This is part of my series on the months of the year and ways you can honor the gods through themed donations or volunteer work during each month. When you give with an open and loving heart, abundance and blessings flow to you.
June is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, motherhood, and sovereignty. Juno was a patron goddess of Rome, honored alongside her husband, Jupiter, king of the gods. Growing up, I always associated Hera/Juno with jealousy, and as a not-particularly-feminine and non-traditional woman, I neglected to understand her.
However, Juno was a goddess of royalty and all women, not just motherhood, and she was also considered as a protector of male warriors. She had associations with all stages of women’s lives, not just marriage and childbirth, and protected the Roman state. She was viewed as a powerful and regal goddess.
The Norse equivalent of Juno is Frigg, most sovereign of all Norse goddesses. She gives Friday its name. She is wife of Odin, king of the gods, and mother of Baldr, Hermod, and Hodr. Frigg sees the fate of all beings, though She tells no one what She sees. She is frequently depicted with a spindle, representing the threads of fate.
Frigg is an intelligent goddess who frequently challenges Her husband Odin to battles of wit and craftiness, and She has been depicted as having the upper hand in at least one story, that of the Lombards. She was born of the earth and is one of the wisest of all beings. Her hall is called Fensalir, which may relate to practices of leaving offerings in bogs, swamps, and other bodies of water.
Many scholars have suggested that Frigg and Freyja were originally considered the same goddess, as two separate goddesses with their attributes do not exist outside of Norse versions of the mythology. However, in my personal experiences, Frigg and Freyja are separate and distinct beings with different personalities.
To me, Frigg is stern yet motherly, compassionate, wise, and cares for discipline and effort. She dearly loves Her children and humanity, and I believe She wants us to be dutiful, loving, loyal, prudent, disciplined, and caring. She experienced the death of Her son Baldr, and so She understands the grief of parents who have miscarried or lost their children.
Other deities who you may choose to honor in June include hearth goddesses such as Hestia. Remember, Juno and Frigg and other mother goddesses are not only for married women or mothers but protectors of all women and children’s causes.
June is the month of Litha, the Summer Solstice, and so you could also reasonably honor solar deities such as Sol or Apollo.
I recommend donating to children’s charities, women’s charities, or volunteering with children or at women’s shelters in order to honor these deities during June. You could also Click for Children to help for free.
I personally enjoy donating to DonorsChoose, a charity that funds teachers’ classroom materials in order to give kids a better education.
