Giving Offerings to the Land and Ancestral Spirits
I originally wrote this article for my Patreons around “Thanksgiving” or the National Day of Mourning. Below you’ll find the original text of why I thought it would be a good ritual to share. While I did share this around that time, I feel that this is a great ritual to do anytime you want to express gratitude or on a routine basis to form a meaningful connection with the spirits of the land.
Tomorrow is a day that holds a good deal of weight. It is a day of mourning. And it is also a day that many of us have nostalgia around or heavy memories. This year may be even more difficult for some. However we feel about the day, we can hold all feelings at once. It can be a day where we continue to give gratitude for what we have while simultaneously understanding that it is racist and holds extreme supremacist and capitalistic values.
I wanted to share some guidance and suggestions for giving gratitude to the spirits of the land and the land itself. I feel this is one small step we can do to share our energy and gratitude to the spirits who guard and care for the land on the astral plane and the indigenous tribes who once cared for the lands.
If you’ve never done this before, I highly suggest taking some time before you do this to visit Native Land to research the land you live on: https://native-land.ca/ This will help you at least have one method of addressing the people who once lived where you live.
An image of a circular walking path carved out in grass and lined with stones.
NOTE: You can do this inside if you also live in a majorly urban area with no way to access an open space of land. Or if you're high risk and don't leave the house. You can also do this in an open space (a backyard, a park, the beach, etc).
Here is what you will need:
A single candle in whatever color you choose (tea light, birthday, novena) I suggest white or yellow.
A glass of tap water.
A gathering of food offerings that can be easily buried if placing outside or placed on a clean table or shelf separate from your ancestral altar or boveda. If you have outside space and are able to bury your offerings you can place cut-up fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, things like this that don't have any salt. I always suggest fruit because it's easiest and spirits love it.
If you’re doing this inside
1. Create space on a small table or shelf. Any space is fine, it does not have to be massive!
2. Gather your food offerings and add it to a container. Place this on the shelf.
3. Gather some things from outside (fallen leaves, pinecones, dirt, stones, etc) and circle the container with these items.
4. Cast a protective circle around yourself or call in your protective guardians.
5. Light your candle.
6. Call out to the spirit of the land, the spirits who lived on the land, and the tribe to whom the land belonged. Tell them how grateful you are. Tell them you know they suffered at the hands of so many but that you honor them and are grateful for them. You are grateful for all they did to preserve the land.
If you’re doing this outside
1. Gather all of your items before heading outside. Find a small space where you can sit quietly and alone.
2. Carve a small hole in the land with your hands. You can also gather some stones to line the circle for an added touch.
4. Cast a protective circle around yourself or call in your protective guardians.
5. Light your candle.
6. Call out to the spirit of the land, the spirits who lived on the land, and the tribe to whom the land belonged to. Tell them how grateful you are. Tell them you know they suffered at the hands of so many but that you honor them and are grateful for them. You are grateful for all they did to preserve the land.
7. Place your food offerings in the hole and cover them with dirt. Sit in gratitude while the candle burns down.
NOTE: If you would like to make a commitment to either the land, the spirits of the land, or the specific tribe, you can do so by committing to place an offering at set times (once a month, for example). You can also make an offering in the form of money to an organization serving indigenous folks.
Here is an example of how you can phrase your statement after lighting the candle:
"I call the spirit of the land on which I reside. I call to the spirits who once dwelled here and who continue to dwell here. Keepers of this land. I call to the Southern Paiutes, the Desert People. I place this offering of food and water and light. May it serve to nourish you. May it serve to guide you when needed. I call you here to give gratitude. I call you to tell you that you are not forgotten. You, keepers of this land, will never be forgotten. I am here to acknowledge the unjust actions you faced. I am here to acknowledge none of it should have happened. You are not forgotten and will never be forgotten. I am grateful for you, for all you did to preserve this world and this land."
If you choose to commit to these spirits you can say something like: "Out of respect and gratitude, as someone who resides and practices on your land, I commit to honoring you with [tobacco smoke] [once a week]." Insert your offering and the commitment in the brackets.
Sit in that space for a small while. Take note of anything you feel. Does anything feel familiar? Have the spirits already made themselves known before? After sitting with them, take some time to close the space. You can do this verbally or through visualization. I usually say something like this:
"I will leave these offerings for you for three days. I am grateful for your energy today. This ritual is now complete. Thank you." And then I energetically close the space and pull my energy back in. I often tell my protective guardians to keep the land spirits in the small altar space and to keep any wandering spirits only in that space and away from me, but you can do whatever you need to do to feel safe and secure afterwards.
May this help you on your journey.
An image of a red rock canyon or mesa with a family on the lower edge of it against a clear light blue sky.
