Don’t keep the Gods trapped in the past!

theskaldspeaks:

You know what I want to see more of? Images of our gods in the modern age. They’re not just our ancestors’ gods, they’re ours too.

I want to see Freyr blessing migrant farmer laborers. I want to see Freyja watching over sex workers. I want to see Odin camped out under an overpass, swapping stories. I want Tyr marching with protesters and Thor fighting tyrants. I want Frigga as a high powered lady executive or attorney, Eir as a nurse in an overcrowded and underfunded inner city hospital

Our gods our more than gleaming steel and mead halls. Humanity has grown and changed, and of course the gods have come along with us!

Queen Frigga and Frau Holle

Let me preface this post that this entire blog and this post included is UPG and this is just how I feel and practice - I know a lot of people do not necessarily practice or believe the way that I do but I can only do how I do.
I'll get straight to the point...

For me, Frau Holle/Holda is simply another face of Queen Frigga.
For some this is blasphemy or uneasy at best but for others the similarities are enough to agree.

• Both are goddesses of the home
• Both are goddesses of spinning and fiber arts
• Both live in watery places (Frigga lives in marshland and Holle in a land of wells)
• Both carry a set of keys on their belt
• Both are seen in their homes attended by handmaidens

Another way that this could make sense is to see Frigga as Odhinn's mate and, just as Odhinn appears in many masks and guises, Frigga too can change her appearance and form from dominant Queen to old lady or hag to Lady of the Wild Hunt who rides the night just as brilliantly as Odhinn does.

For me, it was enough to feel that inner truth and knowledge that yes the two are the same. The aforementioned reasons and similarities simply added confirmation. Then, as I read more about Frau Holle, including her descriptions and her being the witch that blesses/curses the fairy tale daughters - one with dropping coins from her mouth when she speaks and the other dropping swamp reptiles when she speaks.
Her description as a hag that can later be seen as a young woman with long white hair - this later does look like Frigga when I have seen visions of her but the first actually brought to mind the first guide I ever had a vision of - an old woman with long white hair and a black cloak who taught me to scry. I asked Frigga if this was her and got a confirmation through an omen. I nearly cried because this means that Frigga has been by my side and my guide for over a decade and I didn't know her for it.
The fairy tale is one of my favorites but is also one that I feel says a lot more than the simple story tells in one reading. I'll talk more about this in a future post but will leave it here saying that this story means a lot to me and I feel even more love for it now that I connect it to Frigga.

Lastly, I almost cried again when I read about how Holle takes care of children lost early on, especially unbaptized children. I had a miscarriage 2 years ago and it warms my heart to know that Frigga could hold my little girl to her bosom and care for her until her next incarnation even though I could not.

Now that I've made the connection that Frigga and Holle are the same - this opens up a whole new door to me of finding ways to honor and have devotion for the goddess that has called me into service. Not much has been written about Frigga outside of her dealings with her son and husband (though very important in their own rights). Holle, however, is connected to many stories, fairy tales, and Mother Goode rhymes. All together gives me a vast and deep well to draw from.

The First Lesson

I recently had a reading done for me regarding my relationship with Frigga by Ulfdis of Ironwood Witch. In her reading she referenced the following poem which felt like the words of Frigga driven right into my heart. I place it here not only to share but as a reminder to myself.

The First Lesson

By Maris Pái

The first lesson, She said, is to look at the path before you:
None of this eyes-downcasted fear. No more stomach-clenched dread
Of all the things you don’t and can’t know. Because, Little One,
all the things you don’t and can’t know are legion and I will not
have one of my own flinching at shadows. Look at your path
and do not cower. Square your shoulders and
lift your chin. Have you not realized your own strength by now?

There are as many paths to the Tree as there are stars in the sky:
it matters less which you choose than that you have chosen
and been chosen and that you continue to choose
to put one foot in front of the other and walk the road ahead of you.
Sometimes you will walk on razor-blades, each step an agonized trudge,
and sometimes you will run, eager to reach that which lies ahead, or
eager again to flee that which came before. The dragons you do not slay
may chase you down later and find you unguarded: Better to face them
the first time and not be tripped up later and find that the smoke ahead
is not a friendly bonfire or hearth but new immolation.

I am in the staff by your side and your backbone and your feet
and I am the falcon soaring high above, leading you to the rising sun
and dazzling your eyes when what your focus should be is the journey
and not the potholes.

 The First Lesson: Maris Pái

HUGINN v1.2 Midsummer 2011; “The Work”

A Chant for Frigga

Mother of Baldr, the child of light,

daughter of Jord and Odin's wife

calm and true you guide my life,

guide me to my heart.

I come before the Mother

oh the choices and paths that led me here

like many strands

made one in the spinning.

*Chant is based on and inspired by the Mother of Darkness chant. 

Committing to the Divine

"Commitment handfasts us to the object of that commitment, and like a marriage it requires regular attendance and attention. For example, we cannot claim to be committed to a lover unless he or she can depend on us when we're needed. Similarly, one cannot claim devotion to a spiritual practice or path honored only on solstices, Sundays, or Sabbats...spiritually speaking, commitment is the full consignment of the magickal self - with no provision for default, no requirement for success, and no room for regret."
Commitment by Jesse Wolf Hardin in Cakes & Ale for the Pagan Soul

Church is Full on Holidays
I read this editorial in Cakes & Ale the other day and it struck home, hard. Recently I've made a strong connection with Frigga and her presence in my life has been one that does not allow conditional devotion. This queen is an all-or-nothing kind of gal and my experiences with her have led me to think on my past experiences as a pagan and how I and other spiritually minded people of all faiths that I have met treat the divine, devotion, and our path.
Most pagans I know consider themselves more spiritually minded than most Christians they know. I have heard many disdainful remarks towards Christians who seem to only live their faith on Sundays or, worse, on Christmas and Easter. To be fair, I've heard similar remarks from Christians themselves and, actually, there is some truth in it. What I feel should also be pointed out is that many pagans also fall into this category - mouthing and dancing along to known practices only on the Sabbats or only on the full moon. I see a lot of witches talking about spells and the craft but very few really living it beyond the pagan chat rooms or monthly/bi-monthly meetups.

Apprehension & Service
I will say that not all witches are religious or spiritual - some only practice the craft and have no divine ties to their work. Good for them. This post is about those who follow a religion, especially those with a Matron/Patron deity that they honor, worship, and/or serve.
Some pagans absolutely HATE it when I mention servitude in regards to deity and witchcraft. This brings about ideas of submission, Christian ideals, and entrapment. Some pagans go so far as to say that the gods have no interest at all in servants and to suggest so or even go so far as discuss god-slaves is blasphemy. Others argue that the gods have no need of servants, that they can easily do whatever it is that they want doing on this plane without aid of humans.
You might be asking, what the hell does commitment, Frigga, and devotion have to do with servitude and wondering why I am getting off on a tangent.

Disclaimer
Before I go further, I do want to say that whatever way you practice your craft and faith is your own business and no one, including me, has a right to tell you how to do it. I only want to point out a few things that I observe and my opinions and feelings on them.

Divine Demands
While no deity has any interest in forcing a human to do something for them, I have learned in my experiences and in reading and talking to other pagans that have experienced divine presences, that they do have tasks they desire humans to perform for them on this earthly plane. I won't attempt to speculate much on whether or not the divine could do this themselves - I don't think one should risk the divine proving them wrong - but it does seem that there are some duties and tasks they would prefer we do instead.
In Christianity, God charges His followers to perform duties that include telling others of Him, charitable works, healing, and more. Perhaps it is the similarity to the Christian faith that many pagans are trying to avoid when they say that their gods have no need of servants or tasks performed here.

Experiences
In my experience and reading, the Christian God doesn't seem to hold the corner market on asking/telling humans what they need to do. In fact, its not just the divine that does this but also our guardians and guides.
A few years ago, i was led by spirit and a couple of my guides to learn Reiki and Sekhmet Sekhem in order to heal some people I know as well as myself. I didn't have an interest in Reiki or energy healing before but I did was I was inspired to do and ended up needed this hands-on healing many times sense even though I don't advertise my ability to do it.

Recently, this divine urging has come from Frigga. I won't go into detail as to what all has happened with her but I will say that part of it was a quick request from me for her to look over a woman and her baby who was in NICU. She said I would have to do some work in order to get that aid.
Part of the committment to the divine is doing things we aren't gung ho for and another part is understanding that there is a give and take. Some consider this keeping the universe in balance, others believe that the gods, like humans, simply aren't always interested in doing something for nothing.
So I had to add my own work into her blessing by creating a physical item for her to work through in the life of this woman and child. I later came to understand that, because the woman was not a follower or believer in Frigga, she needed something to connect her with them when the circumstances would otherwise involve prayer, belief, and intention on the part of someone else.

Hands of Gods
Just a random question to pagans who think that the divine has no need for us to perform tasks - why in the world would they 1) help us at all and 2) would we leave offerings to them when we ask for aid? Just curious, what's your thoughts?
What I think: Sometimes the divine needs its followers and god-servants to do the work for them on this plane because so many people do not believe. Without belief, the work cannot be done. So the divine needs those few the believe for them.

What does this have to do with Commitment?
Well, how can we do the work of and for the divine if we only acknowledge them maybe once a week, once a month, once a blue moon? How can we expect to work with them or them to work through us if we do not attend to that relationship regularly? How can we ask for their aid and guidance if we do not also give back by doing what they ask of us here?

Not long after I did what Frigga asked me, I was considering going to a pagan event and honoring her there. That night I had a dream that I was at said event and someone called for a toast to the Mother Goddess. We all drank and I drained my cup as I mentally honored Frigga. She then spoke to me, admonishing me for being among a group of people that said they honor the gods but do not mean it. She said they are like children, pretending at play, except that even children have reverence.
My lesson from this dream is it is better to speak to your gods and commit to them in true and dedicated devotion alone - even if your words are jumbled, don't rhyme, or, heaven forbid, you dont even have a ceremonial circle or altar or anything than it is to join together and have a party with all the right words and costumes and dance but have no love or dedication in your hearts.

4 Pillars of Fensalir

As I went for a walk with Frigga, the mist surrounded us and I didn't see much other than her. She stood tall, so much taller than me that I had to look up to see her face when she turned in her strolling to look down at me. Her long white-blonde hair was perfectly coiffed in a soft bun with a silvery pin and her lean body was wrapped in a blue-silver dress with a white ruff around the shoulders. I am always stunned by her grace and how she seems to flow from step to step. My own movements are clunky and childish next to her.

I receive images instead of words sometimes. I always get the feeling that she is not fond of my language or that she would simply rather I use hers if I only could.
My son comes up, the darling grinning at me toothlessly. I tell her he is well, though I feel like this is simply chitchat and she likes to ask about him even when she already knows. I tell her he is still teething. I receive the images of the herb chamomile and nod, yes I've started to give him the tea.
I get the feeling this visit wasn't a social call, I'm not sure if Frigga even makes social calls.

Frigga informed me that there were 4 important tenents I was meant to keep and to teach to others that would hear. These are the 4 Pillars of Fensalir:

• Kindness
• Cleanliness
• Charity
• Hospitality

I asked why love of children and spouse was not included, as she is the Goddess of family, children, and marriage.
She turned to me and raised a brow, asking, "Do you need to be told to love your child and husband?"
"No," I responded, feeling a little ridiculous for having asked.
She shrugged as if to say "there you go."

Hospitality
Hospitality is an important act among the people of the North - and elsewhere in ancient days. For one reason, you never knew who you were welcoming into your home. There are many legends and fables of people welcoming a stranger only to learn later they were gods, elves, messengers of the gods, or angels. These creatures and gods, being more powerful than man, could either curse or bless a home so it was a big deal to be hospitable.
What might be a little ironic is, when it comes to this tenet, I often think of the Satanic 10 Commandments that tells its followers to be respectful and hospitable, however, if someone disrespects you in your home, destroy them. This is an important matter of hospitality that isn't often discussed - the guest honoring the home and those that live there. Hospitality goes both ways.
I have been in homes were I have been disrespected as a guest but, rather than fight the ones who lived there, I and those with me simply left the premises and did not return without receiving an apology and a welcome back (even then we did not go back quickly or linger long).
Frigga, as the Lady of Fensalir and the Queen wife of Odin, is well acquainted with hospitality and its effects on everyone involved. She welcomes guests to her own marshlands as well as to the great halls of Asgard. She has also used the rules of hospitality to have her way - in the case of Odin (in disguise) visiting King Geirröðr.
Another part of hospitality, she informed me, is to ALWAYS accept gifts when given. I feel that this might be more directed at me than anyone I might be talking or writing to but I felt the need to share anyways. I have a habit of, when someone wants to give me a gift, of saying things like "you shouldn't have" and getting embarrassed if I have nothing to give them in return. This is, of course, the true nature of gift giving - to give without expectation. The gifts can be non-physical items even, such as a friend buying me lunch or even a simple compliments. I am still learning to receive without diminishing myself or making the person giving insist that I take it.

Cleanliness
If you have worked with Frigga or read about her, you probably know she is a stickler for cleanliness. She likes a clean home especially, but also to make sure your personage is clean and your children are clean.
I need to hold onto this concept hard as I am not much of a house cleaner, I must admit. There are just so many things I would rather be doing in general, much less in the short time I have free from my little one - cleaning is just not something I enjoy doing. Frigga has no interest in this excuse from me and if I so much as pick up my crochet hook when the house is a mess, I am suddenly bombarded with "mom voice" in my head reminding me of that pile of laundry or that I haven't vacuumed in a week.
I'm reminded, with a giggle, of this image from a 1940's Singer sewing machine:

Cleanliness goes a step further with Frigga who is ever the lady of the home and this also means a lady of the hearth. Frigga is a fan of "real food." She turns up her nose at the idea of over-processed food-stuffs and would prefer a cleaner diet and cleaner body. This by no means includes "fat-free" or low calorie foods. She would have me drink whole or raw goat milk, bake and eat my own bread, and eat exclusively home raised or hunted meat if possible. This, to her, is clean living.

Kindness
The biggest point I want to get across is kindness does not mean being a door mat nor does it equate to the Wiccan rede of harm none. Kindness, at least here, means decency, courtesy, and good will (unless you have a reason, such as inhospitable people, not to be).
Frigga sees a lot of rudeness being very common in our lives and would like to encourage us, especially in our homes and personal lives, to be kinder to ourselves and each other. Pretty simple, at least in saying if not in practice.

Charity
It is said, if you have more than you need, build a larger table, not a higher wall.
Frigga has a big heart for charities that help women and children as well as charitable acts towards people in our lives.
I've put up a page here that lists a few organizations close to my heart and Frigga's. This page is still being developed. If you have any suggestions for organizations in this field (women, chuldren, mothers, fiber arts, and the faith) please let me know.

In Service: Gifts to Mother and Child

At the beginning of this week I learned about a woman who had her baby too early and both were in the hospital. I am not a particular fan of this woman - she has been very disrespectful to a friend of mine and to my goddaughter to the point of cussing and being vulgar to the latter (who is 12).
That being said, when I learned of her situation I did ask Frigga if she would watch over the baby and perhaps help the woman to be a better mother to this child than she has been to her other children (long story).

In northern fashion, Frigga's attitude was very much "what would you do for me in return?"
I asked what she wanted -
"Let me hold your son and caress his hair."
Knowing that Frigga would never hurt my son, I agreed, however, that wasn't the end of it.
She said she would help them but I would have to do some work. She then gave me a glimpse (a brief vision) of what she needed me to make. We had a back and forth because the first vision - there was just no way for me to obtain those materials. Finally we settled on a piece that was doable...

I then argued that there was no way I would have time to create what she wanted AND get it to my friend who was taking things to this woman at the hospital. Frigga put her foot down so I figured I would get started on the project and simply do a little now and finish whenever.
My son had the LONGEST NAP he has ever had that day. Nearly 2 hours with brief interludes where he woke just enough to nurse then went right back to sleep. During this time I barely remember anything. I crocheted, fed and held my son, and I know I had a brief conversation with one of my in-laws but I don't remember the content of that conversation at all.

I finished both projects - the hat for the baby and the poppet carrier for the mother.
That evening, my husband created a birch goddess poppet that I then blessed with chamomile and the rune Berkana as directed by Frigga. My husband took both to my friend the next day to be delivered.