How to thank Gods, Goddesses, spirits, and deities for their help and support.
Sometimes I use very simple charms to call upon the Goddess, God, or spirits (I am a soft polytheist) to help with things such as the bus arriving on time or getting a parking space, and sometimes I do a full ritual to ask for help. When they work and are answered I naturally want to thank the deities who helped me by contacting them, giving a gift or offering, and showing appreciation.
There are lots of different ways of doing this, simple appreciation and more complicated rituals of devotion. Depending on what the Goddess/God has done or answered for you, should be reflected on how you thank them.
A Simple Thank You (with or without an offering)
The first thing you need to do, is call upon those you want present (who you are thanking) in the way you usually do. Don't worry, it can be as simple as lighting a candle and speaking aloud. If you don't know what to say, here is an example:
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[Deity], God(dess) of [association], please join me on this night/day as I offer you my thanks (in the form of [gift]).
So, if you wanted to thank the Goddess Vesta, you could say "Vesta, Goddess of hearth and home, please join me on this night as I offer you my thanks" and if you have a gift to present, add the "in the form of roses from my garden" to the end.
This could be all you want to do, leaving the gift on your altar, or simply saying thank you aloud and then allowing the deities to stay or leave as they choose. To do this, simply say:
[Deity], please accept my sincere thanks for your aid. Stay if you will, go if you must. Farewell and blessed be.
A Bigger Thank You
Starting with the calling of your God/dess to you, as written in the simple example above, you could add any of these ideas to your ritual before you let the deities go:
- light a candle of the appropriate colour (letting it burn down is better than putting it out)
- burn incense associated with the deity or the deities power
- write a chant thanking the deity and speak it aloud
- perform free movement or dance (along with the chant would be lovely!)
- meditate on your appreciation (using the incense/candle)
- talk to the deity explaining your appreciation
- bury an offering to them (giving it to them, essentially)
- burn an offering to them (same as above, only burn if it is safe)
- turn your altar into an altar specifically for that deity (add the right colours, plants, incense, crystals, etc)
- write down your appreciation and burn that (an offering of sorts)
- purchase or acquire a representation of the deity to place upon your altar (a statue, drawing, etc)
- ...and anything else you can think of!
How do you thank your deities? Have you ever thanked, or never thanked? Are there any more ideas I should add to this post?
