A lot of things happened this year at Free Spirit Gathering. Here are four things that stick out in my mind.
On Tuesday night we had the opening Sumbel. I made an off handed comment about being a Lokean and a woman who was sitting to my right in the circle scooted away from me. When I asked her what she was doing she proclaimed that she was a devotee of Heimdallr in such a way that made it clear that that to her the proclamation excused her rudeness.
A Gothi of Baldr told me that because of who I am as a person, and the way that I carry myself, he would be willing to attend the Loki Blot I was hosting. A Gothi of Baldr. Of BALDR. Yeah.
A friend of mine, who also happens to be a Son of Heimdallr, hailed Loki in a blot. It wasn't even a blot for Loki.
A person who I hold in high regard told me that my behavior as a Lokean, as well as past conversations she and I have had, made her comfortable enough to allow someone to add Loki to a shrine in her home.
Things happened in that exact order.
Maybe I am reading into things, though I will be honest - I do not think I am, but I see those things falling the way they did as a sign from the gods.
I have worked hard in the past four years to remind people that Loki is not just chaos. He is truth. He is home and family. He is an oath keeper. He is the fire of destruction but that fire often burns away the rot and stagnation that keep people from growth. Loki is more than the box most people paint Him into.
So, even though one woman did a disservice to her god and was rude, three other people reminded me that I am exactly what Brigid and Loki have asked me to be. I am a light in the darkness. I shine Their fire out into the world and people are starting to see it. Starting to take notice.
Hail Loki, World Breaker.
Hail Baldr, Joyous One Hail Heimdallr, Watcher in the Night.
Hail Brigid, Flaming Arrow.
Hail the my Kindred. Hail to the family of my heart and hearth. Hail to all who look beyond the surface of things.
One of the things I have noticed, and written about before, about worshiping Loki is this: You don't JUST worship Loki.
He comes with others. He isn't alone. Maybe He will bring His children. Maybe one of His wives. Maybe His mother. Maybe His blood brother. He knows who He wants to have with Him. My worship of Loki always includes Sigyn. His altar space in my home has toys and candy for Narvi and Vali and if I light a candle for Him there had better be a candle for Sigyn. There is no other option.
When my coven decided we would do a Pagan style lent and spend the days between Imbolc and Ostara saying a shared daily prayer (along with prayers to our personal deities) it never even crossed my mind to NOT light a candle for Her.
I love Brigid. She has my heart in ways I can not explain. I adore Loki. Where They lead me I will always follow. Freyja has been here for a while as well but Sigyn... I never expected her. I've slowly slipped into a place where I can not worship Him without thinking of Her. She keeps Him strong. She keeps Him young. She reminds Him that love is alive and allowed and real. She ... She is amazing.
So, before I get too choked up thinking about it, here is Their altar. It started out as Loki's space. Slowly, over the past year, it has become Their space. It is only just now though, as I write this, that I realize how much more my life is because She stands by His side and He refuses to let Her be looked over. It just accrued to me that I need another candle. This one for Angrboda.
Today is my 30th birthday. When I think about the implications of that I smile.
I have taken 30 trips around the sun. I have lived, laughed, loved, cried, fought, and fallen in love for 30 years. While that number isn't as "great" as the numbers my friends and family can claim, I am happy with it.
As I have mentioned in past posts, I love Loki but my heart belongs to Brigid. Not only is it my birthday, but I also have a flame tending shift for Her today. I am having a hard time not seeing that as a sign.
I have been struggling with the idea of who I am in regards Her and the faces of the Goddess for a few months.
I am not a maiden by any stretch of the imagination, but I am also not the traditional idea of a mother.
It is my hope, and if I am honest with myself my birthday wish, that I will be able to call myself a Priestess of Brigid by the time I have completed my 40th trip around the sun.
And on that note... I have nothing else to say besides:
While putzing around on Pinterest I came across this little gem.
Obviously the best way to get people to take the Pagan community seriously is by boycotting movies that paint witches in a bad light and advocate killing "bad" witches.
You know who else kills children and practices "The Dark Arts"? Lord Voldemort. That's right. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a "bad witch". Obviously his behavior shines a negative light on real life Witches. Time to boycott Harry Potter.
Also, The Sanderson Sisters. Those three meanies are just the worst kind of "bad". Not only are Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy playing ugly witches, they also want to kill ALL the children in Salem. Time to boycott Hocus Pocus. Probably we should take it a step further and boycott Sex In The City (SJP plays Carrie Bradshaw), Sister Act 1 & 2 (KN plays Sister Mary Patrick), and Beaches (Bette is the star of this movie) as well. Oh! We also need to boycott First Wives Club (which has both SJP & Bette).
Obviously we need to boycott The Wizard of Oz as well as the musical Wicked. To be safe lets also boycott Oz, The Great and Powerful. Maybe we should just boycott everything Oz related because of how the franchise portrays witches.
Let us not forget ABC Family, which plays ALL OF THESE MOVIES (okay, maybe not Beaches) through out the year. I mean COME ON! They are not only pushing the Anti-Witch movement, they are pretty much keeping it going through out the year. Soon, they will probably just change their name to: ABC Family - Kill All Witches, because they deserve it!
Probably we should have ourselves a good old fashioned book burning as well because the Harry Potter and Oz franchises both started out as books.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is why no one takes us seriously. By us I mean Pagans in general, not just Pagans who identify as Witches.
There are so many other things to get up in arms about in regards to they way we are treated as a community. If you want to raise awareness of who Pagans are and what they believe in, perhaps you should get involved in your local Pagan community. I bet it would get a lot more done and frankly, it will make you look like less of a fucking asshole.
Boycotting movies and throwing fits about the way the media portrays Witches is a stupid waste of time.
Get off your asses and do something real for a change.
My mother loves Jesus and Elvis. Both of them have churches. Both of them have crazy followers. Both of them speak to her soul.
My five year old niece believes in Buddha, Narasimha Deva and glitter. Her faith has never wavered.
My youngest nephew coined the phrase PaganHinJew. He is excited to light the Shabbat candles with me next week when I visit them, but he flat refuses to give up bacon.
My husband is a Hare Krsna.
Each member of my coven has a Hindu deity that they worship.
My oldest friend just recently embraced Paganism and is on a spiritual high from the Earth Mothers love.
We are more than the blood in our veins or the land that our forefathers came from. Ancestors aren't just family members. The Gods don't give a rusty fuck where your fathers fathers father is from. They care about who you are, and where you are going.
If you have a problem with someone embracing the non-white Gods of their Ancestors, feel free to fuck off.
This brand of racist bull crap is not just a Heathen issue. It is a Pagan issue. We will not be taken seriously if we don't take each other seriously. We will not be shown respect until we respect one another.
We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
Last year there was a bit of a kerfuffle about Pagans who have chosen to take up wearing the veil, aka cover their hair and/or body. As a Pagan who covers I felt a mild amount of interest in the issue but decided to ignore it because frankly, I didn't really care. There was a big enough issue though that Covered In Light asked that people from all religions cover their hair on Friday September 21st (2012) in a show of support and to raise awareness. My coven and a few of our close friends all covered as did a knitting group I am a part of. It was a fun experience and I ended up covering the entire day in a hijab style, which is a great deal more than I usually do. Here is a picture...I looked super cute, if I do say so myself.
We are about a month out from September 21st again and I am hoping that Covered In Light Day will happen this year as well. Which is why, a year after all the covering butt hurt, I am addressing this subject. Below are a series of questions I have been asked by people in the past few years. If you cover and you want to answer these questions on your blog, please do.
How long have you been covering and why do you do it?
I have been covering my hair for about three years. It all started when I took up the mantle of tending Brigid's flame. I had my first cill for Her on July 4th 2010. About mid September 2010 I started feeling a push to cover my hair when I was tending Her flame or when I was doing anything at my altar. I talked it over with my husband to explain what I was doing and started covering every once in a while, usually with a pashmina scarf draped around my head. At the beginning of December 2010 I decided to cover full time starting January 1st, 2011. My mother, who is amazingly supportive, got me a few pashmina scarves for Yule and I bought a few tichels online.
I don't only cover because of Brigid, though tending her flame was what kick started it, I had been debating covering my hair for a while before that. I am married and while my husband didn't ask me to cover (and REALLY didn't want me to cover when I first started) I felt it was appropriate given the fact that my spiritual path has a lot of Jewish influence. There is a long history of religious people, not to mention married women, covering their hair for one reason or another.
How does it affect your life/how people interact with you?
I don't think it has really changed much. My husband says that people look at me differently but I have never noticed. My relationship with my father was affected by my hair covering, but that is because I have more than a passing interest in Judaism and he saw my head covering as a rejection of my Heathen roots (I am ancestrally Norwegian on his side) for the traditions of a "genetically inferior" race of people(his words, not mine). His comments caused a rift in my family and my sisters all refuse to deal with him, as do a few of my cousins, based on his comments and behavior in regards to my head scarves. Granted, the head covering was not the only issue between my father and me but it was the beginning of the end. Literally everyone else in my life has been incredibly supportive and amazing, even going so far as to defend me to people who ask why I do it.
Are you always covered? If not, when/where do you cover and why?
I tend to only cover if I am outside my house or the house of one of my coven mates. If I am home but have non-coven guests, or if someone is at my door, I cover my hair as well. I don't usually cover at home because it is my private area where I can be relaxed and comfortable. The same goes for the houses of my coven mates.
As a Pagan, how do you feel your covering reflects on the community at large?
I don't know that it really reflects on the Pagan community at all. If it does, feel free to let me know because I am not aware of it.
What is your take on the view that covering is anti-feminist?
My take on it is that, first and foremost, it isn't anti-feminist because it is my choice. No one is forcing me to cover my hair. Secondly, my body belongs to me. I own my body. My body doesn't belong to anyone else and I don't owe the viewing of my body to a single person. Not even my husband. The sight of my naked skin or hair doesn't belong to anyone but me, and if I chose to hide it and keep it out of view of the world, that is my right. My covering is actually me taking a stand against the bull shit way our society treats women. It is my way of saying that my body belongs to me and that I decide who is worthy of seeing it. My body isn't for the world at large. It is private.
People like to say that covering is a sign of oppression as well. Yes, in parts of the world, it is. However, I live in Brooklyn, New York in the United States of America. In New York City it is legal for a woman to walk around in just a pair of underwear on as long as she isn't making money off of it. That means I can legally walk down the street with my tits hanging out for everyone to see and there is nothing that the government can do about it. It's one of the things I love about my city. I can walk around topless if I want, just like I can walk around fully covered with a veil over my face if I want to. I get to choose what I wear. I get to be who I am. No one is telling me what I have to do. Also, as I mentioned before, there is a long history of people covering their hair for religious reasons and no I am not just talking about women. Men cover their hair as well depending on their faith. Male Sikhs are religiously obligated to keep their hair long and keep a golden comb in their hair. In order to protect the comb (which they are also obligated to do) they tend to cover their hair in a turban style. Abrahamic faiths (Judaism and Islam) also have head covering traditions for men. This is usually seen in the form of a yarmulke or kufi. We all know that Catholic Nuns cover their hair but bishops, cardinals and The Pope are occasionally required to cover during service as well.
Covering is not anti-feminist, however, telling a woman how she can dress is. Take note y'all because I have no problem telling someone off for giving me shit over my head scarf.
Do you ever get grief from cops or airport security because of your covering?
Nope. For the most part people leave me alone. The only thing that is different now is the fact that airport security asks to pat my head to make sure I am not carrying bombs in my tichel.
What is your favorite covering style?
I prefer a tichel style but if I am pressed for time (or being lazy) I wear my manky green army cap. Here are a few videos that show how to tie a tichel.
Both videos are great, but there are a ton of videos out there so go to Youtube and search for "how to tie a tichel", "how to tie a headscarf", and/or "hijab tutorial".
Personally, I tend to do a layered crown style of tying. Here are two pictures of what I mean:
Where do you buy your scarves?
Kmart, Target and Old Navy have great rectangular scarves that are made of light/thin materials in the spring and summer. If you want to go online take a look at Cover Your Hair and Covered With Style. They are great for square scarves (tichels). If you want more of a hijab style I can recommend Hijab Girl. I haven't looked anywhere else for hijabs but I know that you can find pashmina scarves all over the place and they are a typical scarf used for hijabs. I recommend getting a few hijab caps regardless of they style you are looking at. They come in all sorts of materials but the stretchy cotton tube caps are the best in my opinion.
That is pretty much all I can think of... if you have any questions feel free to comment and ask.
If you are interested in covering, I say go for it. Don't let the opinions of others stop you from doing something that might be right for you. If you don't try you will never know...
Also, mark your calenders for September 21st and join those of us who DO cover, regardless of faith/religion, for Covered In Light Day!
A dear friend of mine is a devotee of Lugh. When she smiles you can feel His sunshine pouring out of her. It's a wonderful thing to be around.
A few months ago she and I had an in depth conversation about Lugh, boobs and the many meanings of the word dude. I was born and raised on the West Coast and speak Dude fluently. Apparently, so does Lugh. I know, no one here is shocked. Not long after the Lugh-Dude-Boobs conversations I found this picture.
Now, before anyone out there in Pagan Internetland gets their knickers in a twist, please note that I am NOT calling Lugh a slacker. I just find love this picture as I refer to myself and a Lazy/Slacker Pagan. I also like that I found this picture the same night that I found out that Lugh uses the word dude. My friend I mentioned at the start of this entry and I refer to Him as The Dude from time to time.
So...basically... this entire post (though really its not that long) was just done in an effort to wish you all a Blessed Lughnasadh. May your lives overflow with joy and laughter this First Harvest and may The Dude shine his brilliant and loving light upon you today.
I missed yesterdays post. To make up for it Loki gets two posts today...
I have been reading a few of the blog that are taking part in the Month for Loki and I notice that a lot of people give Him coffee in the morning. I rarely give Him food offerings but something about the idea of giving Him coffee struck a cord with me. I had intended to make Him coffee yesterday but got distracted and forgot.
I promised to make it up to him and made plans to get coffee with a friend coffee today. As I was texting my friend about getting coffee this morning this conversation happened:
Loki: I would like some coffee as well.
Me: I am going to Dunkin Donuts, do you want iced coffee?
Loki: I want a doughnut.
Me: I will get you a small coffee and a doughnut.
I ended up getting Him that small coffee (caramel iced coffee with whole milk and whipped cream) and not one but two apple cinnamon doughnuts. I set up a "quick and dirty" altar for Him at my friends place and lit a candle. The doughnuts attracted wild life (aka her cats) and one of them ended up on the floor...
I think He was pleased with the offering I made though.
It looks like I have a new morning ritual. Coffee, incense and a prayer for Him. I think it will be a good way to start my days.
Regardless of the exact phrasing, that right there is why I am starting this blog. Well, that and because Del (aka The Lokean Pope) put out a call for more pagan blogs a few months back. I decided that today, the first day of the Month for Loki would be a perfect time to start this blog.
You see, as the title says, I want this done right. That means, it is time to stop my bitching and write.
Now, you might be wondering what I am bitching about. Well...alright. Here goes.
I am a Lokean.
I have known Loki for as long as I can remember. As a child He came to me looking like The Nuge. All wild hair and conspiring smiles. He told me jokes and made a very bad time bearable. I'm no longer the hurt little girl who needs a silver tongued warrior to defend her, but He still looks the same...
I spent a lot of time running from Him. I will be 30 in November and it has only been in the past year that I have fully embraced the title of Lokean. It has only been in the last year that I have embraced Him.
I know that he has a different relationship with others. I am not interested in a different relationship with Him than what I have. Deep? Yes. Different? No.
You see, Loki is pretty much the closest thing to a father that I have. I have only met one other person who says that and he is linked in this blog. Most people (usually straight women) see Him as this sexy broody god with a wicked sense of humor and a big fat you know what I am talking about. Not everyone is a Godspouse. Some of us are just devotees. Some of us are just followers who love what a certain deity stands for even when they have never heard that deities 'voice'.
I am Eri. I am a daughter of Loki and a follower of Brigid. I like fire (for obvious reasons) and tell horribly silly bad jokes. This is my blog. I would say 'welcome' but I have hospitality issues and that word makes me twitchy.
