Your Offering Bowl
WITCHCRAFT
B
10/2/20265 min read
So you keep hearing about offering bowls.
What even are they? An offering bowl is typically where one puts offerings for a deity or natural force to honor them or in exchange for their help. The offerings are placed in the bowl and depending on the person/belief, more offerings are put in until the spell/wish/intention is granted. When it is completed, the offerings are taken somewhere to discard them and let nature take their energy back. If the offerings are mainly to honor someone/thing, like for example on a holiday. You place the offerings at the beginning of the day/holiday and leave them until the end. Discarding them as mentioned before.
With thousands of different versions available how do you know which one to get?
Well my first suggestion is to go with your gut. If you see a bowl that you like and that feels right, just go with it. There is one thing I would keep in mind here:
Decide whether or not you will be burning things like bayleaves or scraps of paper in this bowl.
Why is this important? Well, if the pretty bowl that you're being drawn to is plastic or made of a thin glass you might not want to burn anything in it. It'll end up melting or exploding, neither of which sounds very fun to clean up. You might be able to get away with it once or twice but after some time the heat will begin to affect more delicate materials.
Now if you're reading this thinking, 'I don't know what gut feeling your talking about just help me pick something.' Worry not as this first piece of advice still applies to you. If you think there might be even a slight chance that you're going to add a little fire to your spells, please consider making sure the bowl can handle it.
Materials to Consider:
Ceramic
Stainless Steel/Metal
Heatsafe Glass
Stone
Materials to Avoid:
Plastic
Thin/Not Heatsafe Glass
Natural Crystals
Wood
Natural Shells
Sidenote: If you're still new to the craft, rest assured you will not be making a bonfire in your house. There are small and simple spells that ask you to burn something as a way of releasing the energy contained in said item, like bayleaves or a scrap of paper with intentions written on it.
Now that you've been deciding on whether or not you can be trusted with setting small items on fire in a tiny bowl, let's move on to the next part. What do you want it to look like?
My offerings bowl was made by me in the 9th grade in ceramics class. I did not think of it as an offering bowl. I just wanted something pretty and shiny, hence the golden gloss. It's a bit duller on the inside after scraping off candle wax numerous times but it still holds up like a charm.
Now we can get to the fun part, appearence.
Do you want it to blend in or stand out?
Are you open about your practice or would you prefer to have a inconspicuous bowl in case someone comes across it?
Simply put, being more open about your practice gives you more options. You can go for a color or design that best suits your work or your deity. If you love herbs and gardening you can go for an earthy colored bowl with plant imprints on the sides. A deity like Hestia is often associated with home and hearth, making sure you have a fireproof bowl would be useful here.
Don't have a deity or still deciding on one? All good. Look at any symbols that stand out to you or seem to be your style. Use this as an opportunity to research the meanings of symbols and materials that you come across. No one exepcts you to know everything and NO you don't have to decide on a deity right away. Don't let people pressure you into anything, this is your journey and no one else's. Take your time and see what (or who) is out there.
Common Symbols and their Meaning in Witchcraft
Triquetra - represents Eternity, Interconnectedness, the Power of Three
Pentagram - Unity of Elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit
Moon - Femininity, Change, the meaning also changes depending on the phase
Sun - Raw Energy, Power, Vital Life Force, Masculinity
Sprial - Continuation of Life, Spiritual Growth, the Flow of Energy
Tree of Life - Interconnectedness of all things, Bridge between physical and spiritual worlds
Keep in mind the list above shows what the symbols stand for in witchcraft. I'm very aware that symbols have multiple meanings outside of the few shown above, depending on the culture they come from.
If you'd like to keep your practice more private consider a bowl that looks like an addition to your current decorations. Or if you're a scrappy person in general, maybe a small sauce bowl will suffice. Perhaps even a decorative bowl that would normally be used for jewelry or holding small keepsakes. They one thing I would suggest with this is to ONLY use the bowl for your practice. You want to keep the energy of your practice separate, granted you should normally cleanse your bowl before and after doing any type of ritual. I still highly recommend leaving it empty or at least not using it for other purposes besides offerings/spells.
In a way it helps you focus your energy, every time you set yourself in front of that bowl you will mentally shift to focus on your practice. After some time you will be able to tune into your practice with little to no fidgeting or questioning yourself.
Great, you know whether or not you want to set some things on fire and have an idea about what you want it to look like. Lastly, let's look at size.
Would you like a LARGE or small bowl?
I left this for last as most bowls come in a fairly standard size but there are variations. I have seen posts with people using offering bowls the size of soup bowls and others as small as the one I have. Mine fits quite neatly into the palm of my hand and has served me well for years. As of yet I see no reason to get one that is any bigger, I simply have no need for it.
However, I recognize that others might have different needs so I would definitely suggest that you look at what types of items you might be offering.
If you will mainly be offering things like spices or small flora that you have access to, then a smaller bowl will suit you just fine. On the other if you would like to offer larger pieces like wood, pinecones, or handmade objects, then you may want to consider something slightly bigger.
This is all up to you, decisions decisions.
For the record, in no way am I saying you should only have one bowl. If you would like a bowl for offerings and a seperate bowl for spellwork, by all means have at it. Just because I haven't seen the need for it doesn't mean you won't. I also only work with one goddess. If you have multiple deities you would like to honor, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have bowls for each.
I don't want you to stress yourself out thinking you need multiple bowls for multiple things, I just want to let you know there are many options and there is not ONE right way.
You want two bowls, get two bowls. Can only afford one, get one bowl. Easy.
I hope this was helpful, straight to the point and concise was my goal. Remember to have to fun, this shouldn't be stressful and there's absolutely no need to spend large amounts of money on a good offereing bowl. Unless you've got it, then by all means go crazy if you really like. Good luck on your search and blessed be.
-B
