In many pagan and wiccan traditions, it's not uncommon to make some sort of offering or sacrifice to the gods. Bear in mind that despite the reciprocal nature of our relationship with the divine, it's not a matter of "I'm offering you this stuff so you'll grant my wish." It's more along the lines of "I honor you and respect you, so I'm giving you this stuff to show you how much I appreciate your intervention on my behalf."
So the question arises, then, of what to offer them? Different types of deities seem to respond best to different kinds of offerings. For example, you wouldn’t offer flowers to a war god, would you? When making an offering, it's important to think about what the god represents. The Roman Cato described an offering for agricultural prosperity: Make offerings to keep your oxen in good health. Make the following sacrifices to Mars… three pounds of wheat, four-and-a-half of lard, four-and-a-half of meat and three pints of wine. While it's probably not necessary to go that far and offer up enough food to feed a small army to your god, the passage does illustrate the fact that our ancestors thought enough of their gods to take their offerings very seriously.
In general, bread, milk and wine are nearly always appropriate for any deity. Here are some ideas for specific offerings you can make to deities, based upon the types of gods they are:
Hearth and Home Gods:
* Food: Bread and grains, cooking oil, salt
* Drink: Milk, wine, cider
* Herbs: Rosemary, thyme
Gods of Love and Passion:
* Food: Eggs, honey, apples
* Drink: Wine, fruit juice
* Herbs: Lavender, sandalwood
Garden/Nature Deities:
* Food: Bread, cornmeal, fruit
* Drink: Milk, water
* Herbs: Bay
Gods of Prosperity and Abundance:
* Food: Grains, dairy products like cheese or eggs
* Drink: Milk, beer
* Herbs: Mint, pennyroyal, catnip
Ancestor Spirits:
* Food: Any meal from your family's table
* Drink: Drinks from the family table
* Herbs: Sage, sweetgrass
Childbirth or Fertility Godesss:
* Food: Eggs, baked sweets like cookies
* Drink: Milk (including breast milk)
* Herbs: Rose, sandalwood, apple blossoms
Books You Might Enjoy:
Melita Denning - The Aurum Solis
Benjamin Rowe - Xxxi Hymns To The Star Goddess
Aristotle - On The Soul
Aristotle - On Dreams
