How to Start a Practice

Things for Irish and I guess Gaelic polytheism. For me the way I started was to actually start making offerings. There are traditional foodstuffs that are offered and I started with milk. The first time was awkward of course. Prayers hadn't been worked out yet and I was nervous, but it was the start of something. It's ok to be rough when starting. Some things with offerings...I view them as important for contractual reasons because the Irish people agreed to give portions of their milk to the Tuatha dé Danann. And part of a sort of mutual trading things back and forth, or sharing I guess? That sort of thing is important to keep in mind when making offerings I feel. As is not demanding that the de ocus unde do things for you or show up. And groveling, begging, or being entirely "I AM NOT WORTHY OF ANYTHING" is a bad idea too in my opinion. They're better than you, sure, but have some pride in yourself. Just keep that pride checked and in place.

Some things about offerings. They aren't to be eaten or drank from most sources I've come across. With liquids you pour them out or let it evaporate. With solid foods you burn it, bury it, or drown it in a body of water. With burying animals will get to it but the basic idea is to keep beings in your family from consuming it. The toradh of the food is taken from it when its offered so it wouldn't be safe to eat on top of being rude.

Some common things to offer that are traditionally based in folklore and such from what I recall milk, butter, cheese, alcohol, potatoes, bread, and corn (not maize). Other things I've had good experience tea, coffee, finished dishes of food, meat raw or otherwise. Don't let the meat spoil if you use it.

Prayer wise I tend to go through a list of epithets and traits the particular god has. I try to mention these in thematic pairs or triples. After those comes "I honor you x and offer y in thanks". X being the god and y being the offering item. This isn't based in prayers found in the Carmina Gadelica like some prefer to work with, but it's very simple and appears to be fine. It also doesn't involve the strain of having to figure out how to repurpose and rebuild things from the Carmina Gadelica.

Don't offer metal things made of iron.

I think that's a very good idea - although I'm not sure a system could be created that's applicable to all polytheisms, unless it was very non-specific. But there definitely isn't enough guidance on practice, as opposed to research, in a lot of polytheisms. When I started doing GP, I was told "All you need to do is read [this list of academic books], and everything will become clear." It didn't! I had to do a lot more than just reading about the history of the Celts for it to begin to become clearer to me. I still don't quite understand how a couple of my friends, who swear by academic research as the sole basis of all their practice, go about it. It's possible that I have a disability issue going on here - I need a clear set of rules to do anything, a 'do this' approach, at least to start with. Once I realised that I could base a beginning practice around offerings, it all started to become a bit clearer (although I'm still confused at times!) A guide to *where to start* is a great idea.

Intaier and aondeug thanks so much for your replies. Well written both of you. I would like to ask though... both of your mentioned prayer and offering to deities. Any advice for which deities are good for a beginner to start with? If I'm not mistaken, aondeug, for Gaelic polytheism Brigid is usually easy to start building a relationship with and the Morrigan not as much? Also what about ancestor worship in your traditions? Do you pray and give offerings to them too?

Allec, you make a great point about research being a part of practice and saintfelicity your suggested approach to research is brilliant. Definitely need to take some time and evaluate my view of research to see if I can get away from "let me absorb and memorize all these facts". lol!

leithincluan, I think we feel the same way about having a basic practice to start with alongside research. I feel like it gives a "practical context" that will really help to make things clearer (hence why I started this thread). Seems like you can attest to that being the case, yes? =)

Thanks for all of your replies and I'm glad you guys feel like this is a topic worthy of discussion! =)

In my tradition? Hmmm.

Start with ancestor veneration. This is already steeped in my culture, so it's likely not too much of a stretch. A picture of your ancestors, a white candle, and offerings (typically rice wine or soju and food). You're supposed to leave it for them at midnight because that's when the spirits walk around. I don't though, importance on specific times never worked for me. Revert the offerings after bowing and prayer.

DO:
- Keep purity in mind at all times. You're not pure when you go up to the spirits, then you're begging them to bring shit down on you. This means no menstruation, no death in the home, no recent births.
- NOTHING IS TOO GOOD FOR THE GODS. A lot of our gods have a tendency to (when speaking through a manshin) be like, "What's this measly offering, this isn't enough, who do you think I am" so we have to be like, "You shut your mouth and you'll take these offerings, look how sad and pathetic these people are that they need your help!" sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, people have to literally pay up. Bribe the descended god with money because they know it's going to the manshin and the manshin will use it to placate them in shrine.
- Be very respectful (seems at odds with the typical banter that can happen at rituals, but it actually makes sense. When we're going back and forth with the spirits for being jerks, we're trying to protect and help our community, the ones hosting the ritual. outside of those rituals like when I'm just praying at a shrine doing 비손, I need to be very respectful)

DON'T:
- .. the opposite of the above basically. idk I'll probably have to come back and edit this as I remember it.

Other things to start off with 무교:
- set up a shrine. N-shrine works fine atm for 비손 and super simple 굿, since we typically use images instead of statues anyway. There's a lot of gods, so be prepared to set up a lot of shrines. Once a physical space is established, I'll have a lot of paintings up of my spirits on the wall above the shrine table, and on the shrine table, lots of offerings and tools.

it's a lot of prayer, supplication, offerings and asking the spirits to make our desire reality. I take a more 요술 approach in that I ALSO believe that the power to shift my own reality is within me.

Re: Gaelic polytheism, I actually can't recommend enough not starting with an offering to a specific deity, but giving an offering to the Three in general - that is, the Gods, spirits, and ancestors. Offering to a specific deity definitely isn't a bad or wrong way to start, a lot of people come to the religion that way (I did!), but I think if you have the opportunity to, offering to the general Three first is a much more low-pressure (and traditional!) way to go about things. This lets you start building relationships and an exchange of respect in a more low-key way and, I think, helps folks to feel comfortable taking a lot more time to learn and feel things out before gravitating towards one or a few deities specifically. There are some GP practitioners who never even "pick" specific deities, as it were.

This is my personal method, but usually when I give an offering, it's to the Three in general with special "invitations" to Brigid, Flidais, and Goibniu. I have a "hearth" candle that I light first to welcome the Three, and then I work clockwise lighting candles I've specifically selected scent-wise for Goibniu, Flidias, and Brigid respectively. Then I give my offering to everyone (for me, that's usually hot cocoa and cookies, because I like to make offerings before I settle in for my routine of documentary-watching and art-making, it's very cozy!). I do honor them individually from time to time, but that's usually for special prayers and thanks. Or holidays, things like that.

So, about the ancestors... you venerate them, but not worship them.
You may say special prayers *for* them, so they will be blessed by the Netjeru and have wonderful afterlife.
You may bring them offerings (as far as I know, the offerings made for the akhu, are not to be consumed).
You may speak up to them... asking for guidance or help or just chat casually.
Grave tending is an important thing.
I'm lucky to know most of my genealogical tree up to 8th generation of grandparents, and they were all great people deserving respect.
Sometimes, modern kemetics face problems if they had really problematic relatives and they don't want to deal with them at all.
But, this is a thing to note that not every deceased relative becomes enlightened spirit (akh). And they need rememberance, offering and prayers *about* them, not prayers directed to them. So, in a kemetic context it's proper to pray about the deceased relatives, and make the "voice offering" formulae for them.
And, it's also possible to venerate "ancestors as a whole" (in a generic way, especially for people who were adopted or don't know much of their family history).
And, it's possible to venerate historical figures.
And, it's possible to invite historical figures to become part of your spiritual "akhu" family.
It's not just making occasional offering or saying a short prayer just if you are in the mood to do such a thing (this happens often too; you may pass by some tomb or stela and feel inclined to say a prayer for these ancient egyptians, especially because they are always asking for it!) . It;s possible to invite someone to be a part of your family, and then you start building a relationship with them too.
You give them offerings regularly, and you treat them as if they were a part of your family by blood.
If you have working godphone, they may sometimes come to chat :)
It's very unique experience. Feeling of warmth, balance and real family, and the borders between world of the living and worlds of the akhu spirits, disappear :)