Based on your research for Questions 1 above, describe what sort of offering would be appropriate to make to the Nature Spirits in your area, and what would be an appropriate way to make such an offering and why. Discuss the potential ecological consequences of making this offering and ways to modify the offering in order to minimize any negative environmental impact. (minimum 100 words)
In all honesty, I think appropriate environmentally conscious offerings in my area are really no different than those made in any other area. At CedarLight Grove, we’ve learned that regular alcoholic offerings in the same spot are bad for the foliage in the drain-off for that particular area. We now offer to cauldrons and spread the excess in multiple locations. We offer grass and clover to the Earth Mother to combat the trampled grass around our circle from our regular events. We offer water to the trees during the droughts, we offer bird-seed for the Nature Spirits to consume, we offer water (and coffee) to the well for the Ancestors, and we offer incense to the Shining Ones. Most of these compliment the sacred land upon which we tread and worship, and I think most of these practices would do well in any environment, in any state within this country or any country.
I could see offerings of silver build-up being a problem if I thought the amount of silver offered was not diluted by the environment as a whole. Perhaps if hundreds of people were offering silver in one location constantly it would create a problem, but nature is pretty resilient an adaptable. Perhaps even an excess of bird seed that somehow forced the local nature spirits to “rely” on its presence could be an issue, but to me that just means I should be more pious and dedicated in keeping the offerings there for them.
I am proud of my Grove for how eco-concious we have become over the years. I’m proud of how we’ve paid attention to our local environment enough that we see what we can do to change our methods of worship to be just as powerful, but just as respectful to our natural world as well.
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