Happy Freya’s Day, my friends! In a recent post about connecting with Odin, I explain my plans of working with the Norse deities in the year ahead (starting on Samhain). So in preparation for this year-long undertaking, I have spent this week researching each of them and making initial contact. Thought I should state clearly that I have worked with all but Loki in the past. It’s Loki’s Day tomorrow (Saturday), by the way, so that should be interesting. Not sure I’m too keen on spider signs but we shall have to wait and see…
Anway, I digress — Back to Freya! Two years ago, I did a ritual to the Vanir and at that time, I was given a sign of a rabbit skull (rabbits are associated with Freya) as I walked back home from the river. Unfortunately, during my Dark Night of the Soul last year, I threw out any and all magical items. This included the rabbit skull that I had adorned my völva’s staff with.
Freya’s Ladybird Sign
It seems Freya has forgiven me. On my run today, I felt her presence all around me in nature. All of a sudden the weather changed and the sun broke through. In my mind, I went ‘Hooray! Hail Freya! Hail Brisingamen!’ A couple of minutes later, as I reached the next gate (I run across fields), there was a ladybird sunning itself right at the top of the post. I knew it was a sign from her, without having the book knowledge. I was so certain that I thought, to myself, ‘Right, I’ll go home and Google the connection.’ Sure enough:
Before Christianity started spreading across Europe, ladybirds were called freyafugle in Old Norse, meaning Freya’s bird. Freya means lady, and the goddess Freya was associated with love, beauty, and fertility but also with war and death. She was considered the most beautiful goddess of all.
(Quote found on Knowledge Guild)
Bear in mind that today is the 29th of October. It’s not exactly common to spot a ladybird this time of the year!!
Of course, since the Christianization of Europe, the ladybird is associated with the Virgin Mary who was often depicted wearing a red cloak. But I’m reclaiming the ladybird for Freya today.
My Ladybird Dream
Around the time I first started connecting with the Norse deities back in 2010 (primarily with Hel), I was going through a very difficult time in my life. As so often happens during such times, I had an animal dream that helped me pull through. This time, in my dream, I went into my kitchen. For some reason, I had the idea to hunch down and look under my stove. There lived a happy pair of ladybirds. I don’t know how I knew they were happy but in the dream, I just knew. Their happiness emanated from under the stove (the modern-day equivalent of a hearth fire) and into my home. I woke up happy and more optimistic about the future.
Other Signs from Freya
Personally, I have had no other signs from Freya but some of the more common signs are cats, lynx, precious metals (especially gold), amber, falcons and, the Fehu rune.
As I mentioned in the post about Thor, Freya is definitely one of the easiest deities to connect with. This doesn’t necessarily mean that she is meant to be your matron deity but if you need her help, just ask. She loves creative offerings such as dance, music, and poetry, just as much as she loves food and drink. Traditionally, she is offered fruit. Flowers are also appropriate offerings. She showed me during meditation that she adores red poppies.
Remember, though she is the Norse Goddess of Love and has a warm personality, she is also the Queen of the Valkyries and chooser of the slain. She even gets first picking before Odin! So if she needs to show tough love to anybody under her patronage, she won’t hesitate to dish it out.
