FAQ - Rebloggable Version
Whatâs a Lokean?
A Lokean is someone who honors Loki as their primary deity (or at least one of their primary deities if they have multiple) and chooses to identify as Lokean. Beyond that, there are no special requirements.
Whatâs the purpose of this blog? Why does it exist?
I would give you kids a dramatic backstory, but in full honesty I just thought it would be useful if new Lokeans had resources I (Mod R) didnât have when I was new to the community. Plus, thereâs a little bit of stigma around Lokeans, and itâs good to have a space of our own, yeah?
Weâre here to welcome you guys and help you with your beginner work! Weâre like the Lokean Professor Oak.
How cool is the Lokean Welcoming Committee?
Moderate-to-severely cool.
You worship Loki? Isnât Loki evil?
Nope. Heâs not evil. Heâs also not the God of evil. The Norse didnât really have the same concept of absolute good and evil as we do now. Loki is far more complex than you might have realized. Most modern devotees view him as a vital agent of change.
Important note: Lokeans do not believe that everyone needs to worship Loki. Most Lokeans are polytheists, which means that respect for a wide variety of worldviews and a wide variety of gods is built into our belief system. Not a fan of Loki? Thatâs fine! The vast majority of us just want to do our own thing in peace.
How do I start this Lokean business?
Weeell, first of all, you need to read up on Norse myths so you know all about what youâre getting into. If watching/reading Marvel comics and movies inspired you to look into this and you havenât done your reading yet, just know that Norse mythology is vastly different from its depiction in the Marvel comics. Lucky for you kids, we have a reading list! We recommend that you start with all that stuff. You donât have to be an expert on Norse mythology, you just have to have the basics down. You can learn more as you go!
Once youâre done with the reading, I recommend doing some of this stuff to start off:
Find ways to incorporate Loki into your everyday life
Pray. Tell him why you think heâs awesome and why you want to worship him. Or tell him what brought you to him. Or just tell him whateverâs on your mind. Make sure to take time to listen as well. You may or may not âhear backâ from him, but spending time in contemplation is important and can lead to valuable insights. If prayer and connecting with the divine are new or difficult for you, these links on communication and discernment might help.
Make offerings. Mead and ale were traditional, if youâre of age and can get them, but even water or coffee will do. And there are a bunch of other options. They donât even have to be food. If youâre most comfortable doing a scripted formal ritual, you can find posts on how to hold a blĂłt here, here, and here. You can also check out our offerings tag for ideas.
Set up a shrine or altar. The Norse didnât really have altars in the sense that modern pagans do, but nonetheless, a lot of devotees find it helpful to have a designated space for worship in their home. Hereâs our introductory post on altars. We also have an altar tag with lots of tips and pictures of altars to draw inspiration from.
Talk to other devotees. Connecting with other people who share your beliefs is helpful and fulfilling in a lot of ways! But be careful, since Heathen spaces also tend to have neonazis lurking around. the @valkyriesquadâ has a list of non-folkish bloggers. @anothersusurrusâ maintains a list of Norse god devotees which includes a Loki category.
Keep exploring. Youâll grow as a person over time. Your life will go through a lot of changes. Inevitably, so will your practice. Donât be afraid to try new things, or to abandon something that just isnât working for you anymore. This post offers some suggestions along those lines.
What does âwork withâ mean?
People often say âwork withâ instead of worship/honor/etc.! Donât know why, but I say it because it sounds more casual!
An altar? Offerings? Why? What does that do?
Everyone enjoys gifts, but gifts were reaalllyyy important to the Norse. The gods already provide us gifts by helping to keep the world running, so we, as devotees, give offerings in return to acknowledge the godsâ hard work and affirm our continuing relationship with them. And altars serve as a place to leave those offerings as well as being a visible reminder of the gods. They also give people who donât have access to a public temple or natural area a place to worship.
See this post for a more thorough explanation about why we participate in these practices, or the rest of this FAQ for how to go about it.
How do I leave offerings?
Put them somewhere. Leave them out for as long as you want (make sure you pick it up before it spoils or something). You can leave it out for minutes, hours, or days. Whatever you feel comfortable with. It isnât required to be super formal and ritualistic. However, if youâre more comfortable with being formal and would like to perform a blĂłt rite, then you can find a few different heathens explaining the basics of how they do theirs here, here, and here.
When you feel like itâs the right time to get rid of the item, dispose of it in one of the following ways:
throw it away
burn it (stay safe, yâall)
bury it
eat/drink it
throw it outside (in a place where it wonât kill anything or harm creatures)
whatever else you can think of that you feel comfortable with
What sort of offerings does Loki like?
From what Iâve gathered, he likes:
cinnamon
sweet things/candy
coffee (I think Iâve heard of him liking mocha as well)
just food in general, man
cake
alcohol (âWhen in doubt, Mead it out.â)
plants associated with him
crystals associated with him
Seriously though, pretty much anything is fine
For a list of offering ideas other than food/drink, check out this post. For some offering recipe ideas, check out our recipes tag! You might also be able to glean inspiration from our offerings and craft tags.
What if I canât leave offerings due to (reasons)?
You donât have to give offerings. Itâs your own practice, make it as you like/can. Just donât be rude about it. (i.e. âIâm not leaving offerings because I think the Gods are beneath meâ <- donât say anything like that)
How do I set up an altar?
Take random items that you think the God/spirit the altar is for will enjoy. Arrange them in a decorative way somewhere. Bam, youâre done. You donât have to have specific items. You donât have to arrange things in a specific way. Itâs not that particular. Itâs your practice, you do what you are comfortable with.
Item suggestions for beginners:
candles
bowl/plate for offerings
incense
cloths
plants
crystals/stones
pictures/artwork/poetry
ANYTHING YOU WANT AHHH SURPRISE ITâS YOUR BIRTHDAY
If you want a more detailed post, check this one out. You could also browse our altar tag for examples of real Lokean altars.
Also, quick note: Itâs spelled âaltarâ, not âalter.â If you make this mistake, donât worry! Itâs a common error!
Where do I put my altar?
Anywhere! On a table or window sill! In a drawer! In a basket! In a box! On the floor! On a dresser! Wherever you want/Wherever you can!
Looking to be discreet? We have resources and ideas about discreet altars, pocket altars, and eshrines for ya!
What if I canât have an altar due to (reasons)?
You donât have to have an altar, just like you donât have to give offerings.
How do I talk to Loki?
Thereâs no single correct way to pray to Loki. Some individuals and kindreds might choose to follow a particular format every time. However, thereâs no kind of universal mandate on how it should work anywhere in the surviving texts, and itâs not like we have an unbroken tradition to work from the way some other religions do. Basically, as long as youâre respectful, youâre good!
If youâre still stuck, we have a prayers and poems tag with some examples.
But a lot of people who ask us this question are actually wondering how you might hear Loki communicating with you. In which case, you have a few options.
Talking directly to gods/spirits is generally referred to as âhaving a godphone.â But you donât need a âgodphoneâ to communicate. Some use divination, like tarot or runes. Some people hear back in dreams or through omens. Everyoneâs different!
And really, you donât need to hear anything back at all in order to worship Loki or call yourself a Lokean. Loki can still hear you just fine. Not hearing anything back doesnât mean that youâre a lesser person or that youâre doing it wrong.
Some more posts on communication and discernment that might be of interest:
Talking to Loki
Gods and God-Phones 101
Please Talk About Godphones
Developing the Godphone
Hearing the Gods
What Do They Want? â Hints for the Headblind
Discernment
Questions to Ask Yourself
When Godphones Ring â Discernment for Pagans
Discernment â Is it a sign?
Not Everything is a Sign
Evaluating Mystical Experiences and Messages From Beyond
Seven Spirit Rules
A Note on Discernment: Hearing Your Own Voice
Divine Communication, Ethics, and Manipulation Techniques
Your God is on the phone. He has a message for you.
Spiritual Abuse Red Flags
Polytheism While Dealing With Mental Illness
Our communication tag
All this seems overwhelming! Do I have to start doing all this stuff right away?
Internalizing a new worldview and forming new habits takes time! And the gods understand that. Itâs okay if you start small and adopt new practices at your own pace.
What are some common symbols for Loki?
This post has got you covered. As you might have guessed from our blog theme, snakes and the colors red and gold are pretty popular.
I also work with gods from another pantheon, can I still honor Loki?
Please refer to this ask!
I heard some Lokeans practice magic! Will worshiping Loki grant me special powers?
Itâs true that some Lokeans practice magic in a variety of different traditions. However, real witchcraft works nothing like it does in most popular movies or fictional stories. If casting the right spell or praying to the right god could grant you Hollywood-style superpowers, then society as a whole would be taking advantage of that, and our world would run very differently.
This isnât to say you canât practice magic if thatâs something youâre interested in. Regardless of whether it actually works or not, it is a real thing that people do, and have done throughout human history. Just be aware that youâre not going to be able to recreate the stuff in Harry Potter.
Do Lokeans have to practice magic?
Nope. A lot of Lokeans donât practice magic. Some donât even believe magic works. Your practice is equally valid regardless.
Is (book) a good book to read?
Many books on Norse mythology generally make Loki out to be the god of evil and stuff like that.
If it says âLoki, the God of Evil and Chaosâ when introducing Loki, itâs prooobably not gonna be a fantastic read. However, there are exceptions to the rule, and one of the mods will be glad to point you in the right direction should you ask!
(Hereâs a list of books you should definitely avoid, though.)
I keep hearing something about âgodspousesâ? Whatâs that about?
A godspouse is a person who has ritually married a deity. They can be any gender or orientation, as can the deity in question. Some godspouses function more or less like Christian nuns and treat the commitment as symbolic of their lifelong devotion. Others believe they have a romantic or sexual relationship with the deity in question.
Becoming a godspouse isnât required or expected in order to be a Lokean, nor does it make you better or more devoted than other devotees. Itâs simply one of many ways to define a personal relationship with Loki.
For more information on godspouses, see these resources.
What does (weird term) mean?
Just like any other community, Pagan Tumblr has developed some of its own vocabulary. Plus, Heathenry has a bunch of weird words that come from Old Norse. Here are some common things weâve seen newbies get tripped up on:
BlĂłt - A Heathen ritual sacrifice. Donât worry. Itâs not, like, humans or anything these days. Most people use booze or blood from a butcher shop.
Blood Brothers - Loki and Odin as a pair, referring to the pact mentioned in Lokasenna. Also affectionately known as the âtwo man conâ or, by particularly exasperated devotees, sometimes just âThem.â
Folkish - An adjective used to describe the belief that only people of Nordic descent should be allowed to worship the Norse gods. However, historical and archaeological evidence reveals that this wasnât true back in the Viking Age. Many folkish Heathens are white supremacists, so you should approach anyone who identifies as such with extreme caution.
FulltrĂşi - The Heathen equivalent of a neo-Wiccan âpatron deityâ, although they donât function in quite the same way. Basically, itâs the primary god you worship, if you choose to focus on one god. (Many donât.) The word translates roughly to âfully trusted one.â
GLE - Grumpy Lokean Elder. His blog has some awesome, scholarly resources.
Godphone - The ability to communicate with deities without divination or physical signs. Despite the name, it doesnât usually work like an actual phone. See this post for more info.
Godspouse - A person who has âmarriedâ a deity. Some of them function more or less like Christian nuns. Others believe they have a romantic or sexual relationship with the deity in question.
Lore - The mythology, sagas, and other various historical and pseudo-historical writings about Norse religion.
Nokean - A silly person who is against the worship of Loki. They generally donât know what theyâre talking about and are just looking for reasons to exclude people (especially minorities.) Pay them no heed.
UPG - Unverified Personal Gnosis. Knowledge youâve gained about a deity that isnât (and perhaps canât be) verified by the lore. If more than one person has the same UPG, it becomes SPG, Shared Personal Gnosis. Since UPG isnât verified, itâs important not to treat it as hard facts.
This weird thing happened to me! Is it a sign from Loki?
Only you can determine whether to treat something as a sign or not. You know the context of the situation and your own personal symbolism way better than any stranger on the internet. Odds are, you also have slightly different criteria for what counts as sufficient proof than our mods. And thatâs okay.
Regardless, remember that you donât actually need a sign or a âcallingâ in order to worship Loki. If itâs something you want to try, thatâs justification enough. By the same token, youâre allowed to say no even if a god is calling you. Itâs your existence, and you get to decide who or what youâre devoted to.
What if my question isnât answered here?
Our ask box is always open! Anonymous questions are welcome. Weâre here to help, so donât be shy.
