Faces of Loki 6: Chaos and Calm

This entry of the faces of Loki is one that will be a bit more personal than usual. And though there may be some mention of the myths, much of it will be UPG and personal experience. 

For many people, Loki is associated with chaos. This is understandable given his role in Ragnarok and the way he often causes change and solves problems through unconventional means. Both in the lore, and in the lives of many followers, he is known to bring lessons and needed results through very trying, or even painful, experiences. I have known many Lokeans (myself included) who have had terrible things happen that lead to a needed result. And in the majority of those cases, they were later able to see how that chaotic experience led to something they had known, or suspected, they needed to change or address in their lives and just hadn’t done it yet. Often times, this was after asking Loki for signs or help and them admitting later that they had ignored the signs until the result got forced on them. I have seen people ask for help in making decisions but still put off the decision once they had more insight until something drastic happened and removed all the “wrong” choices from the equation. I knew of a person who had asked Loki’s guidance in choosing a potential new job or staying with their current job. They weighed pros and cons and still decided to just stay at the job they were at until they got a clearer sign. Suddenly they found themselves fired from their current job for some unusual happening that they weren’t even involved in. Then they had no choice but to go to the other one but at that point had to take a slightly lower position than they would have gotten had they went on in the first place and work into the position they had wanted. I, personally, had prayed and made offerings begging Loki to help me get away from some toxic people I was living with and get a place of my own. The toxicity got more frequent and I would leave and stay with friends a night or two tops, and then I’d give in and go right back. I kept thinking I had nowhere to live and just had to tough it out until I did have something. I wouldn’t risk leaving without certainty of where I’d go. Then one day, the toxic behavior became physical and I had to flee. At that same time, my best-friend who I usually turned to for advice was not talking. So I had no choice but to just go and trust it would be ok. I got a tugging feeling to file a report when before I never even considered that. And I went with it, but that also meant an immediate no contact order and I could not go back to the house because they were the owners instead of me. I ended up in a motel room with my children for two months. And as crazy and chaotic as that all was, somehow it still worked out better. I was able to keep the motel paid for and food coming in due to generosity of others I never expected. Then I randomly got a phone call that someone had a small apartment I could rent cheap and happened to be affordable for me. And these were all people I had already known and simply didn’t ask because I assumed they couldn’t or wouldn’t help. So, in hindsight, I can see that it was chaotic but worked out for the best. And yet I can also see that had I used that calm and trust to begin with, it may not have had to come to that severe of a case to get me where I needed to be in the first place.  It was this event that made me stop and think about how even though Loki is known to be a god of chaos, he is also very often the calm inside the chaos that can guide us through. And in a way, this was somewhat the case even in the lore. Yes, there were times things got chaotic because of Loki. But, there were also times things went wrong that weren’t Loki’s fault and he was just the one that got blamed and/or sent to fix it. In either case, even when he was fearful, he remained clear-headed and cunning enough to find a solution. And although it was often unusual or even bizarre solutions, we have to consider the fact that it takes a certain level of calm to think on our feet and outside the box. When Loki cut Sif’s hair, Thor threatened to crush every bone in his body. But Loki very quickly thought of a way out and said he would get the dwarves to make new hair for Sif. Then there was the time Thor dressed as a bride to get his hammer back. Though it wasn’t Loki’s idea, when Thor said he couldn’t do it, Loki did explain that was actually the best option they had and volunteered to go along with him. Then at the wedding feast, when the giant questioned Thor’s appetite and appearance, it was Loki that quickly and calmly came up with a response to lower his suspicions. And there are quite a few other examples of Loki finding a way to get things done when no one else could or would. So though he can cause the chaos, he can also be a guide to the solution. If we are still and quiet within the chaos, and consider the options and possibilities without letting the chaos in to cloud our thinking, we can often find the answers faster and save ourselves a lot of stress. Unfortunately, many of us often get clouded first and then have to make ourselves calm in order to do that. Either way, Loki is one that can be called on or meditated on to help somewhat center and think clearly to get through the troubles and chaos that are outside of our control. Because Loki is the chaotic storm, but he is also the calm inside the storm that finds a way out, or at least rides it out safely. Hail Loki. 

That’s all I have for now. See you soon.