Month: October 2018

Five Days to Samhain, The Witches New Year

 

Five Ideas to Prepare for the Coming Of Samhain

1.  This is a time for remembering the Ancestors, honoring deceased members of your family, and remembering the cherished dead.  Gather together a few pictures of your ancestors and place them on or near your home altar.  Set out some offerings of food, drink or valuables to honor the dead.  Visit and clean the gravesites of those who have passed away.  Say some prayers for the souls of those who have passed into the Otherworld.  Talk with your ancestors and bring them up to date about what has happened since they died on the earthly plane. 

2.  Samhain is the time when the veils to the Otherworlds are lifted.  It is an excellent time for the practice of divination, scrying, fortune telling, or reading the future.  My first choice for divination is a Tarot deck.  I prefer using the Voyager Tarot by James Wanless or the Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley.   There are many techniques and methods used for fortune telling or divination.  My notes about using the Tarot are online. 

3.  Read about Samhain, Halloween, Day of the Dead.  Add notes and links to books, magazines, and webpages on the subject.   Visit your local public library or college library for books, media and magazines on the subject. 

4.  Add some appropriate Samhain, Halloween, October songs, chants, prayers, invocations, or poems to your Neo-Pagan Craft Journal, Book of Shadows, Ritual Handbook, etc..  Write in your personal journal.  Many keep a Neo-Pagan notebook, journal or log as part of their experimental and experiential work.  

5.  If children playing “Trick or Treat” from house to house is customary in your neighborhood, then get ready for the event.  Dress in a costume or mask.  Host a Halloween party.  Decorate your home with Jack-0-Lanterns, skeletons, and spooky looking decorations. 

Pagan Studies of the Gods & Goddesses: Freya, Norse Goddess of love, beauty, magic (seidhr), fertility, war and death.

Freya

Norse Goddess of love, beauty, magic (seidhr), fertility, war and death.

Freya (Old Norse Freyja, “Lady”) is one of the preeminent goddesses in Norse mythology. She’s a member of the Vanir tribe of deities, but became an honorary member of the Aesir gods after the Aesir-Vanir War. Her father is Njord. Her mother is unknown, but could be Nerthus. Freyr is her brother. Her husband, named Odr in late Old Norse literature, is certainly none other than Odin, and, accordingly, Freya is ultimately identical with Odin’s wife Frigg (see below for a discussion of this).

 

Freya is famous for her fondness of love, fertility, beauty, and fine material possessions – and, because of these predilections, she’s considered to be something of the “party girl” of the Aesir. In one of the Eddic poems, for example, Loki accuses Freya (probably accurately) of having slept with all of the gods and elves, including her brother.[1] She’s certainly a passionate seeker after pleasures and thrills, but she’s a lot more than only that. Freya is the archetype of the völva, a professional or semiprofessional practitioner of seidr, the most organized form of Norse magic. It was she who first brought this art to the gods,[2] and, by extension, to humans as well. Given her expertise in controlling and manipulating the desires, health, and prosperity of others, she’s a being whose knowledge and power are almost without equal.

 

Freya presides over the afterlife realm Folkvang. According to one Old Norse poem, she chooses half of the warriors slain in battle to dwell there. (See Death and the Afterlife.)

 

Freya the Völva

Seidr is a form of pre-Christian Norse magic and shamanism that involved discerning the course of fate and working within its structure to bring about change, often by symbolically weaving new events into being.[3] This power could potentially be put to any use imaginable, and examples that cover virtually the entire range of the human condition can be found in Old Norse literature.

 

In the Viking Age, the völva was an itinerant seeress and sorceress who traveled from town to town performing commissioned acts of seidr in exchange for lodging, food, and often other forms of compensation as well. Like other northern Eurasian shamans, her social status was highly ambiguous – she was by turns exalted, feared, longed for, propitiated, celebrated, and scorned.[4]

 

Freya’s occupying this role amongst the gods is stated directly in the Ynglinga Saga, and indirect hints are dropped elsewhere in the Eddas and sagas. For example, in one tale, we’re informed that Freya possesses falcon plumes that allow their bearer to shift his or her shape into that of a falcon.[6]

 

During the so-called Völkerwanderung or “Migration Period” – roughly 400-800 CE, and thus the period that immediately preceded the Viking Age – the figure who would later become the völva held a much more institutionally necessary and universally acclaimed role among the Germanic tribes. One of the core societal institutions of the period was the warband, a tightly organized military society presided over by a chieftain and his wife. The wife of the warband’s leader, according to the Roman historian Tacitus, held the title of veleda, and her role in the warband was to foretell the outcome of a suggested plan of action by means of divination and to influence that outcome by means of more active magic, as well as to serve a special cup of liquor that was a powerful symbol of both temporal and spiritual power in the warband’s periodic ritual feasts.[7][8]

 

One literary portrait of such a woman comes to us from the medieval Old English epic poem Beowulf, which recounts the deeds of King Hroðgar and his warband in the land that we today know as Denmark. The name of Hroðgar’s queen, Wealhþeow, is almost certainly the Old English equivalent of the Proto-Germanic title that Tacitus latinised as “veleda.”[9] Wealhþeow’s “domestic” actions in the poem – which are, properly understood, enactments of the liquor ritual described above – are indispensable for the upkeep of the unity of the warband and its power structures. The poem, despite its Christian veneer, “hint[s] at the queen’s oracular powers… The Hrothgar/Wealhtheow association as presented in the poem is an echo of an earlier more robust and vigorous politico-theological conception.”[10]

 

This “politico-theological conception” was based on the mythological model provided by the divine pair Frija and Woðanaz, deities who later evolved into, respectively, Freya/Frigg and Odin. Woðanaz is the warband’s chieftain, and Frija is its veleda. In addition to the structural congruencies outlined above, Wealhþeow and Freya even own a piece of jewelry with the same name: Old English Brosinga mene and Old Norse Brísingamen (both meaning something like “fiery/glowing necklace”). That both figures refer to the same ancient archetype, whether on the human or the divine plane, is certain.

 

Freya and Frigg

While the late Old Norse literary sources that form the basis of our current knowledge of pre-Christian Germanic religion present Freya and Frigg as being at least nominally distinct goddesses, the similarities between them run deep. Their differences, however, are superficial and can be satisfactorily explained by consulting the history and evolution of the common Germanic goddess whom the Norse were in the process of splitting into Freya and Frigg sometime shortly before the conversion of Scandinavia and Iceland to Christianity (around the year 1000 CE).

 

As we’ve noted above, the Migration Period goddess who later became Freya was the wife of the god who later became Odin. While somewhat veiled, this is ultimately still the case in Old Norse literature. Freya’s husband is named Óðr, a name which is virtually identical to that of Óðinn (the Old Norse form of “Odin”). Óðr means “ecstasy, inspiration, furor.” Óðinn is simply the word óðr with the masculine definite article (-inn) added onto the end. The two names come from the same word and have the same meaning. Óðr is an obscure and seldom-mentioned character in Old Norse literature. The one passage that tells us anything about his personality or deeds – anything beyond merely listing his name in connection with Freya – comes from the Prose Edda, which states that Óðr is often away on long journeys, and that Freya can often be found weeping tears of red gold over his absence.[11] Many of the surviving tales involving Odin have him traveling far and wide throughout the Nine Worlds, to the point that he’s probably more often away from Asgard than within it. Many of Odin’s numerous bynames allude to his wanderings or are names he assumed to disguise his identity while abroad. Thus, it’s hard to see Freya’s husband as anything but an only nominally distinct extension of Odin.

 

Freyja and Frigg are similarly accused of infidelity to their (apparently common) husband. Alongside the several mentions of Freya’s loose sexual practices can be placed the words of the medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, who relates that Frigg slept with a slave on at least one occasion.[12] In Lokasenna and the Ynglinga Saga, Odin was once exiled from Asgard, leaving his brothers Vili and Ve in command. In addition to presiding over the realm, they also regularly slept with Frigg until Odin’s return.[13][14] Many scholars have tried to differentiate between Freya and Frigg by asserting that the former is more promiscuous and less steadfast than the latter,[15] but these tales suggest otherwise.

 

Frigg is depicted as a völva herself. Once again in Lokasenna, after Loki slanders Frigg for her infidelity, Freya warns him that Frigg knows the fate of all beings, an intimation of her ability to perform seidr.[16] Frigg’s weaving activities are likely an allusion to this role as well. And, as it turns out, Freya is not the only goddess to own a set of bird-of-prey feathers for shapeshifting – Frigg is also in possession of one.[17]

 

The word for “Friday” in Germanic languages (including English) is named after Frija,[18] the Proto-Germanic goddess who is the foremother of Freya and Frigg. None of the other Germanic peoples seem to have spoken of Frija as if she were two goddesses; this approach is unique to the Norse sources. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that in the Norse sources we find a confusion as to which goddess this day should have as its namesake. Both Freyjudagr (from Freyja) and Frjádagr (from Frigg) are used.

 

The names of the two goddesses are also particularly interesting in this regard. Freyja, “Lady,” is a title rather than a true name. It’s a cognate of the modern German word Frau, which is used in much the same way as the English title “Mrs.” In the Viking Age, Scandinavian and Icelandic aristocratic women were sometimes called freyjur, the plural of freyja.[19] “Frigg,” meanwhile, comes from an ancient root that means “beloved.”[20] Frigg’s name therefore links her to love and desire, precisely the areas of life over which Freya presides. Here again we can discern the ultimate reducibility of both goddesses to one another: one’s name is identical to the other’s attributes, and the other name is a generic title rather than a unique name.

 

Clearly, then, the two are ultimately the same goddess. Why, then, are they presented as nominally distinct in the late Old Norse sources? Unfortunately, no one really knows.

 

Looking for more great information on Norse mythology and religion? While this site provides the ultimate online introduction to the topic, my book The Viking Spirit provides the ultimate introduction to Norse mythology and religion period. I’ve also written a popular list of The 10 Best Norse Mythology Books, which you’ll probably find helpful in your pursuit.


Originally Published on Norse Mythology for Smart People

References:

[1] The Poetic Edda. Lokasenna, stanzas 30, 32.

[2] Snorri Sturluson. Ynglinga Saga 4. In Heimskringla: eða Sögur Noregs Konunga.

[3] Heide, Eldar. 2006. Spinning Seiðr. In Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes and Interactions. Edited by Anders Andrén, Kristina Jennbert, and Catharina Raudvere. p. 166.

[4] Price, Neil S. 2002. The Viking Way: Religion and War in Late Iron Age Scandinavia. p. 279-328.

[5] Snorri Sturluson. Ynglinga Saga 4. In Heimskringla: eða Sögur Noregs Konunga.

[6] Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Roderick. 1964. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. p. 117.

[7] Tacitus, Cornelius. Germania 8.

[8] Enright, Michael J. 1996. Lady with a Mead Cup: Ritual, Prophecy and Lordship in the European Warband from La Tène to the Viking Age.

[9] Ibid. p. 192.

[10] Ibid. p. 66.

[11] Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda. Gylfaginning 35.

[12] Saxo Grammaticus. The History of the Danes.

[13] The Poetic Edda. Lokasenna, verse 26.

[14] Snorri Sturluson. Ynglinga Saga 3. In Heimskringla: eða Sögur Noregs Konunga.

[15] See, for example: Grimm, Jacob. 1882. Teutonic Mythology, Volume 1. Translated by James Steven Stallybrass. p. 302.

[16] The Poetic Edda. Lokasenna, verse 29.

[17] Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda. Skáldskaparmál 18-19.

[18] Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Roderick. 1964. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. p. 111.

[19] Grimm, Jacob. 1882. Teutonic Mythology, Volume 1. Translated by James Steven Stallybrass. p. 300.

[20] Orel, Vladimir. 2003. A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. p. 114.

Freyja

Definition
by Emma Groeneveld

Freyja (Old Norse for ‘Lady’, ‘Woman’, or ‘Mistress’) is the best-known and most important goddess in Norse mythology. Beautiful and many-functioned, she features heavily as a fertility goddess stemming from her place in the Vanir family of the gods (the other and main one is the Æsir family) along with her twin brother Freyr and father Njord, and stars in many myths recorded in Old Norse literature as lover or object of lust. She lives in Fólkvangr (‘Field of the People’), rides a carriage drawn by cats, and is connected not just with love and lust but also with wealth, magic, as well as hand-picking half of all fallen warriors on battlefields to go into Odin’s hall of Valhalla – the other half being selected by Odin himself. She likely played an important role in old Scandinavian religion.

 

FAMILY
Freyja is part of the Vanir family of the gods who handle all things fertility-related, including harvests (her brother Freyr); wind, sea, and wealth (her father Njord); and her own expertise regarding love, lust, and wealth, too. Her mother appears to have been giant-daughter and wife of Njord, Skadi, and while originally Freyja may have been paired in a brother-sister married couple with Freyr, Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241 CE) – our most comprehensive source when it comes to Norse mythology – has her down as wife of Ódr, who she has two daughters with; Hnoss and Gersimi (Gylfaginning, 35). These names both mean something along the lines of ‘preciousness’ or ‘treasure’ and were possibly used in later poetry as manifestations of Freyja herself.

 

Ódr is said to have gone traipsing around on long journeys, inexplicably leaving Freyja behind, who would then search for him while weeping golden tears; this tale dates back to at least as early as the 10th century CE. He and Odin are commonly thought to have originally been one and the same person, with Ódr functioning as a shortened form of Odin.

ATTRIBUTES
One of Freyja’s attributes has already been mentioned: her cat-drawn carriage with which she zooms around the Norse mythological cosmos. Another is a garment – a coat, cloak or dress-like thing – made out of falcon feathers. Possibly, the boar Hildisvíni should also be counted among Freyja’s attributes; the Hyndluljóð poem has her riding said boar, and a boar connection, in general, is made more plausible by the fact that her brother Freyr is also associated with a boar, in his case named Gullinborsti. Sýr, another name of Freyja’s, is sometimes translated as ‘sow’, too, but it also might mean ‘to protect’, ‘to shield,’ in which case it would negate this third boar link. Germanic mythological powerhouse H. R. Ellis Davidson adds another animal: “Horses were certainly associated with the fertility pair Freyr and Freyja, and said to be kept in their holy places” (104). Her last – but not least – attribute is the necklace Brísingamen.

 

FREYJA’S MANY ROLES
The baseline of Freyja’s various functions comes from her role as fertility goddess as per her Vanir descent. Specifically, her other name Horn (Hǫrn, or Härn) probably comes from Old Norse horr, which means flax or linen. This was an important product which began being cultivated early on in Scandinavia and was thought to ward off evil and give fertility to humankind. Flax manufacture was a female affair, and as bridal dresses were made of linen, Freyja became a sort of defender of love and weddings, too. Another one of her names, Gefn, is Old Norse for ‘giver’, bringing to mind a role as a goddess of plenty.

 

The handed-down mythology emphasises Freyja’s role in all things related to sexuality (apart from childbirth, with which she seems unconcerned). For one, she often features as an irresistible object of lust, mainly in the eyes of the giants. The giant Thrym, for example, is only cool with returning the hammer he has stolen from Thor if he gets Freyja for his own. Besides her being the ‘price’ of many things – which the other gods try to avoid paying, as such – other myths reinforce Freyja’s supposed free and considerable sexuality. Although Loki in the Lokasenna poem badmouths everyone around him and accuses all the goddesses of various sexual acts, Freyja is reprimanded by Loki as follows:

 

Be silent, Freyja! | for fully I know thee,

Sinless thou art not thyself;

Of the gods and elves | who are gathered here,

Each one as thy lover has lain. (30)

 

She also consents to sleep with four dwarves in turn in order for them to hand over the Brísingamen to her and is accused in the Hyndluljóð poem of being the hero Óttar’s lover. Presumably, then, early Scandinavians looked to Freyja in matters of love and lust.

 

To make things even better, Freyja is also a goddess of wealth, as attested to by the many poetic references that link her to treasure. Her tears are said to be made of gold, even being synonymous with the material:

 

Gold is called Freyja’s Tears (…). So sang Skúli Thorsteinsson:

Many a fearless swordsman

Received the Tears of Freyja.

(Skáldskaparmál, 37)

 

The fact that Freyja’s daughters’ names Hnoss and Gersimi mean ‘preciousness’ or ‘treasure’ could arguably be seen as the “product of poetic convention in which Freyja was recognized as the source of treasure: perhaps as the weeper of golden tears, perhaps as a goddess ruling over wealth” (Billington & Green, 61).

 

Her connection with magic is also well-known, and Snorri Sturluson relays how it was Freyja who first taught the shamanistic magic called seiðr to the Æsir. Finally, the way Freyja chooses slain warriors to be on her as opposed to Odin’s team carries her into more ferocious spheres, functioning as a goddess of death and perhaps even battle itself. Which god selects you seems to boil down to social or personal status, or perhaps comes from the fact that both the Vanir and the Æsir needed someone to fulfil this role on the battlefield. This link between Freyja and Odin, as well as Odin’s own strong proficiency with magic, helps illustrate how Odin and Ódr, Freyja’s husband, could plausibly have originally been the same person.

 

MYTHS INVOLVING FREYJA
As evidenced above, there are plenty of myths recorded in the Old Norse sources that are keen to dive into the subject of Freyja. The Hyndluljóð poem emphasises she was more than just a pretty face; in it, Freyja visits wise-woman Hyndla asking her to unravel the hero Óttar’s ancestry, soaking up this knowledge. However, in the Þrymskviða (the ‘Lay of Thrym’, a poem possibly composed in the 12th or 13th century CE and found in the Poetic Edda), her desirability is once again a core theme. The story tells of Thor’s hammer being stolen by the giant Thrym, who will not return the hammer unless he gets his hands on Freyja. Freyja refuses to tag along, however, giving up the Brísingamen to help Thor disguise himself as her. After almost giving things away because Thor gorged himself to such an extent at the wedding banquet so as to raise suspicion – his burning eyes not helping either – Loki luckily smooth-talks his way out of it and ensures they get the hammer back. For good measure, Thor kills Thrym and a bunch of other giants on his way out.

 

As for other giant-related myths, the giant Hrungnir boasts he would bodily move Valhalla into Jotunheimen (the realm of the giants), sink Asgard (the realm of the gods), and kill all the gods except for Freyja and Sif, who he will take home with him (Skáldskaparmál, 17). In the tale of the Giant Master Builder, a giant offers to build walls around Asgard as long as he gets Freyja, the sun and the moon. Regarding her necklace Brísingamen, which is assigned to Freyja by Late Old Norse sources (13th and 14th centuries CE), the most famous myth concerns its theft (most commonly by Loki) but is preserved in such a fragmentary and tricky way that it is now rather hard to come up with one comprehensive story. The most detailed version is also the youngest and thus not the pinnacle of reliability: the Sǫrla Þáttr, which survives in the 14th century CE Flateyjarbók, describes how Freyja sleeps with four dwarves to get the Brísingamen, and how Odin then forces Loki to steal the necklace from her. Loki enters her bedroom as a fly, stings her so she moves her hand off of the necklace, and grabs it. By contrast, Snorri Sturluson has Loki and Heimdall fighting each other over the necklace (Skáldskaparmál, 8).

 

CULT OF FREYJA
As a fertility goddess, Freyja would have taken up a central role in old Scandinavian religion, playing a part in the circle of life. J. P. Schjødt explains her special position:

 

Freyja is one of the few individual goddesses who has had a major role in the more official religious cult (whereas many female deities seen as collectives played a part in both myth and ritual). She incorporates many traits that can be found in fertility goddesses all over the world, among whom is a clear connection also to death. (Brink & Price, 221)

 

The Old Norse sources do not specifically detail the existence of a cult of Freyja per se, but the large number of place-names in Sweden and Norway related to her name, such as Frøihov (from Freyjuhof, ‘Freyja’s temple’) and Frǫvi (from Freyjuvé, ‘Freyja’s shrine’), show clear worship, perhaps even pointing to a public cult as opposed to the domestic cult one would expect of a goddess of love. It is clear that the people of Iceland on the cusp of conversion to Christianity around the year 1000 CE still had Freyja clearly on their mind. The Íslendingabók states that Hjalti Skeggjason, a supporter of Christianity, was outlawed for blasphemy after calling Freyja a bitch (in this case a female dog, but taken to mean he wanted to call her a whore) at the Althing parliament. She was obviously still important enough for people to not successfully get away with these sorts of things.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Groeneveld
Emma has studied History & Ancient History. During her Master’s she focused on Herodotus as well as the juicy politics of ancient courts, but more recently she has been immersing herself in everything prehistoric. She both writes and edits for AHE.

 

Originally published on Ancient History Encyclopedia

The Witches Spell Journal for Friday, October 26th

Autumn Fantasy

The Witches Spell Journal for Friday, October 26th

 

Today is Friday, October 26th

Friday is the day of Venus. It takes it name from Frigg, the Goddess of love and transformation. She rules the spiritual side of a person that manifests in the physical. Because of this, Friday is often thought of as dangerously unpredictable. This is expressed in an old East Anglian adage:

Friday’s day will have its trick
The fairest or foulest day of the week.

Deity: Frigg

Zodiac Sign: Taurus/Libra

Planet: Venus

Tree: Apple

Herb: Vervain

Stone: Sapphire/Chrsolite

Animal: Bull/Serpent

Element: Earth

Color: Yellow/Violet

Number: 7

Rune: Peorth(P)

 

The Celtic Tree Month of Gort (Ivy) (September 30 – October 27)

 

The Runic Half Month Wyn (October 13 – October 27)

 

Goddess of the Month of Hathor (October 2 – October 30)

 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

 

The Goddess Book of Days for October 26th

In Egypt, the day of the Festival of Hathor, usually on the Full Moon. She is mother of the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt, and is also Sati, Astarte, Oddudua, Mawu, Spider Woman, Freya, Ishtar, Cybele, Juno, Hera, Mary, Tiamat, Yemaya, Djigonasee, Changing Woman, Copper Woman, Mawu, Aida Wedo, Chalchiuhtlique, and Tonantzin.

 

Goddesses Associated with Friday

Friday For Freya: Astarte, Aphrodite, Erzulie, Aida Wooo, Eve, Venus, Diana, Isis, the Witch of Gaeta, Chalchiuhtlique

Source

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

 

On Friday, October 26, We Celebrate….

Birthday of the Earth (Various Locations)
TELLUS MATER

Themes: Earth; Ecology; Promises; Abundance; Prosperity; Fertility

Symbols: Globe; Soil; Grain

About Tellus Mater: The Roman earth mother celebrates today’s festivities by sharing of her abundance, being a goddess of vegetation, reproduction, and increase. In regional stories, Tellus Mater gave birth to humans, which is why bodies are returned to the soil at death—so they can be reborn from her womb anew.

To Do Today: According to James Ussher, a seventeenth-century Anglican archbishop, God created the earth on October 26, 4004 B.C.E. While this date is uncertain at best, it gives us a good excuse to honor Tellus Mater and hold a birthday party on her behalf. Make a special cake for the earth mother out of natural fertilizers. Take this to a natural setting (don’t forget the candle). Light the candle and make a wish for the earth’s renewal, then blow it out, remove the candle, and bury your gift for Tellus Mater in the soil, where it can begin manifesting your good wishes!

While you’re outside, pick up a pinch of soil, a stone, or any natural object that strikes your eye and keep it close. This is a part of Tellus Mater, and it will maintain her power for abundance wherever you go today. It will also help you stay close to the earth mother and honor the living spirit of earth in word and deed.

365 Goddess: A Daily Guide To the Magic and Inspiration of the goddess
Patricia Telesco

 

Friday: The day of beauty

Frigg was the Norse goddess of beauty, love, household, fertility and motherhood. She was Odin’s wife. She wonderfully balances out the dreadfulness of all the masculine gods sitting around our week table.

Derived from Latin Dies Veneris, Friday is viernes in Spanish, vendredi in French and venerdi in Italian. The day belongs to Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty, love and fertility.

 

Friday’s Magick

Magickal Intent:
Lust
Romance
Happiness
Travel
Friends
Beauty
Sexuality
Harmony
Growth

Planet: Venus

Colors: Pink, Aqua, Seafoam

Crystals: Coral, Emerald, Rose Quartz

 

 

The Magickal Day of Friday

Friday falls at the end of the work week for many of us, and that means we get a chance to relax for a little bit! Mark your Fridays with colors like pink and aqua, and metals such as copper. This is a day ruled by the planet Venus, so it should be no surprise that Venus and Aphrodite – goddesses of love and beauty – are associated with Fridays. This is a day named for the Norse goddess Freyja, so be sure to take a moment to honor her as well.

Gemstones associated with Friday include coral, emerald and rose quartz, and plants like strawberries, apple blossoms and feverfew are also related. This is a good day to do spellwork associated with family life and fertility, sexuality, harmony, friendship, growth. Take advantage of Friday’s correspondences and plant a seed, make something grow, and enjoy your blessings

*Note: There are a lot of disputes as to the origins of the word Friday, because there is still a great deal of discussion as to whether it was named for Freyja or Frigga, and whether they were the same deity or two separate ones. Some scholars believe that while they may have eventually become two distinctly different goddesses, they could have had their origins in a single, common Proto-Germanic deity.

 

Author

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by ThoughtCo.com

 

Friday: Freya’s Day

 

Ruler: Freya, Venus

Colors: Emerald green or pink

Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following.

Key Words: Love, money, health

It is easy to spot the ruler of this day by its name. In the word Friday, we see the roots of the name of the Norse goddess Freya, a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses thus the verse “Friday’s child is loving and giving.”

In Spanish this day of the week is called Viernes and is derived from the goddess Venus. Matters of love, human interaction, the fluidity of communication, sewing and the creation of artistic garments, household improvement, shopping, and party planning all fall under the aspects of Friday and its ruling planet, Venus.

Friday’s angels are Ariel/Uriel, Rachiel, and Sachiel. Rachiel also concerns himself with human sexuality and is a presiding spirit of the planet Venus.

On Fridays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Venus, and that makes these times of the day doubly blessed. These four hours are the strongest four hours for conducting ritual.

Check the local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine your local sunrise.

Source

Gypsy Magic

Friday’s Witchery

On Friday’s Love magick is a perennial popular topic. However, there is more to this topic than meets the eye. There are many enchanting layers here for us to explore on this day of the week. What about creating a loving home, or producing a loving and nurturing family? What about keeping your intimate relationships vital and on track? How about promoting happy, healthy, and enduring friendships? See, there is more to be considered than just the “You shall be mine…” type of fictional love spell. Don’t forget that many of the deities associated with Fridays are also parents. So, yes while this is the day to work on romance, sex, and love spells, there is additional magick to be considered here, which makes Fridays a more well-rounded and bigger opportunity for witchery than many folks ever truly realize. The truest, strongest magick always comes from the heart.

Source

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

 

The Witches Almanac for Friday, October 26

Death of Alfred the Great

Waning Moon

Moon phase: Third Quarter

Moon Sign: Taurus

Moon enters Gemini 3: 41 pm

Incense: Rose

Color: Purple

Moon in Taurus

The Moon is traveling through comfy Taurus today. Eat something you love. Have a second serving.

We are motivated by the desire for serenity, security, peace, and comfort. The Moon is at her most sensual and constant in Taurus. Our basic impulses are to relax, resist change, and “stop to smell the roses”. Life slows down a little, and we get comfortable. We may also be inclined to stubbornness and materialism under this influence.

The Moon in Taurus generally favors the following activities: Substantial and material actions that yield solid results. Financial activities, and those involving personal possessions, applying for a loan, beginning a potentially long-term relationship, music, home decor.

 

FRIDAY CORRESPONDENCES

Venus/Water/East/West/South/Dawn/Female/Libra/Taurus

Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers, Heart

Color: aqua, blue, light blue, brown, green, pale green, magenta, peach, pink, rose, white, all pastels

Number: 5, 6

Metal: copper

Charm: green or white garments, scepter

Stone: alexandrite, amethyst, coral, diamond, emerald, jade, jet, black moonstone, peridot, smoky quartz, tiger’s-eye, pink tourmaline

Animal: camel, dove, elephant, goat, horse, pigeon, sparrow

Plant: apple, birch, cherry, clematis, clove, coriander, heather, hemlock, hibiscus, ivy, lotus, moss, myrtle, oats, pepperwort, peppermint, pinecone, quince, raspberry, rose, pink rose, red rose, rose hips, saffron, sage, savin, stephanotis, strawberry, thyme, vanilla, verbena, violet, water lily, yarrow, and all flowers

Incense: ambergris, camphor, mace, musk, myrrh, rose, saffron, sage, sandalwood, sweetgrass, vanilla, violet, all floral scents

Goddess: Aphrodite, Asherah, Baalith, Brigid, Erzulie, Freya (Passionate Queen), Frigg, Gefion, Harbor (Beautiful One), Hestia, Inanna, Ishtar (Lady of Passion and Desire), Lakshmi, Lilith, Mokosh, Nehalennia, Nerthus, Ostara, Pombagira, Sarasvati, Shakti, Shekinah, Sirtur, Al Uzza, Venus (Queen of Pleasure), Vesta

God: Allah, Bacchus, Bes, Cupid, the Dagda, Dionysus, El, Eros (God of Love), Freyr, Frit Ailek, Shukra

Evocation: Agrat Bat Mahalat, Anael, Hagiel, Mokosba, Rasbid, Sachiel, Uriel, Velas

 

Magickal Applications for Friday

Friday is named after the Norse goddesses of love, Freya and Frigga. There seems to be some debate as to whom the day is actually named after, so I thought I would share a little information so you can decide for yourself.

In Latin, this day is known as Dies Veneris, “Venus’s day.” In Greek, it’s Hermera Aphrodites, which translates to the “day of Aphrodite.” In Old English, this day is called Frige- daeg, or “Freya’s day.” This day has the Germanic title of Frije-dagaz, which, once again, could be Freya’s day or Frigga’s day.

Both Freya and Frigga were Norse goddesses of love and were the Teutonic equivalent of the Greco-Roman Venus/Aphrodite. However, Freya was one of the Vanir—the gods of fertility who supervised the land and sea—and she was the leader of the Valkyries. Frigga, Odin’s wife, was the goddess of the heavens and of married love. She was one of the Aesir—the gods associated with battle, magick and the sky. Freya and Frigga could be looked upon as different aspects of the same goddess. They both were called on to assist in childbirth and then in naming of the new baby. Frigga represented the faithful wife and loving mother, while Freya, who really captured the hearts and imagination of the Norse people, was the passionate mistress and lover.

Fridays classically are days for love, fertility, romance, and beauty magick, as well as working for happiness, harmony in the home, and friendship. So let’s take a look at some of the mythology involved with this loving, voluptuous, passionate, and luxurious day of the week, and see where it leads us.

Source

Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

Friday Not Only Represents The Day for Love Magick but also Banishing Magick

For many, Friday is the last work day of the week. It’s considered the fifth day of the work week and, also, the “cut loose” day. By Friday night, people are out having a party. That makes Friday the perfect day for lust, banish, fast-grant, and find spells. This day is so powerful (energy wise). That’s why whatever you do on this day will, usually, have a strong effect. If you want things out of your life, the darkness and power, associated with this day, bring the energy you need for that. If you need strong, immediate results, this is your day, as well.

A Witch’s Week of Spells and Activities
Helga C. Loueen

 

BANISHING OIL

-1/2 oz olive oil
7 drops pepper oil (add cayenne pepper to olive oil if you wish)
-10 drops peppermint oil – or peppermint essence from icing part of a grocers plus olive oil.
-12 drops of rue or rosemary oil. You can add rue or rosemary to olive oil and put in a warm place for 3 days and strain or buy the essential oil.
-Some crushed black peppercorns
-15 drops of pine oil or some pine needles stepped in olive oil for 3 days in warm place and strained.
Or pine essential oil.
One obsidian or black onyx stone or a small black pebble.

Blend together in an eggcup and put In a clean brown or dark medicine bottle. Some of these oils are volatile. Do not anoint yourself with Banishing oil. You could burn yourself. Wash your hands after using. Charge the stone or stones used after adding it and focus on the person and your intent pouring in energy and emotion. As you dress the candles you make them your magical tools. Charge again as you massage away from you massaging in banishing oil from middle to the ends of the candle.

ANGELIC BANISHING SPELL

Shout this Mantra

“Angels of Protection,
Angels who clear
Remove all spirits
Who don’t belong here!”

Call upon your highest teacher, angel, or God to clear the spirit.

To increase the potency of this spell, burn sage incense and white candles. Use a glass of water to collect negativity, then flush the water. Also, wear any jewelry that is sacred to you. Express power and strength, show no fear.

While you meditate after the chant, know that the atmosphere around you has been cleared of all evil spirits.

SPELL FOR BANISHING AND NEEDED CHANGES

Instructions:
Sit in a quiet place that is special to you. Hold a white or cream candle in your hands and visualize the area of your life that this candles energy is needed in. After you light this candle the energy will come to you. It may come right away or when you lease expect it.
When you are ready recite the spell or use your own words of power.

This candle I see before me, its color so bright,
Holds my needs of change in its light.
I call in the forces higher than I
To release the energy that is held inside
May it work for me in the most correct way,
Harming none and helping all as it leaves my stay.
I call on thee in perfect trust and love sending me guidance from above.
This I make happen and so be it will.
Take away this thing that brings me ill.
So mote it be.

3x3x3

 

BANISHING SPELL TO STOP HARM

This will protect without causing the person bound any harm. It is not a dark spell but a very potent protective one. You may use a different oil if you wish to use as a banishing oil. Rosemary may be substituted for Rue.

Materials:
1 black taper or image candle (gender depends on who you are trying to bind)
nail
black cloth a large piece of black cloth
red ribbon
cotton needle and thread
Banishing oil
loose tobacco
a small mirror that can stand by itself

If you can obtain hair or nail clippings from the person or a picture, you can use it in this spell.
Fold the felt in half and cut out a rough shape of the person you want to bind. Make the figure large enough so that you will be able to stuff it after you have sewn it together. Sew the pieces of the poppet together, leaving a hole through which you can stuff the poppet. Fill it with cotton and tobacco, and if you have the hair or nail clippings of the person, add those to it. Once it is filled, sew the opening closed. If you have a picture of the person, staple or sew it to the front of the poppet.

Next, care the name of the person onto the black candle with the nail and add these runes: Thuraz, Isa, Eihwas, a dark filled in circle to represent the dark moon, bars like you will see in a jail, and a widdershins (anticlockwise) spiral. Anoint the candle and the poppet with the oil.
Cast a circle, invoke the elements, God or Goddess you are working with. Light the altar candles. Light the black candle and adjust the mirror so that flame is reflected in the glass. Hold the poppet out in front of you and say:

“Creature of cloth thou art,
Creature of flesh and blood you be.
I name you (name of the person you are binding).
No more shall you do me harm.
No more shall you repeat false tales.
No more shall you interfere in my life, nor in the lives of my loved ones.
By the power of the Gods and by my will, So mote it be!”

Draw an invoking pentagram over the poppet. Now take the ribbon and begin to wrap the poppet like a mummy, leaving no space unwrapped. Say:

“I bind your feet from bringing harm to me.
I bind your hands from reaching out to harm me.
I bind your mouth from spreading false tales to harm me.
I bind your mind from sending energy to harm me.
If you do so continue, let all negative energy be cast and reflected directly at you!”

Tie off the ribbon and hold the poppet in front of the mirror while you visualize all negative energy this person has sent to you being reflected back at them. Wrap the poppet in the black cloth and tie with another length of ribbon. Say:

“Great Mother, I have bound this person
from harming me and my loved ones.
By the powers of three times three
By Earth and Fire, Air and Sea
I fix this spell, then set it free
Twill give no harm to return to me
As I will, So mote it be!”

Let the candle burn out while the poppet sits at its base, then take the poppet and the remains of the candle far from your home and bury it deep in the ground or toss it in the ocean and walk away without looking back.

SPELL FOR BANISHING SICKNESS FROM YOURSELF

Take an Athame or wand (or use your index finger) and repeat the banishing pentagram ritual while saying:

O malady, disappear into the heavens;
Pain, rise up to the clouds;
Inflamed vapor, fly into the air,
In order that the wind may take thee away,
That the tempest may chase thee to distant regions,
Where you came from where you did no harm So mote it be!

BANISHMENT STIRRING SPELL

If you need to banish something from your life, prepare a pot of soup. Draw a banishing pentagram in the soup, then stir nine times counterclockwise, saying:

“Blessed Lord, gracious Lady, hear my plea.
Remove (insert what needs removal) from me.
For the good of all, with harm to none;
once this is eaten, the spell is done!”

Eat the soup.

SPELL TO BANISH LOVERS JEALOUSY

Cast this spell in the bedroom. Open the window, walk in a circle widdershins saying:

“Turn and turn about, out, out, out.
Badness put to rout, end to every doubt. Out, out, out.”

‘Sweep’ the hurtful emotions out the window with your hands.
In an oil burner, burn ylang-ylang, myrrh and coriander essential oils. Circle deosil saying:

“Winding, winding, winding, peace and joy now finding
a love that’s true and binding, winding, winding, winding.”

 

DEBT BANISHING SPELL

Supplies:
–Rolled parchment, 2 inches wide and as long as you like One black pen
–One purple candle Oil of your choice Incense of your choice

Cleanse and consecrate all supplies with the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). List all your debts on the parchment. Draw a banishing pentacle on the back of the parchment. Carve a banishing pentacle on the candle. Place the rolled parchment in the candleholder then tighten the candle on top. Think of banishing your debts. Think of the feeling of happiness and relief when the debts are banished.

Light the candle. Take the candle to the East quarter and ask that the Sylphs send your message of debt-banishment out to the universe in a safe and protective way, and ask that prosperity return to you in the same manner. Put the candle back on the altar and, in your own words, ask Juno to banish the debt and replace with prosperous energy.

Allow the candle to burn completely. The paper will catch fire, so watch what type of holder you are using (glass will break) and that the candle holder is on a fire-safe surface. As the candle burns, concentrate on banishing your debts, your feelings of relief and happiness, and the coming prosperity.

BANISHMENT ENDING SPELL

This is a spell for love gone wrong, for ending a personal, family or business relationship that you no longer wish to be in. It is a fire spell. To work it, gather herbs of protection and an image of the person (photograph, poppet, etc.) Something written in their own hand, a lock of hair, a piece of clothing or a personal object will also do.

Put everything into a fireproof container – iron cauldron, marble mortar, whatever – and set fire to it as you perform the spell. It should make a very satisfactory blaze that reduces to ashes. The ashes can be buried or washed down a drain. Flush them down a toilet if you are very angry.

Dispose of all the objects that connect you to the person: gifts, letters, photographs, etc. It is especially important to get rid of jewelry. Move house if you have to. Be careful with this spell. It’s permanent, so don’t use it unless you really mean forever.

By the crimson and the gold
by basilisk and bloodstone
by the garlic in the fields
by the poppies and what they yield
invisibly I make my shield
to detect thee and deflect thee
and keep thy harm from me.
By dragon’s blood and salamanders
by horses when their hooves strike sparks
by the dragon breathing flames
from the Book of Life I erase thy names
I cut the cords and unlock the chains
I sever all the ties by which we were bound
and with impenetrable walls myself I surround
against thy power and its source
against thy evil and its source
Vesta, Pele, Lilith
Kali Kali Kali
I banish thee forever from me
and any harm from thee to me
doubles back and tables turned
thou shalt by thyself be burned
Lilith, Vesta, Pele
Kali Ma Kali Ma
by the power of three times three
I banish thee, I banish thee, I banish thee
I am set free So mote it be!

Witch Tip #115 for October 26

If you’re a sea Witch who doesn’t often have opportunities to recharge their energy by being near the ocean, try using seaweed-infused health and beauty products, like shampoo, moisturizer, and body wash.

Witch Tips : The Essential Guide to Contemporary Witchcraft
A. Rayne

 

Today’s Spell Journal Brought to You By

 

TGIF! Thank The Goddess It Is Finally Friday! May The Goddess Bless You & Yours Today & Always!

Der Zauberhafte Herbst
A Pagan’s prayer

May I be no man’s enemy, and may I be the friend of that
which is eternal and abides.
May I never quarrel with those nearest me, and if I do, may
I be reconciled quickly.
May I never devise evil against any man, and if any devise
evil against me, may I escape uninjured and without the
need of hurting him.
May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good.
May I wish for all men’s happiness, and envy none. May I
never rejoice in the ill fortune of one who has wronged me.
When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait
for the rebuke of another, but always rebuke myself until I
make amends.
May I win no victory that harms either me or my opponent.
May I reconcile friends who are angry with one another.
May I, to the extent of my power, give all needful help to my
friends, and to all who are in want.
May I never fail a friend in danger.
When visiting those in grief, may I be able, by gentle and
healing words, to soften their pain.
May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which
rages within me.
May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never to be angry
with people because of circumstances.
May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things
he has done, but know good men and follow in their
footsteps.

Eusebius, a Stoic

Your Planet Tracker for Oct. 25: Mars in Aquarius

Idealistic, Original, and Independent

Now – November 15, 2018

By Tarot.com Staff

Mars, Astrology, Aquarius

While fierce Mars moves through the brilliant sign of Aquarius, we’re eager to fight for our freedom, our individuality, and our community! Aquarius is a sign that marches to its own beat, and we simply won’t allow our ideas and ambitions to be silenced or shoved aside during this transit.

Mars in Aquarius is a time to revolutionize our way of doing things. It blesses us with magnificent visions to improve not only our daily lives, but society as a whole. Our minds are clear and we are free to think and act in whatever way is needed. We can see a better future, and the steps we must take in order to reach it.

When Mars is in Aquarius

Mars’ transit through Aquarius is a time to stand up for our rights and fight for change. Aquarius is a detached sign that doesn’t typically get too fired up, but Mars’ warrior-like presence here adds the fuel that is normally lacking and encourages us to champion our ideas and ideals. We are fighting for our freedoms, but we aren’t using our fists — with Mars in Aquarius, our minds are our greatest weapons.

Strength lies in fresh ideas and original plans during this transit. Traditional ways of thinking will only lead to more of the same — Mars in Aquarius is a time to identify what we want the future to look like, and to take active steps toward it. It’s not just about thinking outside the box, it’s about completely forgetting about the box. The only way to make things radically different is to act in radical ways.

Injustices and societal problems are impossible to ignore while Mars is in Aquarius. Aquarius is the humanitarian of the zodiac, and is especially concerned with what’s happening to the underdog. While Mars is firing up this sign, we can clearly see what needs to change and how. We can see not just the problems, but the solutions. There’s a powerful opportunity for reformation and revolution during this transit that we don’t always have available to us.

It’s hard to follow anyone else’s rules while Mars moves through free-thinking Aquarius. And who would want to?! Mars in Aquarius is a rebel who shoves aside traditional ways of doing things for a more original approach. We’re all capable of brilliance if we allow ourselves to disconnect from our typical patterns and feelings to embrace a brand-new, totally different way of doing things. It’s about liberating ourselves and growing into our own, bit by bit.

If you were born with Mars in Aquarius

People born with their Mars in Aquarius are blessed with powerful minds and an insatiable need for freedom. You have an original way of thinking and doing things that opens opportunities and solutions where others see none. You like to surprise others — the second someone thinks they have you pegged, you’ll switch up your game. This open way of moving through the world helps you realize that nothing is permanent and there is always, always room for change and improvement.

People are very important to you. While you are an independent thinker, you thrive in group settings and know that there is strength in numbers. Aligning yourself with like-minded people not only builds your friendship circle, but it adds power to your ideas and support for the actions you want to take. It’s hard for you to connect with someone if you’re not on the same page. Your closest friends and lovers are the ones who think like you do.

You are connected to your community, and believe that every person deserves equal rights and opportunities. You will not stand for inequality. Instead of striving for what’s best for you in the moment, you focus on the future and what’s best for everyone.

If there’s one thing that makes you feel confined, it’s conforming — you are far too unique and brilliant to be stifled by anyone else’s limited way of doing things. Your mind is your most powerful asset, and you can’t stand to follow the rules. You think differently than others, making you both a visionary and a leader.

 

Tarot.com is Part of the Daily Insight Group ©2018

Your Karmic Number of the Day for Oct. 25th is 22

You were caught doing or saying something you weren’t supposed to. It is now coming back to haunt you. The number 22 highlights consideration and selflessness, but you have been working against this energy. You seem to have something to say about everything and everyone, but are not thinking enough about the consequences. You are only thinking of yourself because others have hurt you. This may be a time to start singing – literally. There are sad songs articulating your feelings. Let them be your therapy. Once you start getting tired of those songs – and you will – start singing songs that celebrate life.

Your Elder Futhark Rune for October 25 is Raido

for Your Elder Futhark Rune for October 25

Raido

“The journey is the destination.”

Raidho – “Ride-ho” – Literally: “Ride” or “Wagon” – Esoteric: Journey

Key Concepts: the journey of Life, stories, heroism, means of transportation, right action, movement, motion, taking charge, being in control, initiative, adventure, decision-making, direction, counsel, the right path, the inner compass, leadership, kingship, nobility held by merit, moral responsibility, integrity, respect for the rights of others, innate knowledge of right and wrong, celestial procession, rituals

Psi: the story ‘form’ in the psyche, freedom from imprisonment, self-mastery

Energy: cosmic cyclical law, rhythm, presence (active)

Mundane: street-smarts, common sense, travel, movement, taking action

Divinations: Rationality, sound advice, action, justice, ordered growth, journey; or crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice, irrationality, control freak, hypocrisy, wrongful imprisonment, restlessness.

Governs:
Living in the present
Access to “inner advice” and our inner compass, following the heart
Movement within one’s natural limits
Blending with personal and world rhythms, consciousness of right and natural processes
Mastery of circumstance and control of situations, taking the lead
Establishment of creative rhythm in activities
Protection while traveling
Decision-making followed by immediate action

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Oct. 25 is Venus

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

Venus



Venus represents those qualities we commonly associate with the female/yin persona. Venus traits include fertility and the drive to create, unblemished beauty, love, passion, and togetherness. The occurrence of Venus denotes the dominating presence or need of the qualities listed above. While often very subtle, Venetian influences may have a negative impact unless they are balanced with an influence that can temper the drive of Venus.

As a daily card, Venus suggest you should allow your more feminine traits to guide your actions through this period. Subtlety, efforts to bring people together and allowing your creativity to run free are likely to serve you well at this time. However, like Mars, the powers of Venus are very strong and can do more damage than good if not balanced by other influences.

Shuffling the Cards, Your Daily Influences for October 25

Your Daily Influences

 

Tarot Influence

The Queen of Wands

The power to acquire that which is wanted. A productive mind and body. A loving nature. Success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Astrological Influence

Sagittarius

Sagittarius upright denotes strength and energy tempered by worldly wisdom and civility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Element Influence

Water Reversed

Water reversed denotes secrets to which you are not privy. Approach all ventures with caution.