In this short series of videos we are going to construct a devotional poem or offering for the ancestors or gods. You can of course use this at any time of the year or tailor to your own needs.
When we think about an offering, we are inclined to imagine physical objects – votive items, placed or broken according to tradition, or burnt so that the smoke rises like prayers on the wind. Some devotional offerings are meant to be permanent, to honour the gods or ancestors for years while others are transitory, sent from this world to the next, ghosts of our intentions and hopes.
But we possess the ability to create offerings that are at once both permanent and transitory, that we can use again and again but which pass from here to the Otherworld on our breath. They can be elaborately crafted, tailored to every need and suit every mood. We can offer them up and preserve them at the same time.
