The Runes from the Matronae

 So, this all started with a rant online with someone who is part of the leadership in a heathen organization.

I mentioned HWU as a source of possible people who might want to help setup an online seidr server, on discord. I got attacked. Apparently one of the leaders had a huge falling out with the group because the Icelandic Seidr people didn't want to take students from outside of Iceland. Putting aside any accusation of folkishness, or ethnocentrism, or xenophobia which I am sure she and others threw at them.

I pointed out that no teacher is obligated to take on a student. They can refuse at any time for any reason. We do not have the right to bully them into teaching their spiritual traditions or their culture to us or anyone. And Americans have this bullish way about them in demanding and feeling entitled to any practice or titles they want simply because they want them.

So I'm the bitch, apparently. I literally left facebook for five days to try not to attack her in kind. I'll leave the group on my own terms so I don't get permabanned for ripping on leadership. But, seriously. What kind of heathen-karen throws a hissy fit, rage quits and slanders a whole group of people because she didn't get what she thought she was entitled to? And I'm in the wrong?

So between this and the domestic terrorist attack on DC this week, I'm so anxiety stricken that I am shaking and manic. I knew I was going to have to rant this out of my system and without facebook or tiktok I lost a couple of major venues for such ranting.

So it led me back to this blog and to my laptop. Totally different feeling then what I get when I pick up my phone. 

I decided that since this past 12 months have been absolute nightmarish roller coaster ride I would change directions. Honestly, some of the best ideas come to me on the toilet mid poop.

I had been flatline on Angrboda's book for a whole year and decided to pick up that idea I had for the series of Runes as told from women and goddesses perspectives. We had just finished a month ago talking about the Matronae from pre-Roman Gallic Europe. The cool thing about them is that the triple goddesses are not based on reproduction but based on aspects of a stable and peaceful society.

The three aspects are Children/Family which is the basic building block of a community as well as the future of that community; Food which sustains the community and is also a form of trade/currency; and Wisdom or Lore which is the process through oral tradition of passing the values of community, lessons, myths, and identity from one generation to the next which supports community over the centuries. 

Then I thought of the three sets of eight of the runes. The first set is primal forces and animals. That is definitely the mundane and physical survival of the community. Each rune could be connected to battles, chores, rites of passage for women. The second set of 8 is definitely agricultural. The third set is about wisdom, continuation of lines, ancestors and rebirth. 

It definitely fits or overlaps.  

This would be an opportunity to provide an alternative to the reproductive based trinity and an exclusive feminine look at the meaning and function of the runes from women's lives or goddess spirituality.

Fuck the heathen community and its anti-feminist, pro-colonizing crap.

Note to New Age Gurus: Rage gets shit done

I hate these new age bitches who are like, "I was raped and I got over it." Like trauma rolled off their backs like water on a duck.  Good for you. But most of us struggle with trauma. Most of us wake in the night with chest pain if we can sleep at all. Most of us struggle to not have a panic attack because a man is walking down the sidewalk in our direction, struggle to not cross the street because we don't want to jump to conclusions. Many of us struggle with suicidal thoughts, even attempt it.

I have been through that nightmare. I have been raging since second grade, drenched in the pain and losses of my bloodline. But I am still here. I have not crossed that line, even as the rage gets to be too much and suicidal self-hatred threatens to become second nature to me. The wave of heat flooding my body as I focus on one single thought and try to let it pass out and away from me.

I am made of iron, I was forged in fire, tempered by pain and betrayal.  My mother had a backbone of steel and I learned how to stand straight from her. And even as that power wore away and rusted under the words of my father and the fists of my brother, until she became a shell and passed away from socially accepted methods of suicide, I am still here. I buried my father, my mother, and will one day see my brother buried. The world will be a better place without him and his abuses.

Do not fuck with women like me. We have seen things and survived things that entitled sheltered boys only dream up in their comic books. Danger from a safe distance, the daydream of a rough childhood and adult struggles. Then when they are rejected or simply don't get what they want they snap and shoot up a sorority house.

Cowards and weaklings, all of them.

They play at war and strength while I am Atlas in my corner of the world.

Show me someone who has suffered and I will show you an alchemist that can turn the world into gold. 

Loki Defense Letter was Declined

A letter was created by Loki's Wyrdlings basically stating that Segfried has a right to his opinions but his letter was more of an attack on the Lokean community. In the final paragraphs of it, there was a call to action to ostracise Lokeans and Loki in what amounted to religious discrimination.

This letter was declined to be published by The Wild Hunt.  Seigfried apparently has a right to his religious bigotry and exclusion but we are not allowed to defend ourselves in a public forum. The Wild Hunt will have much to answer for in the coming months.

Letter:

This letter was submitted to The Wild Hunt weekend editor on Nov. 30th and declined Dec. 1. Feel free to copy and paste this letter in its entirety, along with signatures, and share as you will on your own blogs and social media. 

A Lokean Group Response to Karl Seigfried’s “Loki in the White House”

We are concerned about the religious bigotry and intolerance against our community and religious practices, as conveyed in Karl E.H. Seigfried’s recent column “Loki in the White House,” The Wild Hunt, Nov. 24, 2018.

Those who cultivate a relationship with the Norse god, Loki, are a minority among neopagans. Our individual practices are eclectic, nondogmatic, and individualistic.
By equating Loki with certain cherry-picked actions of the current president of the United States, Seigfried suggests that we who cultivate a relationship with Loki do not understand our own god, our own spirituality, and our community, and what we should understand is that our god is evil. This is no better than an evangelical Christian telling pagans that our lack of understanding about Jesus and our own gods is leading us to worship demons. This is not only condescending but also inappropriate for an interfaith chaplain.

While we are individually and collectively offended by Karl E. H. Seigfried’s comparison of Loki to the current president of the United States, we understand his right to his opinion, no matter how ill-founded it may seem to us. However Seigfried’s article crossed an important line from eccentric opinion to bigotry.

What concerns us most of all are Seigfried’s final two paragraphs, which are essentially “a call to action” to discriminate and further marginalize all who hail Loki in their religious and devotional practices, whether in a polytheistic or monotheistic context. The opinions he presents in those closing paragraphs are that Loki is bad, therefore we who hail Loki are also bad and undeserving of support.

“Lokiphobia” is a word we wish we did not need to coin, and yet many members of our spiritual and religious community have been dealing with prejudice for years. In Heathen circles, many people who hail Loki have been excluded, bullied, and threatened. We can supply examples of this claim if needed. So it is particularly dangerous to fan the flames of such paranoia and bigotry against an outlier group when things are already so volatile nationally and worldwide.

To be clear, Lokiphobia, in the context of neopaganism, is discrimination against the religious practices and beliefs of people who hail Loki and/or identify as Lokeans (or a similar description). We, the authors, (1) call out Lokiphobia in Seigfried’s column and (2) insist upon respectful, interfaith dialogue in public forums and events where we and our faith are referenced, discussed, or questioned.

While we understand that the Wild Hunt is a platform for many different spiritual views, this article has crossed the line from being an opinion piece to promoting religious discrimination and the expulsion of an already vulnerable subgroup within Heathenry. Many of us are women, LGBTQIA, have disabilities, or hold other identities that on the whole have made us targets within the larger Heathen community which has consistently held much more traditionally conservative views. For our own safety and well-being we are requesting that Seigfried either amend the portions of his article that are a direct cry for the expulsion of Loki worship or that the Wild Hunt remove the article entirely.

To do otherwise is to sanction discrimination against a religious minority.

Where as in the past we as Loki devotees have largely been disorganized and kept mostly to ourselves, we’re no longer willing to keep quiet and suffer discrimination and verbal abuse in the name of “different opinions.” We have reached a tipping point where we refuse to continue being a punching bag for the American Heathen community’s frustrations or used as villains in its own paranoid fantasies. We hope that in the name of true inclusivity you will choose to be our allies instead of contributing to years of unnecessary division. This has never just been about how  people feel about Loki: this is about how people choose to treat other people.

Signed:

Dagulf Loptson
Ky Greene
Amy Marsh
KveldúlfR Hagan Gundarsson (Dr. Stephan Grundy, Ph.D., Norse Studies)
Aiyana Assata Amare Ashen
Terra Akhert
Tara Aparicio
Carrie Bertwistle
Susa Morgan Black
Marina Boccuzzi
Lauren Buhr
Sara Cochran
Moira Hawthorne Copeland
Heathir Dhomhnaill
Amber Drake
Kriselda Gray
Ailim Hazel
Elizabeth Hefner
Alex Iannelli
Mischa Kvashninenkoff
Jennifer Lesko
Roxana García Liotta
Michelle Lord
Tom Mayernik
Jude Melvin
Lindsay Moose
Katherine Morgan
Draca Nightweb
Tahni Nikitins
Katie Oden
Lillian Sara Pink
Jenna Porterfield
Denise Marie Radcliffe
Logan Riley
Emily Sabin
Olivia Sweat
Tedri Liudan Thorne
Kyra Pandora Weaver
Lindsay Wiles

Loki and 45

There has been a huge blow up in the pagan community. I can't say heathen because not all who worship Loki call themselves Heathen.  In case you come across someone who is angry about this, this is why.

Karl Seigfried posted an article in The Wild Hunt which uses bits of lore he "analyzes" to support the thesis that Loki is behind the rise of Trump to the White House.
( https://wildhunt.org/2018/11/column-loki-in-the-white-house.html?fbclid=IwAR3jHMpUG4o-ebf20UV6Hh5LYmZgwTu7hC7ioMpY1A146SJLV7-cHGBWi50 )

He uses 4 points of similarity between Trump and Loki from the Lore to try to support this idea: (1) objectifier of women, (2) betrayer of community, (3) opposer of the law, (4) bringer of chaos. 

I could ignore the fact that other gods don't also fit all or some of these descriptions, but I won't.
Frey uses coercion to win over Gerdr, that's rape. He sits on Odin's throne and uses his magick when he first sees Gerdr, that's breaking a law or rule. He gives up his sword to convince Gerdr to marry him, which betrays the community he was supposed to use that sword to protect.  That's just one, and one of the more gentle gods at that.

It often surprises me that those who worship Odin would also villify Loki given that Odin has lived up to all of the violations that Seigfried pointed out. Odin is known for manipulation of women, sexually using them, and even raping Rind to get her pregnant against her will for his own benefit. He often brags about these conquests and the magick he uses to make it easier.  He betrays community through the breaking of oaths when it suits him and can't be counted on when it comes to support. His fickleness in battles and kings is well covered in the lore. At one point he was even exiled for a time for his betrayal of community, and his "brothers" watched over the throne in his absence.  He is constantly looking for loopholes and ways around and through laws and oaths.  As long as it benefits his purposes, he will flout the laws.

Chaos is not simply disorder, but it is also confusion and unpredictability.  Many of the gods, and many pantheons of gods, often sew destruction and confusion in humanity for their own purposes.  Besides, Zeus and Aphrodite, Odin can also be counted among those gods.

But I do not hear these gods being vilified the way many whole heartedly attack Loki.

And it wasn't just an attack on Loki, connecting him to a man whose sole purpose in life is to make himself richer and indulge in hedonism at any cost to others. Comparing him to a man accused of raping a 13 year old girl, sexually assaulting countless other women, revoking on contracts, failing to pay his debts, and engaged in corrupt financial dealings with foreign oligarchs.

This was also an attack on Loki's followers and those who worship him. Seigfried repeatedly appeals not only the idea that Loki is evil, but that those who worship him engage in destructive behavior, want to watch the world burn, cheer on the breaking of democracy and peace, and engage in abusive behavior such as death threats towards those that disagree with them.

Those who support Trump would never also support most Lokeans or those from the community. Many of those who are devoted to Loki are also outcasts in some way from mainstream society. I know outcast is a strong word, but that's how it feels.  We are often queer, often non-white or not white enough, struggle with mental and physical health challenges, and have personality quirks that our past teachers may have described as "challenging" or "unique".  We are already on the outskirts of even some of the more tolerant groups such as The Troth.  Our god and our identities are often a struggle for even groups that claim to be "inclusive".

There is also the large group of women who worship Loki, and the acceptance of the Goddess face of Loki. His ability to shape shift, and even his time spent in a female body when he gave birth, is used as evidence against him. He is maligned as ergi, he is mocked for it.  There is a definite vein of misogyny running through the attitudes of mostly men who attack Loki and his followers. There is a dismissal or demonization of magick from these attackers, even as they make hypocrites of themselves in exalting the magick of Odin and his shapeshifting or study of seidr.  This seems to parallel the increasing prevalence of men who have entered the pagan community in recent years that have been undermining women scholars and goddess worship.  I have seen this increasingly in workshops over the years when men attend and challenge the woman speaker. Apparently 40 years of research and development in an area of mythology isn't enough weight of authority for a newbie male pagan. Women are not surprised when these things happen since it is so common among us. Much like how common it is to be rejected when you are a member of a group who worships Loki.

Heathens who are also Trump supporters are more from the AFA or "traditionalist" leaning ranks.  They see Loki as a perverted figure, a threat to family and community, much like Seigfried. It makes we wonder where his political affiliations lie. He claims to be not a racist and seems to support more progressive politics, but his alliance with the Nokian crowd in such an aggressive manor doesn't fit. And it should be no surprise that these groups also have twisted ideas about women and their place.

Those from within the community that worship Loki are some of the most generous people I have met. From raising funds for charity, offering hospitality and opening their homes, sticking up for those who are ostracized, counseling, teaching, sharing their skills, and just being totally normal people on the side. There's always one that ruins it for everyone, the ornery personality type that messes with people and tried to use Loki as an excuse. But there are Odinists and followers of Frey who do the same, but yet those gods are not ostracized because of a couple of unethical followers.

There is a readiness to attack Lokeans that heathens in particular and pagans in general just seem to have. There is an amazing willingness to ostracize these people, many of whom are already part of marginalized groups. Even white supremacists have painted Loki as Semitic and make the argument that he is satan because he is Jewish. It is twisted, but it is an actual argument flowing through these groups.

It is not just personally painful for a god that I love to be villified. It's not just a personal insult for my character to be maligned due to my association with others who worship him.  It is dangerous. In this climate where groups are looking for scapegoats, right wingers are calling for a return to the burning times, terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues are increasing in severity and frequency, it is not a short jump to start stalking, harassing, and killing those who also worship Loki. The basic elements are already there, the hate is already percolating. And articles like this add another target to the mix.

None of this is okay in any way shape or form. For a pagan publication to publish an article that attacks a god and a whole group of people associated with him, is an affront to decency and equality. It is intolerant and bigoted.  To my knowledge, no other gods or goddesses have been treated this way by this publication before this. It would have been unheard of to publish an article about Zeus being a rapist, Aphrodite for starting a war with an apple,  and not worthy of worship.
What makes it okay to skewer Loki in such a way?


Blog Responses:

https://ladyofthelake.blog/2018/11/26/dude-i-call-lokiphobia-check-your-bully-pulpit/

https://lokicult.com/2018/11/25/loki-and-trump-my-thoughts/?fbclid=IwAR3UixQjGzEqEEiWVUS-U7yCb-Ht2UYNIT6o31DNlAuwSarqWAPkNwP8cJo

https://ladyofthelake.blog/2018/11/25/dude-i-call-unverified-political-gnosis/

https://apolytheisticlife.com/2018/11/26/analysis-of-seigfrieds-comparison-of-loki-and-trump/?fbclid=IwAR0N_mn6r0ZrcsPNWMbH9tn8UPV7b5h8rms7jF4BOdRzxJgjdrEcif5usO4

https://sarenth.wordpress.com/2018/11/25/loki-is-not-trump-neither-is-odin/?fbclid=IwAR1gjxuLKENEYHx7u9B-ptBOrHffSeoOTXNFvjal7BVwNRaUo1CglV_3X5I

https://ladyofthelake.blog/2018/11/27/lokasenna-time/?fbclid=IwAR2sXHKnddDhJndy0QvHdm55LqpTsyPHHyJHk81JsjT3pI_jjRgPNrPbenA

https://lovinglaufeyssondotcom1.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/rebuttal-to-article-loki-in-the-white-house/?fbclid=IwAR3tJLFg4PDd7rzJWTFm0bwoXWJHq9_qoWA3naJQ5js_xaa9Gh6SDwfZINQ

https://mainer74.wordpress.com/2018/11/29/loki-discord-and-weak-lore/?fbclid=IwAR33g_fr2OvOS-m_Q8CluVOBx1M9lMKM0mRCQbz24Y_JH3m9RLJYnzKqLzg

https://tahnijnikitins.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/in-defense-of-loki-a-beltane-special/?fbclid=IwAR2ZUBfERIwMI3mXB3rfziEMvb7DamoLZPlNvxdfFbhMT6OchcRT7dWHvMw

The End is Nigh?

"Enjoy it while it lasts"

And I know You meant everything
I feel the sense of urgency
The Panic
Something is coming
And yet I go through my days
As if it isn't

I didn't really care for the fireworks
It was more for my daughter's joy
But you wanted me to pay attention
As if everything I do this year
Will be the last time

Is the world out of time
Or am I?

Stages of Withdrawal

In the beginning stages of this success
The appearance of new growth
I feel a pull, a distance that is new
Is it my mind, my sadness I sense
Or am I feeling yours?
I've spent half of my life
And I am just starting to learn what Love is

The trees have just started to bud
And soft shoots are piercing the soil

Don't leave me now
I keep repeating
Don't leave me now
I still need you

Leaving is unnecessary
Separation won't necessarily make me stronger
I can still do the work
And talk with You at night
I promise
"Don't offer anything you cannot give"

Were You here just to destroy
To remove barriers and toxins from my system
And now that the green growth has returned
You'll blow away with the embers

This is both Comfort and Pain

I know that change is inevitable
I know that things are born and pass away
I know I have the strength to stand on my own
I may have forgotten for a while but I remember now

When you come from a place of life
Real love that doesn't control or suffocate
Thing fall into place

You were the Destroyer
Re-arranger
Bringer of Gifts
The one to light the match and fan the flames

I kept trying to control it
Channel it to where I wanted it to burn
But it wasn't my fire
I wasn't my creation or design
I had to watch it burn
Turn foundations to dust

I realize now that it was what had to happen
In order for something healthy and whole
To be reborn in its place