I mentioned in my last post that I started a facebook group called Loki’s Wyrdlings that is meant for Lokeans and other Heathens/Pagans on the fringes of the mainstream traditions. I’d like to thank Karlesha Silverros for planting the idea in my head.
The group was really started by both me and Karlesha, and the response has been amazing (and terrible in places). I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but we started the group last night, and we already have 17 members. The fact that so many people have joined within 24 hours of the launch of the group is humbling.
And it’s humbling because it speaks to the need that exists. It isn’t that I wasn’t aware of the need before – I was. But where that fact was an abstract awareness before, it is a concrete awareness now. People need this group. We need this group in order to offer support to those who are often turned away from other places.
I posted in the Asatru Community facebook group about the new Loki’s Wyrdlings group and was told that those who worship Loki should “get out.” Apparently, much harsher and ruder things were said, but I was preoccupied with doing schoolwork and attending an awesome broadcast on leadership delivered by Kat Cole which I went to because I am a member of the National Society of Leadership.
In another facebook group where I posted about the group, I was told that I was “in the wrong place,” and that a more appropriate place for the post would be “in a bog.”
There is a lot of hatred towards Loki and a lot of persecution of Lokeans. I saw another poster mention that the term “worship” is often attacked when it is used in place of the word “honor,” and I recognized the truth of it because I have seen those attacks and been the recipient of them myself.
Now, while the post I placed in the Asatru Community was taken down, the admin who initially approved it did write a long apology for the behavior of those who had been offensive in their replies (which then got the post removed). I appreciated her willingness to apologize for behavior she hadn’t extended, although I didn’t think she needed to apologize for the behavior of other group members. I’m a strong believer that each person is only responsible for the actions they take, not for the actions of those around them. Still, it was commendable.
That the apology was necessary to begin with was the sad part. It demonstrated to me just how much Loki is misunderstood and hated. Which I already knew, but seeing that sort of resentment directed towards an entire group instead of just an individual is much scarier than dealing with resentment on a one-on-one basis.
Anyway, I’d like to ask any of the Lokeans who read my blog to promote the group on their own blogs, if you all are willing to do that. It would be greatly appreciated, and I have a feeling it is something our community desperately needs.
A Polytheistic Life 
Oh dear, is it really that bad? That’s… appalling, I am sorry you had to be met by such narrow mindedness.
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Yes, it is really that bad. Because Loki is so misunderstood, there are facebook groups that have rules about even talking about Loki. I had to be really careful to read the rules of each group I posted in to make sure that I didn’t violate their rules about Loki.
There is an entire culture of fear around Loki which makes me really sad. He gets treated like He is essentially the Norse Satan, so for those of us who worship Loki, we often get treated terribly.
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Godsdamnit. Anyone reading the thoughts and ideas of Lokeans should be able to see that it’s not a group that worships “evil”. Heck, not even the satanists I’ve encountered have worshipped “evil”, but rather been focused on the concept of freedom – but I suppose it is just easier for people to imagine a big bad enemy, than realize that reality is more nuanced than they will ever be able to grasp?
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There is many years of stigma surrounding Loki that those of us who are called to him have to deal with. The stigma stems a lot from the Christian twist showing that Loki is “evil” or “wrong”. Many people in the pagan community are bound by the Christian belief of “good” and “evil” without even knowing they are.
However, that doesn’t mean that the nastiness that Kyaza encountered is right.
I fully agree with her – we need a place, and this Facebook group is an excellent start.
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I missed your original post about the Lokean group and you being told to ‘get out’, but I did see the apology and the discussion it created. Most of the back and forth in the comments for the apology seemed to be more geared towards whether the director that rudely stated that ‘Lokeans would never be welcome’ had the authority to make that statement, which it seemed to me most did no agree that he did. He has since stepped down as a member of the board of directors.
I was also happy to see that many posters were saying that they include Loki in their workings, which I do. I always feel so out, not being a Lokean but always including him when I honor the gods. I don’t see him as ‘evil’ but that all his actions have a way of being an equalizer or even making things better, such as creating mjolnir, Sif’s hair and even giving birth to Sleipnir. I know I’m alone but I also see his actions in the murder of Baldr as equalizing things. Baldr’s immortality is against nature, he’s almost immortal and by Loki killing Baldr via Hodr, Baldr isn’t a participant in Ragnarok and thus is able to be resurrected and lead the gods into the Twilight of the Gods.
But then, I also see the Jotuns as the chaotic forces of nature that man has no control over, and as such they should be respected.
So perhaps I’m a little out there with my UPG.
I’m glad that you’ve created a group for Lokeans to meet and I truly hope that one day all Heathens will understand that there needs to be balance, and all branches of the tree of Heathenry is just as vital as any other one.
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You aren’t alone in thinking that Loki’s actions against Baldr equalized things – there are many different theories out there that discuss the importance of Baldr’s death and why it was a necessary occurrence.
Strictly speaking, I identify with multiple labels within the Heathen purview. I consider myself an Odinist, a Lokean, and a Tyrian. Any of the deities I follow, I consider myself to be a devoted adherent of said deities. Because I am a Tyrian, I do my best to balance the paths that I walk.
As for the Jotuns, I don’t have many dealings with them. I don’t have anything against them, but the majority of my spiritual work takes place in other realms.
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