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Greeting Freyja: A Simple Rite

Greeting Freyja: A Simple Rite

Last updated on: December 10, 2016 at 12:01 pm by Laine Mardollsdottir

Greeting Freyja: A Simple Rite 2016-12-10T12:01:45-07:00 Laine Mardollsdottir

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In both day-to-day life and my Freyja-based FB group I’ve had folks asking about easy ways to reach out to the Lady. I thought about it and decided to write up a simple ritual to initiate a connection with Freyja, which I’ve presented here.

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(Courtesy of Pixabay)

Why Freyja?

So why would you want to connect to Freyja? Well, the tradition of calling on Her in matters of love is recorded in the lore on Her, so prayers for help finding love or sexual partners, or just a desire to have a deeper understanding of love and attraction are all good reasons to want to connect to Her.

Freyja is a teacher of seidh and other forms of intuitive magic. For the aspiring magician who is trying to grasp the Northern cosmos or engage it in spiritual practice She is excellent to reach out to. She is also good at spiritual protection; in the Lay of Hyndla in the Poetic Eddas she is seen as removing the curse from a potion that was meant for one of Her people, and calling down a ring of fire to bar the giantess Hyndla from attack. She is also one of the Vanir, Gods known for their powers of foresight.

Freyja is a priestess, known as Blotgydja, the Priestess of the Sacrifice. She has a lot to teach about ritual and practice and especially offerings and sacrifices. I call on Her as Blotgydja when preparing ritual space, as you’ll see below.

Freyja loves gold and wealth and is known as Gefn, the Giver. She is generous to people that She loves, and is of a tribe of Gods that are known to bring prosperity to their followers.

"Freyja and Cats and Angels by Nils Blommer. From WikiMedia

“Freyja and Cats and Angels by Nils Blommer. From WikiMedia

There are a lot of reasons to ask Her for help, but more than any of these is the pleasure of getting to know Her and have Her in your life. Freyja is warm, loving, and protective towards Her people. She can be challenging when She thinks that we can handle it because She wants us to be strong, but it is never with an eye towards harming us. Having Her as a presence in your life is a blessing all of its own, and Her gifts, Her foresight, and Her protection are all side benefits of having the honor of having a relationship with the Lady.

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(Courtesy of Pixabay)

Greeting Freyja

It will be helpful to have:

A couple of candles

A space to set the candles and make a simple ve or shrine for Freyja

An offering to pour for Her (Mead is good, so is any sweet or strong drink. Lacking those, use sweet teas or fruit juices. Lacking those, use water.) The Lady is going to be your guest, so at least provide Her with the kind of drink you would offer to a mortal guest. There are many other gifts and offerings that are appropriate for Her; some are listed here.

Cleansing

First we do a cleansing. Most traditions have some sort of cleansing rite, to prepare you and the space for the presence of and interaction with the divinity that you are calling. Flames have been used to bless property in some places in Northern Europe, where a torch or light is carried to all parts of the property and the shadows chased out. Some Heathens call on Thor in the Hammer Rite, but as I don’t have a regular practice involving him and She is perfectly capable of helping with this work I call to Her for it.

Take a candle and light it. Say, “Sacred flame, in Freyja’s name, cleanse and bless this space. Banish from it all baleful wights and wills and make it whole and holy. In Freyja’s name, oh sacred flame, so be it. Hail Blotgydja!” Pass it in front of and around your body. Walk with it around the space, making sure to shine the light in corners and dark spaces especially. Set the candle down in the space you want to use.

Invocation

Set up a space for Freyja. Include statuary images, or things that are important to Her, especially amber if you have any. Face your shrine and call to Her. You can say Her names, write out a wordy invocation (I like doing that, but that’s me) or sing to Her. Here is a sample invocation that you may use if you like:

Hail to Freyja, cat-chariot riding,

Hail to Freyja in passion abiding,

Hail to Freyja in red-gold lust screaming,

Hail to Freyja in deep seidh-trance dreaming,

Hail to Freyja on falcon wings flying,

Hail to Freyja in dwarven bed sighing,

Hail to Mardoll in brightness and beauty,

Hail Blotgydja in your sacred duty,

Hail to Freyja in passion and power,

Hail to Freyja, bright Vanaheim’s flower!

Hail, Freyja, Vanadis! Be welcome in your shrine, be welcome my home, be welcome in my life.

Make Offerings

Now is the time to present Her with any offerings. It’s good to come with gifts when meeting friends, whether new and prospective friends or long term ones.

Light a candle for Her, and say something like, “I light this candle in your honor. May its warmth and brightness and sweet scent please you and bring you joy. Hail Freyja!”

Pour the drink for Her, and say something nice about it. “For you, Freyja, I pour this mead, the essence of honey transformed. May its gold be like your gold, its warmth suffuse you, its flavor please you, its honey give you health and power. Drink deep of it and may you find within it all that you want and all that you need. Freyja, accept my offering!” You can take a drink as well, sharing with Her if you like, just don’t do it from the portion offered.

If you have any other gifts for Her, talk them up and present them nicely to Her. It’s not inappropriate to sing to Her. She likes to have Her names sung and is known for a fondness for romantic and bawdy music.

Once you’ve given Her gifts, tell Her why you’ve called Her, even if it’s as simple as curiosity.

Then be silent. Spend some time being quiet internally and externally, eyes closed or focused on an image that brings Her to mind. You may feel Her presence as feelings of warmth and love. You may see or hear Her in your mind.

Or you may feel nothing. Sometimes it takes some time to recognize the presence of a deity and sometimes they just don’t seem to respond. The Lady tends to be responsive to people, and She’s been growing more and more present over the last few years.

After you’re done thank Her and leave the space to end the rite.

sunset-1815991_640

(Courtesy of Pixabay)

What next?

There are a lot of good resources on developing devotional relationships with deities. I recommend Silence Maestes’ Walking the Heartroad, and John Beckett’s blog Under Ancient Oaks has a lot of good to say about the subject. If you are going to continue interacting with Freyja, I recommend learning more about Her, and I can’t suggest a better resource than Patrician Lafayllve’s Freyja, Lady, Vanadis. Cara Freyasdaughter’s blog Freya: The Golden Thread mostly devoted to Her, and my other writings are peppered with things about Her.

May the Lady give you good gifts and be a brightness in your life.

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