My Hel Project

The Black Cat is sacred to Hel, so I chose to knit a washcloth with a cat design out of black yarn. I found the pattern online. (Notice, I didn't want a "Halloween cat", so this is a "proper, posed" cat design.) It's hard to make out the cat design, but it was done with knit and purl stitches.

My Frigg Project

Frigg is a Goddess of the home. Her animal is the cat and one of her symbols is the key. I did a "Cat key chain" in a shrinky-dink in her honor. I like this image (which I recreated using Photoshop) because of the multiple cats shown.

Do you see both cats?

My Blodeuwedd Project

FINALLY finished the owl....

My Cerridwen Project

This Goddess is a "Goddess of family." One of her symbols is a cauldron. I had planned to cook a meal for *my* family in her honor, but my loving husband does much of the cooking (read BBQing) this time of year.

So instead, I created some "kitchen items." This apron is for an exchange I'm doing, but won't honor Cerridwen any less.

My Arianrhod Project

So much is sacred to this Goddess! I opted to incorporate her colors (red and silver) with weaving (or at least as much as I can do!). I crocheted a choker using red thread and silver beads.

My Freya Project

Because floral bouquets and roses are both associated with Freya, I opted to make potpouri from some of the roses my loving husband bought for me.

Directions were found at: http://www.dabneyherbs.com/potpouri.htm

My Sunna Project

In honor of Sunna, I opted to do a watercolor painting of sunflowers, her sacred flower.

The Goddess Sunna

I wasn't able to find much online about Sunna, even using the alternate name of "Sol." Wikipedia claims that Sol is the most common name for the personification of the Sun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_(disambiguation)).

The following is taken from an online article titled "What Would the Druids Do at the Summer Solstice?" (http://www.adf.org/rituals/celtic/midsummer/wwtdd-summer-solstice.html) which I found very enlightening:

Many readily will point out that the Sun has not been considered male by all religions around the world and, even in the Western Branch of the Indo-European, we find examples such as the Norse at times addressing the Sun as a Goddess, "Sunna", the very word from which we get our word "Sun."

The Sun DESERVES our love and worship and we deserve to love and worship the Sun, without guilt. The Sun is without a doubt at least one half of our reason for existence on this beautiful planet, the other of course is the great system of Life on the Earth's surface we call Nature. It may seem natural for us to see them as a grand dyad: Mother Nature and Father Sun; but it's not altogether necessary. The choice is up to you... must we then muddy it up with "mortal" gender and familial issues?

At one point in our past, most of us, in a moment of rebellious insight threw-off the chains of our cultural conditioning and embraced things "witchy", "magical" and "Druidic" and found ourselves doing-so because of the beauty and truth and power we found in them. The resistance we broke-through in that moment was the web of falsehoods and negativity that society had spun around them. There is a similar agenda holding us back within our own subculture, a largely unspoken but ever-present agenda which would turn our face away from the sunrise...

So the sun, and therefore Sunna, should be embraced and loved and worshiped. I plan to do just that!

Thank You for the sunshine. Thank You for its warmth. Thank You for the rays which embrace me and that help the crops to grow. Thank You for You love.

The Goddess Arianrhod

According to http://groups.msn.com/whenpagansunited/listofgoddesses.msnw, Arianrhod will help with remembering past lives. This is very fascinating.

I found it interesting, also, that she was instrumental in the creation of Blodeuwedd and tricked into a relationship with Llew (naming him and giving him arms). I don't particularly care for her, but plan to ask her assistance with moon rituals. I do a lot of knitting and crocheting, though, and believe that she could help with those endeavors (as the Goddess of weaving).

The best tribute I found to Arianrhod was at http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976744373. You should read it! It's amazing!

Goddess Arianrhod, bless this yarn I am to use.
Help me weave the ends just right.
Your blessing I do not wish to loose,
As I keep the goal in sight.
This is my wish, so mote it be.

The Goddess Cerridwen

I feel a great attraction to Cerridwen. She did whatever she could — what she thought was right — for her child. Of all the Goddesses I've studied so far, the Mother Cerridwen appeals to me the most.

One thing that really strikes me is that Cerridwen encompasses all three aspects of the Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. You see her grow through her story. I like that. Women today don't stay stagnet. We grow as well.

Her cauldron holds the key to Wisdom, Inspiration, Rebirth and Transformation (http://www.cs.rochester.edu/~schubert/290/cerridwen.html). She has divine knowledge and is known for her creativity (http://www.lunaea.com/goddess/magic/cerridwen.html). I know that I like the creative aspect of her because of my aspiration to be a fiction writer.

Light a black candleCreativity is what I desire.
As I dedicate to you this fire.
Open my mind that I may hear,
and recieve from you without fear.

The Goddess Nott

Nott brings in the night (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/norse/articles.html).

Most of what I found about her is what is written at Macleod's Norse Mythology Page "The goddess of night, Nott, is the mother of the earth, Jord, and of the day as well. She rides forth each evening on her horse Frostymane, from whose foaming mouth the dew falls." (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dungeon/4785/Norse.html) Either her story isn't well known, or Nott is a "minor" goddess, compaired to some others.

Goddess Nott, you work behind the scenes. Everyday doing what needs to be done — accomplishing so much with no recognition. Yet if you were absent, if you took the day off, things would stop. You are an intrigal part of life. Help me to accomplish my mission the same way, even if there is not the recognition I think I should have. This is my wish. So mote it be.

The Goddess Freya

This Goddess has multiple spellings for her name. She is Freya, Freyja, and Friia, from what I found.

I found a lot of information on her from http://www.pantheon.org/articles/f/freya.html. In addition to being the Norse goddess of love and fertility, Freya is the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses. She is the patron goddess of crops and birth, the symbol of sensuality and was called upon in matters of love. She loves music, spring and flowers, and is particularly fond of fairies. Freya is one of the foremost goddesses of the nature and fertility gods.

The site says, "Her attributes are the precious necklace of the Brisings, which she obtained by sleeping with four dwarfs, a cloak (or skin) of bird feathers, which allows its wearer to change into a falcon, and a chariot pulled by two cats. She owns Hildesvini ("battle boar") which is actually her human lover Ottar in disguise. Her chambermaid is Fulla. Freya lives in the beautiful palace Folkvang ("field of folk"), a place where love songs are always played, and her hall is Sessrumnir. She divides the slain warriors with Odin: one half goes to her palace, while the other half goes to Valhalla. Women also go to her hall."

Freya, bless these runes. May they give the message I need to hear at the time I need to hear it. Help me to read them for enlightenment.

The Goddess Skadi

Poor, Skadi! Her father was killed and the Gods offer her marriage?! Then she has to pick her future husband based on his FEET?! (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/skadi.html) Doesn't seem fair to me. According to the site, though, she did eventually leave Njord for the God Ull (God of justice and dueling, as well as the patron of agriculture). That marriage could possibly be why Skadi is the Goddess of Justice, Cengeance and Righteous Anger.

I found it interesting that at findagoddess.com, Skadi is listed as a "Tibetan Mother" and not either Norse or Celtic. The site says to call upon her for "Winter, Insight, Communication, Banishing and Protection."

I created the following meditation to Skadi. Light a blue candle and say:"Skadi, with your calming blue, open my heart and take my anger so I may not direct it at myself or another." Meditate on the lessons to be learned from this Goddess as the candle burns down.

The Goddess Hel

Hel is the child of Loki and Angrboda. Goddess of the Underworld, she is often portrayed as a "horrible hag, half alive and half dead, with a gloomy and grim expression. Her face and body are those of a living woman, but her thighs and legs are those of a corpse, mottled and moldering" (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hel.html). Although another source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hel_(being)) describes her differently. Wikipedia says, "Half of her body is a beautiful woman, while the other half is of a disgusting, decayed corpse; she enjoys forcing men to sleep with her, as she seems enchanted so that they find her living side unbelievably beautiful, but her dead side just as disgusting, so that they are mentally destroyed by looking at her. Women are less affected by her powers."

It is also suggested on the Wikipedia site that Hel is a later Goddess, and that she originally only held authority over the shadows. She currently is believed to have authority over those who don't die gloriously in battle.

Goddess Hel, there area few battles here for me to die.
I believe you to be a Goddess of the Shadow.
Help me learn the secrets of the the darkness.
Let my life be a reminder to look beyond the surface for what people can teach us.

My Branwen Project

I decided to make a "Chakra Healing Doll" in honor of Branwen. The pattern can be found at craftbits.com and the doll is made of red felt (for the first chakra) with white thread (the color sacred to this Goddess).

The Goddess Lofn

In Norse myth, Lofn is the goddess of forbidden love.

According to www.pantheon.org, "she smiles upon illicit unions." This was explained better by Dickenson College, where they wrote the following. "Lofn was the giver of permission. She was a goddess of the Aesir. She was often invoked to grant consent for banned couplings to join in matrimony. This authority was given to her by Odin and Frigg. Lofn's authorization cleared away barriers that would otherwise prevent lovers from staying together. Lofn is said to be a mild and gentle woman in nature." (http://users.dickinson.edu/~eddyb/mythology/Lofn.html)

With her colors being Red and White, and a symbol of rings, she obviously was the inspiration for some St. Valentine's Day traditions.

Lofn, Mighty Goddess of lust,
I call upon you and pledge my trust,
To bring me closer to my heart's desire,
And quench my thirst with burning fire.

A meditation to Frigg

Goddess Frigg, help me to be the mother you are.
I desire to manage my duties as you did.
Let me feel your guiding hand, both near and far.
And share your wisdom in raising my kid.
This is my wish, so mote it be.

The Goddess Frigg

Frigg is an interesting Goddess. She has the power of prophecy, yet doens't tell what she knows. She is a wife and mother, and works with Odin (as evidenced by being the only other one to sit in his seat). She is the Goddess of fertility, love, household management, marriage, justice, motherhood, and domestic arts, according to Wikipedia.

She *is* the Mother Goddess!

According to findagoddess.com Frigg's direction is Center. She will manage Summer (as well as the items listed above). Although she has no totem animal, according to that site, she does have the apple and "golden objects" as symbols.

On a side note, I was unable to decide for myself if Frigg and Freyja were the same person or not. According to Wikipedia, "here are clearly many similarities between the two: both had flying cloaks of falcon feathers and engaged in shape-shifting, Frigg was married to Odin while Freyja was married to Óðr, both had special necklaces, both had a personification of the Earth as a parent, both were called upon for assistance in childbirth, etc. On the other hand, they sometimes appear at the same time in the same text." This will take some additional research on my part.

The Goddess Branwen

Branwen is the Welsh "version" of Venus or Aphrodite. She is the Goddess of love and beauty, dying of a broken heart after the death of her brother Bran. She's the Lady of the Lake and seems to correspond with the first chakra.

According to Encyclopedia Mythica, she is one of the three "matriarchs of Britain" (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html). One web site I found (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html) says that while Branwen is usually thought of as the maiden, she has a number of the mother qualities as well.

Birds, particularly starlings and ravens, play an important part of Branwen's story. Heck, her name even means "White Raven!" The full moon in June belongs to Branwen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branwen)!

Finally, I found the following information from Wikipedia very interesting. "At Llanddeusant, Anglesey on the banks of the Alaw can be found the cairn called Bedd Branwen, her supposed grave. Now in ruins, it still has one standing stone. It was dug up in 1800, and again in the 1960s by Frances Lynch, who found several urns with human ashes. It is believed that if the story of Branwen is true then it must have taken place during the Bedd Branwen Period of Bronze Age British history."

Branwen, help me become content in my own universe. Help me to create and give love and friendship. Help me grow and learn to know my inner self.

My Rhiannon Project

Because Rhiannon is the Goddess of dreams, I opted to create a dream catcher. I got the idea/directions from the CraftyHearthWitches group at yahoogroups. The colors I used are sacred to Rhiannon: Crimson for the pentacle; the hoop is gold; beads are green, gold, white and brown (OK, so there are blue ones, too!); and the feathers are crimson, gold and white. I added the feathers because birds are also sacred to the Goddess. (Sorry, the picture isn't that great!)