Libations: What and where?

[u/Pixeldevil06]

What do you typically consider to be something you would pour for libations? Do you pour yours into a libations bowl at an altar, or straight onto the ground outside? Both? When is is more appropriate to do one over the other? What would not be appropriate to pour as a libation?

I've seen people pour Libations of wine, water, and tea. What else is typically poured? Would you pour juice or expensive soda? Would you pour modern alcohols? Like flavored smirnoff? Domestics? Would you pour lemonade or other fruit extract drinks? Do you burn oil or alcohol that's poured in the libation bowl, or are burnt liquids poured elsewhere? How often do you empty a libations bowl? Immediately after the ritual or a whole day? Maybe once it starts to lose quality?

I've seen both libations poured into a bowl and poured onto the ground. Which do you do and why? What is the etiquette for a libation poured onto the ground?

In general for both: Is it ok to drink from a bottle that still has liquid left in it after it is poured as a libation? Is a verbal hymn, invocation, or promise required or preferred before a libation?

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[u/totalimmoral]

A libation is any liquid poured as an offering so yes, all of those that you just listed can be considered libations.

If I'm doing a ritual outside, I pour it on the ground. If I'm doing it inside, I pour it in a bowl. Sometimes I will dispose of it outside, sometimes not, as long as its removed from human use and poured out respectfully.

[u/Arboreal_Web]

It depends on a number of contextual factors, both practical and spiritual.

Wine, beer, water, and milk seem to be the most common historical libations across time and cultures, afaict, but really you could do it with any beverage that seems to relate to the deity/spirits being honored.

Outside of Hinduism and the use of ghee, I have never heard of people burning flammable libations…but think it could be awesome and powerful (if done safely). Some pagan somewhere has undoubtedly done it.

> [remove it] once it starts to lose quality

This is the general rule for perishable offerings, yes. Or at the end of the ritual. Or even just when your intuition tells you it can go.

Pouring libations onto the ground is mostly done when honoring deities associated specifically with the Earth/Nature or the Underworld. It’s kind of about where you’re “sending” the offering. (That said, it’s fine to just use bowls and sink-drains if that’s all a living-situation allows for.) Religious etiquette on this will vary across traditions…please also make sure to learn about any relevant human laws or regulations which might be in place in your area, and mindfully consider how your libations will impact your neighbors and local eco-system. (ie - Don’t pour alcohol onto fertile soil or growing plants, as an extreme example.)

Many traditions allow for, and even include, consuming some of the offering yourself. Again, follow your intuition on that, it might change up from time to time. Anything left over that didn’t actually get offered is def yours to do with as you please.

I practice libation as a very occasional thing. The approach I take - I have a small glass pitcher (thrifted) and some ceramic bowls (I made as a kid) which I’ve dedicated to ritual use only. Usually, but not always, I feel moved to take a small sip from the libation bowl itself a few minutes after offering. What I do with it after ritual, whether poured down the drain or given directly to the Earth always depends on current housing situation.

[u/totalimmoral → u/Arboreal_Web]

I have made oil offerings to fire before! But yes, safety first

[u/Arboreal_Web → u/totalimmoral]

Well…now I have heard of it being done. Really, that is awesome. Can def imagine a number of good scenarios for it.

[u/Obsidian_Dragon → u/Arboreal_Web]

It's a...Hellenic? practice, if I recall correctly.

[u/Arboreal_Web → u/Obsidian_Dragon]

Source?

[u/Obsidian_Dragon → u/Arboreal_Web]

Vague recollection as I rummage through various online rituals for good peices to borrow and having witnessed it once or twice. Otherwise like, here, I guess, after a causal perusal: https://www.hellenicgods.org/burntofferings

[u/Arboreal_Web → u/Obsidian_Dragon]

Nice, thanks.

[u/Pixeldevil06 → u/Arboreal_Web]

This was very informative and helpful, thank you!

[u/GeneralStrikeFOV]

I have a glazed clay vessel for the purpose, and I almost always use whisky. I did use a honey liqueur once, for Brigantia, and a bumble bee was tempted by it and got stuck in it. I was upset because I thought it had drowned, but when I got it out of the cup, I saw a tiny movement and was able to carefully wash the sticky liqueur off it with water, and put the bee in a high place to dry off safely.

[u/Obsidian_Dragon]

It depends on who, what, when, where, and why.

Water, beer, wine, whiskey, brandy, milk, tea, apple cider....all have been libations for me or my grove. They're poured on the ground if we're outside, or in a bowl to be poured on the ground later if we're inside. Sometimes it's a shared offering and I drink it after awhile, instead.

I know folks who do make offerings into the fire, but we can't have fires where we typically are, so we don't.

We often will pour the entire bottle out, but again, it depends. I definitely have bottles that I sometimes drink from and sometimes make offerings from.

[u/thecoldfuzz]

With offerings, I have a special space in my backyard to make both solid and liquid offerings. The honeyed bread and berries I use for offerings gets deposited near the spot where I pour my libations. The libations are usually milk, rum, and mead on vey special occasions. I know the gods don’t have a problem with me just depositing them in the yard because the local fauna very readily snatches up the honeyed bread practically every time.

[u/laboheme1896]

To be honest most of my libations are energy drinks these days lol…..
I’ll just pour out a little usually in a bowl and share it

[u/MNdruids]

Just about every ceremony has a libation in the Reformed Druid tradition; it's a bit of a hallmark in Reformed Druidism. Whiskey or scotch is customary in the summer half of the year, and water is typical in the winter half of the year.

The libation (in the RDNA) comes after the Waters-of-Life or Waters-of-Sleep have been passed and shared. In our ceremonies, we have the line "To thee, o Earth-Mother, we return this portion of thy bounty, even as we too must one day return to thee."

And the remaining Waters in our individual chalices and in the serving pitcher are cast to the fire. When it's alcohol (summer), we get a good theatrical fireball at the libation. In the winter rituals, our Waters contain no alcohol, and the libation usually extinguishes our fire, symbolic of the amount of life present in the Season of Sleep. If we can't have a fire (which is rare), the libation is poured on the altar stone or to the ground.