bloodteethandflame

A life in threes

Category: Month for Loki

Month for Loki: Three

So.

Here we are.

Another July for some Lokeans to celebrate Loki, to honor Loki.

Oddly enough, there’s a new show out on cable TV’s Disney+ this month featuring Loki as its central character.

Coincidence?

If it were so, it would be the strangest kind, for it is not as if the rest of the world could have known that Lokeans might celebrate Loki in July.

And granted, this new show is based upon the Loki of Marvel (comic book) Universe rather than the Loki of Norse mythology, and yet, I cannot shake this sense of deja-vu.

You see, this new show has caused yet another influx of folks on the Internet, curious to find out more about Loki as a God in the Norse pantheon.

So why the deja-vu? You might be surprised to know that there was a similar influx of folks seeking to join – or otherwise create – online Heathen groups because Marvel Studios’ film, Thor had hit theaters during the summer of 2011.

And that’s how it all began for a lot of folks – myself included! – back in the summer of 2011. Perhaps it was that influx of the Loki-curious that led to the inadvertent creation of ‘July for Loki’ in 2012 in the first place*

What I do recall about that summer in 2012 was how annoyed a lot of Heathen folks were, looking down upon the ‘newbies’ – who were inspired to look into the Norse pantheon by watching Thor– and how arguments arose over the the lack of legitimacy of Marvel vs. academic sources. (And, in regards to Loki, lest we forget, the renewed interest in Loki became a point of contention in existing groups such as the Troth and Asatru Fellowship.)

Do I wish to re-visit those arguments? Personally, that’s not what I’m doing here.

I don’t begrudge folks who watch MCU’s Loki/Avengers for wanting to know more about the Norse deities by reading the Norse myths on their own time. What concerns me is when people fail to differentiate between the Marvel comic book characters and the Norse deities, or worse, consider themselves on par with academic scholars because they’ve read the MCU comic books.

(Besides, if you wanted my opinion, I’d be more apt to suggest reading D’Aulaire’s Norse Mythology than Journey into Mystery #85 for a basic introduction to Loki. But what do I know?)

*I just find it delightful to see ‘July for Loki’ come full circle; another influx of new Lokeans re-invigorating the Pagan/Heathen communities ten years after the last one.

But what’s different in 2021 is that there are so many more books out there about Loki.

Here are some of my favorites:

Loki For You: Getting to Know the God of Mischief, T. Sheil and A. Sheil, Milihistriot Quarterly, Freehold, New Jersey, 2008

Playing with Fire: An Exploration of Loki Laufeyjarson, Dagulf Loptson, Asphodel Press, Hubbardston, MA, 2014

Pagan Portals: Loki Trickster and Transformer, Dagulf Loptson, Moon Books/John Hunt Publishing, Washington, USA. 2020

Worshipping Loki: A Short Introduction, Silence Maestas, 2015.

God in Flames, God in Fetters: Loki’s Role in the Northern Religions, Stephan Grundy, Troth, Incorporated, 2015.

~~~~

Month for Loki: Two

July is here and for some Lokeans, this month is devoted to Loki.

Here are some basic ideas for devotional activities to honor Loki.

Though this list is by no means comprehensive, I am sharing in hopes that it may be helpful for those looking for inspiration:

~ Loki is a fantastic story-teller and He is not called Silvertongue for nothing! Write a blog entry, a poem, or a short story.


~ Some devotees associate Loki with fire. If you do, light a candle for Him, and think a moment about how Loki has kindled a flame in your life.


~ Loki is a God of the Body, a God who appreciates all of the ways that a body can experience joy. If you can, take some time to enjoy living in your body, by dancing, singing, or exercising, and dedicate that activity to Him.


Do something out of your comfort zone – push yourself to do something new – even if it’s only once. Be open to adventure. Be open to change.


~ Loki is a God of the hearth. Cook up that new recipe or bake Him something from scratch, and offer to share it with Him.


~ Loki is a God of Luck and chance: Play the Lotto/buy a scratch ticket.


~ As a Jotun, Loki is a God of nature. Go for a walk. Enjoy the outdoors – even if it’s the short walk to your car. Or plant some flowers and dedicate them to Him.


~ Loki is a God of Laughter – Watch a comedy, share a joke, play – laugh!


~ Loki is a God of Getting Sh*t Done. Do a necessary but thankless task – and dedicate it to Him.


~ Loki is a Parent Who loves children. If you can, take some time to play with kids. Or think about (or do) something you’d enjoyed as a kid. Recapture that sense of wonder and fun.

~ Loki is a God of growth and change. What has changed in your life since you ‘met’ Loki? Find a photo of yourself from before you met or began working with Loki. See the differences as proof that you can change, grow, and learn. Celebrate how far you’ve come!

~ Loki is a God of Many Faces. How does He/She appear to you? If you can, draw, paint or sculpt a likeness of Him/Her, or simply create a digital image in Photoshop or Paint.

~ Loki is a God who values Truth, and encourages us to be true to ourselves. What is something that is true of you? Speak your truth, even if your voice wavers. Stand up for yourself and for what you believe in.

~ Loki is a God of Otherness, Outcasts and Outsiders. Just as you honor Loki when you stand up for yourself, you honor Him by standing up for others too. Go to a protest, stand up to bullies, and be an ally to those who struggle to be heard/find acceptance.

~~~

These are just a few suggestions for things that you can do to celebrate Loki this July…and remember: Don’t feel like you gotta do something *every* day!

Just take some time this month to enjoy Loki….and enjoy yourself ❤

Month for Loki: One

My altar

A final thought

on this Month for Loki

Goodbye July

Month for Loki: Nineteenth

Even though I attempt to keep my house-wards strong – and maintain them often – I find that it feels appropriate to re-set intentions on a regular basis.

Part of this re-set often centers around the act of re-drawing the house protection sigils I have around my home.
Here is a simple entrance protection sigil – featuring the Futhark runes Algiz and Thuriaz- that can be drawn on doorframes, windowsills, and perhaps any ‘entrance’ that you feel the desire to protect/ward (such as mirrors, pipe traps, etc.)

doorprotectionrune

Month for Loki: Eighteenth

We had Chinese tonight and I received this

20200720_213128

rather Lokean fortune ❤

Month for Loki: Seventeenth

For the longest time, I’ve had three cats.

But one Saturday afternoon, about two months ago, while I was walking to our mailbox, I heard a strange sound. It was a rasping almost squeaking sound that I don’t think I had ever heard before, and it seemed to be coming from the line of overgrown bushes that separates our yard from my neighbor’s yard.

At first, I’d thought it was a possum, or perhaps, a baby squirrel.

Turns out, it was a tiny kitten, meowing piteously.

Perhaps it had been meowing so long, its throat had gone hoarse. It appeared to be only a few weeks old, at most.

So, figuring it was hungry and possibly sick, I took it in, and even though it was the weekend, we brought it to an emergency vet.

It was too young for shots. It was barely old enough for solid food. This little ginger boy.

But we adopted him, and named him Butterscotch.

(I wasn’t about to send it to a shelter to be euthanized, which is what happens in our area (central Florida), because we have so many transitional folks who only live here part of the year anyway.)

So that’s how we came to have four cats, which honestly feels like too many some days, but we love him.

Well, mostly.

Cos here’s the thing: I have had kittens in my house before.

I’ve had cats that had to be taught to stay off the counters, to stop bothering the dog, or to sleep at reasonable hours.

(I even have an older ginger cat who still is pretty demanding for food and attention.)

But I have NEVER had a cat that is as active or as crazy as this cat is.

He acts like my shadow, and he is most unfortunately very curious as he literally gets into everything.

I had to coax him out of trying to climb into the oven recently, and he routinely tries to ‘catch’ the needle while I am using my sewing machine.

Yeah, he is that kind of crazy. and it would seem that nothing is ever truly out of his reach, whether or not anyone is there to witness his shenanigans.

So to make a long story short, I’ve never had a cat like Butterscotch.

And related to all this, is the fact that for the first time ever, I have a cat who likes to climb up on my altars.

I caught him this morning, sitting quietly on my Loki altar, trying to knock the various items out of the offering bowl.

And just as I was about to get up and pull him off the altar, he looked up as if distracted, and turned his head toward the Loki artwork.

He seemed to be looking at it for a few moments before gently batting at it too.

(Unfortunately, I was nowhere near my phone, otherwise I would have taken a photo of him.)

But all I can think of is this:

gingerpower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Month for Loki: Sixteenth

givemeagod

Hail Loki ❤

Month for Loki: Fifteenth

Sometimes we don’t believe in ourselves as much as we could.

We aren’t aware of our own power.

One of the first things that Loki taught me involved a meditation/visualization technique for removing mental/emotional ‘obstacles’ in my mind.

Of course, I did not think that I could remove the obstacles myself, so He offered a few suggestions for my visualizations.

In short, He offered to ‘open the way’ for me, as He knew of my ability to picture things quite vividly in my mind.

(It is a skill that He will access if you have it, too.)

Later on, I went looking for validation of this UPG, I came upon these concepts discussed briefly in relation to Loki as a Trickster God on a site called LiveJournal:

“Trickster figures are often known as ‘way openers’ – related to being liminal figures, who cross boundaries and exist in the ‘in-between places’ (cross-roads, doorways, etc.)

For example, Loki is known for being the first deity to approach someone – and then for handing that person off to the deity/pantheon that the person is really meant to know or be with.

I can also see the link between the ability to remove obstacles and luck.”1

 

If negative thoughts or doubts, enter your mind, and you are adept at visualization, try visualizing your negative thought/doubt as being a tangible object, an obstacle to your intent.

Dispelling these obstacles can be achieved through visualization.

What follows are several examples of past visualizations I’ve used when working with Loki, as I’ve come to associate with each element:

First, visualize your negative thought/obstacle as the tangible object in your hands.

What color is it?

What does it smell like?

Remember its weight; become aware of its shape.

Now imagine yourself as handing this object – your obstacle – to Loki.

He takes it up, cupping it within His hands.

Air : Imagine your obstacle crumbling to dust as He holds it. Watch as He blows the dust from His hands.  Now breathe and refocus your thoughts.

 

Variation, on Air : You might imagine the obstacle as a living thing – such as a bird or an insect – and imagine how He holds it for a moment, examining it, before opening His hands as He lets it go.  Picture it in your mind as flying away from you, until it is nothing but a speck in the distance.  Now breathe and refocus your thoughts.

 

Fire : Imagine the obstacle being heated by the combined strength of your will and His, as a bright flame that rises up to consume your obstacle.  Watch as it is burned away by the flame, to ashes.  Now breathe and refocus your thoughts.

Earth : He has taken your obstacle of negativity and He crumples it in His hands, as if it were made of thin paper. He looks down toward the ground, and drops it onto the ground – or perhaps He grinds its form under His heel – and you watch as the soil ripples over the shape of your obstacle, absorbing its energy, pulling it down toward the center of the Earth, the source of all things. Imagine your obstacle scattering itself into the dark soil, away from your sight, away from your knowing as it is re-integrated and purified by the Earth itself. Now breathe and refocus your thoughts.

 

Water : Imagine Loki taking your obstacle into His hands, and He closes His fingers about its dark form, squeezing it tightly.  When He opens His hands, it first appears as murky water in His cupped palms.  Within a moment, water seeps from the openings in between His fingers, and you watch as it flows downward in a steady stream falling through His fingers. Notice that the water has become clearer as it falls to the ground, spreading into a puddle at your feet.   As He shakes this water from His fingers, droplets splattering upon the ground, this water sinks into the ground, evaporating like rain on concrete on a hot day. Now breathe and refocus your thoughts.

 

~~~

https://lokeans.livejournal.com/231753.html , user, Hrafn, in posted comment, Friday July 5th 2013, 1:41AM (UTC)