– Keep your runes on you whenever your travels bring you somewhere
– Whenever you see a cat smile and greet them even if it seems cold. She loves them.
– Keep amber, nuts and sweet things near you and thank her whenever you eat them
– keep a strong demeanor, but a loving one.
– Be there for those who don’t feel like they are worth it. She is one of the strongest goddesses for them to be close to as she often tries to find comfort for those who are dying on the inside due to mental problems or health problems.
There are several Norse holidays/celebrations around this time which are a separate tradition from Samhain and Halloween. There is no Veil between the spirit world and ours in Norse tradition. (This got kind of long but tbh its because nobody ever talks about Norse holidays)
Vetrnætr “The Three Days Which Begin The Winter Season” (winter starts in October in Scandinavia) the Yngling Saga states “
There should be a sacrifice at the beginning of winter for a good year” It’s a holiday to thank the harvest gods and spirits for bounty as we head into the cold of the year where things don’t grow. A time to be thankful for the food and comforts we (hopefully) have. This holiday is also known as Winter Nights. This holiday takes place in mid to late October, (usually whenever the first snow falls in Scandinavia.) Outside of Scandinavia, it should not happen before there is snow on the ground and/or it officially the first day of Winter where you live. At this time, most people honor:
Freya, the goddess of the dísir, (female dead, Valkyries, female spirits), magic, death, the harvest
Freyr, the god of the alfar (male dead, Elves, male spirits), the harvest
Sif, Gefn, Nerthus, Jord, Thor, and other harvest gods
lesser worshiped during this holiday are Odin and Hel (Hel worship is mostly a modern thing so that’s up to personal preference anyways)
Traditional practices during this time would be an Álfablót and a Dísablót
a dísablót
is to Freya, all of the female spirits of the land and house, all goddesses, all women and girls, and the Valkyrie. But ESPECIALLY for female spirits & Freya.
Álfablót
is for Freyr, the Elves, all of the male spirits of the land and house, all gods, all men and boys. But ESPECIALLY for the Elves & Freyr.
Both of these are usually accompanied with food, drinks, story telling, and most of the trappings of any good festival. They are to remember and honor the people and gods in your life and all that they do for you, to enjoy the beginning of winter, and to celebrate. The modern Disting/Winter Nights is like a big street market with lots of food and games and things to buy, and Eddic lore indicates it was always this way.
“In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism prevailed, that the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at Upsala.
Then sacrifice was offered for peace, and victory to the king; and
thither came people from all parts of Svithjod. All the Things of the
Swedes, also, were held there, and markets, and meetings for buying,
which continued for a week”
TLDR what can you do? Throw a big party, honor your gods and your family/friends with good food, tell stories, go to local harvest/winter festivals, have a good time and be merry.
First let me state gods aren’t an ingredient you can use in a spell but I’ve been a devotee of Freyja for a while now and worked on creating this spell specifically with her because I needed help finding love for myself. This is a spell I wrote for myself and @v3niri so I’m sorry if that’s inconvenient for anyone. Feel free to not include Freyja or do offerings for your own gods, etc. You don’t necessarily need the ingredients as long as you have your intent.❤️
❤️Ingredients❤️
Rose Quartz – self love, clears out negative energy and tension
Citrine – optimism, warmth, clarity, stability,
Rose Incense
Strength, High Priestess, and Queen of Pentacles tarot cards
White candles (I used tea lights)
The desire to better yourself
❤️Incantation❤️
“I give this offerings to Freyja, In hopes of entering a wise mind, To calm my anxious heart and insecurities, To give me the strength to turn turn away harmful thoughts, To give me the strength to live in the moment, To give me the strength to be honest with myself and others, And most of all the strength to love myself.”
❤️Incantation❤️
In my opinion there is no right or wrong way to cast a spell and that statement holds true for this spell as well. I do suggest you focus all of your intent on accepting who you are and learning to love yourself. You can set the altar up how ever you please and use as many or as little ingredients as you want. I personally like to use tea light candles so I can use them burning out as a way to feel complete in my spell. I hope this is helpful to someone!
teakepp 