July for Loki | bloodteethandflame

July 30, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 30: Delivery.

Three years ago, my older son and I purchased a silkscreen array for making t-shirts.

He and I learned the silk-screening process, and we made a few casefuls of t-shirts for different events. The t-shirt designs that he makes are created mostly for skateboarding and music events, while the designs that I’ve created are produced as needed/ordered for kink and Pagan events.

I like creating t-shirts, and it’s always a conversation starter to have a one of a kind t-shirt.

This is one of the projects that I am working on, and this is nothing more than a prototype design that I fed into the Custom Ink Lab the other day just to see how it would look before I go forward with making a screen for it.

I’ve been working on designing a less traditional mason logo – that features Loki – but I’ve yet to create one that I’m satisfied with.

Hail Loki ❤

3 Comments

July 23, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 23: And…He’s wonderful.

“He’s like fire and ice and rage.

He’s like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun.

He’s ancient and forever.

He burns at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the universe.

And…He’s wonderful.”

-Tim Latimer, about the Doctor

Doctor Who, BBC series

Season 3, Episode 9: The Family of Blood

11 Comments

July 23, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 22: Prayer beads.

Some time ago, I purchased some prayer beads from Fiberwytch on Etsy:

Though I’ve written before on how these prayer beads are one of my favorite devotional possessions, I’d like to point out as much as I loved them and I purchased them upon first sight, I hadn’t any knowledge of how to use prayer beads.

I was familiar – in theory – with rosary beads* due to my extended biological relatives being devout Roman Catholics – but it’s not as if I knew how to incorporate such an item into my devotional practices.

So, once I’d purchased them, I immediately began searching for ‘how-to’ information as well as a few appropriate prayers.

Most of what I’d found seemed tailored to use with larger lengths of beads counted off in specific order, similar to the rosary bead configurations. At first, I was confused by this, but then I realized that I just needed to adapt the structures a little.

Here is a portion of a lovely but much longer prayer that I found here.

The prayer, from which this portion is taken, was written by Elizabeth Vongsivith:

In the name of Loki, Shape-strong and wily Trickster, may I never take myself too seriously.

In the name of Angrboda, Chieftain and Hagia of the Iron Wood, may I value others for their knowledge and abilities.

In the name of Sigyn, Lady of Endurance, may I endure my own suffering without complaint.

In the name of Fenrir, great chained Wolf, may I have the strength to control my inner monsters.

In the name of Jormungand, mighty World-serpent, may I maintain appropriate boundaries.

In the name of Sleipnir, eight-legged son of Loki, may I carry my burdens with good will.

In the name of Narvi, eldest son of Sigyn and Loki, may I remember those who died unjustly.

In the name of Vali, youngest son of Sigyn and Loki, may I be an advocate for those who suffer unjustly.

In the name of Laufey, Lady of the Leafy Isle, may I remain mindful of the green growing things of forest and field.

In the name of Farbauti, Flaming Arrow, may my will to survive remain strong.

In the name of Surt, Lord of Muspellheim, may I show respect to those who stood in my place before me.

In the name of Utgard-Loki, wise and crafty Sorcerer-king, may I know when to speak and when to remain silent.

In the name of Gunnlod, fair-voiced Lady Under the Mountain, may I find beauty and contentment wherever I am.

In the name of Hyndla, Hagia of the Northern Mountains, may I see clearly into the bloodlines I walk.

In the name of Mengloth, Healer of Lyfja Mount, may I be aware when I cause pain to others.

In the name of Hati, Chaser of the Moon, may I accept my most unwelcome tasks.

In the name of Skoll, Pursuer of the Sun, may I find what joy I can in my most unwelcome tasks.

In the name of Mordgud, Guardian of Helheim’s gate, may I have discipline and self-respect.

In the name of Nidhogg, Gnawer at the World-tree’s roots, may I remember that there is no such place as “away.”

In the name of Hela, Goddess of the Dead, may I honor the beloved dead, revere the mighty dead, and have compassion for the forgotten and unknown dead.

~~~

As well, I have shorter prayers that I recite – such as this adaptation of a Enochian prayer by Sophie Reicher:

Teach me, oh my Gods, to have correct knowledge and understanding, for Your blessing is all that I desire. Speak Your words in my ear, oh Makers of all Things, and set Your wisdom in my heart

A shorter prayer like this feels appropriate at times (like now when it is 4 AM or so) and I cannot sleep, much less focus, and repetition is helpful to me.

~~~

* I am excited and must make a note of this, Galina Krasskova wrote a post on the Gods’ Mouths here, concerning that very thing that I had been looking for, concerning re-working the rosary prayers that she first became familiar with in childhood…and I was delighted to note that she references the above prayer in her post. ❤

1 Comment

July 19, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 19: Dance.

Let yourself be out of control.

Welcome the crumbling of the walls that you put up.

Wallow in that ecstasy.

Let go of all that you think that you are.

Let go of all that you thought that you were.

None of it works for you anymore.

Would you like to see yourself made new?

I’m here to break things down for you…

Dance with Me!

July 19, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 18: Another song.

Here is another song that I associate with Loki:

And, in case that it isn’t obvious, the rapped verses – performed by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien* – are the parts that certainly evoke Loki for me.

Here are the lyrics:

Yeah… Ha Ha!
Finally someone let me out of my cage
Now, time for me is nothing cause I’m counting no age
Now I couldn’t be there
Now you shouldn’t be scared
I’m good at repairs
And I’m under each snare
Intangible
Bet you didn’t think so I command you to
Panoramic view
Look I’ll make it all manageable
Pick and choose
Sit and lose
All you different crews
Chicks and dudes
Who you think is really kickin’ tunes?
Picture you gettin’ down in a picture tube
Like you lit the fuse
You think it’s fictional?
Mystical? Maybe.
Spiritual
Hero who appears in you to clear your view when you’re too crazy
Lifeless
To those the definition for what life is
Priceless
To you because I put you on the high shit
You like it?
Gun smokin’ righteous with one toke
You’re psychic among those
Possess you with one go

The essence the basics
Without did you make it
Allow me to make this
Child-like in nature
Rhythm
You have it or you don’t that’s a fallacy
I’m in them
Every sprouting tree
Every child of peace
Every cloud and sea
You see with your eyes
I see destruction and demise (that’s right)
Corruption in disguise
From this fuckin’ enterprise
Now I’m sucked into your lies
Through Russel, not his muscles but percussion he provides
For me as a guide
Y’all can see me now ’cause you don’t see with your eye
You perceive with your mind
That’s the inner
So I’mma stick around with Russ and be a mentor
Bust a few rhymes so motherfuckers remember where the thought is
I brought all this
So you can survive when law is lawless (right here)
Feelings, sensations that you thought was dead
No squealing, remember that it’s all in your head

I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad
I got sunshine in a bag
I’m useless but not for long
The future is coming on
I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad
I got sunshine in a bag
I’m useless but not for long
My future is coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
My future is coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
My future is coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
My future is coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
My future is coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
My future is coming on
It’s coming on
It’s coming on
My future

~~~

*No, no, no. Not that Del – though, he is a rather clever individual in his own right 😉

1 Comment

July 16, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 16: Fortunate.

It has been one of those days.

So, I did what I was told

and I forced myself to ‘just chill’ and I did have a ‘low-key day’ 😉

Hail Loki ❤

Here’s to ‘just chilling’ with You ❤

4 Comments

July 15, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 15: A Monstrous Manifesto (poetry)

Edited to add: Please note that this poem was not written by me; it was written by the extremely talented sc-fi fantasy author, Cat Valente.

I had the pleasure of hearing Cat read this poem aloud at a sci-fi fantasy convention quite some time ago.

I’ve always loved this poem, and I thought it perhaps fitting to share with my readers today, as I found it again recently, saved within some of my old LiveJournal files from 2010.

This poem immediately struck me as appropriate in honor of one of Loki’s heiti, Father/Mother of Monsters ❤

~~~~

If you are a monster, stand up.
If you are a monster, a trickster, a fiend,
If you’ve built a steam-powered wishing machine
If you have a secret, a dark past, a scheme,
If you kidnap maidens or dabble in dreams
Come stand by me.

If you have been broken, stand up.
If you have been broken, abandoned, alone
If you have been starving, a creature of bone
If you live in a tower, a dungeon, a throne
If you weep for wanting, to be held, to be known,
Come stand by me.

If you are a savage, stand up.
If you are a witch, a dark queen, a black knight,
If you are a mummer, a pixie, a sprite,
If you are a pirate, a tomcat, a wright,
If you swear by the moon and you fight the hard fight,
Come stand by me.

If you are a devil, stand up.
If you are a villain, a madman, a beast,
If you are a strowler, prowler, a priest,
If you are a dragon come sit at our feast,
For we all have stripes, and we all have horns,
We all have scales, tails, manes, claws and thorns
And here in the dark is where new worlds are born.
Come stand by me.

A poem by Cat Valente

11 October 2010

3 Comments

July 14, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 14: What if

What if…?

When an issue comes up where I get mired in my pessimistic tendencies, this has often been His message:

(quote by Erin Hanson)

3 Comments

July 11, 2015

Month for Loki, Day 11: I love Your face.

In what has become sort of a tradition for this blog during the month of July, today’s post will be a Loki artwork post.

First up, is DeviantArtisan Toradh‘s piece, titled ‘Mr. L’:

When I first saw this, I immediately thought of Loki – and that is most likely because its subject does closely resemble how I’ve seen Loki a few times in the past.

As well, I have been known to refer to Himself as Mr. L — so you can imagine my surprise when I read Toradh’s description of this piece to discover that this was not intended to depict Loki at all, but rather a progressive metal/rock musician named Arjen Anthony Lucassen – and Toradh is a fan of his music.

So the fact that one of the main reasons that I was drawn to this piece was simply because of the ‘Mr. L’ title does strike me as an interesting coincidence 🙂

Meanwhile, this is actually how Toradh depicts Loki:

(See? Not even remotely similar…but nonetheless, this is another piece of artwork that I love from Toradh as well, titled All the World Ablaze.)

~~~

Here is another piece from DeviantArt

According to the artist, tkpants, this piece — (oddly) titled Pants ’09 — *is intended to be Loki*

What I like most about this artwork is how the artist has conveyed that sly, side-long glance of His, the positioning of His hands, the tousled hair, and His sharp almost elven features.

(Whenever I doodle Loki’s face, the result is often inspired by this artwork particularly because this was likely one of the first images that I added to my DeviantArt folder of Loki art, and I am just as delighted and awed by its simplicity as I was three years ago when I joined DA.)

Speaking of inspirations, here is another piece of Loki artwork that I fell in love with back when I first went searching for more modern artistic renditions of Loki:

This is Loki’s Way by Piotr Cieslinski.

This! Now this piece is so full of delightful details that I just can’t even…

I love that Loki is lighting a Lucky Strike cigarette.

I love Loki is depicted sporting a Mjölnir pendant.

I love the fact that He is carrying a teddy bear in His backpack.

I love how the runes are embossed on the silencer of the rifle.

I think it’s a sweet touch that He has ‘I ❤ Norway’ pin on His jacket, even though the artist is Polish.

This artwork was commissioned for the initial cover for the first novel in a series of novels titled Klamca Loki, by Jakub Cwiek about 5 years ago.

While the book was considered a rather disappointing read by many reviewers, if one does a Google image search of Klamca Loki, one cannot help but notice that there is an amazingly wide variety of Loki artwork inspired by this particular piece of Cieslinski’s, with Loki imagined as some sort of badass assassin with gorgeous rockstar hair dressed in black leather, motorcycle boots, and carrying lots of high-powered weaponry.

In that, much like Marvel’s Loki, I think this piece was the inspiration for a lot of the ‘Loki in black leather’ imagery that one can find on the Internet today.

And to be honest, much like Marvel!Loki, I don’t think that Loki minds at all that so many have become inspired to envision Him in that way either 😉

~~~

Hail to Loki – Trickster, God and Rock Star ❤

2 Comments

July 9, 2015

On (not) meeting expectations.

I feel as if I have not been up to my normal posting standards during ‘Month for Loki’ this year.

I could hide behind the excuse that I made on 1 July that I began the month a little at loose ends because I was flying in to spend that first week of July in Washington DC….and anyone who has been following me for the last two years or so would be aware of the particular challenges that I have been facing every fscking time that I have visited DC since February 2013.

For those that may not know, the first week of July these past three summers has been rife with drama of an excruciating degree, usually involving my closest relationships.

Or, if I put it bluntly, my marriage.

But this year, I was lucky. I reached the end of this past week feeling closer concerning all of my closest relationships, including my marriage(s).

Imagine that, despite the fact that for these last three summers, I have asked myself, what would the month of July be if not for a few well-placed explosions to my comfort zones?

And yes, there was still some excruciating drama that, ironically, exploded like gasoline-soaked fireworks on July 4th; there wasn’t any dispute of that.

The drama began, as it often does, with expectations.*

Luckily, I’ve become more than used to drama leading to challenges.

But I am a Lokean, after all, and so, for the first time in quite a while I found myself feeling energetically empowered by the challenges rather than defeated by them.

For that sense of empowerment, I’d like to thank Loki first and foremost, but there is also no doubt that I could not have succeeded in enjoying my D.C trip nearly as much if not for the love and support of my kid, V, and several dear friends who, unfortunately, don’t read this blog on a regular basis.

And I’d certainly be remiss if I didn’t give sort of a shout-out to thank Dave Grohl and his band, the Foo Fighters, who – in quite a spectacularly Lokean manner – were the welcome catalyst for that…er, explosion that occurred on July 4th.

(It was the Best of You, indeed.)

As much as I would like to say more about the workings of that catalyst, I have promised that I would trust Him and let things play out completely as they should.

Don’t want to fuck with my wyrd y’all.

And that, my friends, is why I haven’t been meeting my own posting expectations this month.

1 Comment

Tag: July for Loki