So apperently spells require sacrifices. What sacrifices are appropriate for large wish spells
1. Is money acceptable, if so how much
2. Should I just throw away the most important object I can find
3. If a spell is major enough to require a sacricice where exectly do you chuck what you're giving up. Do I bury it, flush it, throw it in the garbage, I hope I don't have to burn it
What you sacrifice, how much of it, and in what way are all determined by the nature of the spell and what spirits you are working with. When doing a healing ritual for my mom's dog I made a monetary donation to the Animal Rescue Foundation as a form of sacrifice in keeping with the spirit of the spell. I made that sacrifice to show that I was serious about my petition for Sunny's health and that I was willing to give something up to receive this blessing of healing. This is a very common reason to sacrifice, but you may also be called upon to sacrifice as a show of suffering/humility, or as a payment to the spirits you've called on - some spirits are like greedy people and just won't help until you've brought them their favorite thing.
So just take a moment to examine why you're even sacrificing and you'll probably figure out what kinds would be appropriate.
I think I can understand the idea of sacrifice by themes:
1. To get wealth work in a soup kitchen
2. (This ones a kicker) To get a good grade study
3. To heal someone donate to a health foundation
It still leaves a few questions. These sacrifices involve putting an effort towards the goal, whether for yourself or others but what about love spells(like attracting a lover), or silly spells that might improve the way other people see you. That seems like the sacrifices qould have to be different. Do sacrifices make any spell more powerful? Also should sacrifices be before or after a spell?
With things like love spells you might need to be a little more creative in how you sacrifice. If you are petitioning a deity like Hathor your sacrifice could be giving up beef and maybe milk. This could be either temporary or permanent, or you could swear it off until you can find a nice humane farm to get them from. If you are a proponent of gay marriage you could also donate your time or money toward its legalization.
If neither of those are quite relevant you could just be a little more generous in your definition of "love" - volunteer to help out the mentally disabled or the elderly. Both are quite loving ventures because, as truly sad as it is, most of what your volunteering will be is just talking to them because these people are so damn lonely. I also think that an animal charity would fit well here, too. Animals cannot pay you back. Everything I have given for my cat - the effort, the chores, the money, forgiving the things she has messed up or destroyed - all of that was for her just because I love her and I believe she deserves a happy life. That, I feel, truly captures the nature of what love is.
In the case of spells which improve your appearance or make you a better speaker, there are many ways to sacrifice. There are entire foundations which help children with cleft palates or who have speech impediments. A monetary donation to either would be appropriate. You can also choose a particular article of clothing you think looks especially good (a necklace or a favorite shirt) and give that up, proving your faith in the ritual you are performing. Even better if you were to donate it to a charity that clothes the poor. You could also swear to become an activist for some cause you feel this deity might appreciate. In this case it would almost be like sacrificing the very thing you are asking for - become better looking and charismatic and then use your charisma to help fight for a cause.
I do not know for sure if sacrifices make a ritual or spell more powerful. I know that the workings I have sacrificed in have always worked very well and very quickly, so I tend to assume that it does.
I generally make my sacrifices after the spell unless otherwise compelled to. That way if my sacrifice is something physical like money I can put it on the altar to represent the sacrifice to come. I do try to sacrifice it ASAP afterward, but it's not like Divinity will get mad at me if A.R.F. is closed for the next few days. In fact, that just gives me more time to collect money to donate.
Unless a deity has a specific form of sacrifice they demand, don't worry too much about getting the sacrifice "just right." It's the intention and the spirit of the matter which count most. For example, in Islam during the holy month of Ramadan they fast from sunrise to sunset - no food or drink at all while the sun is out, and part of the reason they do this is for the sake of humility and understanding what it is like to live in a situation where food and clean water are not readily available. This just isn't reasonable for some people though - diabetics, the sick, the elderly, soldiers in a war zone, etc. - these people can't go that long without food or water without risking their lives. In such a case you donate enough money to feed a person for a day. The two sacrifices look rather different, food and money, but the heart of the sacrifice remains the same.
Whether or not you need to actually believe in a deity is actually a point of debate. Some feel that gods like Hathor actually exist, some feel that they are just convenient little ways of addressing that part of your psychology, and some kind of straddle the line and think Hathor is a convenient way of addressing the love-based part of an actually existing main Goddess.
Which you believe is obviously up to you.
Choosing a random deity is not terribly advisable. Regardless of whether or not you believe Hathor is a real and distinct cow goddess, you still need to have a good working understanding of Hathor in order to call upon / use her in a ritual. Spend some time learning about her and the culture she came from. You don't need to study obsessively, just dedicate a few hours to scouring the internet to see what Hathor did in myth, what ancient Hathor worship involved, and what life was like in Egypt back when she was actively worshiped.
This is one of the reasons most magicians end up having one or two "main" pantheons which they have studied and worked with. I worked with Tyr for protection not too long ago, and while there may have been more protection-centric deities in existence, I know Tyr and the culture he came from, and that is way more important.
