalus: Lit oil lamps, olive oil, castor oil, invention projects dedicated to him.

Dionysus: Wine, beer, mead. Homemade red wine vinegar. More about Dionysus here.

Eileithyia: Honey, poppyseeds, milk (dairy and non-dairy), fresh-baked bread spread with honey. More about Eileithyia here.

Europa: Whole cow's milk, red wine, white wine. Choose the color of wine based on the symbolism of your purpose for the offering. More about Europa here.

Hygeia: White wine with honey and saffron mixed in. Incense with warm, sunny aroma.

Kaulo: Dancing, blowing him kisses, any other way in which you can express joy via your body. More about Kaulo here.

Korydallos: Brightly colored flowers, sweet-smelling incense, honey, sweet wine, mead, homemade bread with butter and honey, acts of kindness. More about Korydallos here.

Melissae: Honey, mead, honey ale, cooked grain products (bread, porridge) drizzled with honey at harvest time, beeswax candles. More about the Melissae here.

Minelathos: Very dark red wine; parcels of land dedicated to him and left to go completely wild. More about the Minelathos here.

Minocapros: Very dark red wine. Labdanum incense. More about the Minocapros here.

Minos: Pure, fresh water from a well or natural body of water, in a dark bowl, under the light of the full moon. More about Minos here.

Minotaur: Red wine, especially the kind called "bull's blood." More about the Minotaur here.

Potnia Chromaton: Brightly colored flowers, fruit, juice, ribbons, painting or dyeing projects. Be sure to use brightly colored altarware, too. More about Potnia Chromaton here.

Talos: Water in a bronze or copper cup or bowl. Bronze or copper colored metallic gadgets, including puzzle toys.

Tauros Asterion: Dark red wine (including "bull's blood"), ruby port, earthy/sweaty activities like digging ditches, planting trees, cleaning parks and roadsides. More about Tauros Asterion here.

Thaena, Sydaili, and Eshuumna: Light, preferably in the form of a rainbow from a sun-catcher or similar source. More about this triplicity of deities here.

Thumia: Expressions of joy through the voice: singing, chanting, humming, reading poetry out loud, etc. Also blowing kisses to her. More About Thumia here.

Zagreus: Fresh flowers in mixed, assorted colors. Floral-scented incense, white wine, whole wheat berries and barley groats. More about Zagreus here.

And Now, The No-Gos:

There are a few offering items that provoke strong reactions from the Minoan deities, so it's best to check carefully beforehand via meditation and prayer before offering them, and seriously consider not making them a part of your practice.

High up on this list is meat. I've known people who hunted, who offered a portion of their venison kill to the Moon-Stag or Britomartis and had it graciously accepted. But I would still check first to be sure before making that offering, because Their answer might be "no."

Offering meat that you've purchased is a very iffy thing, so tread carefully, even if you're simply trying to share one of your favorite foods with the gods. They have taste preferences every bit as much as we do. Always do your best to ascertain whether the deity will accept the item before offering it.

There does appear to be a difference between offering meat by itself, simply as a meat offering, and offering them a portion of a special meal you've prepared that happens to have meat in it. The deities don't seem to mind having meals that include meat shared with them.

Another dicey offering item is blood. Blood of any sort (venous blood, menstrual blood, birthing blood, the blood from an animal you've hunted or slaughtered) has powerful connotations. Its presence in a sacred setting can easily offend or anger any number of deities. Offering your own blood can also tie you to the deity in ways you may not intend. Be especially careful when offering blood of any sort to Underworld deities unless that's where you want to end up.

If you feel compelled to offer blood of any sort, please take the time to connect with the deity and make sure you understand the implications of what you're doing. The deities' reactions will tend to differ from one worshiper to another, so you can't necessarily depend on someone else's experience here.

We know from the art that the Minoans collected and used the blood of sacrificed animals in some way, but there were doubtless strong rules and taboos associated with the practice. Quite a few people have shared visions of private/secret women's rituals involving menstrual blood, but we aren't sure exactly what was involved or what the protocol was. Since we don't know for certain what any of those were, it's best to tread very carefully. There is no one-size-fits-all answer for this one.

Wrapping It Up

Making offerings is a fairly easy way to connect with the deities, in much the same way that we might offer carefully chosen food or drink to special guests, beloved family members, or dear friends when they come to visit as a way to show them how much we care about them.

Offerings outline a path between us and the divine. They're not payment for services rendered (the gods aren't cosmic vending machines) but part of a relationship.

Take your time to get to know the deities you'd like to connect with. You can start with the "safe bet" offerings then try asking them what they would like from you in particular. Listen carefully and learn directly from the source. Then you're on your way.