Note from Kyaza
On Wed, Apr 8, 2020, 8:35 AM Alan Wheeler wrote:
Hi Kyaza,
My initial workings with deity were with Venus, Odin, Freya, Isis, and Loki. Venus and Loki seemed the closest. I sometimes feel strange in my intellect about the strange mixing of pantheons. Some time later, came Hecate and most powerfully the Morrigan in a five-month process of calling and bonding.
During the kind-of honeymoon phase with the Morrigan, the others seemed to take a back seat; however, on April 1, I felt led to make some offerings to Loki again.
As his priestess, I wondered if you had any thoughts or experiences with how Loki deals with groups of deity. I seem to remember you saying he doesn't always like to share.
Alan
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Alan,
In my experience with Loki, he is incredibly social both with people and other gods. There are only three deities he seems to have somewhat contentious relationships with, but even then he doesn't seem to have an issue with humans working with those gods. He seems to have more of a "my problems with them are mine not yours" sort of mentality.
The three deities I've experienced him holding difficult relationships with are Heimdall, Freya, and Brigid. I personally don't work with Heimdall, but I do work with Freya. Even with the difficulties Loki has with Freya, he told me I needed to seek her out for instruction in magic. So, I am of the opinion that Loki doesn't let his personal issues impact the way he approaches and informs devotees.
In terms of mixing pantheons, it is usually best to avoid doing so when doing rituals. I work with deities from several pantheons, but I tend to make the rituals I conduct to them pantheon specific. For example, I work with the Egyptian pantheon as well as the Norse one. Kemetic rituals tend to be to the entire pantheon at once, letting the gods who wish to come forward and speak have their moment. Norse rituals tend to involve one deity at a time rather than the entire pantheon. Both approaches can be used for either pantheon, but it would be weird to do a ritual to an Egyptian and Norse god at the same time.
It is also not unusual for certain gods to take a step back to let others come forward, regardless of pantheon. It sounds like the Morrigan needed to take center stage in your life for awhile, and that's perfectly fine. It's important to remember that the gods have infinitely more patience than we do considering their lengthened life spans (or immortality depending on pantheon).
Most gods are not jealous, and it is rare that any of them have an issue with humans working with other gods. There are some exceptions to that, but those exceptions tend to be one or two gods that they especially dislike. I know that Loki personally asked me not to work with Heimdall, but I also have a friend who works with both Loki and Heimdall with no issues at all.
In my experience, the gods have many aspects, and we all end up dealing with slightly different versions of the same being. Considering the vast nature of the gods, most of which we cannot grasp, it makes sense that we all experience them in slightly different ways.
Even the Christian god is not as jealous of other gods as many Christians would have us believe. One of the commandments says that a devotee should put no other god first. "You shall have no other god before me." This commandment itself reveals the reality of the existence of other gods, but it is also a demand for a henotheistic relationship. In a polytheistic interpretation, it simply means that that particular god should be served first, that he should come first in thoughts, prayers, and rites. It doesn't say that working with other gods entirely is forbidden.
There are polytheistic religions that work in a similar way. The Kemetic Orthodoxy, for example, offers three levels of membership. At the first, you are simply a participant who works with Egyptian gods. The second level requires you take an oath to put the Netjeru above all other gods. Because of my own oaths to the Norse gods, I can never attain that second level in the Kemetic Orthodoxy.
This is probably a lot of information at once, but I want to make sure you have a solid understanding of why it is perfectly acceptable to work with multiple pantheons. Loki sometimes fades into the background for devotees then comes forward again. All the gods do this to some extent, but Loki seems to be more noticeable when he does it because he is very present when he does step forward. Usually, when the gods step back it is to either let other gods come forward or because there is work in their astral homeland that they need to focus on.
I hope this helps you on your journey.
May luck be with you,
Kyaza
Hi Kyaza,
My initial workings with deity were with Venus, Odin, Freya, Isis, and Loki. Venus and Loki seemed the closest. I sometimes feel strange in my intellect about the strange mixing of pantheons. Some time later, came Hecate and most powerfully the Morrigan in a five-month process of calling and bonding.
During the kind-of honeymoon phase with the Morrigan, the others seemed to take a back seat; however, on April 1, I felt led to make some offerings to Loki again.
As his priestess, I wondered if you had any thoughts or experiences with how Loki deals with groups of deity. I seem to remember you saying he doesn't always like to share.
Alan
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan,
In my experience with Loki, he is incredibly social both with people and other gods. There are only three deities he seems to have somewhat contentious relationships with, but even then he doesn't seem to have an issue with humans working with those gods. He seems to have more of a "my problems with them are mine not yours" sort of mentality.
The three deities I've experienced him holding difficult relationships with are Heimdall, Freya, and Brigid. I personally don't work with Heimdall, but I do work with Freya. Even with the difficulties Loki has with Freya, he told me I needed to seek her out for instruction in magic. So, I am of the opinion that Loki doesn't let his personal issues impact the way he approaches and informs devotees.
In terms of mixing pantheons, it is usually best to avoid doing so when doing rituals. I work with deities from several pantheons, but I tend to make the rituals I conduct to them pantheon specific. For example, I work with the Egyptian pantheon as well as the Norse one. Kemetic rituals tend to be to the entire pantheon at once, letting the gods who wish to come forward and speak have their moment. Norse rituals tend to involve one deity at a time rather than the entire pantheon. Both approaches can be used for either pantheon, but it would be weird to do a ritual to an Egyptian and Norse god at the same time.
It is also not unusual for certain gods to take a step back to let others come forward, regardless of pantheon. It sounds like the Morrigan needed to take center stage in your life for awhile, and that's perfectly fine. It's important to remember that the gods have infinitely more patience than we do considering their lengthened life spans (or immortality depending on pantheon).
Most gods are not jealous, and it is rare that any of them have an issue with humans working with other gods. There are some exceptions to that, but those exceptions tend to be one or two gods that they especially dislike. I know that Loki personally asked me not to work with Heimdall, but I also have a friend who works with both Loki and Heimdall with no issues at all.
In my experience, the gods have many aspects, and we all end up dealing with slightly different versions of the same being. Considering the vast nature of the gods, most of which we cannot grasp, it makes sense that we all experience them in slightly different ways.
Even the Christian god is not as jealous of other gods as many Christians would have us believe. One of the commandments says that a devotee should put no other god first. "You shall have no other god before me." This commandment itself reveals the reality of the existence of other gods, but it is also a demand for a henotheistic relationship. In a polytheistic interpretation, it simply means that that particular god should be served first, that he should come first in thoughts, prayers, and rites. It doesn't say that working with other gods entirely is forbidden.
There are polytheistic religions that work in a similar way. The Kemetic Orthodoxy, for example, offers three levels of membership. At the first, you are simply a participant who works with Egyptian gods. The second level requires you take an oath to put the Netjeru above all other gods. Because of my own oaths to the Norse gods, I can never attain that second level in the Kemetic Orthodoxy.
This is probably a lot of information at once, but I want to make sure you have a solid understanding of why it is perfectly acceptable to work with multiple pantheons. Loki sometimes fades into the background for devotees then comes forward again. All the gods do this to some extent, but Loki seems to be more noticeable when he does it because he is very present when he does step forward. Usually, when the gods step back it is to either let other gods come forward or because there is work in their astral homeland that they need to focus on.
I hope this helps you on your journey.
May luck be with you,
Kyaza