Okay in an effort to decolinize my practice I figured Id ask. So I pagan, mexican american if it counts for anything, honor what I refer to as land spirts. Be them people, plant, animal, or something beyond my understanding. Is that okay?
I give water, fruit/food(nothing that could harm wildlife is left out or offered outside Ive given them a sandwich once though), and talk to them.
Hi! how are you? First of all, I want to say that I really appreciate you asking ! taking time and space to consider these things and being open to rethinking your Spirit relationships to the Land. It really is huge!!
To begin dissecting your question, that "mexican american if it counts for anything" caught my attention, before the actual question you asked did. I'd ask you, in turn: does it?
For you, I mean, does it count "for anything"? If you're mentioning it to me, it would indicate that it does, to some extent, yet the way that you mentioned it felt a bit like brushing it off. I'm not sure you meant it to come off that way but that is, in of itself, a thread worth pulling if you want to decolonize your relationship with Land spirits: in Indigenous worldviews, the Land we come from lives on in us regardless of where we may find ourselves, and so do their Spirits, who are our guides and guardians, they "rule" over our lives as much as they rule over the Land. If I were to do a divinatory reading for you, for example, I'd need to ask permission from those Land spirits that you belong to, in order to respectfully approach you as a whole spiritual being in a network of spirit relationships that make you, you. That is, who you are is a part of Them, and They are a part of who you are. They are also the ones that hold records over not only all information that concerns you, but also everything that concerns your entire bloodline, and even define your future. In our eyes, that relationship cannot go unacknowledged.
Which is why traditionally, many Indigenous Nations agree that in our relationships, we must acknowledge both the spirits of the Land we currently reside on, aswell as the Spirits of our own lineage and Land. Our relationship with the Land is, therefore, also the collective relationship of all our own relations (of origin and blood, the individual person being a collective of spirit relations) with all their relations (the Land you currently live on as a collective network of every person and spirit there). It's not strictly a 1-on-1 relationship, not even a 1-on-collective or practitioner-to-collective-Land-Spirits relationship. It's actually collective-to-collective, with you as an individual being the mediator or "representative" for every collective that you belong to. All that claims you, and all that you claim.
It's actually great that you're asking because I was just thinking about making a post related to this topic, since I mentioned in the Introductions post on Decolonizing Magic that we always introduce ourselves that way: including where we come from, and where we currently live. In Indigenous circles, that is because we recognize that we, as individuals, belong to the Land. The Land that I come from lives on within me, as I am an embodied Spirit of that Land, but so does the Land I currently inhabit, which nourishes me in every spiritual and material way since I've moved here. The Spirits that walk with me are central Andean and I currently live in the southern Andes. Being in relation to local Indigenous communities, participating in community, and doing my work and research here, I've formed countless relations with people and Spirits of this Land that add up to who I am, in relation to the Land. And even just living here, by the mere fact that the water of it's rivers sustain the blood in my veins, it's produce, my flesh, it's atmosphere, the air in my lungs, it's mountains, the mineral in my bones, It has become part of me as I have become part of it aswell. So even as a guest, acknowledging that I am not native to this region in specific, I am part of this Land as much as I'm part of the Land of my Ancestors and I represent both. As a relative, and as a guest, I follow the protocols and guidance of those who are Indigenous to this specific region, and maintain Reciprocity with Them, both living culture and Spirit relations, as one would a cousin who's come to stay in their home for a while.
Oftentimes, we don't even realize but the way that we present ourselves, and to what extent, reflects more about our worldview than we are conscious of, or intentional about. In your question, you started off defining yourself firstly as a pagan, then mexican american, and lastly asking about your offerings to Land Spirits. To decolonize that paradigm, I'd ask you to do a bit of a journaling exercise and answer in depth the following questions: what does it mean for you, as a pagan of your specific faith, to maintain a balanced, respectful, Reciprocal relationship with the Land Spirits? being that it seems to be your first or main identifier, how does your faith or religion answer to that question? and do you feel you're embodying that answer in your actions? Try to list qualities of a good guest from your personal, cultural or religious perspective, and also list how you embody those qualities, or take action upon them where you live, and with it's people.
Furthermore, besides offerings, the living cultures and traditional stewards of the Land you live on need to be acknowledged as much as the Spirit relations, if not more. How are you embodying that kind visiting cousin to the traditional stewards of the Land you live on? have you taken the time to engage with them? to learn from them the protocols and guidelines to tread on this Land respectfully, in Right Relationship and Reciprocity? do you know what it means, locally and culturally-rooted, to stay in respectful relationship to the Land, both spiritually and materially? The offerings you give may make sense to you as a pagan, and may be perfectly appropriate within that pagan context, but just to give an example, the local spirits I engage with don't take fruit specifically... other kinds of things are offered and only in certain locations, with a ribbon or piece of cloth tied to a nearby tree to commemorate the "payment" or "pact" for "rent" as it were. I learnt this directly from my local Indigenous relatives.
There is no universally accepted offering or protocol, and each Nation, and each Territory, is likely to have their own very specific cultural protocols, customs and traditions. I wouldn't say you should stop, I would say you need to be able to answer whether that offering is culturally, locally and traditionally acceptable, based on whether you've respectfully approached the local land stewards, of both Spirit and flesh, or not. In addition to being able to answer from your own, personal perspective as a pagan.
