Spring, for me, is a time of healing. The land comes to life once again, and I am revived as well. Like the land, I go into a hibernation--emotional, spiritual, and sometimes even physical--in the winter.
Author: Cara Freyasdaughter
Cara Freyasdaughter is a devotional polytheist dedicated to Freya, Freyr, and Gerd who works within a reconstructed-ish Heathen tradition. A current member of The Troth and former member of ADF, she previously blogged at Patheos as “Happily Heathen”. She also blogs about her experiences as a polytheist at Silver and Gold (thegoldthread.wordpress.com). Currently, Cara leads Heathen and polytheist rituals and classes in northern Illinois. Cara is one of the founders of the SF Bay Area group The Vanic Conspiracy, and is currently a member of the Ashwood Hearth in Chicago.
As we are in the middle of the spring holidays and are getting ready for summer, it seemed a great time to finally sit down and write a simple ritual for Freyr. Freyr is often honored at many holidays
Every Heathen’s reasons for choosing Heathenry are different. Personally, I have a ton of reasons for choosing a Heathen path. That's why my column at Patheos used to be called “Happily Heathen”
The recent discussions around definition and limitations in Heathenry got me thinking about my own version of Heathenry. Last fall I wrote about why I love Heathenry and what is the heart of Heathenry. So, let me wrap it up and tell you a bit about what my Heathenry is.
As a polytheist, I’ve found that they are many challenges involved with being a woman dedicated to Freyr. One of my biggest issues with Him, and one of the reasons it took me so long to come back to
Heathens have a wide variety of spiritual experiences. Some Heathens have little or no direct experiences with the Gods, while others develop devotional relationships with one or more Heathen deities.
My relationship with Freya has been a long one which has involved much wooing on both of our parts. It started when I was 19 and had just found Wicca; She turned out to be my Patron Deity. A few years later, I found Heathenry, and I was able to put my worship of her into her a more coherent cultural and religious context. Many years later I went through a really bad relationship and subsequent divorce, and She helped me put my pieces back together and become whole again. In the years since my divorce, I've deepened into a clergy role for Her, and in doing so, I found myself in need of a Dedication Contract.
When I first started this series, I thought it was going to be pretty straightforward. I mean, everyone knows who the Gods are, right? However, relatively quickly I found out that this was not as easy
As a practicing Heathen, a key cornerstone of my spiritual practice is the offering of gifts. The Havamal (“The Sayings of Har”; ie, Odin in disguise, doling out practical wisdom on a number of to
A good way to start approaching the Gods is to make a shrine for the Gods, or for a specific God. An indoor shrine for a Heathen is called a stalli, and an outdoor one is called a vé. The shrine can be large or small but it should have an image of the God (or Gods) you wish to honor, and a place to leave offerings.