When we think of offerings we usually think of the bits of cakes and ale that we give to the Goddess during ritual time. These offerings are a symbol of thanks for her presence within that ritual, thanks for protecting and watching over us during and outside of ritual space. But, doing an offering isn’t just saved for this time! Not only are there special offering rituals for Gods and Goddesses specifically, you can do offering rituals for the elements as well.

During ritual, many people give offerings to the Goddess and God. Why do we do that? We are thanking them for being present in our circle and thanking them for watching over us not only in circle but, also in our daily lives. Elemental offerings are used the same way. The elements are also very important within circle and outside as well so we should give a bit of thanks now and then. The offerings can also be used to strengthen your connection with the elements. If a person works with a specific element enough they will feel quite connected to the element. It’s a good idea to give an offering when working with the elements. 

 An offering can be left at any time. Rituals can be done to present the offerings to the elements during the Full or New moon and on any Sabbat. Another option for when to leave an offering is to think about what day each element corresponds to and leave the offering on that day. Realistically, you can leave an elemental offering at any time. It just depends on why you’ve left the offerings and what you’re working towards.

So what kind of things does one offer to the elements to show their appreciation and thanks? Well, that depends on which element you’re giving an offering to! Here are some suggested stones herbs and things that you can leave as offerings to the elements.

After we’ve figured out what we want to give as an offering to the elements our next step is to figure out where to leave the offerings. This is a personal choice and you should do as you see fit. When I do elemental offerings I find it best to leave these offerings on the altar in the correct spot according to the direction. If you have a larger ritual space set up you can create an altar for each element and leave offerings at each one of the elemental altars. Another option is to go outside if at all possible. A word of caution of course would be not to leave burning candles or incense outside as offerings if you are not planning to sit there and watch them.

This is just a guideline to go by as are most things magickal. You should do what you feel is right for you. Giving offerings need not be a huge formal ritual process. You can have fun with it and the elements will appreciate it just the same.