I hope this is the right section for this...
Just what the title says. What do you feel is appropriate to leave as an offering to something in nature?
I typically like to leave things that will decompose and be useful to the plant or tree. Or if it is an animal do you leave it food, or something else.
I'm a softy for animals, I always try to feed any animals I come across. Even the Gulls that seem to pester everyone else. I adore them.
I'm just being curious.
Blessed Be
♫Lady stir your cauldron well, chant your words and sing your spell
Come and taste of the cauldron's brew and magic she will give to you♫ TwilightDancer's Book of Shadows
depends,
some times to make a long standing offering to the nature spirits around where i live i would plant strawberries, that way animals could eat them, what fell off would nourish the ground, and with the added earth worms it would help all of the plant out in that area. it was also like a statment that i am glad that you let me rest among your land kinda deal
other times just added water that they haven't been getting is something i would do
sprinkle bird seed all around the paths i take hiking is another so animals have something to eat
i remember once i carved a sigil of growth and harmony into a dead tree stump so the area would grow and be at peace
it just depends i guess on the area and what you have to work with
I think that for me it really depends. There was a dryad I worked with that lived in a tree in my yard. I gave her several different offerings. I would give her water, and my hair. I have also left coins in nooks and crannies for her. While I know that she herself has no use for the coins, its a symbolic gesture of the prosperity she granted us through my workings with her. I know that for myself if I were to find quarters, nickels, or dimes on the ground I would pick them up. So having them on the ground allowed the offering to be given to her and the prosperity to spread.
One thing my studies have basically always shown me is that no matter what sort of being the offering is given to water is basically always a good choice. It nourishes plants and it will eventually return to the earth through the water cycle. So its a natural offering for basically anything outside. Water is a good offering for basically any deity or spirit as we all need it to live. So long as its given with intent and with respect its basically blessed and they will accept it.
I often throw bread out to the animals in the area. That for me is an offering to the spirits of the land. I believe that the spirits of the land are spirits whose energy signature is a mixture of the spirits of all the animals, insects, plants, and basically all organisms within that area. Spirits of cemeteries are made up of the combined spirit energy of all the dead that live in there, so for me that same concept applies to land spirits and spirits of places.
So basically there are many ways you can leave an offering for something in nature. The best idea is to make sure that it is something that is natural. Like you could use hemp rope or string to make a bracelet with natural wooden beads or braids and give that as an offering to a spirit. By using natural materials it can become a part of the land through decomposition and the like.
Other things you could do is you could pick up trash on a beach or at a park or something as an offering for that spirit. By doing a practice like that you are removing pollution and trash and making the place nice for all to enjoy. It keeps the places looking natural and it will also cut down on nasty looking things. Though if you go this route you will probably want gloves or something to pick up the trash. Nature spirits appreciate the thought that comes with picking up trash and taking care of their homes.
You could start a compost heap in your yard for natural trash (eggshells, some paper products, bread, etc). This will bring health back into the world and will also provide you with a natural fertilizer for gardens and the like. It will also cut down on waste sent to the local dump. By recycling and composting that which you can you cut down on waste products and you help the environment be a better place.
I would leave something native to the area. Some times when foreign species are introduced into the environment, the natural ecosystem of the area doesn't have a defense against it. For example, introducing a foreign insect that has natural consumers in it's native environment, gets moved elsewhere where there are no predators and such to control it's numbers, it may very well become the dominant insect and could quite possibly overpopulate and destroy the new environment.
You might want to consider where you are leaving offerings. For example, if you leave seeds that you hope will grow instead of get eaten by wildlife, make sure it's in the right environment. If you are offering the seeds of a plant that thrives in the shade, don't leave the seeds in an area the gets lots of direct sunlight.
If you have in mind a specific way you want your offering to be taken, let the spirits in the area know. Using seeds as an example again, let the spirits know whether or not you would like the seeds to be consumes by local wildlife, or if you would like the seeds to grow and mature into plants. You can also ask that your offering be used in a way that is for the greater good.
It also helps to know your local wildlife. For example, if you know that there are rabbits in the area, you might want to leave out offerings such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, and seeds. If you've caught a fish recently, you might want to leave it for local bears. But this would be done with the consideration of not enticing some of the wildlife to get too close to human quarters. Some wildlife you have to go out of the way to share with, for your safety and for theirs.
I would leave something personal to you (hair is a great example)
Im inclined to NOT leave any food out. Animals can become dependent on that, and then they look for handouts and have trouble feeding themselves/hunting, etc.
Also you dont know what is good or bad for them. For instance a lot of people feed ducks bread and its actually REALLY REALLY bad for them (digestion wise etc).
I personally leave apples, but not often because of what AnaisStar said above. We live in a neighborhood, so animals here could easily become dependent on it. I scatter it and put it in different places each time so any animals that might happen upon it won't expect it as a regular thing. (: I would leave flowers too, based on what Echo was saying above, and I also give feathers that my bird sheds. I use it for offering to the fey, as they love them. (:
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