Offerings to Asklepios

What to offer Asklepios

This page is sort of an evergoing process. From time to time I will update with new offerings and ideas, so check back once in a while (every other month is probably enough).

This is a small list of possible offerings to Asklepios, organized in cathegories and with a small explanation of why that particular offering is listed. Immediatly after the name of the offering you will see either AS or UPG. AS stands for Ancient Source, meaning that it is an historical offering to the God, while UPG stands for Unverified Personnal Gnosis, meaning that is something I feel or think is right, or something that as been revealed to either me or someone else and might not be right for anyone else.

So, let's get to it.

General Offerings

Money (AS, UPG) the health services are one of the most draining sector of public service in any developed country. You can help by donating money to Hospitals and Health Organizations and Events and I am sure the God will be pleased. In ancient times several times people would offer him money, which in some temples was thrown to the place were serpents were held.

Sports (UPG) Sports are good for you health, as long as not made in excess, and they were used by Greek doctors to cure many deseases and they still are. Helding sports competition was used to honour Gods in ancient time, although not Asklepios per se, but it seems fit for me.

Animals

Some people like to keep animals as an offering to Asklepios, something already practiced in Ancient Greece. Here are the animals connect to Asklepios, though some of them can't be peted at all.

Serpent (AS) the serpents and snakes have always been assotiated with earthly divinities. Asklepios temples even kept snakes as if they were epiphanies of the God and when a new temple was established a serpent from a pre-established center would be brought as a consecration of the new sacred space.

Cock (AS) Socrate's last words were for his disciple to sacrifice a cock to Asklepios, a debt he wanted to pay to the God. The cock was concecrated to several Gods and is one of Asklepios ancient symbols.

Dog (AS) Asklepios is said to come with his dogs, to tend to dogs and several sacred healings on his temples were attributed to works of his dogs.

Plants

Medicinal Plants (UPG) as a God of Medicine, Asklepios teaches us about which plants heal and which kill. Offering him back this knowledge will please the God. You can keep a medicinal garden, even in a pot, burn herbs or just put some of the beautiful flowers in a jar and use it to decorate the altar.

~Miguel

Nothing endures but change - Heraclitus