Offerings to Local Spirits

Years ago, I took head of Jason Miller’s teaching on making offerings to the local spirits. He made the argument that doing this is simply nice. It is the spirit world equivalent of bringing cookies to a new neighbor. Most people will be friendlier toward you if you do this. Even if you give cookies to a jerk, there is a chance he will be slightly less of a jerk to you after you bring him cookies. The worst thing that happens is your cookies have no impact on his disposition.

I followed his advice for a while. No one can accuse me of being arm chair magician. I do a lot of magick. I can be accused of being a technique whore. I hear about something I want to try it and do. I do lack consistent follow through on a lot of practices. I have with a few but if I followed up on every lead to the nth degree, I would not have time to eat!

So too did my life go with spirit offerings. I stopped after a while. After coming up with my own idiosyncratic evocation technique, I evoked some of those spirits in my back yard that way. Again, this faded out.

I have now moved out of that house. In doing so, I sat down in the back yard and thanked the spirits that had come to my call or the call of others that have lived there. I thanked them for talking with us. My emotions were of gratitude and respect. I was then overwhelmed with the same coming back to me. It was one of the most intense spirit induced sensations that I have ever felt.

A little contact with the local spirits had gone a long way.

I took some dirt from the old place, a few leaves, plant parts and water and brought them to the new place. Last night, I did a simple offering to the old spirits and those of this land. I asked them to get along with each other if they could.

I will be making daily offering to the local spirits as a matter of spiritual discipline from this point forward.

The Technique:

I create a flame and say, “The energy of the fire is freely given to all spirits that wish to partake.”

I use the flame to light incense, “This gift of air is freely given to all spirits that wish to partake.”

I pour out some blessed water, “This gift of water is freely given to all spirits that wish to partake.”

That is all. The words I say are not that repetitive. This is just want I intend. Natural words that are conversational but sincere seem to work best.