bloodteethandflame

A life in threes

Category: book

Poke…poke.

So, it happened.

A woman from one of the Lokean FB groups I am in, has been ‘told’ to ‘hold the bowl for Sigyn.’

She was asking if anyone had done such a ritual, asking for connections to the lore, as well as a possible layout for such a ritual.

Judging by the initial comments, surprisingly, there seemed to be a lot of curious folks that hadn’t heard of it — meanwhile, there were several others who had heard of it but didn’t know where a layout could be found.

So I tried posting a particularly concise layout as a comment to the OP

-and I was dismayed to discover that FB only allows 400 words or less in a comment –

so I sent her a link to a script of the layout (similar to one I’ve used) in a PM message.

(And then to see the few hits to this post right here on this blog.)

~~~

I’m taking this as yet another reason that I need to get my ass in gear about the book…

as perhaps this is yet another possible sign from Them

that I should have been at the point of publishing like… yesterday.*

~~~

Though honestly, I have been working on the book

but I also have been getting hung up

mostly because, as always

I have been struggling to find the words to succinctly convey what it is that I am trying to say.

 Yes, I have been hemming and hawing with my edits because – if you know me, you know I want it to be perfect.

And then I see this meme posted as a recommended pin on my Pinterest feed:

Point taken, Sir.

~~~

* And further nudging abounds with this later comment from another user regarding sharing ritual results: Not all answers are in the past, make this up yourself or with creative friends, and please share what you come up with. We need new, modern rituals like this to worship Loki’s much neglected kin… 

Why yes. Yes, we do.

Grateful.

I know that I haven’t been posting much, or rather, I haven’t been posting as often as I’d intended.   Though it’s not as if I have a shortage of topics to write about – as a matter of fact, I’ve been writing a lot lately.

My devotional practice has been going through some changes, and as much as I wanted to share my thoughts about some of the work that I’ve been doing, it just hasn’t happened.  I’ve been wanting to write about the connections that I have been making – but somehow coordinating my thoughts into succinct blog posts hasn’t been going so well.

Somehow I haven’t been able to Post All the Things.

But I did want to post about how delighted I was to receive my copy of Silence Maestas handmade Loki devotional:

altarbook

So I moved some things around on my altar – because He seemed to want it up there as soon as I opened it.

But it’s a strange sort of thing because when I was reading it, the vibe that I was getting from Him seemed to be both excited and irritated that I was reading it.  Perhaps He was cranky over the fact that I had to remove the book from its place on the altar there in order to read it?  I don’t know.

I bought a copy because I was excited to support Silence’s book project overall, but I was also curious and excited to read more information concerning the feminine Loki as well.

So my purchasing this book was intended as a gift for both of Us, in this sort of roundabout way: it was certainly intended as a gift for Him, and a combination gift/informational research project for me.  (I’ll admit that those two aspects often become somewhat entwined whenever I purchase books pertaining to Him, but, then again, not every Loki-book ends up on the altar… so there you have it.)

I also got the nudge from Him to get my hands on this antler-piece

Lokiantler

–thought I’m not exactly sure why.    Another gift, perhaps.

I’m kinda using this as a bookmark – as the leather thong that came attached to the antler works rather well for holding my place in the large poetry book that I’m reading right now – but when I’m not reading, He seems to like it if I keep it on His altar for now.

And most recently, there’s these Loki and Sleipnir mini-rosary beads from Beth Wodandis Designs:

LokiSleipnirprayerbeads

They are lovely is all I can say.

I was struck by the coloring and quality of the labradorite.  I find them especially beautiful*

You see, I almost fell asleep while praying with them on the night that I received them.

The other darker beads are ‘dumortierite.’

I have read that dumortierite works well to increase one’s state of inner peace.

Indeed.

I am not kidding when I say that holding these has been immensely calming somehow, even though I had read in several other places that ‘dumortierite can be psychically energizing.’ Labradorite has a similar intensity of effect for me…but either way, I am not complaining.  

Perhaps I have been more hyperactive than usual, therefore the intensity of these two stones has had a calming influence in response to my hyperactive energetic state.

Who knows?

~~~

*It would seem that Loki considered this mini-rosary as an appropriate gift for Him, as well, since every piece of labradorite I’ve ever had has eventually ended up on His altar somewhere.

Perhaps I should make Him a themed altar just for all that labradorite that He’s been wanting ❤

Heart-light

As far back as I can remember, I have had this tendency to wake up in the middle of the night, usually between 1-4 AM.

Even if I were to go to bed and sleep at 1 AM, I’d still find myself awake at 4 AM or so.

I’ve pondered over the various reasons for this – on this blog and elsewhere – but recently, I’ve truly come to accept this about my sleep schedule.   I used to think that my tendency to routinely awaken during the chime hours was something that I needed to overcome.  As a result, I’ve employed strategies ranging from medication to behavior modifications that involve everything from meditation to putting constraints on food/water intake to decreasing distractions from light or electronics or whatever…and nothing seemed to change.

So as you might imagine, I’ve read much about this, and often that reading occurs at times such as -you guessed it- 4 AM.

I came across this article recently.

While there wasn’t a lot of information that I hadn’t come across before concerning how  modern technological advances have affected human beings on a biological and psychological level, I was struck especially by this portion where Clark Strand discusses ‘inner light’:

“In the absence of artificial illumination, the human mind naturally begins to quiet down a couple of hours after dusk, and then remains quiet and at peace throughout the dark hours of the night. After about four hours, through some mysterious trick of mammalian biology, a light goes on inside our heads and we wake for about two hours. But it isn’t an artificial light, or even an outward light. It’s an inner light, softer than a candle. It doesn’t come on strong or dominate our consciousness the way a light bulb does. It doesn’t even require us to be fully conscious or awake. It’s gentler and more receptive than that. It’s inviting, a little like that tiny white spot in the dark “feminine” half of the Yin-Yang symbol.

The Song of Songs describes that state of mind with the words, “I sleep, but my heart is awake.” This isn’t a metaphor: It’s an actual state of mind that anyone can reclaim just by turning out the lights. It’s part of our biological and spiritual heritage. It’s encoded in our genes.

Why experience “the Hour of the Wolf,” when you can experience “the Hour of God”? That is the ultimate question for our light-saturated culture of insomnia. Of course, I’m not speaking of God in religious terms when I use that phrase. The hour I am talking about is much, much older than religion. I believe— and Thomas Wehr reached the same conclusion—that this is the state of mind that all religions in the world are attempting to get back to today.”

 Strand asserts that what seems to be an obstacle (the tendency to awaken in the middle of the night) is perhaps an adaption to how the presence of artificial light has affected how humans perceive the length of a day.  Therefore I am heartened to consider that I am in good company with the rest of society, for once.

 In that sense, what I thought was insomnia is just a modern adaption to human circadian rhythms.

I intend to pick up Strand’s book, Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age.

 

Pre-Order Announcement: Worshiping Loki – A Short Introduction

I’m so glad (and excited!) that Silence has decided to do this project, and offer this work to our community ❤

The Road, the Walker, and What Comes Next

Today is a most auspicious day for the release of a new book. Worshiping Loki: A Short Introduction contains guidelines for building a fulfilling practice of Loki worship in a polytheistic context.

lokibook1Presenting material derived from experience and practice, this book sets aside arguments of historicity to provide today’s curious practitioner with practical, applicable information that can be put to work right away. Extending hospitality, building an alter, making offerings, saying prayers, and deepening practice are all covered. Discernment exercises are also provided to help enrich one’s contact with the divine. This slim 18 page volume is comparable to the devotional volumes I offer through Etsy, and extra special book making materials have been chosen to further distinguish this edition.lokibook2This very special volume is being released in limited numbers. 20 signed and numbered volumes are being issued for sale at $45 each. This batch of books will also be…

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Rules.

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can get you in a lot of trouble.
Manners are always important.
Smart is good. Lucky is better.  (Smart and lucky is the best of all.)
Sometimes the long way around is the best way home.
Never let the truth interfere with a good story.
(Neef’s Rules for Changelings from this book)