Loki

Most people I know (and to be fair, it’s a small segment of a small pool of people) associate Loki with Coyote-energy (at least those that I’ve spoken to on the subject, which is a slightly smaller segment of a small segment of a small pool of people—in other words, this is far from a scientific observation). Some of the reading I have done has suggested an extremely tentative connection between Loki and Spider. (There’s some etymology involved.) My personal experiences bear this out, but that likely has to do with a very special Loki-guy and his affinity for spiders.

I’ve never really felt the Coyote connection, although I understand where it comes from. Coyote is the trickster of many Native American cultures. I have a *lot* of problems with most “totem” animal guide books. (I have a HUGE problem with the word “totem”; a totem is a tribal spirit ally that comes with a whole host of societal obligations and taboos. Individual people have allies—or not, depending on your path and practices—tribes, families, or clans have totems. Clear? And just to be extra clear, those totems come with serious obligations and rules about what the tribe can and cannot do if it wants to stay on the good side of their totem.) Ahem. As I was saying. I don’t like most guides; if you want to know something about your allies, you should ask them. But that said, there is some wisdom in seeking out the experiences of others, particularly in the case of “common” or well-known Spirits.

Coyote is popularly written up along these lines:

You are being reminded to laugh at yourself. Things have been entirely too serious of late and you simply need to let loose and get on with it. Stop dwelling on your worries and stresses and let them go. You have asked for the help you need so just let go and allow your spirit helpers to do what they need to do. Do something that gives you pleasure and joy and focus on the positive for a change. (http://www.spirit-animals.com/)

If you are truly called by Coyote, you should not only talk to him to see what he has to say of himself, but you should look up reliable re-tellings of North American myths regarding Coyote.

But as I was saying, I can very easily see why so many people connect Coyote and Loki.

Loki is very good at laughing at Himself.

I think He does actually take life seriously…but maybe not too seriously.

Loki is very good at having a good time.

And of course, He is a well-known trickster who gets into and out of trouble on a regular basis.

Last year, I started working with Loki. He came to me (although He’d probably always been there in the background, since I was doing so much work with His daughter, Hela). I was having a problem and He offered to help. It seemed completely out of his purview. I know the Gods are more than “oh, Thor is the God of Thunder” and “Odin is the God of warriors”—They are complex Beings with personalities all their own, not square and triangular shaped blocks to be plugged into appropriately shaped holes in our rituals. But still. My problem seemed very far outside Loki’s general sphere of influence.

He assured me He was more than willing to help and could take care of the problem. I was smart enough to ask “okay, what’s this gonna cost me?” before saying yes. If you’ve followed this blog at all, you already saw the picture I did of Hel. Loki’s price was to “make something beautiful” for Him. I floundered for a while trying to figure out what that something beautiful might be, but then I painted Her, and He seemed quite pleased.  I’m pretty pleased too; it came out *really* well.

Since then, my relationship with Loki has grown and He’s started manifesting here and there, so naturally, I’ve been thinking about Him a lot more these days. As you’ve probably already gathered, I’m a Shamanic practitioner. (I draw a very solid line between a Shaman and a Shamanic practitioner; think of me as someone who took a first aid class and got pretty good at it, so I’m comfortable showing other people how to bind a broken toe, something most people don’t go to the doctor’s for anyway, because there’s not much that can be done except bind it. I would never dream of performing open-heart surgery, but I’ll be happy to help you stop the bleeding if you cut your finger in the kitchen and will dial 911 and sit with you while we wait for the ambulance if I think the cut needs stitches.)

So. I was doing some journey work and there was Loki…and a fox. I’m not one of those people who wants to mix up multiple systems, so I wasn’t looking for “what animal is connected to Loki?” – but there it was. Fox. And it felt so stunningly correct. Coyote is a trickster, but Fox is sly. He’s small and cunning and fleet-footed.

But here’s what the same website has to say about Fox:

The solution to a problem is at hand. The Fox spirit is the grand problem solver. She will guide you to solitude and silence until the way out is shown. A healthy combination of persistence and patience will strike a balance that picks apart a problem until it is solved.

Alternatively, are you having trouble adjusting to a new living situation or job? Do you feel like you’re barely scraping by? When sly Fox crosses your path it can be a signal to open your eyes, so that you can see the situation for what it is – not as you wish it to be.

When a situation or environment is difficult allow yourself to be fluid and adaptable. You have all the tools and resources you need to turn money, career, or living difficulties around.

Loki is a problem-solver—never mind that He is frequently responsible for His problems. He takes responsibility for His problems and fixes them. Other sources comment about Fox’s ability to camouflage and fit into any environment; Loki is not only a well-known shape-shifter, but moved through various circles/realms in the tales. And we all know that Loki is sly.

And of course while not all foxes are red, we are (at least in North America) mostly familiar with the red fox and Loki is most certainly a red-head! (A quick Google search tells me that the same red fox is a native of Scandinavia as well). I also tend to picture Him as slight of build and more toward the androgynous side, yet at the same time brimming with lovely sexual energy that is at once definitely masculine, but not in the same way that Thor is kinda Mr. Testosterone. It’s the difference between a fox, which is truly a predator and perfectly capable of taking care of itself, and a bear (all teeth and claws).

I've been using Jamie Sams' (how funny, I'm acquainted with a very different author named Jaime Samms!) Medicine Cards for readings and the accompanying book (with perhaps a small grain of salt here and there) for insight. Much of what she has to say about Fox not only jives with what I feel about Loki (mainly on a deep gut level, but also from looking at what other people have observed), but it jives with what I've been feeling about where I am in my life (given the way Fox has come up in readings).

I’m curious if anyone else has made the same connection between Fox and Loki and what other spirit-workers Loki-children’s take is on my observations. (And again, I don’t generally go blending systems; I’m not suggesting any historical connection or any hard and fast Shamanic connection, just recording my own observations and curious about others’ thoughts.)