It's an odd day when I ask for advice in this forum, hah!
Recently, I've been contemplating honoring Freyja in my practice. As she taught Seidr to Odin, and some of the volvas were thought to honor her, I would like to honor her and hopefully improve my own understanding of Seidr. I've been researching and practicing seidr for the last few years, and would like to continue expanding my understanding of it. Freyja seems the ultimate person to turn to.
I've read a lot about her, of course, but reading and actually working-with are very different things. I was hoping maybe someone who has worked with her or honored her in their practice would be willing to share some experience or give me some insight in the best way to approach her.
At first, when I approached her, I really didn't get a response. This was back in early 2015. Later, when I prayed to her about love, next morning I found a necklace with two hearts intertwined while taking out the trash. That night at work, I met my now old boyfriend. That was one heck of a sign and I started honoring Freyja more frequently.
In my UPG, she has two sides to her:
There's the goddess of Love. And there's the goddess of war. I haven't really invoked her Seidhr side yet. But she has helped me with pathwalking before. She's helped me with my sight and senses a bit in Pathwalking and Journeying.
Depending on which side you'll invoke, you'll get a very different response. But in general, she's a headstrong deity either way. With her war side, she's very serious and very grim, I'd say. Her love, lust, and beauty side, she's more relaxed and open.
I can confidently say that she empowers her female followers. With me, she's encouraged me to explore my more dominate side. She seems to be a deity of dominance as well.
This is about all my experiences with her. I hoped this helped you, somewhat. Good luck!!
This is something i have been looking in to my self
Very interesting
From my reading.
There is a lot more to Freyja then most know
Half of them that die in battle go to freyja
One of the oldest vertions of the sacred femanen in that part of the world
A teacher
A mother
A wife
A lover
The sami people still have a vertion of freyja in there shamanistic system
From my point of veiw
I see her as the mentor and mother
As a man who has served his country
i understand the need to fight some times
She gets that.
But all so offers the softer side of life
In all my years of study
She is the only god/goddess to make that clear
As the others have commented, Freyja truly does have a multi-dimensional dimenor. As she is the love barrier. She also is the Lady of Seidhr- magick(s). As well as everything in between, such as a teacher, guardian, reaper, etc
Like NorseHippie, as I started to incorperate/invoke Freyja I began to have these phenomena occurances. I had originally approached her for journeying and other spirit works, and I increasingly noticed finding hawk feathers where ever I went, as well as having feral cats following me. When I went to the mailbox and even doing yard work. It honestly was eerie almost. But I felt accepted- and it was a sign to say the least.
She is now one of my most honored deities to this day. My main practice/rite with her would be that I have this golden antique chest I baught at an auction that I carved runes into and throughout the year put flower pressings in during Ostara season, and suring Haervest/Jul I put various bones/feathers in. Its part of the ongoing admiration. At the end of the year I dig a hole in the ground and cover the offerings and pour mead over it. As it symbolizes her as the a also a goddess of death and life. Maternal/ Queen of the Valkyries.
I do have to agree, she does heavily impact pathwalking and journeying positivly. As she has greatly increased that with me over time. As well as stadhagldr and other runic/wright workings.
The shrine website is extremely helpful, as its one of my go-tos.
Here's just some of my tabs I have kept. I know there is not much too much on the internet. But these gave me a collective insight:
https://goddessinspired.wordpress.com/2012/05/ - Freyja Symbolism/General Info
http://www.germanicmythology.com/original/Freyja%20and%20Odr%202008%20CULT%20OF%20FREYR%20AND%20FREYJA.pdf - Freyja/Freyr info/Scandinavian Cults and Historian Lore
http://hrafnar.org/articles/dpaxson/asynjur/freyja/ - Example rituals & saga Freyja info
- Interesting read on the "declawing" of Freyja, controversy of her becoming too sexualized in modern heathentry. Just a fun one. Nothing too scholarly.
Not been working with freyja very long
Not realy set up to do it right
But still feel very good about it
I have been getting some dreams i credit to freyja
First one
A dark hall with a dark door
The door opens with dark bodys standing around
A black box
A bright white light coming from under the box
It starts to open
Then i wake up
Next one
Most of the dream is still a blure
A large wild pig watching me at a distence
Frejya has a special place in my heart and practice as the deity that brought me to heathenry.
Frejya is a very multi-part goddess, as has been mentioned many times already in this thread. The major parts, up to some interpretation, of frejya can be seen as Magic (she shares the status of magic patron with Odin,) Shamanism (Frejya brought shamanism to Odin and instructed him in its ways as well as retaining the right to revoke shamanism from Odin. Norse shamanic practice and Seidhr go hand in hand.) Love (though she is far from the only goddess of love, she is more akin to a goddess of sexuality and attraction as opposed to the marrying relationship kind of love which would fall into Frigga's domain) and war (it could be argued that all norse gods are gods of war, but Frejya does get equal claim to those who die in war to Odin.)
Frejya is predominantly represented by her necklace Brisingamen and her cats which are named in UPG only. Her necklace, in my opinion, is a better representation for her than cats because it is uniquely hers (unless you can simply obtain a statue like I chose to do.) Brisingamen is described as a necklace with a large amber stone as its centerpiece. Any better depictions of the necklace are simply conjecture and UPG, so it doesn't matter beyond what YOU feel is right.
As almost an aside, remember Frejya's brother Frey and their father Njord. All three of them came to the Aesir as a part of a peace deal with the Vanir, and as such have a special place in the Aesir. The Aesir typically representing that which is man and civilization and the Vanir representing that which is nature and uncivilized or primal in nature. (Not in the same way that wolves or the jotuns, or Surt more specifically, represent that which is not man or civilization as they are more destructive as opposed to simply being nature. It could also be argued that Surt also seeks to destroy nature itself in his quest to obliterate midgard.)
