Yes! My offerings are TRASH….collection!
On a recent TikTok video, I mentioned how one of the offerings I make in my Witchcraft practice is trash collection. This confused a few folx as they’re not familiar with this practice. I’ve explained my “whys” below, along with what an offering is, and why it is useful in a Witchcraft practice.
But first…
The Keynote for So Mote That Con ‘25 is: MARA WILSON!
Mara Wilson is well known for her roles in “Matilda” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” but she is also a highly-accomplished writer and narrator and she’s coming to So Mote That Con ‘25!
So Mote That Con 2025
A Virtual Conference on Living as a Witch in Today’s World
October 18-19, 2025
The Magick. The wisdom. The shenanigans…and one HELL of a line-up!
So Mote That Con is the virtual conference I’ve co-hosted with my TWL Cohorts for five years running and this year, our keynote is MARA WILSON! Yes. THAT Mara Wilson: of “Matilda” ,”Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Miracle on 34th Street!” and more! She’ll be chatting with us about her own Magick of the movies as well as her own spiritual journey in a live Q&A.
Other presenters and workshops include:
Mychal Bryan: The New Western Medical Astrology
Rossá Crean: Chromatic Currents
J. Allen Cross: Threshold Magic
Morgan Daimler: Fairies and Witches
Mónica Divane: Decolonizing Your Magick
Dawn Aurora Hunt: Morning Ritual
Kanani Soleil: Witchcraft In Suburbia
Hilary Whitmore: Sound Cleansing
And me! Courtney Weber: The Dangerous Goddess
Full bios and workshop descriptions
Tickets are available at the early bird price BUT if you’re a paid subscriber of my Cauldron Calling Platform, you receive 10% off admission! Ticket prices go up September 15, so be sure to get your tickets ASAP!
Witch Work: What Is An Offering?
Offerings are small gifts or acts that are given to effigies of or sacred spaced dedicated to a deity, an ancestor (or ancestor team), or other Spirit or Spirit group.
Typical offerings include:
- Food or drink left on an altar or a sacred space, or outside.
- Poetry, song, artwork
- Acts of service
The third one is my favorite kind of offering and in my experience, few offerings are more well-received by Spirit than trash collection.
Why is this?
1.) There is nothing more sacred than the land
Across traditions, across cultures, there is NOTHING more sacred than the land and across the world, the land is getting seriously trashed. Collecting trash is a beautiful act of respect and care for the land. Deities, ancestors, and other Spirits know this.
2.) Land does not need MORE STUFF.
Even with the best intentions, leave “stuff”as an offering can be detrimental to the land. At sacred sites around the world, ancient and beloved monuments and even flora and fauna is frequently injured by well-meaning Witches leaving offerings that pollute. In one particularly devastating example, a 1,000+ year old oak in Glastonbury (one which was believed to be part of a processional path used by Druids) caught fire when someone left a burning candle as an offering at its base. LET’S DO BETTER, WITCHES.
The land does not need more stuff. It needs clean-up.
3.) Collecting trash opens you to the land’s gifts and treasures
When you stop to collect trash, you are automatically noticing the land. You are looking around. You’ll not only see trash, you may see what plants are thriving and which are sick. You are likely to notice what invasive species in the area need removal. You may also see other wildlife which can bring you insight.
When we leave “stuff” offerings, we’re likely to stay inside our heads. We’re thinking about what we’re giving and why. But when we collect trash, we’re forced to think outside of ourselves. Introspection is great. But sometimes stepping outside of ourselves provides even greater insight and gifts.