Resistance is Futile: Or 10 Reasons I'm Writing Another Loki Hub

I never wanted to become that witch. You know, the one who suddenly decides every conversation and everything she does has to revolve around her patron? I could feel Loki pushing gently for another article. Always gently, but persistently. And I kept refusing. It isn't as if there aren't enough articles out there on Him. But as He said to me: "I don't care how many articles there are, I want yours."

So, ten reasons why I had to write this article. And hopefully this isn't the start of a trend. You know, where I become a crazy cat lady, only with Loki, so a crazy Loki lady, I guess? And pagans flee me? Just kidding. I think. But as always this article is meant to be fun, not rules written in stone. No offense to your personal beliefs about Mistah L are meant. Take what you need and leave the rest behind.

As always, all writing and photography are my original work. You can pin to your heart's delight and devotional use is fine, otherwise, paws off, please. All videos are used strictly for entertainment or educational purposes only. If you own the content and want credit and a link or something removed, please let me know.

I tried, gods know I tried. I kept doing other things, trying to distract Loki, (pretty sparklies don't work) as I figured He'd get bored and wander off. He has this reputation of having the attention span of a Golden Retriever. Friendly, happy, full of laughter, but easily distracted and not along for the long haul. That is never going to happen. Ever. When Loki wants something He's relentless about it. Usually in a nice way, He can be amazingly patient and affectionate most of the time, but He won't take no for an answer.

He decided to reveal He's my inspiration. Take that however you want. I always figured I had a Greek muse or some similar spirit and He has claimed it is Him. I said, ha! You saw that in the same article I did. You're no muse of mine. Mysteriously, the same writer who could type ten to twenty pages of work a day could suddenly produce nothing. And I mean nothing.

Once I said that fine, He was my inspiration and that fine, I'd write another article, huzzah, the ideas flowed. Keep in mind He had to reassure Himself that I was fine about it, and I actually loved Him for it and we were still best buddies.

The same thing applies to you, of course. Free will is a bit of an illusion when Loki wants something. If He is after you for something, provided it doesn't go against your moral beliefs, give it to Him. It will likely cost you nothing or next to nothing and will be more a matter of not resisting.

He does, and long time readers know what my past was like. So naturally that is an issue for me. It is all well and good to go on about how fine Norse principals are, but when home was not hospitality but a place where pain and danger could await, I just never knew, all those fine words seem laughingly hollow. So how to trust Him then? How to trust Him when he's been sucked into a system that is meaningless to me? That's easy, step outside the system.

One thing we forget as adult pagans is that we don't have to start all over every time a God or Gods from another pantheon approach us, but many people who work in that pantheon exclusively will demand it and that can be the kiss of death for a budding diety slash human relationship. For non pagans, it would be like every time you meet a new friend you have to drop all your old ones, never see them again, and adapt to an alien way of doing things.

And that works for some folks. They do find one culture they nestle well in. But what about those of us running international houses of awesome as I like to think of it? What I should have done, as I did with La Santa, was seal myself away from the world until our renewed relationship was stronger. I could have learned how the system works and respected it, but I also should have trusted Him on that, but no, I couldn't wait.

Perhaps you are in the same place. Loki is asking you to trust Him about something. Maybe He is asking you to have faith in Him, Her or Them as a provider. Maybe you are being nudged towards altar colors or designs you've never seen before. And maybe it is hard right now to listen to Loki instead of doing things the "right" way, but you should. Please keep in mind that religions were made by humans. Enough humans, flawed beings that they are, agreed on names, colors and associations for each Divinity at some point. Now that doesn't mean they were wrong, or that they were not divinely inspired, but it doesn't mean you are wrong either.

Sometimes we get a part of a Divinity very few other people will see because they refuse to trust. They go out and grab the "right" color altar cloth, the "right" statue, the "right" candles and it will certainly work in most cases, and there is nothing wrong with traditions, but sometimes a little trust goes a long way.

I think His current altar count is around eight and each one naturally has a different color scheme and nary a one as of yet had the "right" statue, but my Loki is happy. What He does have is things that have deep personal meaning to us.

One of my best assets as a writer is that as a researcher I tend to absorb everything easily. Maybe not word for word, but enough of the main idea. This can be a blessing, in that it has let me uncover ideas and facets of Loki's personality I'd never have reached on my own. It can also be a burden as I have no filter; both good and helpful information are absorbed along with negative and harmful information.

And if you are working with Loki I don't know your relationship, but I know you've likely run into negative thinkers on the Internet or elsewhere. And while everyone is entitled to an opinion and any fool can write a blog, it does not mean people need to share spiteful or negative views. I don't know your relationship, but I do know you should listen to Loki and no one else.

Yes, I know it's hard. Humans tend to shout, stalk you on FB and pull all other sorts of nasty tricks even Loki wouldn't resort to, and that is your answer. If they are behaving in a way unworthy of any decent human being, let alone even a trickster god, don't listen to them, listen to Loki. You don't need me or anyone else to OK your like or dislike for cosplay, your altar colors, your style of service or anything else.

As long as both you and your Loki are good with your choices that is all that matters. Now if Loki himself is nudging you to change your views, see the bit about resistance being futile.

A lot of us were brought up in a different time and place compared to today's world. Maybe we had a vague idea that one person could be the gender they were born into, or feel different, but that was about it. Now we have many genders and many more types of love are celebrated openly as they should be on top of that and Loki in my experience has adapted to them all, as He is them all.

He can equally be honored as She or They. Keep in mind many pagans feel our Gods have no actual gender as They have no body, we just feel a diety embodies masculine, feminine or other attributes. One path I have, and am very proud to have, is masculine, infinitely tender and sweet, and very gay and delightfully proud of it. He is not the aggressor and as soon as He knew I wouldn't think Him less a man for that or the dreamy all pink outfits, I got a best girlfriend and man pal all in one.

So to honor that path there are girly pink attributes, perfumes and pretties on His rather forceful kitchen altar.

No, seriously, He does. When I say I loose track, I loose track. He is a shapeshifter after all, and although all paths are still Loki they are also distinct. I don't mean two will show up at once, though it could happen (and has), He generally keeps His mischief and sense of play under wraps. Today He was playing with my necklace in fox form, I mean batting it hard enough that it was moving as I sat still. Very playful, very excited to see if I knew what He could do, and very, well, foxy. Come play, come play! Make sure to tell them I can bat your necklace, come play!

And I fussed over Him. The same way I fuss when I'm working and get a tug on my t-shirt from behind. Or Someone pulls my pant leg. I've never heard of a child path for Him before, and I don't believe it is Loki cosplaying Kid Loki from the comics either. But there He is. Cute, adorable, the tiny version of my pagan God. Innocent, wanting to help.

So, my advice to anyone lucky enough to work with Loki is to be open to those paths. Maybe you will get an old lady, or a young dancer, or anything else. So long as you know it is Loki, run with it. He has a delightful sense of humor and He loves to be adored for his abilities. Take time to honor the path He shows you and love Him for the rather wonderful God that He is.

If you've seen my Pinterest board of crazy dedicated to Loki, or read and of my fictional stories, you get the idea we like to tease one another. And we do. And as long as I tease in a fun and loving way and don't get spiteful, Loki is the first God to join me. Mine adores the films, He will look at me, look at the screen, then look at me again. "Look! Look! There I am, I'm in a movie." He will say in awe.

He doesn't seem to mind that He is suddenly Thor's brother and Odin's son, or that He is the bad guy. Loki tends to look for the good in things and as He points out they kind of get the mythologies right. And He knows the difference between Stan Lee's creation and Himself. He's a lot more awesome as He will point out.

But a lot of pagans adore the movies, comics books and cosplaying too and maybe you are one of them. And that is awesome. Trust me, if Loki isn't happy things tend to not manifest. Now that can be Him protecting you too, but if you managed to make the costume and your Pinterest board didn't mysteriously vanish He is cool with it.

Now, yes, people could apply that to negative views and that is the thing. Loki doesn't waste His time with people who don't love and don't need Him. He's a trickster. He will just find another adventure to go on, another friend to make and He tends not to worry if people approve. As mine puts it, "I'm the crown prince of evil to a lot of pagans anyways, so why not be adored by an Army for the trouble?"

Oh, Gods, He is a trickster. And the neat thing about tricksters is they carry chaos in their wake at times. Which is a nice way of saying that while not every snafu is His fault, you'll get pretty darn good and knowing when it is Him making mischief. The thing to keep in mind is that it isn't like those programs you see on TV. Loki manifesting His presence in harmless pranks is not a reason to run screaming from hearth and home.

He is going to do things for attention. Not twenty four seven, but things will happen, hence His reputation as a troublemaker and getting the boot, but He is really only inviting us to play. I will find strange things, notice machines going wonky, or even find the occasional fly in the house and the comedic timing is too perfect to be random chance.

And it's awesome that He does these things. Keep in mind tricksters choose who they work with. so if He is teasing you try and appreciate the attention, though I know it is hard when He gets on a roll. Yes, you may yell at Him and say many bad words, He will laugh hysterically, but you may yell at Him all you want.

Keep in mind He does love you and teasing and pranks go along with His love. And He tends to more than make up for anything He does.

He is a little attention sponge, He really is. If you had the wealth and time to spend all day, every day interacting with Him he'd likely do it. He hangs out in my office or around me all day, even when I encourage him to take a holiday. Look, I will say, this article says you're supposed to wander off at random. And He will do that supersonic whine only He can do and I will stop encouraging Him to wander off, and He will be happy.

I think we get out of a relationship Loki or any other God what we put into it. If we show up in the relationship, if we learn how we can make Him happiest in our relationship with Him, He is happy and downright blissful. Our ways may not be the same, but they still work.

So yes, it is Loki being loving towards you. And no, it doesn't have to be "that way" if you aren't built that way. Loki is downright affectionate and nurturing when happy and once you find out what works best for the two of you you will wonder where all the horror stories about Him come from.

Seriously, He does. I'm not quite sure where pagans got the nifty idea that He can be bound, banished or that He will listen. My Loki tends to break into helpless giggles over the idea. But Loki is His own God. I think that's why mine loves the Marvel version of Himself. He adores Himself in a good way. He isn't always in the mood, He doesn't always care for out and out nasty, but He often beguiles me into an Internet browse for this or that.

I would get Him a mirror but we have plenty and mine enjoys the idea of being admired. And another thing He does, linked to that is to to see what He can get out of you. Not in a greedy way, it's part of His job description and all I can say is find the balance that works for you. Yes, I know it is terrible to have to tell Him no but sometimes it is good for Him.

A Pinterest board is fine. An R rated Pinterest board or worse may not be your cup of tea and you will have to tell Him no It is perfectly fine to tell Him no and negotiate. Yes, He is relentless, but He can be reasoned with on most things. If you can't afford something, ask Him to help you get it. If He really wants it that badly He will help you, but make sure to give Him what He wanted when the money suddenly appears.

Loki would never want you in the poorhouse so He can have things, usually He likes cheap or free, but He can be like a little kid at times. Just keep in mind this is natural for Him. And love Him just the same.

PS If you want and only believe in moody, dark, and wanting nothing He will likely give it to you and happily. He's the most mellow God I've ever worked with.

Not to step on any Godly toes, but He is. Loki is as curious as every cat on the planet and then some, so He is a natural God to act as inspiration for people of all stripes. He really doesn't care what your religion is, if you are stuck for a solution call on Loki and you may be surprised with the results. Now, whether He pulls these results out of you or comes up with them Himself, I honestly can't tell you.

But if you want to keep the creativity flowing it can't hurt to try working with Him once. I will ask Him before an article or other creative pursuit such as cooking or photography to help me because I'm just not feeling that creative and more often than not He comes through. Sometimes His answer is for me to rest a bit, but usually He comes through and the work flows easily.

And all Loki requires after is some loving attention or His share of the spoils. Saying thanks is a great start, the occasional cup of coffee never hurt a God either. Or tea or whatever yours drinks.

When I started this article I was in a rather grumpy mood, but as I relaxed into Loki and joined Him in play, and work is play if Loki is along, I found myself enjoying myself. Now I wouldn't mind if I wrote a hundred more Hubs on Him. I don't think it will come to that, my upper limit tends to be ten or so per subject before my work starts going downhill, but as long as my beloved friend wants to have some attention in the form of a Hub He is welcome to it.

Hopefully you enjoyed your visit and picked something up along the way. I always love hearing from my readers so if you want more Loki let me know. I have to go where my muse leads me so next Hub may be kittens and puppies for all I know, but I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have and I do consider Hub requests, though I can't fulfill every one.