P. Sufenus V. Lupus, founder of Ekkelsia Antinoou has written a brilliant, absolutely brilliant article on a disturbing trend that I and other polytheists have been seeing in the Pagan demographic of late. I myself recently ran into this Pagan as 'nature worshipper' instead of 'Gods worshipper' (as our ancestors would have understood their practices), much to my irritation and having worked extensively in the interfaith community I can attest to the difficulties any polytheist (who is unwilling to embrace sloppy pantheism) will find there. Read this, it's a brilliant article on polytheology: http://www.patheos.com//Pagan/Bringing-Back-Gods-Sufenas-Virius-Lupus-01-11-2013.html
 Today’s post is a guest contribution from author, ancestor worker, and Loki’s woman Laura Patsouris. Here, she notes something that many devotees of this beloved, scar-lipped God have noticed: His tremendous compassion for those our society would throw away, for those bullied, for those broken and damaged, particularly if they have been so by those people who should care for and love them. Those of us who belong to Him, or who simply love and honor Him have long noticed that He will often reach out and extend an arm of protection around those who don’t belong to Him at all, but who simply have no one else to care for them and moreover He often expects us to do so too. He does not allow His people to treat the walking wounded among us as disposable. That is, perhaps, part of His least acknowledged ‘medicine.’ His capacity for caring is beyond measure.
Laura writes:
“I have noticed that Loki loves and accepts and shelters those whom society discards and dismisses and protects those who have been abused. Loki’s lesson is that there is no such thing as a throw-away child, or disposable people. He sees the value in us even when we fail to see it in ourselves. With this in mind, I wrote this prayer:
Loki lover of misfits, walker in liminal spaces,
I turn to You.
Be my strength when I am weak and love me in my brokenness.
Help me to see myself as You do
and to rise above the limitations society would put on human expression
and diversity.
Help me to know the sacredness of the outcast and the truth-teller.
Help me to turn what society sees as weakness into my greatest strengths
and help me to never forget what it was like to be shunned.
Help me to provide safe harbor for all the other misfits, outcasts and tired travelers who walk Your winding road.
Hail Loki!”
Hail, Loki, indeed!
(About the image: the image is a Faroese stamp depicting Sigyn holding the bowl to protect Loki from poison as He lies fettered in the cave).
Adorations to Earth
by Sarenth Odinsson
I adore You, Elder Ancestor
I adore You, Mother
I adore You, Midgard
I adore You, Craggy One
I adore You, First Carbon-chain
I adore You, Last Pebble
I adore You, Bat-filled Cave
I adore You, Loamy Soil
I adore You, Grassy Knoll
I adore You, Elder Yew
I adore You, Gentle Sapling
I adore You, Sand-Swept Desert
I adore You, Ice-bound North
I adore You, Fertile Ground
I adore You, Shaking Plates
I adore You, Rolling Wheat
I adore You, Blessed Rainforest
I adore You, Sweeping Plains
I adore You, Frosted Tundra
I adore You, Teeming Jungle
I adore You, Mighty Mountains
I adore You, Silent Wood
I adore You, Cacophonous Forest
I adore You, Little Nut
I adore You, Great Tree
I adore You, Tiny Bush
I adore You, Expansive Grass
I adore You, Crawling Weed
I adore You, Whose Name is Jord
I adore You, Whose Name is Nerthus
I adore You, Whose Name is Terra
I adore You, Whose Name is Gaia
I adore You, Killing Quake
I adore You, Fertile Ground
I adore You, Sheltering Stone
I adore You, Sliding Mud
I adore You, Wrathful Volcano
I adore You, Giving Tree
I adore You, Gentle One
I adore You, Patient One
I adore You, Whose Arteries are Rivers
I adore You, Whose Kidneys are Swamps
I adore You, Whose Lungs are all the Green Life
I adore You, Whose Heart is Molten Flow
I adore You, Whose Body Sustains Us All
I adore You, Whose Eyes gaze upon the Cosmos
I adore You, Whose Hands Touch All Upon Her Skin
I adore You, Whose Skin is the Ground under our feet
I adore You, Whose Whisper echoes through Midgard
I adore You, Who Holds All We Need
I adore You, Whose Blessings are Endless
I adore You, Whose Children Heal and Kill
I adore You, Who Gave Ask and Embla form
I adore You, Whose Forms Holds Water
I adore You, Whose Forms Hold Fire
I adore You, Whose Form is Encompassed by Air
I adore You, Who is Our Mother
I adore You, Long-Changer
I adore You, Patient Grower
I adore You, Adapter
I adore You, Food-bountiful
I adore You, Root-heavy
I adore You, Sand-shifter
I adore You, Deep One
I adore You, Carved Cavern
I adore You, Mine-dotted
I adore You, Whose Offerings are Blessed
I adore You, Who Carries Us
I adore You, Seed-sower
I adore You, Whose Tone Instructs Midgard
I adore You, Whose Dance flows in Its own Time
I adore You, Who Dances in swamp, volcano, desert, and tundra
I adore You, Whose Body runs red in battle and birth
I adore You, Grower of grass and mud
I adore You, Who eats the body
I adore You, Wood-grower
I adore You, Grover-tender
I adore You, Peaceful Rest
I adore You, Whose Form is a riot of living and color
I adore You, Who gave my Ancestors home
I adore You, Who gave my Ancestors food
I adore You, Who gave my Ancestors clothes
I adore You, Who taught my Ancestors art
I adore You, Who taught my Ancestors medicine
I adore You, Who gifted my Ancestors with treasures of the mine
I adore You, Who gifted my Ancestors with the first of tools and weapons
I adore You, Who gifted my Ancestors the means of sword and scythe
I adore You, Who gifted my Ancestors ways to come closer to the Gods
I adore You, Who taught my Ancestors rebirth
I adore You, Who gifts me with all I need to live
I adore You, Who Brings New Growth
I adore You, Who edges the Gap
I adore You, Who mingled with Ice, blessing us with tundra and Winter
I adore You, Who mingled with Ice, held Auðhumbla, and Ymir
I adore You, Who, mingled with Water, blessed us with the holy oceans and rainforests
I adore You, Who, mingled with Water, gives Life to all things
I adore You, Who mingled with Fire, gives rise to new soil with volcanoes
I adore You, Who mingled with Fire, allows us to cook our food
I adore You, Who, mingled with Air, carries the seeds to new life
I adore You, Who, mingled with Air, brings the swollen clouds to farm, field, and garden
I adore You, Whose Presence lies beneath our feet and within our hearts
I adore You, Whose Presence seals corruption
I adore You, Who blesses the farmer
I adore You, Whose Body is the bard's instrument and voice
I adore You, Who gives the storyteller immortality
I adore You, Who girds the warrior
I adore You, Whose Form is part of our own
I adore You, Whose Form dances with us
I adore You, Whose Voice sings with us
I adore You, Whose Form gives us pleasure and pain
I adore You, Whose Form is holiness
I adore You, Whose Patience is Great
I adore You, Whose Temper is Fierce
I adore You, Whose Womb birthed us all
I adore You, Whose Body gives us rest
I adore You, Who digests the corpse
I adore You, Who is our home
I adore You, Whose wrath brings new land
I adore You, Who scours the unclean
I adore You, Who holds back the cold
I adore You, Who gives Form to the Worlds
I adore You, Whose Flesh is the soil and ground of Midgard
I adore You, Whose Presence grounds Creation
I adore You, Whose Threads are Woven in Wyrd,
From the Deepest Cavern to the Highest Peak,
I adore You, Earth
My friend Setep wrote this series of Adorations as an offering to Sekhmet. He has been Her devotee and Her priest since before I was born. Needless to say, he adores Her, and serves Her both in His working life (he’s a physician) and in His daily devotions. This piece wasn’t finished in time to make it into my devotional to Sekhmet, but it will be going into the second edition. In the meantime, I have my friend’s permission to share it here. --GK
77 Adorations for Sekhmet
By Setep
Adoration unto You, Beloved Sekhmet.
Adoration be upon the gleaming eye of Ra.
Adoration onto You, Source of all Power.
Beautiful is the Terror You evoke.
I adore You, Mistress of Hekau.
I adore You, Roamer of the Desert.
I adore you Lady of Fetters,
Who binds the evildoer.
I adore You, Who guards the path to Amenti.
I adore You, Mother of the Dead.
I adore You, Bringer of Judgment
I adore You, Lady of the Tomb.
I adore You, Lady of the House of Life.
I adore You, Surgeon of Surgeons.
I adore You, Mistress of Plagues.
I adore You, Destroyer of Rebellions.
I adore You, Ever-Victorious One.
I adore You, Fierce Warrior.
I adore You, Goddess of Battle.
I adore You, Who destroys by Fire.
I adore You, Who Protects Her Children.
I adore You, Lady of Intoxication.
I adore You, Who Devours.
I adore You, all encompassing fire.
I adore You, all encompassing force.
I adore You, Who rouses the body.
I adore You, Conqueror of the heart.
I adore You, Unrivaled in Power.
I adore You, Most Ancient of the Gods.
I adore You, Who brings ecstasy.
I adore You, Who opens the way.
I adore You, Beloved of Ptah.
I adore You, ancient Guardian.
I adore You, Destroyer of obstacles.
I adore You, Protector of Her people.
I adore You, Against Whom No Opponent may stand.
I adore You, Who does not allow Her children to fall.
I adore You, Who cannot be defeated.
I adore You, Who cannot be tamed.
I adore You, Who causes the evil doer to tremble.
I adore You, Who causes the devout to rejoice.
I adore You, Who drives men to their knees.
I adore You, Bestower of the blazing kiss.
I adore You, Lady of Flame.
I adore You, Light of the Desert.
I adore You, Implacable One.
I adore You, Whose right hand is Ma’at.
I adore You, Upholder of Order.
I adore You, Who purifies the World.
I adore You, Bestower of the Waters of Life.
I adore You, Mistress of death.
I adore You, Vanquisher
I adore You, Lady of Passion.
I adore You, Who delights in courage.
I adore You, for Whom strength is an adornment.
I adore You, Beautiful of Countenance.
I adore You, Whose heart is fire.
I adore You, Who challenges Her people.
I adore You, Who tempers Her chosen.
I adore You, Giver of blessings.
I adore You, Who makes the heart ache.
I adore You, Who inspires longing.
I adore You, Who grants no quarter.
I adore You, Who requires commitment.
I adore You, Who requires excellence.
I adore You, Lady of Discipline.
I adore You, Cunning Strategist.
I adore You, Lady of the bloodbath.
I adore You, Who orders the cosmos.
I adore You, Mighty Lioness.
I adore You, Who guards the darkness.
I adore You, Who guards the light.
I adore You, Mother of Power.
I adore You, Sweetest Source.
I adore You, Great One of Healing.
I adore You, Great One of Magic.
Adoration be unto You, Who gives life to the land.
Adoration unto You, Who inspires my heart.
Adoration unto You, Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment,
Unknowable Desire. Beloved Sekhmet.
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