#deity dedication

[magicalmerry]

~Dedication~

So I decided on a whim to look up videos on YouTube with the search term Freyja, just to see if I could find any information I didn’t already know on her and came across the channel ‘GOTHIC WYTCHE’ and her video entitled ‘Norse Witchcraft A message from Goddess Freyja’. It is a guided meditation on meeting and speaking with Freyja. 

For those wondering, I have been researching and working with Freyja since her chariot appeared to me in a dream starting back in December, which you can read here. 

Initially I wasn’t sure about the video but said “what the hell” and gave it try. Tina, the narrator, walks the listener through coming upon a gathering at a bonfire to which Freyja arrives to speak with the listener. There is a moment where the listener is allowed to ask Freyja a question, I was very deep in my meditation at this point, and the first question that instinctually came to mind was, “Will you be my matron?” Freyja, again appearing in a towering height much like in my second dream about her, gripped both my hands firmly, but in a loving, tender way, and leaned down to meet my eyes saying, “My child, I thought you’d never ask.” AND THEN SHE KISSED ME! So I think I may actually dedicate myself to Freyja, and make her my matron, but I would like some advice. My question to to y’all is, if you have a matron/patron, how did you dedicate yourselves to them? Did you perform a ritual or do anything special for your dedication? If so, I’d love to know! Also if you have any thoughts about my meditation, please feel free to comment/message/send me an ask! I never thought I’d experience something like this in my life..

[a-flowers-farewell]

I made this chicken and rice dish for my friends and I since we’re all studying today and I figured nothing works better to kill this stress than a nice cooked meal

I’ve also been meaning to dedicate more things to Hermes lately, but I kinda finished eating my plate before I could dedicate it to him so I feel kind of bad so I hope dedicating this moment is okay and at the library tonight, I’ll buy either a strawberry frappe or an iced vanilla latte with an extra shot for him ^^

[intaier]

The Bhakta loves the Lord because He is lovable, there is no other motive originating or directing this divine emotion of the true devotee.[...]The perfected Bhakta's idea must be never to will and work for himself. "Lord, they build high temples in Your name; they make large gifts in Your name; I am poor; I have nothing; so I take this body of mine and place it at Your feet. Do not give me up, O Lord." Such is the prayer proceeding out of the depths of the Bhakta's heart.[...] To the Bhakta all these philosophical distinctions are mere idle talk. He cares nothing for argument, he does not reason, he "senses", he perceives. He wants to love himself in pure love of God, and there have been Bhaktas who maintain that this is more to be desired than liberation, who say, "I do not want to be sugar. I want to taste sugar; I want to love and enjoy the Beloved.

Swami Vivekananda

[magicalmerry]

~Dedication p.II~

So the day after my meditation about Freyja I knew I wanted to consult my cards about what I had experienced. Just for the hell of it, taking the cards fresh from cleansing, I just split the deck to see what card would pop up, and it was the Empress.

The Empress card is described as the manifestation of creation and motherhood. She represents creation, abundance, nature, and pleasure. She is depicted with visuals of blooming flora, pomegranates, and harbors the feminine symbol of Venus.  I connected the energy of the Empress to Freyja as soon as I saw the card. The title alone reminds me of the title she holds of ‘Lady’ and how she is seen in a queenly manner amongst the Norse pantheon. Freyja always appears to me with such a warm motherly vibe, and one of her aspects is of pleasure and sexuality, so this connection was striking to me.

I was like, ‘okay I'll keep that in mind’ and returned the card to the deck. I began to shuffle the deck so there was a good mixture of upright and reversed cards, and then started placing the cards into four separate decks to further shuffle them. About a third or half way through the deck, I went to place a card on the first deck, mind you the deck has been very thoroughly mixed up at this point, and set the card on the pile. As I do so, THE EMPRESS CARD FLIPS OUT OF THE DECK LANDING FACE UP!!! I promise you the cards had been shuffled very well, but this card jumped out as I placed the one in my hand down, and landed face up as if to say, “Here I am, bitch!” Needless to say, this was enough for me to really believe that what I had experienced in my mediation is real and true, and Freyja is now my Matron. I am still planning on doing a full on dedication ritual, and I want to make it special, so if you have done a dedication for a matron or patron, let me know what you’ve done, because I’d love some inspiration! (Pictured is The Empress card from my Illuminated Ethereal Visions deck, and my leaf offering dish that is holding my larger citrine cabochon, an amethyst point, my heart shaped rose quartz, and my honey vial that was my first offering to Freyja, all of which I used in my full moon ritual this month.)

[intaier]

The English expression, “falling in love,” is really appropriate and very beautiful. They always talked about falling in love. No one is ever talking about standing up in love or climbing in love or flying in love, because always, when what you consider as “myself” falls, a deep experience of love can happen within you. The beauty of your love affair was not in what they gave you or what they did to you. You sat alone and thought you really loved this person so much you were willing to die – that was the most beautiful moment. Not the moment they gave you a big gift, not the moment they gave you a diamond ring, not the moment they said this and that about you – No! You just sat there, willing to die – that was the moment. You were willing to not just be a doormat but the dust on their feet. I’m not saying you should be like that – I’m saying this is how it is when love transforms itself into devotion. If you fall in love, you become vulnerable, but there are still some shreds of sanity in love affairs – you can recover. But if you become a devotee, there is no sanity left and you cannot recover. You don’t become a devotee just because you have ascribed yourself to a certain religion, creed or whatever. A devotee cannot ascribe himself to anything, he is just drawn. So, before you tread such a land, you must see whether you are ready for it or not. What are your goals, first of all? If your goal is to make life a quotient, a very measured love affair is good. But if you are not planning to have a good life, if you want to dissolve into the process of life, if you want to become an explosion of life, if you don’t care what you get and what you don’t get, then you become a devotee.

“Unconditional love“ by Sunil Daman

[intaier]

Going to a few temples, worshipping God in the house, visiting a few sacred places, participating in religious gatherings and devotional singing constitute the early phases of devotional practice. It has its own advantages since there is no loss on the path and even a little devotion to God is much better than having no devotion at all.[...] How should one practice devotional service? The answer is also found in the same scripture. They are, hearing about God, chanting his names, remembering him, worshipping him, praying to him, serving him, acting as his servant, being friendly towards him, offering everything to him, dancing before him, singing before him, communicating his thoughts to him, offering him his respects, standing up and showing respect to him and his devotees, visiting his temples, circumambulating the temples, reciting prayers and hymns in his honor, singing kritans and bhajans, worshipping him with incense and flowers, offering sacrificial food, accepting the remains of the food offered to God (prasadam), attending ritual worship (Aarti puja), and so on. It is also helpful to live in the company of devotees who have the same attitude and devotion to the deity or seek their friendship and association (satsang).

(c) “The Idealism of a True Devotee in Hinduism “

[intaier]

If you want to find that special connection with deity you ever so crave, be yourself. Trust me, there will be times where a deity comes to you and you’ll go “who, this me?” or even outright reject them because it wasn’t who you expected or wanted (which when you think about it, it’s a problematic mindset. The gods aren’t collectables) But trust me when I say there is a reason for it. You were most likely ‘chosen’ because you are compatible with said deity. It’s JUST like making friends. There will also be times where a deity will approach you because they just want something from you. That is normal, and it is OK to say ‘no’. JUST throwing that out there. When it’s a relationship that’s ‘meant to be’ you’ll know. They will tell you in their own way. Anyways, the lesson here I learned is stop stressin’ and be who you are naturally. Because the Gods love you that way and don’t want it any other way. Change for the better… but don’t change who you are as a person.

Spiritual musings: Be Yourself by @steedsofmacha