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Few goddesses honor the archetypes of both lover and warrior quite like goddess Freyja, also spelled Freya and Freia. This solar feminine deity comes from the Norse word for “lady” and we have her to thank for our word Friday, aka Freyja’s Day.
In Norse traditions, people called on Freyja to invite more love into their lives, and for them love and war weren’t so separate. Freyja was said to be the most beautiful of the goddesses, though not just a pretty face, she was also the queen of the battle-maidens called Valkyries.
She decided, with the Zeus-like god Odin, which slain souls would go where and would escort them to her palace in the afterlife. She drove a chariot driven by cats and was mistress to the gods as she had a reputation for being a flirt. In northern areas of the world, she is credited with bringing magic to humankind.
For this reason, Freyja is associated with magic, love, sensuality, strength, power, and devotion. She offers us esteem and focus, and of course a deep connection with cats.( I even named my kitty after her and she is of course sitting next to me as I write this.) ;) The cat-like goddess Freyja also has a reputation for being an ardent and sensual lover.
One myth about Freyja involves the story of her most prized possession, the necklace of Brisings. One day she was walking past a stone and it opened to reveal four dwarves making a necklace. She loved the necklace and offered them gold and silver for it, though they said no and instead asked for a night with her. She said yes and four nights later left with her necklace. In ancient Norse times, Freyja was often seen in the sky wearing her necklace of gems and precious metals…also known as the Milky Way.
Freia, named after Freyja, was the 76th asteroid discovered in 1862, in Denmark by Heinrich ’Arreste, it was his first and only astronomical discovery. Currently, the heavenly body hangs out at 2 degrees Pisces in retrograde until October 14 of this year.
While not all of us are born Leos or have Leo moons or as our rising sign, we all have a Sun and a Freia asteroid in our charts. The placement of Freyja in our charts reminds us where we can harness our unique solar power as love in our own lives, especially as we move into Leo season on July 22.
**To find Freyja/Freya in your chart, go to astro.com, enter your birth information, choose “Extended Chart Selection,” scroll down to “Additional Selection,” and type in 76.
While the Greeks had six names for love, several Norse languages had around four, modern psychologist John Lee developed a theory of six styles of loving. Though I tend to believe there are myriad different flavors and styles of loving in our everyday life just as there are stars in the sky.
Freyja welcomes us into matters of the heart and opens us into new ways of connecting with ourselves and others as well as the paradox of loving and holding two aspects as one. Below are questions to consider for harnessing Freyja’s fierce love and connecting to your inner, and outer, benevolent royal (or Viking):
In relationship to the Sun// What is my relationship to my own self-love in my ability to care for others? While modern-day version of love could be associated with self-esteem or perhaps a healthy (or unhealthy) version of ego or sense of self. A healthy version of this allows us to love others more securely with confidence.
In relationship to the Moon// Is my love based on attachment needs being met or actual intimacy? I see this as a love or sense of duty from children and parents as well as ancestral lineage. A bond that transcends time as well as honors those before. Perhaps this is a love between roommates or others who live together.
In relationship to Mercury// Does love for me get evoked with intellectual conversation or does communication matter to me? I equate this with an intellectual muse of sorts, it is connection based on intellectual inspiration and stimulation. Similar to a Geisha in some way with witty banter and conversation.
In a relationship to Venus// Am I often blinded by love and get caught up in romantic, passionate connection or do I desire the slow burn? It is a sense of devotion and enchantment as well as flirting and emotional depth. A love based on chemistry or love at first sight.
In a relationship to Mars// Do you crave the chase and being the hunter, or prefer the receptive mode? This version of love comes with playfulness, excitement, and conquest, though may lack consistency or commitment. It desires fun and light-heartedness and does well with short-term relating.
In relationship to Jupiter// Do I crave more of a companion or want passion, can I have both? This style of loving is often focused on shared interests or a sense of being very similar. Characterizes by smoothness and very comfortable with a feeling of intimacy and connection. I would consider closely associated with companionate love and feelings of heart opening, warmth, and expansion.
In relationship to Saturn// Is love pragmatic to me or based on connection? Some relationships are more like business arrangement or partnership based on mutual benefit and practicality. It may be unromantic by nature, though may relate to having similar goals such as having a family. Sometimes Pragma love is a considered a combination of Ludus and Storge and has a very realistic approach to the relationship.
In relationship to Chiron // Does love heal or hurt me? With this style of loving it is important to pay attention to relationships that may feel re-wounding, versus those that offer healing. Relating to someone may become difficult to discern whether or not it is good or bad for us as often it can be more familiar to relate to places of pain.
In relationship to Uranus// Do I feel more connected in groups or one-on-one? This kind of love may have no specific person or group of people, though this love has an electricity and desire for awakening. Love may be shown through wanting to evolve with someone at the same time.
In a relationship to Neptune// Is my love based on conditions or unconditional? This is to me the channeling of spiritual union with another as well as the collective everyone. It may be categorized by sacrifice and puts us in touch with our own godliness or deep compassion.
In relationship to Pluto// Am I in love or am I obsessed? This style of loving can be characterized by obsessive tendencies and jealousy. The strong need for the relationship often result in dramatic rollercoaster to keep the lover or develop into manipulation or abusive tendencies.
Other ways to honor the cat queen include:
// Food // Strawberries, raspberries and other sensuous foods
// Style // Gold jewelry or gold-toned clothing or pink to evoke the inner lover, or wearing a tiara as much as possible would also work.;)
// Workout // Kickboxing or a boot camp class, or even doing nothing at all…Freyja is a fighter and a lover who could lounge.
// Home // Add gold accents, or cat accents to your space, that would certainly appease Freyja.
// Healing // Be creative, spend time making something that connects you to your own inner queen