The Birds And Squirrels
In my big maple tree
As a child I was taught to pray, Catholic style, set prayers in a set order, repeated over and over throughout a lifetime.
Prayer as an offering to God.
In the ancient world offerings included sacrifice. Sacrifice of the harvest, grain and animals. Human as well in some cultures, but undoubtedly such was misguided and unfit for the worship of deity.
We don’t sacrifice in those ways today, but I do think offerings are important.
And I tend to believe that the seeds and nuts I continually set out for the birds and squirrels who live in and around my big maple tree are an offering to the Gods. What better way to honor the divine than by making an offering that takes care of that which the Gods created?
My thought in sharing this brief post is that it just serve as a reminder that sacred things need not be complicated. An offering to God can be as simple as birdseed laid out to help the creatures that surround us survive a winter storm.
I also think you create an altar when you lay out the seeds and nuts for the birds and the squirrels
I actually have a small shrine in a secluded part of my yard, and make offerings every week. It's a grounding and comforting practice.