#livin la vida loka

[parsley-sage-rosemary-n-thyme]

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 5 • Members of the family – genealogical connections

Loki Laufeyjarson, Loki Son of Laufey. Laufey is Loki's mother: Laufey the leafy Ásynja (female Æsir), Laufey the Birch set on fire by the mighty Jötunn Fárbauti, the Lightning that strikes and brings the flames to the ground. According to this myth, Loki is of Jötunn and Æsir blood, belonging to both worlds and none at the same time, making him a liminal being from the very beginning. I personally feel Laufey is originally a Jötunn, later included among the Ásynja, but it's an UPG (unverified personal gnosis). Laufey gave birth to two other children, Helblindi and Býleistr, Loki's brothers. Sigyn is Loki's wife, and little is known about her. According to my own feeling, she belongs to the Jötnar too, but it's another UPG. Together they have two sons, Narfi and Váli. The Lady of Járnvid (Ironwood), Angrboða, conceived three powerful children with Loki: Hela, Queen of the Dead; Fenrisúlfr, the Wolf Fenrir; Jörmungandr, Miðgarðsormr, the Sea Serpent that hugs Miðgarð. To all of these children, Loki is father. And yet there is another children, too often forgotten, to which Loki is mother: Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse he conceived in the form of a mare with the stallion Svaðilfari. You may be familiar with Sleipnir being Óðinn's mount. Óðinn is also Loki's blood brother by oath, another detail some prefer to forget. Their relationship may be complex, but if we wanna talk about Loki's connections it seems only fair to me to include his good old friend Grímnir (Hooded, Masked One), too.

When Loki chooses to "work" with you, he'll introduce you to his family, sooner or later, in no particular order. He's a family person, and just loves his dear ones, especially his children, with all his burning heart.

Art by @muirin007 , love this depiction of Loke with his kids!

#loki #norse loki #loki laufeyjarson #laufey #farbauti #angrboda #sigyn #narfi #vali #fenrir #hela #jormungandr #norse paganism #livin la vida loka

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#meus #natureza #nature #borboleta #🦋 #brasil

[in-hearts-affliction]

50, 51 & 53 :)

50. A song that you would rock at karaoke: Britney Spears // Toxic51. A song you can’t help but dance to: if moshing counts, then Knocked Loose // Deadringer53. Your 10 song striper playlist: *I’d be the worst stiper cause these songs are super random cause idfk what songs match with a strip club*- Daddy Yankee // Gasolina- Akon // Smack That- Ricky Martin // Livin La Vida Loka- Shakira // Hips Don’t Lie- Avenged Sevenfold // Scream- The Black Eyed Peas // My Humps- Fergie // M.I.L.F.S.- Nicki Minaj // Anaconda- Fergie // Fergalicius

#Anonymous

[coventry-university]

Já que o senhor Evans está ocupado no... Banheiro, vamos pular para o seguinte. Senhorita Wayland, diga quem é seu amigo secreto.

#as #livin la vida loka #tb fui eu tchau

[macieperson]

Livin’ La Vida Loka keeps randomly playing on my phone and its scaring me…

#livin la vida loka #whyy #oldies #90's kid #number 4

[parsley-sage-rosemary-n-thyme]

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 9 • Common mistakes about Loki

Countless. So here are just a few I've heard myself.

•He's evil, "the Norse Satan" (as if Satan was originally evil himself, but that's another story). False. No deity is good or evil, but I guess it's easier to separate rather than consider the whole of reality.

•He's the bad boy of Ásgarðr, rebel without a cause, always messing around. False. He definitely knows how to create Chaos, and enjoys it from time to time, but he mostly loves to travel the Nine Worlds and take good care of his family and his people.

•He's dangerous to "work with". May be true, it wholly depends on your attitude - but isn't that so for any spirit/entity/deity?

•He will destroy your life. False. He will destroy what needs to be burnt, only to let what really matters grow free. That may include a huge part of the false truths you built around and for yourself. but would you rather live in constant denial of who you are?

•He will lie to you. Absolutely false. He will tear you apart with the hardest truths you never had the courage to face, he'll guide you and show you how to deal with them, and you'll be finally free.

•His devotees are dangerous people. Well. If I may say so myself. Just joking! Us lokeans generally tend to be respectful and inclusive people. You can always find the occasional arsehole, as everywher; but maybe because most of us experienced hard times in our lives, we tend to be compassionate towards others. Of course, Loki also teaches us not to take bullshit from anyone, so if you consider growing tired of your unfairness being a bad person, then yes, a lokean would probably very bad for you.

Art: Loki is scheming the murder of Baldr by joan789 on DeviantArt

#loki #july for loki #lokean #livin la vida loka #norse loki #norse paganism #rokkatru #thursatru #misconceptions #prejudice

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July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 8 • Variations on Loki (aspects, regional forms, etc.).

Tough prompt! I decided to focus on Loki's presence in the spoken language, which also gives an idea of his presence in many countries. A list of Scandinavian names containing Loki’s name is provided by Axel Olrik in “Loke in the Younger Tradition”, an interesting read. Dagulf Loptson talks of this in his Playing with Fire book, and here's a brief list of examples. In 12th century Northumberland, England, lived a man named Locchi. In Småland, Sweden, Locke is a hereditary surname. In Uppland, Sweden, the name “Luki” appears on a rune stone. Places named Lockbol, Luckabol, Lockesta, and Locastum remind of ours truly. J. Grimm tells of a giant’s grave in Vestergötland, Sweden, named Lokehall. A Norse settler was called Þórbjørn Loki, and another man was named Þórðrloki. Snorri Sturluson’s foster-father was Jón Loptsson (“son of Lopt”). In the Faroe Islands, where Loka Táttur takes place, we have Lokkafelli (Loki’s Fell). Last but not least, the star Sirius is known in Scandinavia as Lokabrenna (“Loki’s Torch”).

There are also some very interesting popular sayings that tell us a lot about the relationship between Loki and the humans. In Denmark, we find: “Lokke is reaping his oats”, “Lokke drives his goats”: air shimmering with heat or flickering lights. “Lokke the playing man”: Sun glimmering off water and creating flickering lights. “Loke drinks water”: sunbeams break through clouds and touch the land or sea. “Lokke watches his goat herd”: heat flutters from the ground like leaping goats. In Sweden and Norway, we have: “Lokje beats his children”: the hearth fire makes a loud, cracking noise. People in Telemark throw the skin from boiled milk into the hearth fire as a sacrifice to Lokje. In Sweden, a child who loses a tooth throws it into the fire and says: “Locke, give me a bone-tooth for a gold-tooth”. In Iceland, “Lokadaun” or “Lokalykt”: a sulphurous odor. “Lokabrenna”: the heat of summer.

So, pretty much everywhere Loki was and is honored as a Fire god, very near to us humans.

Source: Dagulf Loptson, Playing with Fire.

Art: God of Fire by CandyDemonArt

#loki #lokean #livin la vida loka #norse loki #a bit of history #hopefully not too boring #i don't even know

[parsley-sage-rosemary-n-thyme]

July for Loki, Day 31 • The End

Yay for me, and for all of you reading my posts of July for Loki!

It's been relatively hard to keep the focus for 30 days straight, following 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts; to write briefly and hopefully not too boringly about matters that would deserve pages and pages each was not easy. But it was good fun too, and a way to connect with my patron god even more deeply, which is always a good thing.

One of the services I've been asked to perform for Loki by Loki himself is to talk about him, speaking my own truth about the way I know him. Trust me, this is tough for me, since I used to be a pretty secretive person about my whole spiritual sphere. But hey, now this is part of my path, and it's a way to honor him, so that's why I felt this July for Loki was the right thing to do, the way I did it, after all.

The conclusion to my July for Loki will be simple: I send firey blessings to y'all, and may Lughnasadh bring you nothing but marvelous gifts! 🖤

Pic: Laughing Fox by Paul Ward

#loki #july for loki #lokabrenna #hail loki #life is too short #so let's have fun #let's live for once #livin la vida loka

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July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 24 • A time when Loki has helped you

Last Winter, I fell ill. I came to a point when the illness really began to take its toll on my mind more than my body. It was driving me insane, making me think thoughts that I knew weren’t mine, but still worked their way through my brain. It felt like having the most unpleasant voice whispering in my ear day and night. I was weak from the illness, and such thoughts were slowly but successfully eroding my mind. Then came a night, when the most amazing orange, firey, lava-like light embraced me and exploded all around me, destroying or at least chasing away whatever evil was causing me all that suffering. I instantly knew it was Loki, though I was too weak to call upon him. He just came to my aid in a most desperate time, like a loving father would do for his daughter. That night, I finally slept soundly. Next morning, my healing really began to speed up. I have confused memories of those days, of course, but that moment is one I’ll never forget. What amazed me the most was how he intervened without a word of prayer on my behalf - my mind was too crushed to even think about that, and why would I bother my god with prayers when I’m ill, after all? Nonsense, I’m strong enough to face it on my own, there’s no need to disturb the gods for such silly things. That’s what I kept telling myself, not able to see the damage that illness was causing to my own mind - or maybe it was the illness that made me think so? Who knows. Anyway, that’s a striking time when Loki helped me.

Art by Schaudwen

#loki #july for loki #30 days of deity devotion #lokadottir #livin la vida loka #devotional #norse paganism

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July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 18 • How does Loki stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (Historical and/or UPG)

“A heart ate Loki,-- | in the embers it lay,

And half-cooked found he | the woman's heart;--

With child from the woman | Lopt soon was,

And thence among men | came the monsters all.”*

{{*Hyndluljóð (The Poem of Hyndla), Poetic Edda}}

Loki is famous for being a shapeshifter, and shifting through genders is one of his abilities for sure. In the myths he is usually described as male, and a very handsome one too, but there are a few exceptions. In Þrymskviða (“The Lay of Thrym”), Thor and Loki pretend to be Freyja and her handmaiden to get Mjölnir back from Jötunn king Thrym. Thor is in disguise and keeps his pronouns, but for Loki the text uses female pronouns when in disguise, which suggests a slightly deeper transformation on his (her) behalf. Another famous example you might be familiar with: in Gylfaginning (“The Beguiling of Gylfi”), Loki turns himself into a mare to lure the stallion Svaðilfœri away from his work. They run away together, and when Loki returns to Ásgarðr he is pregnant with Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse destined to become Óðinn’s steed. Speaking of Óðinn, it’s good ol’ Grímnir himself to reveal, in the Lokasenna, that Loki spent 8 years in a cave as a milkmaid tending cows, and there gave birth to a number of children while in female form. Curiously enough, Loki reminds Óðinn that he spent quite some time among men “in witch’s guise” as well. So you see, even the mighty Óðinn is not strictly male, according to such myths. What does it tell us? That these two are blood brothers for a reason, just for a start. Then, it gives us lots of food for thought.

Last but not least, the one that for me is among the most fascinating episodes in all of Norse mythology. In the above mentioned Hyndluljóð, Loki eats the heart of a woman and then gives birth to monstrous children. As the story goes, an evil woman (a “witch”) had been burnt (three times?) by the Æsir. Is she Gullveig? Is Gullveig Angrboða? Not the place to discuss this. What matters here is, her heart survived, half-burnt. Loki finds it and eats it - but why? Is it a metaphor of the crematory Fire? Maybe there is a deeper reason in the fact that the heart was considered the home of the principle of life and of the soul itself, so by eating the woman’s heart Loki was probably able to absorb her female magic and wisdom… So much so that he then gives birth to children, monstrous ones of course - much like their siblings born from him and Angrboða. Or maybe, just maybe, such monstrous children are a metaphor for magical powers and actions that were believed to be evil as the tales were being written down later in time? Who knows… who knows… 

In my personal experience, Loki remains mainly male. I call him Faðir (father), and refer to him with male pronouns, but as you can see using female or neutral ones is not wrong at all. 

I’m sorry there’s not enough space here to discuss these themes in a more elaborate ways, there would be plenty to say, but I hope I gave you some interesting hints to think about.

Art: The God of Mischief by NickRoblesArt

#loki #norse loki #livin la vida loka #30 days of deity devotion #july for loki #lokean

[parsley-sage-rosemary-n-thyme]

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 11 • Festivals, days, and times sacred to Loki

To my knowledge, there are no historical traces of sacred days/times dedicated to Loki.

Some modern lokeans celebrate him especially during the month of July, as you can see. This is a recent tradition, dating back to the summer of 2012 and a blogging project by Galina Krasskova. July is not a casual month though, since it’s the month preceding/seeing the heliacal rising of Sirius (usually late July/early August). As we already saw, Sirius is known as Lokabrenna (“Loki’s burning”, “Loki’s Torch”), and it’s a star that has always been celebrated by ancient cultures, Nordic included. So, here’s a good reason to dedicate these hot days to our beloved firey Trickster. 

But that’s not all, as Loki loves to be celebrated throughout the years, and each devotee has their own special days/festivals dedicated to him. Many see Saturday as a good day to homage him. Saturday was known in Old Norse as Laugardagr, “bath day”. Some suggest that Laugardagr was named after Loki, an adaptation from Lóður, but there is no certain evidence of this. What we know for sure is that Laugardagr was replaced by the Latin “dies Saturni”, Satur(n’s)day. Many modern practitioners notice similarities between Saturn and Loki, so it kinda makes sense to dedicate the Saturday to him. I personally feel he enjoys this day as much as I do, so I try to celebrate him even more on Saturdays, but it’s not a rule - there are no rules when it comes to Loki.

Apart from this, in my practice (UPG) I noticed he loves the Winter and Summer Solstice, possibly because of their connection with the Sun, and therefore with the Fire, but what I felt both times was so personal, I won’t share it here. Last year I also felt him very active around Samhain, of course in his Vulture form. But then again, I always feel him near, so I might not be the best one to talk about this specific topic.

Art: LOKABRENNA II by ErgiGoat on DeviantArt

#loki #lokean #30 days of deity devotion #livin la vida loka #norse paganism #pagan shit #paganism #deity worship

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July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 10 • Offerings – historical and UPG

Only historical offering that I know of is from Telemark, Norway, where people used to throw the skin from boiled milk into the hearth fire as a sacrifice to Lokje (source: Dagulf Loptson, Playing with Fire).

In my personal experience, Loki enjoys lots of different offerings on his altar, and not only that! 

Friendly reminder: of course this post is not meant to be all-comprehensive, nor valid for every devotee! The best way to find out what he likes from you, is giving him offers yourself and listen.

UPG appreciated offerings from my practice: lava rocks; sulphur; obsidian, carnelian, fire opal/agate and dark/firey crystals in general; dandelions; Fox/Snake/Hawk/Spider-related "things" (jewels, bones, fur, skin, feathers…); horns/antlers; cinnamon; coffee; whiskey; rhum; candles; tobacco; sweets; chili pepper; smoked salmon; raw meat; phallic shaped stuff (anything does); red, orange, black, green things; music.

There are many other ways to make offerings to him though, in everyday life!

Easy example, don't kill spiders/flies/critters around our home, free them. Consider making a donation (or some volunteering) to a local animal shelter housing animals related to him. Help those in need, especially children and women. Help people having a hard time, even by "just" acknowledging their feelings and listening to them. Always be true to yourself, the best and possibly most difficult offering you can give Loki.

Pic by fistina-marina

#loki #norse pagan #lokean #rokkatru #thursatru #livin la vida loka #july for loki #deity offerings

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July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 2 • How did you become first aware of Loki?

I can’t remember for the life of me. He’s always been there, as far as I can recall, since I was a little child. I probably first heard of him through the Norse myths my dad used to read to me, and Loki’s adventures were basically the only ones I wanted to hear about. My hero, I loved him instinctively from the first time I heard his name, and that love survived in my heart for many long years, till I first found out about modern Paganism and took my first steps on what would later become my Path. That moment, about 12 or 13 years ago, I distinctly felt Loki calling me, but I was too scared to answer his call, and too eager to find a goddess willing to guide me instead of a god, and I turned my back to him. A bold decision on my behalf, which brought me lots of gifts by following a Celtic path guided by an Morrigan, and yet something was missing. Someone was missing. Someone who was waiting patiently for me to finally See. And when I was finally tired enough to deny my innermost nature, I answered his call, almost 2 years ago, and here I am.

#loki #norse #norse paganism #rokkatru #thursatru #lokean #livin la vida loka #fuck i'm old

[parsley-sage-rosemary-n-thyme]

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 16 • How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?

In the surviving myths, Loki plays the Trickster: smart, intelligent, funny, full of tricks (resources), not following any rule. Crossing all boundaries, breaking all rules, the Trickster is the one who destroys what is old and stagnant. Of course he is also a jokester and a prankster, given the right circumstances, but I wouldn't recommend taking him lightly. Tricksters are common around the world: just to mention a couple of Loki's colleagues, we find Anansi the Spider, Br'er Rabbit and Leuk Rabbit in West Africa (and therefore in the Caribbean due to the slave trade), Hermes in Greece, Coyote and Raven among Native American and First Nations mythologies… they have very much in common, though of course each has their own specific character. They're not one and the same, no more than two people with the same interests are one singular person. So, what does a Trickster like Loki tell about the cultures celebrating him? That these people knew the importance of Change, and knew Chaos is often needed to bring it forward. It is necessary to accept Chaos in our lives along with Order, in a difficult yet essential balance, the infinite cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth. Not only that: in his adventures, Loki often displays useful virtues, such as intelligence, shrewdness, diplomacy… these bring amazing gifts to the Æsir, and often get him out of trouble (or into trouble, but nevermind). I assume these qualities were considered as important as physical strength, and it’s no surprise. Loki, as most Tricksters, is also very well versed in seiðr and magic in general. This may be a bit controversial since in the infamous Lokasenna the practice seiðr is brought up basically as an insult, but let’s not stop at the surface. The great goddess Freyja is a mistress of witchcraft and seiðr, and is said to have taught it, or at least some of it, to none less than Óðinn. We know Loki masters the art, since he can shapeshift into basically anything he wants. It would be logical to assume seiðr, witchcraft, and whatever kind of magic, were probably not only accepted, but held in great consideration among Nordic people, since great two beloved divinities like Freyja and Óðinn practiced them. So, even though being well versed in magic is part of the Trickster's job, I'd dare to say this knowledge was probably very much respected in Loki too. So, does this answer today’s prompt? No. I found this question rather dull myself, so a rather dull answer seemed appropriate. 

Art: Loki by Bubaben on DeviantArt

#loki #30 days of deity devotion #july for loki #lokabrenna #lokean #livin la vida loka #trickster

[parsley-sage-rosemary-n-thyme]

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 14 • Has worship of Loki changed in modern times?

Most likely! To my knowledge, we have no info about ancient worship of Loki. But is it likely that a god ever so present in myths and lore didn't have a cult of his own? No. Is this lack of info an indication of Loki being considered evil in ancient times too, and therefore not worshiped? No. There are no traces of cults dedicated to good ol’ Heimdallr either, just to make an example: would anyone suppose he wasn’t held in great consideration and venerated? No. So it’s fair to assume, given also the numerous surviving examples of Loki’s name still being used in folk sayings, that he was respected and worshiped like all the other gods and goddesses. No surviving traces of his cult, no info about how his devotees used to worship him (offerings, prayers…), basically nothing at all besides a few stories in the myths. How do you even start to work with such a deity, you might wonder? Here comes the interesting part: by listening directly to him, and to your innermost feelings. It may sound difficult, and could be a bit disorienting at first, since we’re so used to finding all kinds of info on “how to” relate with a deity, but Loki won’t buy any of that shit. One of the first lessons he taught me, and I know I’m not the only one, was: “read the myths, look beyond the words, learn their true meaning, then come with me and I’ll show you”. So, if you’re wondering how to start relating to Loki, listen to him. Follow your senses. Ask questions to those who already know him if you want, but always think with your own brain, follow your heart, and do what YOU feel is right. That’s, in my experience and opinion, the best way to worship Loki.

Pic from freepik

#loki #july for loki #30 days of deity devotion #lokean #livin la vida loka #lokadottir

[reigotico]

#mine