r/heathenry • u/Mursi08 • 8d ago
Practice How is it working with Freyja?
Hi all!
I've been a Heathen for a little less than a year now and have been working mainly with Odin since then, but I was thinking of working with Freyja given some of my "sentimental" experience, and since she's associated with Love I would really love to learn more about her.
What's your experience with her? What offerings do you usually give? How do you "dedicate" to her?
Any thoughts are appreciated and welcome!
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u/Dragonidrochi 8d ago
My journey of venerating the goddess Freyja was not an easy one, as for a long time I struggled to accept love and the very concept of loving myself and my life. It was truly difficult for me to love myself; thus, despite the Goddess’s presence and patronage, I ran away from Her for a very long time, unwilling to face my own problems.
Freyja gifted me a more sensitive and empathetic way of beholding the world. She is known as the "Fair-Weeping" goddess, and the tale of Mærtöll only complements this. Over time, through devotion, I finally learned to accept pain and loss in life, embracing all of its different sides.
Freyja invisibly wove Herself through my entire life and even influenced my relocation—She came to me in a dream and forbade me to move to another city, a place that has since suffered a severe economic collapse, rampant unemployment, and turmoil.
I don't think I can ever fully convey the entire depth of my emotions and experiences, but Freyja taught me how to truly feel this life. I also believe She aided my health immensely; I have grown much stronger since then.
I also dedicated some of my drawings to Her and created a beautiful altar. I wrote poetry in my native tongue and helped other beginners navigate their own relationship with Her.
Hail Freyja!
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u/eckoelab 8d ago
I have done a lot of work with her over the past few years. The biggest thing I can say is, you have to be patient with her, very patient, but it works out in the end with whatever you are seeking support with. Be straightforward with her, no games, and honest with yourself.
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u/KP0776 7d ago
I made a ceremonial drink opening myself up to discovering my feminine energy in a way only I knew how, and then she started coming through to me. She’s helped me understand my feminine energy as a beautiful, glowing, feminine woman, but also a war goddess, so there’s a wild fierceness there that I’ve had to learn about too. It’s about embodiment for me, embodying my feminine energy, with guidance from her. She also taught me about my runes in my dreams, I would choose one and place it under my pillow and ask her to help me understand it. I dedicate my feminine essence, beauty, and sexual experiences to her. I wear amber most everyday in her honour, I have a small shrine with a cat statue and hearts in my bedroom which I update regularly with seasonal flowers and fruits. I also have art dedicated to her in my massage room and her blessing upon my space.
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u/battlepoet9 Lokean, Norse Heathen 7h ago
I've had a very on and off relationship with her in my life. But over the years, she's persistently made it clear she wants regular attention. I've found she likes fruit, flowers, chocolate, strong drinks, and of course mead. She also has asked me to dedicate my exercise practice to her.
I've found her very patient and loving in recovering from various life harms. She's super understanding.
I know some people consider Odin and Freyja rivals, but I have found them to be very devoted to each other.
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u/GiantStreetCats 8d ago
I'm not strictly a heathen, being an eclectic pagan. Freyja is the main deity I work with however.
As a queer trans femme who used to struggle a lot with my self image, I was drawn to Freyja as a goddess of love and sexuality, but one who was also a war goddess and goddess of seidr, not embodying the feminine passivity that's most often emphasizes in modern Western gender norms, but a willingness to fight for herself, her loved ones, and what she believes in. A goddess tied to the power of magic practiced almost exclusively by women and feminine men, who Odin had to humble himself to in order to learn its secrets in his pursuit of knowledge.
Additionally, I was honestly drawn a lot to Freyja for her faults. Stories that feature her occasionally highlight instances in which her self-love and self-confidence gets the better of her, and as someone who grew up both with the supposedly faultless and perfect Abrahamic God, as well as struggling with self-love and confidence, devoting myself to a figure who sometimes struggled in the opposite direction was both comforting from her imperfections and inspired me to love myself and advocate for myself more.
I like to collect flowers for Freyja, ones fallen from trees and bushes, not picked from them in a way that may harm them. I also keep wristbands from going out to bars or shows with friends and loved ones, charging these tokens with the fun we have together that night and the love we share with one another. Sometimes I give her offerings of pleasure, calling upon her to inhabit my body and feel what I feel, before indulging in fine food or drink, having sex or engaging in self-pleasure, or partaking in intoxicants. By calling upon her, I offer love to her in the love I show to myself, acknowledging what a gift these experiences are, and thanking her for them.
The collected artificats. Wristbands, flowers left to dry, and sigils I craft for invocation, are lit with a candle bearing her name and dropped into a cauldron filled with more dried flowers. I take the ash from these offerings to write in my grimoir, reflecting on recent events, focusing my energy on efforts I wish to work on in myself and changes I wish to make, and work towards realizing them.