\u201cWhen the going gets weird, the weird turn\u00a0pro.\u201d \u2013 Hunter S. Thompson<\/p>\n
Chaos. \u00a0Illusion. \u00a0Madness. \u00a0Trickery. \u00a0Luck. \u00a0These are things that we associate with the Tricksters. \u00a0Tricksters invert reality, point out our flaws, render kings low and make beggers into queens. \u00a0They comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, regardless of previous alliances and associations they have made. \u00a0They mislead and confuse to draw out a greater revelation.<\/p>\n
Who would understand propoganda better than Loki or Odin? \u00a0Who can find ways to game \u2013 or break \u2013 the system the way that Hermes or Thoth? \u00a0These are Gods that ride the waves of chaos and undertainty, that fly on the winds of change. \u00a0Make good with them and they can help you dance when the ground is shaking and help you find the treasures revealed in the aftermath. \u00a0They know opportunity and disaster and if they like you will help to guide you towards the one and away from the other.<\/p>\n
![\"abstract-1628422_640\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/727\/2016\/11\/abstract-1628422_640-300x211.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
(Courtesy of Pixabay<\/a>)<\/p>\n War Gods:<\/strong><\/p>\n The United States has been at war longer than any of the children of my friends have been alive. \u00a0As international conflicts become more tense\u00a0and as violence and hostility rises within our own countries, we need the asssitance of those who know how to swim those waters. \u00a0No sane person wants war or battle, but few people manage to avoid it entirely in their lives. \u00a0There are also times to mobilize and prepare communities for conflict, and Gods who oversee battle can help with that.<\/p>\n Many of the Norse Gods know war. \u00a0The All Father, Thor, Tyr, Freyja, Hlin, and others have roles and tales tied to combat and conflict, often with an eye to protecting their own. \u00a0The Roman Mars was not just a war God but a defender of the fields and the city and what value civilization has to offer. \u00a0The Morrigan called to me recently, despite being a Heathen, and it was only I accepted Her invitation to work with Her that I understood why Her help would be so valuable; she loves battle and war but also prophesies peace and gives victory to those who She favors.<\/p>\n Death Gods:<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard Hel, the Goddess who keeps the realm of the dead, referred to as the \u201cQueen of the Unbroken Promise\u201d. \u00a0Gods who oversee the transition out of life are unpopular in a culture where we try to avoid or confront death, but they bring peace and understanding to those that seek them when they are confronted by it. \u00a0Psychopomps help to guide the souls of those who are lost or staying to long due to untimely ends. \u00a0Gods of the deadlands care for our Ancestors after they pass and provide us with comfort regarding them and assurance of continuity of existence.<\/p>\n Every tradition has death gods. \u00a0Even beyond those individual Gods, many paths have different takes on what may happen beyond death, putting some deaths into the hands of Gods you would not expect. \u00a0A fairly common modern Polytheist belief involves being taken to the halls of the Gods you were well devoted to. \u00a0Gods of tribes and ancestors qualify here as well; if they watch over your ancestors then they are likely to have an interest in you.<\/p>\n Witch Gods:<\/strong><\/p>\n Most pantheons have deities that specialize in the kind of magic that makes people uncomfortable \u2013 illusions and mental manipulation, curses, calling on unpleasant spirits and other taboo or unsavory things. \u00a0Witchcraft, the magic of the oppressed, the marginalized, the lost, the unwholesome, Those From Outside The Firelight. \u00a0Even in cases when magic is a tool all of the Gods work with, there are those who are more adept with it, and who use it to fight against evil \u00a0Why do people pick those tools up? \u00a0Because those are the tools that they have available, when others have been taken out of their hands. \u00a0Because they\u2019re practical and get things done that need being done. \u00a0Because when your back is in a corner, you use whatever you have available.<\/p>\n Sometimes the Gods that wield this sort of \u00a0magic are still powerful or sovereign figures in their pantheons and mythology, as with Odin, the Morrigan, and Isis. \u00a0Sometimes they are the outcast or the foreigner, as with Gullveig and Hecate (one of the Titans). \u00a0Regardless of their position in their respective societies and heirarchies when they use these tools it tends to be against the established order, as with Isis cursing Ra or Gullveig sneaking among the Aesir and teaching them witchcraft. \u00a0When the current order is toxic and you cannot stand for it these Gods are often there to support you and teach you the things you need to know to break your shackles, defend yourselves, or fetter your foes.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen many folks being called to Gods who fit one or in some cases all of these categories lately. \u00a0It would take willful ignorance for anyone to say that this is not their time. \u00a0They may have sway over things that we fear, but again, we fear those things because we do not control them.<\/p>\n If the crows or ravens start calling to you, or a laughing wolf haunts your dreams, or you meet a black dog at the crossroads, consider your options. \u00a0When times are dark, dark gods come calling, and sometimes their support is what we need. \u00a0We fear the things that are out of our hands precisely because they are out of our hands; ask for help from the Gods that hold sway over these things. \u00a0I can\u2019t promise that everything will be all right, but\u00a0finding the help that you need when you need it can only make things better.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a baby Pagan I was warned about darker Gods. \u00a0Hecate, the Morrigan, Loki, and others were Gods that I was cautioned never to reach out to or connect to; they were dangerous and in the minds of those who were teaching me religion and spirituality were supposed to be safe. \u00a0That attitude is understandable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2370,"featured_media":13014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,18,1],"tags":[72,70,15,71,9,68,67,69,66],"class_list":["post-13011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-ladys-quill","category-theology-ethics","category-uncategorized","tag-chaos","tag-death","tag-gods","tag-magic","tag-pagan","tag-trickster","tag-tricksters","tag-war","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"abstract-1628423_640\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/727\/2016\/11\/abstract-1628423_640-214x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n(Courtesy of Pixabay<\/a>)<\/h6>\n
![\"tombstone-660890_640\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/727\/2016\/11\/tombstone-660890_640-300x198.jpg\")
<\/p>\n(Courtesy of Pixabay<\/a>)<\/h6>\n
![\"magician-1442642_640\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/727\/2016\/11\/magician-1442642_640-300x199.jpg\")
<\/p>\n(Courtesy of Pixabay<\/a>)<\/h6>\n