Goddesses – Freya

Norse Goddess Feyra from wytchymystique.com

Her Story:

Freya is the Norse goddess of love and war, “Queen of the Valkyries” and “Mistress of Cats”, a divine escort for the souls of the dead and especially for fallen warriors, taking them through to the afterlife.

This goddess is considered a poet’s muse and inspiration.  She’s invoked for issues involving relationships, particularly in matters of love and family.  Freya is also a potent goddess in matters of sensuality and sexuality, igniting passion.  She is considered the most beautiful of the goddesses and totally irresistable to mortal males.

In honor of Freya, Mistress of the Cats, here’s a wee bit of herbal cat magick.  Use the correspondences for this goddess, as well as the correspondences for this herb, to cast some wild wicked cat magick.

Catnip is commonly used in sleeping potions. The easiest and most pleasant way I can think of to use catnip for this purpose is to make a delicious pot of tea. Catnip is one of the herbs that I grow in my own garden, so all I have to do when I want to brew a pot of catnip tea is to step outside and snatch a handful of the fresh herb. I usually use both the flowers and the leaves. How much you use is going to depend upon how strong you like your tea and the size of your pot. You can sweeten it with honey or sugar. Since catnip is a member of the mint family, I’m guessing that if you like mint in your tea, you’ll like catnip, though to me it is more pungent.

Catnip has an absolutely intoxicating effect on cats, and it was actually hard getting the catnip started in my garden because my cats wouldn’t leave it alone. I’d plant a nice lush bunch of catnip, and the next morning I’d go out to find nothing but bare stems.  I can’t tell you how many times we’ve looked out the kitchen windows to watch one of our cats, or a stray cat, rolling around our garden in drunken bliss.

Catnip is sacred to all pagan gods/goddesses who manifest as a cat or feline creature, including: Sekhmet, Bast, Mau, Tefnut, Mafdet, and Freya.

Correspondences for Catnip:

Energy: Feminine (Receptive)
Planet:  Venus
Element: Water
Magick:  cat magick, love, beauty, well-being

It’s believed that a gift of catnip from you to your cat will create a magickal and psychic bond between the two of you. Since I’ve experienced this myself, I have to say that it truly works in beautiful ways. If you make a catnip talisman for your kitty, keep this in mind. Remember that concentrating on your intentions when crafting magickal items imbues that object with the magick. Catnip is also used in love spells, often as an ingredient in mojo bags or candle magick. Just as the cat finds this herb intoxicating and irresistable, so will the one you target in love magick, using catnip to draw them to you. Hang a bunch of dried catnip over the threshold of your home to draw good spirits and good luck, as well as to draw the blessings of cat goddesses. Catnip is also used in beauty spells, either as a tincture you can use to bathe your face, or with candle magic. It’s believed that this herb will mesmerize those targeted in such spells to see you as youthful and beautiful. This type of enchantment is considered a glamoury.

Embracing the Goddess:

Freya is the goddess for all of us “Crazy Cat Ladies”, and I’m proud to count myself in this company.  Call upon this goddess when working cat magic, to call upon the cat as a totem animal, or just to honor this magical creature.

Freya’s Correspondences:

Herbs: catnip, geranium, willow, goldenrod, magnolia
Animal: cat
Color: green, pink
Planet: Venus
Day: Friday
Element: Water
Feminine Face: Maiden
Symbol: cats, the number 13