Letting go of the old
On Samhain night this year, I took the offerings that I had made over the last season and burned them in a cauldron on my grill. The grill itself is a gas grill, but I was using it for a safe space to burn my offerings.
Multiple times a week, I make offerings in my practice. They’re usually dry offerings, but sometimes include oils or resin incense. Since I make these offerings on my indoor altar, it’s difficult to burn them as I’d prefer.
Before my grill, I’d take my cast iron cauldron and burn the offerings on my concrete patio that’s a bit hidden from my neighbors. I put a layer of Epsom salts in the bottom of the cauldron, and soak it in a bit of rubbing alcohol then light the flames. Using tongs I’d place the offerings onto the flame in bits to burn. Because the flame was pretty open, I’d have to watch it the entire time.
Now that I have the grill, I have the option of closing the lid and letting it burn. I do like to watch the flames just in case. I will also sometimes sing songs to the Kindreds while I’m burning the incense to make it more spiritual and not just practical.
As you can see from the cauldron, I have a decent amount of offerings to burn! I think I’m going to get a bigger container to burn them in for the future.
If you live in an apartment and are allowed to have a grill – of any kind – it’s very useful for burning offerings in addition to cooking. The key is to have a safe place to have a fire. The more contained the fire (like on a tray or in a pot) the better to make clean up easier. Don’t put anything toxic on it and make sure to clean the grill well before cooking food on it again.
