Anonymous asked: Do you think it's okay to try to honor Loki while worshipping mostly Greek deities?

I know a lot of people that worship deities from different pantheons at the same time. I kinda mix-and-match (for lack of a better term lol) as well.

I would say yeah, it’s usually fine unless one of the deities expresses some sort of concern.

-R

Scrapbook Altars

thehagandthestag:

I’m sure other people have thought of this and posted it, but I thought I’d share my epiphany anyway.

There are a lot of pagans and polytheists out there that are unable to have physical altars for a whole host of reasons (space, privacy, money, etc.) I’ve heard of some people making online shrines, which I think is super cool! Scrapbook altars are kind of along that same idea.

You can buy (or make if you’re crafty!) a blank journal or scrapbook and cut out and glue in pictures of things you’d put on a physical altar. Hell, you can even print out a picture of a table (or cut one from a magazine) and add pictures all the things you would put on it: candles, flowers, bones, incense, statues, etc. You could be artistic and draw the altar entirely! Add pictures of food/drink for offerings, or even press small things between the pages like pretty ribbons, coins, or dried leaves and flowers. You can write down prayers/sigils on your altar pages. One of my favorite things about this idea is it becomes like a memory book too! You can go back and look at all of your altar setups or offerings from previous months/years.

Even though I have a physical altar, this sounds like a fun project I might try out!

Anonymous asked: Hi there! I've recently discovered Lokean witchcraft, at first I shrugged it off, however the more research I have done the more I feel like Loki has been trying to communicate me. There has been a spider living next to my bed, which isn't a very common thing and I hear that's one of Loki's animals. I've also recently had the strong urge to dye my hair red. Tonight I did a meditation, trying to confirm with Loki if it would be alright to make him my deity. However I didnt really feel his (pt 1)

(pt 2) presence at first, but then I thought I felt I did and asked for his permission to make him my deity. However I didn’t really get a response from him and now I feel like maybe I just thought I felt him there. Any advice? 

Welcome, Nonny!

You might already know this, but just for the sake of other newbies reading this: You don’t necessarily have to practice witchcraft to be a Lokean or worship Loki. It’s fine for witches to worship him, but it’s totally okay not to incorporate magic in your worship if that’s not your thing.

You also don’t need permission from a Norse deity to worship them. You’re giving them attention and free offerings, so as long as you’re respectful about it, there’s not much reason for them not to be cool with that. A lot of people think it’s a good idea to give offerings and/or ask for permission before asking for stuff or expecting them to aid your spellwork. However, you don’t need any kind of two-way communication from the gods to be a devotee, and the truth is that a lot of devotees don’t really get any.

Unfortunately, no one else can say for sure whether Loki is contacting you. After all, you’re the best judge of how unusual these experiences really are, and only you know what kind of emotions accompanied them. There’s no way to empirically prove that the gods are talking to anyone, so in the end, it all comes down to personal judgement.

I will point out that both those occurrences aren’t really that far out of the ordinary in terms of stuff that could happen on its own from mundane causes. But that doesn’t completely rule out the possibility that Loki’s involved. You might find these links on communication and discernment helpful in deciding whether to treat these things as signs.

Also, neither spiders or red hair are attested symbols in the lore, even if they are associations made by some modern devotees. Since there are other deities canonically associated with those things, it might be a good idea to rule them out before automatically assuming that it’s Loki trying to get in touch. We have a post on deity identification here.

But again: you don’t need some kind of divine sign to be able to worship Loki if that’s what you want to do. Similarly, you don’t have to get involved with a deity just because they’re trying to contact you. You’re free to initiate a relationship (or continue to do your own thing) regardless of whether those events were messages from Loki.

Let us know if there’s any other way we can help.

-Mod E

outrageouswizardofnottingham asked: Just want to say that I recently found this blog and I think it's wonderful. Love it! The lokean information and the recipes are both great!

Thanks! We’re so glad you enjoy it :)
-R

Anonymous asked: What side or sides of Loki do you experience? Does he express his pain and sadness to you sometimes? What are some ways to form a closer bond to Loki?

ofetherealstarlight:

Hi! Thank you for the question. I love talking about Loki.

The side of Loki I experience is a bit softer than some others have described. Like, I don’t think he’s ever majorly fucked with my life. Sure, I’ve had some fucked up things happen to me since I let him into my life, but I honestly refuse to believe he would hurt me like that. He loves me a lot, and he always lets me know it. That’s the easiest thing we can communicate to each other, it’s just “I love you,” and it comes out clearer than anything else.

I’ve also experienced his emotional side. Directly, Loki and I had a good cry once about how upset we were that we’re so far apart. We cry simply because we love each other sometimes. As for pain, my friend, Paige, had an experience when she was doing a meditation with him for me. She saw him and she could literally feel his emotional pain. He said that he doesn’t show that side to me very often, because he’s afraid it’s going to hurt me.

I’m still experimenting with ways to get closer to him. Paige suggested that I talk to him every night, and he always says he wants to talk to me more– but it rarely happens. It’s really hard to have a clear conversation with him. I can’t hear a word he’s saying sometimes. 

Divination always helps me. I’ve been trying to use a pendulum to contact him, but I’ve only tried it twice. I used a Oujia style board, and it was starting to work kind of well. 

Meditation is great. I personally have trouble with it, because I don’t practice, but with practice, you can easily spend some time with him. I recommend greenspells’s meditation. I will be doing a guided meditation based off of it soon. 

Lucid dreaming and astral projection are the most vivid, but they are the most difficult. I have trouble with these as well. I’ve only barely done both of them. It takes practice, so don’t give up.

Talk to him out loud. I plan on doing this when family finally decides to leaves me alone. You may not be able to get a response, but there’s just something about talking into what seems like thin air that feels right. I’ve had the most vivid sensory experiences when I talk to him out loud.

I hope that helps you, and I hope that wasn’t too mushy. Thank you for the question again. 

acelaevateins asked: This question might be hard to understand so I'll try to word it as simply as I can! I knit a lot (actually just finished knitting a cloth for my altar) and I was wondering if I could make a scarf in Loki's colors (I associate purple and red with Him, for some reason) and wear it as a sort of symbol? In some sort of honor to Loki? How would I go about doing that?

Hi, Zack.

Making and wearing devotional items is actually a really common practice. We have a post about dedicating items to the gods here. We also have a few pictures of stuff other Lokeans have made in our crafts tag.

Some knitting-specific methods of dedicating the scarf to Loki could include:

• Listening to devotional music while you knit
• Burning candles or incense while you knit
  
• Repeating a quick prayer after every row
• Incorporating Loki’s name or a rune you associate him into the pattern
• Blessing the yarn or finished scarf with smoke/water/booze that won’t stain
• Storing the scarf on Loki’s shrine
  

Or anything else you can come up with that feels right to you.

Good luck! I’m sure a lot of people would love to see the finished product if you’re open to posting photos.

-Mod E

Anonymous asked: Can a ouija board be used to communicate with a deity (Loki in this case)? I want to try new communication methods since I'm not really successfull with many of the ones I tried and I feel like I might be more successfull by using such a board.

Theoretically, any divination tool can be used, ouija boards included. Experimenting with different methods is definitely a good thing, as it gives you a clearer idea of what works for you (even if the answer is sometimes “not the thing you tried this time.”)

Just keep in mind the limitations and potential pitfalls of each method. Despite their depiction in pop culture, ouija boards aren’t inherently more dangerous than any other divination tool. However, because you are moving the planchette yourself, the results are very open to being affected by your own influence and wishful thinking when compared to more random methods, such as dice or tarot. But no method is perfect, and you may find that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for you personally.

As with all divination, always exercise discernment, and take the protective measures that you feel are appropriate before communicating with the unseen. Best of luck!

-Mod E