Lets say I call up a spirit/god using a libation like wine. If I pour the libation from the chalice then when i’m done with the ritual, continue throughout my day and drink the rest of the wine in the bottle, is that wrong?
Pour the wine from the bottle into the chalice and leave it out for twenty four hours after which dump it somewhere on your property. You can drink from the bottle all you want as long as the bottle of wine wasn’t offered to the spirit. I often say something like, “I drink with you (spirit name) out of honor and respect!”
I’ve been pouring the libation from the chalice onto the floor during the ritual. I thought that was the way to do a libation. Have I been doing it wrong?
You only need to pour a few drops on the floor. In ATRs the dead have libations poured on the floor as they are closest to the earth. If you are pouring libations for a cthonic or underworld spirit the gesture would be correct and relevant most of the time.
So if my temple is my bedroom then do i pour a few drops then leave it sitting on my altar which is in the middle of my room? Then is it okay for me to blow the candles out, put the TV on, blast my music, or play a video game with my altar setup with the chalice in my room while all of that is going on?
What I do is pour a cup for the spirit, usually a shot glass and leave it in front of the spirits statue or sigil. As far as having it in your bedroom I prefer to make the offerings and then cover the altar (offering too) with a cloth/sheet whatever to give the spirit privacy as well as set a kind of personal boundary. It’s like saying that is your personal space, this is mine.
Now if you are doing dream work or things like that then I leave the altar uncovered with a fresh cup of whatever you are pouring set out as payment.
I would say a few drops onto the altar or even wetting your finger and tracing a sigil would be sufficient if you have carpet and don’t want your floor stained up.
It’s fine to leave the chalice in your room on your altar, just don’t disturb it for about 24 hours. You shouldn’t blow out your candles after ceremony, it is better to snuff them. Blowing out candles is considered a sign that the magic is complete to the spirits.
What do you mean by ‘snuff them out’?
Using one of these things: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_snuffer]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_snuffer[/url]
If you use pillar candles that develop a large pool of liquid wax, or tealights, blowing the flame out sometimes causes a spray of wax, so they’re a good tool to have.
Or your poor fingers if you don’t got one.
In Hellenic practice, you would pour the libation directly into the altar flame. Anything left in the chalice or bowl after the libations is consumed. Of course, this is for Olympian spirits - for Chthonic spirits, there is no fire and the libations are poured directly into the ground - and not just the ground, but into a small pit dug for the purpose. Anything left is likewise poured into the ground, as it is considered dangerous to consume anything a Chthonic spirit might have touched.