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Sacred Sites: Giving Thanks
It should come as no surprise to the readers of Old Ways how much emphasis I place on the simple act of giving thanks. It's the foundation behind my relationship with the divine and the core of my daily prayer. Whether I'm casting a circle or working with the spirits of trees, giving thanks is always an integral part of the process.
When I'm working with a sacred site that I've already established a relationship with, it's still pretty common for me to offer gifts to the spirits of the site from time to time. It doesn't really matter whether it's a physical offering or a gift of time and energy, either way I tend to keep things pretty simple.
For instance, after working with a site, I'll often stop for a moment and offer a simple thank you to the spirits of the place.
Pushing my intent into my closed hands...
When I do this I usually close my hands as I speak my thanks, letting the energy of my thankfulness build, my clenched fists preventing it from flowing out of my body. (I wrote a simple introduction to energy work and the lesson from The First Cycle, Energy from Physical Sources goes into additional detail on the concept, although neither address this particular technique.)
...and then releasing the energy with a word of thanks.
As I reach the end of my thank you, I open my hands and let the accumulated energy flow from my body and back into the site, as demonstrated in the above photographs taken at the end of a ritual in a local sea cave.