Offerings

When I collect anything from the wild I do like to leave an offering of some sort.  If I am in the woods or fields I don’t often have anything to hand so I give the plant or tree a blessing and a thank you. 

However I do make offerings in my garden on a regular basis.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy in fact just feeding the birds or watering your plants is in a way an offering to Mother Nature.  But if you have collected natural items or been gifted something it seems only good manners to say thank you with an offering.  Maybe next time you are on a walk take a small bag of plant food and sprinkle some under a tree?   

I often make little salt dough offerings which I leave under trees when we have held a group ritual in the woods. 

I also make specific offerings from a mixture of herbs and dried flowers sometimes with a small crystal in as well to sprinkle under trees or in hedgerows. Although I make sure they are tiny crystal chips rather than large stones so they get 'lost' in the soil.  These offerings can be made with a particular intent in mind so it might be for prosperity or healing - I leave them as a gift to the gods along with a prayer or request.

When I have finished holding a ritual I always pour some of the water or wine (or in the winter hot chocolate) onto the ground as a thank you along with crumbling up some of the cake we had in circle (I know…throwing cake on the ground can be heartbreaking but it is all for a good cause…). 

Pouring a little milk and honey into a bowl and leaving it in your garden is also appreciated by the Faerie folk.  

Whatever you leave out in the woods, fields or hedgerows please make sure it is biodegradeable or a natural item.   Plastic is a big no no.  And I know it is a beautiful experience to tie ribbons onto trees to make wishes or bring blessings but the ribbons don’t degrade and the poor tree branches can get strangled as they grow.  

Always thank Mother Nature but make sure what you leave her is natural.