There are a number of ways that one can dispose of ritual remains. It can depend on a number of things;
What traditions do you follow? Some traditions or spells have a very specific way in which the offerings should be disposed of. If you are following that tradition you should honor that method of offering disposal.
What is your personal preference? If you are working a modified system that is your own then the end result is yours on how you dispose of your rituals offerings, make sure that this method aligns with you and with the goals that you hope to attain.
What is the deity you are working with personal preference? Are you working with a deity or demon? If you are, they may inform you of how they want their ritual offerings disposed of.
What type of offering are you using? Some offers can remain on the altar indefinitely, such as crystals, while others like food will rot and will have to be disposed of after a certain amount of time.
Does the ritual have a preferred method of disposal? If the ritual calls for the offerings to be disposed of in a certain way, then it is best to follow what is recommended.
What type of spell are you working on? If you are working on a banishing ritual there are many different factors to consider when disposing of ritual materials, as there are many factors to consider when disposing of offerings.
Here are some suggestions that can be used in practice, though like most things follow what feels comfortable and right for you. Rituals and spells are more often than not very personalized and it is important to follow what aligns with your work.
Fire- Burn the offerings. Some rituals do call for this and with some offerings, it makes perfect sense to burn them at the end of the ritual, especially if you have a hearth or fire pit included in your ritual. Food offerings such as meat and bread can easily be burnt. FirFireworkseat with rituals of banishment, releasing, and cleansing. When you burn something you banish it permanently never to return, you alter it and alter yourself in such a profound way so that it may never return to you. Ritual dolls especially ones that might be tied to things that you wish to remove from your life can easily be burned.
Water - If your offering is organic then placing them in moving water such as a stream or river to wash them away is a perfectly acceptable way to dispose of them. You can also place some organic offerings on the beach to be swept away by the tide. Though please use common sense, our oceans and bodies of water contain enough garbage, make sure you only dispose of organic offerings.
Earth - If your offering is organic such as food, drink, blood, plant materials, then there is no harm in burying them at the end of the ritual. This returns it to its natural habitat and returns the energy to the one that it was presented to. If you have a garden or compost this can be a great place to dispose of ritual offerings. Some offerings or ritual items require you to bury the item in certain places, like burying them on the property of your target, or burying them in your own yard.
Leaving for wildlife - If you are working with food items and they are not poisoned or contaminated through the working, it is perfectly acceptable to leave them for wildlife and insects. This can be a great way to honor the energy of the ritual and the entities involved. This is great for gratitude rituals or rituals honoring a specific time of the year. If you work with a food item, it can be scattered and left for the local wildlife to consume. Some rituals even call for leaving such offerings for the nature spirits and the gods of the wild. It really depends on the nature of the ritual you are performing.
Fit for Consumption - This is a strange one but if you are doing any translocation work or any work where you invite the entity into yourself, some of them may ask you to consume the offering. This should only be done if the offering is non-toxic and is, in fact, fit for consumption.
Letting nature take its course - If you offer a bowl of water or do a ritual with herbs outside you can just leave them. The water will naturally evaporate and the herbs will decompose into the Earth. Nature knows how to take care of these things and some offers are completely safe to leave. Flowers will wither and return to the Earth and the passage of time will take its course. Some things are best left for nature to do with it what it will.
Leave on the altar - Some offerings are permanent offerings. They are gifts for the beings that you work with and you can keep them on the altar indefinitely. This is good for offerings like crystals, candle holders or items that will not decay. These offerings can be gifts to your companions and deities and they make the altars incredibly beautiful. The nice thing about these items is that they can be used with any work that you do with them and their energies build over time.
Garbage -Ok some rituals call for this. If you are doing curse work, a banishment spell, or working with offerings that are not so nice so you can and should feel free to dispose of them in the garage. This will work especially well for banishments because hey, you want them removed from your life anyway! Some items are best to be disposed of as far away from you as possible. The garbage is a very efficient way to dispose of many offerings that you need removing away from you.
How you dispose of your items will depend on the workings you are doing as well as what the ritual is aimed at. Think about the ritual that you are doing and what makes the most sense for disposing of the offerings. Don’t be afraid to get creative and follow your own thoughts and inspirations, but always use common sense.
ii-wy em Hotep - Patrick Gaffiero
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