Some Thoughts on Consuming Offerings

There is discussion (and drama) going around pagan blogs at the moment regarding food and beverage offerings and whether or  not it is appropriate to consume an offering after it has been presented to a deity. Can you do it or do you absolutely have to pour the offerings on the ground or bury them?

I think it is silly to expect everyone to be able to waste food by leaving it outside. Should someone who cannot afford separate food for just the gods not be allowed to practice a pagan faith? Of course not! The gods would not want us to starve so that they can "eat".

We have a lot of advantages that our ancient ancestors never had. We have supermarkets open 24/7 which pretty much gives us access to all different kinds of food any time we want it. However, we also have people who cannot afford to eat every day. There are people in the United States who go hungry at night. So, while many of us, myself included, can drive down to Price Chopper and grab pretty much anything we want, others cannot.

To bring this back to paganism, the gods know that not everyone can afford to leave food just for them out. During ancient times there were plenty of poor people who had to eat every bit of food they got. Did the gods abandon or curse them? Of course not. They gods did not suddenly change their attitudes just because we have supermarkets now.

Not only is leaving food out then throwing it away (or burying it or whatever) a waste of money but it can also be offensive. If you are a Kemetic then you are almost expected to share the offering with the gods. The Twisted Rope wrote a nice long and informative post about Kemetic offerings.

The Romans also ate at least part of the offerings most of the time. The only time when the whole animal was given to the gods and no part of it was eaten was during times of extreme circumstances.

Ceres is a goddess who is said to need very little in terms of offerings. She does not ask for excessive and fancy things which makes sense because she is a goddess of agriculture and farmers. She would much prefer a little bit of grain grown from the hard work and labor of farmers than an expensive and elaborate meal. And celebrations like the Cerelia which included a huge feast were pretty much always a town thing.

I personally consume almost everything I offer to the gods after letting it sit for a few minutes.

With all of this said, if you want to and can give an offering only to the gods then pour it out or bury it later, then go for it. The act of not consuming an offering but giving it back to the earth can be symbolic and spiritual for some people (just make sure the offering is safe for the ground and animals). But to say that one must not consume offerings when there is historical evidence of the opposite is just silly and incorrect. Consuming an offering can be a proper way of giving and deposing of an offering.