The Invisible Beings of No-Man's Land

Eunuch priest of Cybele

   On this Day of Remembrance, Laeviss sees fit to draw attention to those who move unseen throughout the worlds, those Invisible Beings of No-Man's Land, the ones who slip through the cracks of history like Sleipnir through the Nine Realms and wind up tossed by the winds of time, forgotten, gone, returned back to the Pieces of Dirt they were created from, and with barely a footnote to mark their passage.
   Now largely ignored by historians, writers and scholars, who move most comfortably within the current world of duality, where everything is orderly and everyone fits into neat little profiles of either this or that, the third gendered eunuch priests of the Goddess once flourished. Created by the gods in order to work specific magic in the material plane, the various cultures in which these beings functioned all agreed on one thing: they were made of the Earth. They sprang from the ground, whereupon sacred blood flowed. They were pinched from pieces of clay. They were formed from the dirt found underneath a deity's fingernails.
   Laeviss once wrote: "The eunuch priests (galli or gallae, depending on which gender one assigned them) of the goddess Cybele impressed observers with their fine raiment and elaborate hairstyles and jewelry. They were nicknamed “the long-haired ones” and reserved their hair for Cybele’s honour, occasionally sacrificing a lock on Her altar. They believed that Cybele would only accept offerings of blond hair, so they dyed their hair if it wasn’t already that colour. They served as diviners, healers, counselors and ritual leaders, offering prayers, songs, poetry and dance to the Goddess and Her lover, Attis. They were artists, musicians and dramatists, and were considered to exist between the world of the Sacred and the Mundane realm that most people inhabit. They exhibited qualities of both male and female genders. Being eunuchs, they were neither male nor female, but could encompass all possibilities. A touch or a blessing from them was considered extremely fortunate for the recipient."
   Fortunate. A blessing, created by the gods, for the Earth.
   And now, largely forgotten. Even in books. Even in books on topics that closely, very closely, concern them. If they are mentioned by the author at all, it is as an aside. "Oh, yes. They existed, these No-Men. But they're boring, or have no relevance. Nobody would be interested in eunuchs. There are no eunuchs anymore, anyway. Nobody can relate to them, so I shan't write about them."
   Laeviss hereby says, "Well, I shall. Eunuchs can be very, very interesting, especially since they were created by the gods specifically to bring "fortunate" aspects into material existence for their clients. I've said this before, but it bears repeating.
   Way back, in the beginnings of civilization, the cultures into which the eunuchs brought their fortune were pretty much oral cultures. Most common people didn't need to be taught to read or write. They were told the stories. Which meant that the cultures were largely aural cultures. They heard, and understood.
   In the Epic of Gilgamesh, this oral/aural connection was noticed by Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, who wrote, "A Note on an Overlooked Wordplay in the Akkadian Gilgamesh." Scholars had argued for ages over whether Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the main characters in the story, were lovers or just unusually close, but platonic, companions. What Kilmer noticed was that some of the written words used in the epic would have sounded when spoken almost exactly like certain other words, words that had curiously applicable meanings to the discussion when considered.
   The words in question seemed to without a doubt indicate that Gilgamesh and Enkidu were lovers. They also, however, seem to indicate that Enkidu was, in fact, not a man, but a eunuch priest of the Goddess.
   The words stem from Gilgamesh's prophetic dreams, which he takes to his mother (who is a priestess in the Temple of Inanna) for interpretation. He tells her that he has dreamt of an object (usually translated as a "meteorite" or "falling star," but could be a ball, circle or cluster. Whatever it is, it's round or circular, like a crown or a globe.) This is named in the epic as a "kisru." What is terribly interesting is that this *sounds* just like the word "kezru," which is literally interpreted as  "man with a woman's hairstyle" but actually meant "male prostitute."
   Gilgamesh has dreamt that he will embrace this symbol "as a wife." His mother, the priestess, confirms this and tells him further that this object represents a being who he is fated to meet, and who will be loyal to him forever and repeatedly save him.
   But wait, there's more! Gilgamesh has had more symbolic stuff in his dreams. He also saw a "hassinnu" (interpreted as a sacred axe) that he similarly embraced as a wife, and loved. Will it surprise anyone to hear that the almost identically-sounding word "assinnu" actually means "sacred eunuch prostitute in the service of the Goddess" (in this case, Inanna.) That's even more explicit in information than kisru/kezru is. Again, Gilgamesh's mother confirms that the axe is a man who is going to play a huge role in Gilgamesh's life, and who will always be loyal to him.
   And the fun never ends. Stephanie Dalley pointed out yet another amazing bit of wordplay in the epic. This one occurs when Enkidu is being created. When told to create Enkidu, the goddess Aruru the potter receives the instruction "zikru" which means "word, speech." Aruru was told, via the creative magic of speech, to create what was "spoken." But "zikru" also means "double" or "equal" and also means "man."  Aruru was told to create Gilgamesh's "equal/double/man." Someone just like him, in most respects. Except there can be only one king.
   And then, Dalley found there existed a similar-sounding word to "zikru." This word was "sekru." This word meant, "eunuch/transvestite associated with the cult of the Goddess."
  By now, anyone still thinking that Enkidu was meant as a manly male buddy for Gilgamesh had surely better be saying to himself, "Damn! We might have had it wrong all along."
   Enkidu's purpose was to serve the goddess by serving Gilgamesh, and the way he did this was to ensure Gilgamesh's fame. He brought fortunate luck to Gilgamesh, as do eunuch priests of the goddess to their clients. He also died for Gilgamesh, in his stead. Fortunate indeed for the crown to have such a servant guarding his household.

  

Laeviss on Love Magick

Laeviss has been around the bend, so to speak, over love before, and has been working magick for over 30 years. So he will safely say that if it involves intensity of attraction, affection and desire, Laeviss has been there and felt those emotions. Unfortunately, those sort of emotions are often accompanied by longing, despair and loneliness when that sincerely held affection is not returned by the object of desire, or a once-beloved spouse has rejected the marriage.
Laeviss has often been asked, over the course of his life, to provide magickal means to accomplish the sort of ends that aren't being materially manifested by a particular individual. Usually, the petitioner will say something like, "How can I make So-and-so return my affections?"
Laeviss will give all of you reading this the Super Special Magickal Secret...are you ready for it? It's called "You can't."
Hear that, O Beings Desirous of Learning Magickal Lore! Despite the best efforts of popular fantasy media (cue Facebook mug shot of Boromir at the Council of Elrond) one simply cannot "make" anyone do, think, feel or desire anything that they aren't already inclined to do.
Got that?
Stop any thought of trying to control other people. You can't. You can't control how they think, how they feel, and, most especially, you cannot control who they desire.
Now, after you have all assimilated that concept into your core being, you are likely to sniffle and whine, "But that means that love magick doesn't work, and there's nothing I can do to ease my suffering."
Laeviss says to this, "Haven't you been reading my blog? Laeviss is all about magick. Of course there is something you can do." And he will now tell you what that something is.
Instead of trying to manipulate or control a person who is uninterested in the sort of relationship you desire (which is unethical, immoral and a waste of time, besides) why not concentrate on drawing towards yourself a person or persons who *are* interested in what you are offering?
To this end, make a list of all of the qualities you find necessary in the sort of relationship you desire, and concentrate on this list. (My suggestion is to also make a five-year and a ten-year plan for your life, including what your life goals are, where you want to be living, what you want to be doing as a career, the sort of relationship/family you want to have, etc.) These life plans will give you a good blueprint of how you want your life to proceed, and what sort of life partner/s you want to have share these goals.
Remember, a good relationship isn't all about great sex, and an attractive mate. A person could be so hot that they sizzle in your presence, and the feelings might be mutual, but if their life goals don't match your own, any relationship with them is going to go down like the Titanic when it hits the iceberg of real life issues.
Now that you have your idea of the perfect partner/s, and your life goals in hand, you are ready to make your love talisman.
Find a token that represents your quest for love. Make it small enough that you can carry it with you at all times. Rings, keychains and pendants work great for this. (Make sure that there is *no residual energy* left on the token from its past use or creation. If you find any there, make sure you do a spiritual cleansing on the object first, before using it as your talisman.)
Now, get your list of all of the qualities you desire in a partner. Project those qualities into the talisman, telling it that this is exactly what you're looking for in a mate. Remember, do not specify individuals by name! You can't control anybody except yourself! You are just making a device that will project out to the universe exactly what you are looking for, and drawing towards yourself those people who fit those parameters and are actually interested in potential relationships.
Be sure to tell the talisman that the person you're looking for in a mate should have similar values to yourself and similar life goals for the future.
Voila, you now have a magickal talisman that will broadcast your receptivity to new relationships. It will draw to you interested parties, and you can meet them and mutually decide if you are right for each other.
It will work faster for parties in close proximity than if potential partners live far away (though I've seen cases where people have moved into close proximity after the talisman was created) and the magickian should always act in accordance with the goal in order to assure maximum success. This means you need to get out there and meet people, possibly try online dating, or join campus groups if you're a college student.
Now wear or carry your talisman with you, and be open to new possibilities.



 

For Best Results (Skratta User's Manual)

From time to time, Laeviss gets asked, about his theoretical magic, "You talk a lot about the benefits the Client receives from your good will. So we know what's in it for the Client. But what's in it for the skratta?"

Laeviss replies that the skratta's motivation is quite transparent, he has a strong interest in furthering the welfare of his Client, and anything that does so is sure to bring untold fulfillment to the skratta. Laeviss will explain that a skratta is like a working stock dog. If one has never seen a Border Collie being directed by his handler, now would be the time to look at some Youtube videos. Even the least gifted among them are intense, focused, and highly motivated to perform the tasks that the handler has assigned to them. And the best of them are supremely driven to succeed.
Probably all the stock dog needs in reward for this labor is a pat on the head, and the words, "Good dog," from the beloved Master. The dog does not want to be the Master, he merely wants to carry out the duties for which he was born, and is so clearly desirous of performing.
The very intelligent Client will know how to best use the skratta to both his own advantage, and for the benefit of all the Earth. Normally, the Client is driven by his own motivations to succeed at his own worldly tasks, and naturally gravitates towards the wizard as a helpful companion with a similar level of desire. But sometimes, for various reasons, this may not be the case. Although the Master may be the intensely-focused dog's ultimate motivation, he may himself be motivated by a different favorite. He may prefer to pat another dog, who may not even have worked at all to gain the Master's favor. But for the useful working dog, that reward of the pat on the head for the more highly motivated canine is like the carrot on a stick to get a donkey moving. The donkey doesn't ever need to get the carrot in order to remain motivated, he just has to know it's a possibility, and the wise Client encourages this pathway of thought.
Why should the Client encourage it, if the Client has no intention of ever actually handing over the carrot? Well, an unmotivated skratta, who believes his whole life purpose has been removed from him, is a miserable, depressed soul indeed, and no good and powerful magic ever came out of a deeply dejected soul.
In any case, the skratta need not be micro-managed, and operates quite successfully without needless worry, and indeed without much supervision at all as long as the Client occasionally expresses some level of appreciation for a job well done.

Laeviss Muses on the Mythical, Mystical Unicorn

   Laeviss, it must be said, advocates *for* polyamory, in general theory, if not always in practice. It is Laeviss' belief that the sexual subjugation of people in general, and women, especially, is the result of an unfortunate adherence to a patriarchal, dualistic worldview. Many, if not most, polyamorists say they believe in equality of the genders. However, Laeviss knows that there is a Fantasy Realm, in which most people spend a great deal of their time (and may actually believe that this is where they truly are), and there is Reality World, where the objective truth dwells eternal, and where most people would rather not believe themselves to be.
   Awhile back, Laeviss joined several polyamory online groups in order to discuss issues related to polyamory with other like-minded individuals. Although the discussions were always interesting, and presented several viewpoints, the subject of "unicorns" kept coming up. Mostly these were posts by one or both members of an established couple, who were looking for "their" unicorn, or bemoaning the fact that unicorns are so hard to find.
   Now, let's define "unicorn" in this context. From Laeviss' perspective, the polyamorous "unicorn" appears to be "a bisexual female, unattached sexually to a primary of her own, who is willing to entirely devote herself emotionally and sexually to both members of an established, usually legally married, couple without receiving any of the rights or social benefits of a legal marriage partner." (This "unicorn" has a close polyamorous cousin in the "second wife" sort of polyamory, where a straight female attaches herself to the household of a legally married couple, as a sort of "junior wife" to the husband, but with neither legal nor social status.)
   Now, before you say, "Whoa, there, Laeviss, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Laeviss will justify the definition of this mythical "unicorn" by quoting some of the very posts these unicorn hunters place online. One of the more common phrases used by unicorn hunters is, "We're looking for that special female to complete us!" Now, no matter how you slice it, it comes up as an "Us" looking for a "Them." Notice the use of words here. There is an "in group" (the established couple, the "us") and an "out group" (which is everybody else, including that "special female" who is out there, somewhere, amongst the unwashed masses.) It's as if they are searching for a pet dog. The "Us" can always give it back to the shelter if it doesn't work out.
   How about this gem of a meme, from a polyamory post: "Don't know what to get your wife for her birthday? Get her a girlfriend!" Again, a family group is defined (a wife must have a husband) and the "girlfriend" that is being looked for is being described as an object that can be given as a gift (the "birthday present." Brings Gollum to mind, if one is a Lord of the Rings fan.)
   When Laeviss honestly asked about the realities of this sort of arrangement, and whether or not the unicorn (or the second wife, for that matter) has any issues about being relegated to a primary partnership in which they have neither legal nor social standing, most of the respondents were miffed that the question was even asked. "Of course not!" they exclaimed. "We treat our unicorn/second wife equally as well as we treat our legal wife!"
   Yet Laeviss noted that the unicorns and second wives (assuming that there are any in the polyamorous online groups) were conspicuously silent on the matter.
   Laeviss suspects that there are some uncomfortable similarities between the dualistic worldview presumed to be "normal" by most westerners and the sort of hierarchical polyamory discussed above. Laeviss would add that there appears to be a large sub-grouping of polyamorists who have what they term a "one penis policy" or OPP, for short.  This means that the "one penis" (probably similar to the One Ring to Rule Them All in the Lord of the Rings) has the right to dictate that the vaginas involved in the relationship must belong only to the owner of the one penis! (Laeviss does not consider this sort of relationship rule to fall under the category of true polyamory. In Laeviss' belief, this is a man fulfilling his domination/sexual control fantasies and his lesbian sex fantasies at the same time, with the kind cooperation of his wife and girlfriend.)
   Laeviss would prefer, in his Fantasy Realm, to find a happy place, where all could be equally happy, equally sexually fulfilled, and equally emotionally cherished, but Reality World bites like Garmr at the gates of Hel.
   He offers alternatives, such as forming primary partnerships with one spouse only, and, if one desires, having meaningful secondary or tertiary relationships on the side. Or, if one likes the concept of a big, happy polyamorous primary family, then Laeviss suggests legally marrying none of them, yet forming an equal family grouping of them all through legal paperwork.
.
   (Laeviss subscribes to one polyamorous blogger's definitions of levels of polyamorous partnerships, as below. Laeviss wishes he could remember whose definitions these are, Laeviss didn't compose them:)

Primary: You live with this partner and your finances are intertwined. You make joint decisions on life-altering matters. You may share children, a mortgage, etc. If your primary gets a great job in another state, you say, "When are we moving?"

Secondary: You do not live with this partner, your finances are separate, you do not consult with this partner over life-altering decisions. If your secondary says, "I am moving to another state" you say, "When can I visit?"

Tertiary: Similar to a secondary, but when you move, they say, "It's been nice knowing you."

Now, some polyamorists would have you believe that their sexual and emotional relationships are *all* equal, (and they will vociferously complain when their opinion is contradicted) and that there is no hierarchy involved in polyamory. That is indeed their belief, but it is grounded in the Fantasy Realm. However, a quick glance at the above definitions will show you exactly how this can't possibly, in Reality World, be true.
We simply can't all be primaries to *all* of our lovers unless one makes the choice to live with them all equally, with everyone having equal legal status and equal rights and equal social benefits. (Don't try to tell me you treat all of your partners equally and that there is no hierarchy in your relationships when you bring your legal wife to the high school reunion, and leave your girlfriend at home to take care of the pets. Honestly, one guy in one of the online groups insisted that there was no hierarchy in his polyamorous family triad of himself, his wife and their girlfriend. But then I saw an ad he posted for his business. It featured a picture of himself and his legal wife, and mentioned them both and clearly omitted the girlfriend. As if she didn't exist!)
The point is, there *is* hierarchy in relationships. It's a reality. This isn't Fantasy Realm. If you're going to be polyamorous, you need to deal with that in Reality World.

Now, Laeviss will here be quite truthful, and state that he not only has nothing whatsoever against the hierarchical relationship style described above, he will state that it appears to be his own "default setting," and (should the situation ever arise) Laeviss would, quite enthusiastically, take up residence as one of any number of spouses, with any manner of restrictions, should the Client ever desire it. The key here is truthfulness. Laeviss isn't going to spend a lot of time pretending that a hierarchical relationship is a level playing field.

(Laeviss will here make the disclaimer that although he is pro-polyamory, he is also interested in the realities of polyamory in everyday life, and does not view it through rose-colored lenses.)
  

Lost and Found Heart

(Laeviss' note: This is a story that Laeviss wrote about a very young, Earthbound manifestation of  Loki and his encounter with the goddess Gullveig. I entered this story in a contest recently. It's a small part of the much longer, novel-length story that will eventually be finished. Laeviss is pleased to add that the story won in its category.)

Lost and Found Heart

by Laeviss Falki

There is a knowing in my heart, and I go to where I see them slithering, I feel their calling, their winding, their rejoicing. My snake brethren call to me. I choose not to hear when the elders advise me, "Wait until one of us can go with you, Loki! Do not enter the unexplored caves." I can feel the serpents calling me, and everyone is very busy, not noticing as I creep away.

Up through the scrubby, rocky ground, towards the sunlit peaks, I follow the barest hint of trail, listening with my mind's ear. I pass through dark trees, leafy and greening, and changing daily in shape and color. I find new trees, then old trees, then onward and upward, near to where there are no trees at all. I look up, vast grey-black-white-blue rock, these bones of the earth rising far above me. I creep silently, touching the warm walls with my trailing fingers. A vine-like, draping cascade of growth is falling like a waterfall along the ridge. I feel a cool breeze.

Then, I hear a serpent calling in my mind. A small, gentle snake-friend approaches. I wait, and she glides into view along the faint trail by the hillside. I have brought a pouch in which to carry her, if she will consent to come home with me.

She pauses, to look at me with her shining eye of wonder. "Hello," she says, "My friend, I have been waiting for you!" Then, "Follow me!" and she is off. I scramble to keep up, she forgets I am larger and more cumbersome among the rocks. In my mind, I make myself smaller, and more agile in order to keep up.

She follows the scent of air. It is a small, hidden opening, underneath a veil of vines. She disappears, into the rocky earth. I will have to make myself smaller still to follow her. I can feel her departing, and desperately claw away dirt and loose rocks from the cave mouth. "Wait!" I call. But I can feel her spirit gliding away.

I can squeeze my head inside. It is black, but I am unafraid. I push one shoulder through. I feel air cold on my face. I push the other shoulder through, then wriggle my middle past the opening. All of a sudden, I am falling, blindly, flailing forever in the darkness.

Thump.

Can't breathe. A cloud of dust and loose rock surrounds me. I lay, gasping, stunned. I count heartbeats. Tumtum. Tumtum. Tumtum.

They slow, and my breath returns, with coughing. I try to sit up. Pain. I cannot move my hip. I lay back, thinking. I cannot see through the blackness to the opening far above me.

I send my mind out to my snake friend. I hear no response.

I wait.

In the darkness, eventually, my eyes see more clearly than ever before. I lose track of my mind in the sound of my heartbeats, but I find the track of my heart. Tumtum. Tumtum. Tumtum.

My snake friend returns, with a companion. She slithers over me and into my shirt as her companion raises her head over mine. My snake friend slides across my chest and out the neck hole and whispers in my ear. "Listen," she says.

Her companion grows, and changes. From a serpent, she becomes a hawk, with vast wings, reaching out to encompass the world. She leans over me, shielding me, and the darkness of the cave recedes. Her beak opens, and she changes again, into an old, old woman. I can see her bright eyes through a mist of smoke, and flames spark upwards around her face, framing it with hair red and orange and yellow. I know her name to be Gullveig, I have seen her before, in dreams. She is like the oldest of grandmothers, wrinkled with vast age, wise and strong and frightening. "Hlaut-her," she says, adding meaning to my name, "you will come to me when the time is right. You will use this gift that I give to you now for the benefit of the Earth." She holds an enormous, cavernous bowl. It is made of stone, ancient and worn, with carved serpents gliding and weaving around the sides. It is waiting for me to fill it.

"What is this gift?" I whisper. It is cold now, in the cave, though the image of Gullveig burns with brightness unsurpassing. I am not frightened. I have my snake friend with me.

She cackles, as old women do. "The gift is that which you most desire. But it is a gift that has a sharp bite. A venomous gift. It is a love potion, the most poisonous and yet the most precious of all of my gifts, for it pains not only the heart, but the very soul of you...yet you will long for it above all things. I will unlock this gift for you. It is already within."

She becomes again a gigantic snake, rearing over me, fangs bared. The venom drips coldly onto my face, each icy drop drawing forth blazing heat from within my heart, along with memory. I hear a voice inside my head, laughing. Then I feel his warmth beside me. "An-su," I whisper. I feel feathers fanning my face, see one shining eye. I feel the wind rushing as if I am flying, high...higher. I will die for this! I am convulsing with the furious desire of all of the powers of the Earth.

There are people behind the old woman now, staring up at me as Ansu and I fly amid the red-gold flames. I don't want to come back to the still, clay form on the floor of the cave. Down below me I see a small, dark figure, black and with a red beard. "He will need a new heart," the Dwarf says. "This one is already lost. He gave it away long ago."

"Start forging!" Gullveig commands. She is once again an old woman.

"Crystal is fragile until it solidifies," he responds. "It won't do at all to hurry it." The Dwarf retreats into darkness.

"We will make for you a new, unbreakable heart. One which you cannot give away." The old woman tells me firmly.

"But I like my heart," I say, protesting, trying to fly farther upwards. I don't want Ansu to leave without me. I can hear his laughter receding. I see the trail we make together, like a waterfall, colorless, eternal, a thing of beauty. It hovers in the air above me just out of reach.

"Nevertheless, you shall have another," she says. "This one we will affix in such a way that you cannot possibly lose it."

Thump. They pull me back down, into the darkness. I fight to get back to Ansu. I am screaming for him.

"Hush, child!" Gullveig scolds. "You will be with him soon enough."

I am held down in the darkness by the Dwarves. They have my body, but they cannot catch my heart. I send my old heart flying away after the Eagle, to remind him of me. I will not need it now. Ansu will have two of them, both his own and mine. I can hear them, beating, in the darkness, receding into the sky far above. I fight blindly, lashing out, heedless of the pain it causes me. But they are too strong. Ansu disappears into the sky far, far above. When I can feel his presence no longer, I stop fighting. I resolve patience. If my body is held here, I will follow later, when I can.

I watch curiously as they turn me inside out, looking for the missing heart. "It's already gone," they say. The old woman cackles again. "Well, give him the crystal heart. It is strong enough to do its job alone." They squeeze my body back through itself, then bring out the shining, clear heart. This, they push down my throat, making sure I swallow it entirely.

When I am finally back together, I lay there painfully, gasping. My new heart beats strongly in my chest. I desire above all things to get back to my tree, my home with Ansu. But it is lost to me. Lost! Ansu has flown away, into another life.

"Listen!" my snake friend says again in my ear, and I turn my ear towards the old woman, reluctantly.

"Do you want to find your Eagle?" she asks.

I am speechless. I have no words, I can only nod. Desire fills me like a poison liquid, running through my veins. I am on fire with it.

"Then, you must use your Serpent abilities. You must slither through the cavern like a snake, and use the wings the Eagle shared with you to fly back out the hole you came in. And you will need this, when the time comes. Your heart is not the only part of you that must be pruned." I feel a sharp, stone blade under my hand. I place it within my pouch. I roll over, gasping, and begin to crawl. I think only of reuniting with Ansu. I feel like an earthworm. I am surrounded by dirt, rock, and darkness. But I remember the wings of flight, and keep moving. I can only use my arms, my hip is useless. When I see the light from the cave mouth above me, I will my wings to open, and I fly towards the sky.

What's in a Name?

   What's in a name? Plenty. Laeviss would go so very far as to say, "Really, don't bother reading the ancient myths if you won't bother to look up what the names of the characters may have meant. Because that is, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story."
   Laeviss has gone through many name changes over the years. His first two names, while pretty much describing his life's purpose, had the added baggage (among other things) of stemming from a religious tradition not his own. So he will admit to changing his name a number of times, first to plain initials and eventually (after a great many years) being gifted with the name Laeviss.
   Not much of a gift, one might say. More like a Hobbit's mathom ("Here, take this ugly or useless thing away from me!") or a white elephant ("Though it is honourably given, the cost of this name is hard to bear.") But the magic is that of laeviss and the magic is me, so here it is, with explanation duly given.
   Lae is nearly always translated (when it shows up in the lore) in ways that connote evil, destructive or vicious tendencies.  However, my innate understanding of the magic involved in lae (and it is nearly always some form of magic that the word "lae" is describing) is that it is neutral as in the sense of any energetic purpose. It is merely the direction, or forcefulness of intention, that would make it destructive or not. (Rather like seidr, it can be used for harm or used for benefit.)
   When I received the name, it was understood that the name, and the knowledge of lae, would be used to reclaim this magic in a positive way for the good of the Earth. Which is rather like Wiccans and other Pagans taking back and restoring the balance to the word "witch."
   Almost everyone has seen the Star Wars movies. In the movie, "The Empire Strikes Back," Luke Skywalker is being trained as a Jedi by Yoda on the planet Dagobah. Luke finds a hollow tree in the swamp, which he feels he must enter as a challenge. He asks Yoda what he will meet inside the tree, and Yoda responds, "Only what you take with you."
   In translating from ancient texts, it is almost impossible not to take baggage with you inside that tree. Despite hearing Yoda tell him that he won't need his weapons, Luke takes them with him inside the tree, convinced that he'll need them. In so doing, he sets himself up to need those weapons.
   In Laeviss' discussions regarding the gift of his name, he was informed that his understanding of the name was correct: it has no negative connotation *unless the listener or reader chooses to give it one* and/or the speaker or writer *chooses to imply that it has one.*
   Kevin J. Wanner's article "Cunning Intelligence in Norse Myth: Loki, Odinn and the Limits of Sovreignty" notes that the word lae can be translated into English in a number of ways, "from neutral terms such as "craft," "art," or "skill," to the more negative ones..." (and here he gives a long list of the more negative ones! Check his article out, it's available online and there is so much interesting information there.)
   "Viss" is wisdom, knowledge, so "laeviss" would mean something like, "knowledge of magic-craft" or "wizard."
   There are plenty of forms of magic, so what sort of magic is lae? Wanner also points out that Lothur gives this lae-stuff to humankind when they are formed from trees. The sort of stuff Lothur provides humans with has been described by various translators as physical form and colour, blood and/or "burning desire." So this would be the sort of magic of lae, the original creation magic of the Earth. (The physical manifestations on Midgard.)
   This is probably, by Laeviss' UPG, the sort of knowledge held by Gullveig, the very old magic that some of the Aesir found distasteful as it was associated with women. Laeviss' UPG tells him that Gullveig (directly translated meaning "gold-greedy") actually was desirous of learning and sharing knowledge, and was offering to trade her magic secrets for those of the Aesir.
   Those who did not like him called Loki by a name (Laeviss) that to them had negative connotations, and they likewise gave Gullveig similar negative connotations. Was that her real name? Or was it always Heid (bright, shining?)
   The Aesir eventually did exchange magical traditions with the Vanir, as, after the truce between the warring gods, Freyja taught Odin seidr in return for his knowledge of galdr.
 

   
   
  

Bells and Whistles

   Laeviss is the first to admit that self-created magick is about the energy, not the object. It's nice to have boxfuls of interesting magickal items: candles, wands, cards, crystals, incense and the darkly-energetic antique wooden box in which to stow them all when not in use. Nice...but totally unnecessary.
   It's really, really just the energy, the focus and the intent that you need. Everything else is superfluous.
  (Now, when performing for an adoring public, it gets trickier. Turns out, they believe better when the show is grander. So don't skimp on the magickal gewgaws when performing in public, creating magick for a public purpose. Because belief is most of the battle won.)
   That said, even though magick works very well without the "stuff," Laeviss has picked up some pretty interesting magickal items over the years. Laeviss decided to perform an experiment using two of these items. One has been associated with Laeviss for so long it's like an added appendage, and is quite attuned to him. This one, Laeviss used to focus the energy and intent of the magick. The other one, a recent acquisition,  had loads of energy of its own, though it wasn't attuned to Laeviss, yet. (Laeviss' wizard friend described the object as both loud and spinning really fast. Laeviss decided to use this one as an amplifier.)
   Laeviss set the intent and focus through the object already attuned to him, and then amplified the energy through the spinning object. He vocally directed the force. He then was treated to a most glorious inner-eyelid lightshow with some interesting Norse-themed symbols. Success! The amplifier works!
  
  
  

Departure of the Ravens

   Laeviss remembers his father.
   He was a kind, generous, gentle man, with a good heart and a weakness for very bad jokes. My early childhood is filled with memories of the times I spent with him. He would give rides to neighborhood children in the trailer pulled by his tractor. He took me ice skating and swimming and horseback riding. We would go on walks together. He liked to sing me funny songs.

   When he became ill, I was too young to know that he would never recover. I only knew that we had to hide the car keys, lest he try to drive, and that he had to be watched constantly to make sure he didn't accidentally cause a fire, or himself an injury.
   Eventually, he was confined to a nursing home, where we would visit him. Except it was no longer him. The man we went to visit one day gave me a puzzled look and couldn't remember my name. He thought he was his own nine-year-old self again. He thought I was one of his siblings, maybe. But he wasn't sure.
   Then, one day, he never noticed me at all, he just stared into space. The ravens had gone.
   There is nothing more heart-wrenching than looking into the eyes of someone you love, knowing them, and remembering all of that shared history, and all of the feeling behind it, and finding that this beloved person does not remember who you are anymore.
   Odin says remember who you are.

 
  

You Made Me Believe in Magic

Is magic real? Yes. 
Well, prove it.
Laeviss can only say with a great deal of certainty in this regard that the magic he performs is not only real, but he has seen the proof of its working.
When he was about seven years old, Laeviss had a dream. In this dream, Laeviss met a man with a top hat (referred to as the Doctor, though Laeviss is quite sure he was *not* a Time Lord) who explained to him the sort of pain he would be subjected to in this lifetime.  This pain was referenced symbolically, but Laeviss has no doubt as to the reality of the lecture he was given. It would, the kind Doctor explained, begin here and end there and both Laeviss' father and Laeviss would have to agree to the manner of it. This we both did, as we were supposed to do. Laeviss has played this game often enough before, you see.
And then Laeviss lived his life, and played that game of Snakes and Ladders. He made sure the client got the ladders, and Laeviss himself took those snakes. (He has always had a fondness for snakes.)
Laeviss has had no doubt about the veracity of the information he was given by the gods later in his life, because it corresponds with memories of past existence. "This is how the magic works, this is what you specialize in, and this is what you do."
Yes, creepy little dog though he may be, the Earth-wyrm that is Laeviss worked his magic with the help of his earthy cohorts, the Dwarves. And then saw the proof of its working with his own eyes, and heard the story of its working with his own ears. Success! And the Earth is a better place, even for old Laeviss.
The Dwarves will take any kind of energy in payment. Not only the "usual and customary" sort that a skratta might employ. It pays to be creative when, in Midgard, all time is of the essence and all space is not here.

Transformers

   Way back in the day, Laeviss had a witchy friend, who would cackle and conjure and do all of the sorts of things witches do. And she'd often look at Laeviss and say, "Little Wren, there is more to you than meets the eye."
   Laeviss is so much more than meets the eye, in almost every way imaginable. In fact, what the eye sees of Laeviss is the worst possible judge of what Laeviss is, but is what most people use to base their versions of Laeviss reality on.
   Unfortunately, the perceptions of the eye guide all with the ability to visually perceive things in ways that deeply affect their lives. Foods that don't *look* appealing to us are often not tried, no matter how tasty they might actually be. I know Laeviss certainly won't try foods that don't look appealing to him.
   It's all in the visual presentation. If things aren't attractive to our personal sight, then they just aren't attractive. And there's not much we can do about it.
   Like one person who would like very much for Laeviss to be attracted to her. Or him. Or whoever s/he is at any given moment. And Laeviss can't force it.
   The person knows the rules about sexual attraction. They have recited them to Laeviss in rants on numerous occasions. ("If one more person tells me that being gay is a choice, I'm going to punch them in the face," s/he has told me.) One either *is* attracted, or is *not* attracted. There is no "choice" involved. One can't choose the persons to whom they feel an attraction.
   But still, hope endures.
   "I want to do what your boyfriend does for you," s/he tells Laeviss.
   "You can't do what my boyfriend does for me," Laeviss responds honestly.
   "Yes, I can!" S/he says. "Just tell me what he does for you, and I'll do it."
   "You can't do what he does for me. It's not possible, because I'm not attracted to you in that way."
   "You just haven't opened your mind, yet," s/he answers. To which Laeviss responds, kindly but firmly, "You can't force someone to want to f*ck you."

   Yes. It is a Universal Law. You can't force sexual attraction. You can't change it. You can't control it. It isn't a "choice." It just *is.* Or it is *not.*
   When there is more to you than meets the eye, it can be difficult to find partners with whom one shares a sexual attraction.  (And, in Laeviss' experience, usually the attraction is all on one side or the other, almost never is it mutual. And it always, always - however much else spiritually and mentally and emotionally is involved - depends on the physical appearance.) And when you find such a mutually-agreeable partner, what do you tell them about yourself? How much do you tell them? Is the physical perception of who one is amounting to false advertising? Or is a verbal assertion a false truth?
   Laeviss is more than meets the eye, indeed. But most people will never know. Because you can't force someone to want to f*ck you.
   
  


  

Laeviss' Version of the Lokasenna

Another reprint from my other blog. Enjoy.

Laeviss’ translation of the Lokasenna in plain English, sprinkled liberally with UPG:
After he got hold of the gigantic cauldron, Aegir held a big feast in his hall for the Gods. A whole bunch of them came, including elves. Odin and Frigga were there. Thor wasn’t there, because he was out east. Thor’s wife, Sif, was there, and also Bragi, his wife Idunna, Tyr, Njord, Skadi, Vithar (one of Odin’s sons), Loki and Aegir’s two wizards, Fimafeng and Eldir.
Everyone at the feast was praising the abilities of Aegir’s wizards, and Loki, being thus challenged, bested Fimafeng, the Clever-Handed one, in a wizardly duel and won, causing Fimafeng’s death. The Gods shook their shields and howled. This was a good show. But Loki had caused a death in a place of celebration, and was driven out to the forest.
He turned back on his way to exile, and returned to the feasting hall. Outside, he met Eldir.
Loki: Tell me, Eldir, what they are talking about in the feasting hall.
Eldir: They are boasting of their weapons and prowess in battle, but not one here speaks of you.
Loki: I think I’ll go to this feast and give them reason to talk of me.
Eldir: If you go in there, it will be the worse for you.
Loki: If you bar my way, I’ll best you in a battle of spells for I’m richer by far in that art than you.
Eldir knew this to be true, so Eldir let him pass.
Loki: Set a place for me at your banquet, Gods. (There is a pause during which you can hear crickets chirping.) Hey, answer me, Gods! Are you too proud to respond?
Bragi: There will nevermore be a place for such as you with the Gods. Only real men gather here.
Loki: (ignoring Bragi and turning to Odin) Remember your oath to me, Odin. We are sworn brothers, and in your oath you vowed to pour no drink unless it was shared with me, also.
Odin: Arise, Vithar, and let the wolf’s father sit at our banquet. If we do not, he will curse us.
Vithar pours a drink for Loki, and Loki toasts the crowd.
Loki: Hail, to all the Gods and Goddesses here tonight. Except Bragi, who is a coward.
Bragi: Oh, my Gods, I will pay you off if you just shut up and go away!
Loki: You will never have enough money to pay me off, Bragi. Only those brave in battle earn the spoils of war.
Bragi: If it weren’t forbidden to shed blood in this hall, I’d have your head for that statement.
Loki: Oh, brave words now when we all know you can’t back them up! Come on outside the hall and we’ll have a duel, then.
Idunna: Bragi, do not fight with Loki! He is Odin’s brother, and the repercussions would be vast.
Loki: Shut up about brothers, Idunna! You slept with your own brother’s killer!
Idunna: (Sticking her fingers in her ears) La la la, I can’t hear you!!! I am merely trying to prevent my drunk husband from causing a scene.
Gefjion: Why are you arguing? It’s part of Loki’s job to point out hypocrisy.
Loki: I see through your disguise. You’re really Freyja, and I know who you’ve slept with.
Odin: Don’t anger her, Loki. She and I both have the gift of foresight, and know the fates of men.
Loki: Shut up, Odin! How often have you set someone up as your champion, then given the prize to another?
Odin: That may be so, but you used sex magic to get treasures from the Dwarves for me, and in doing so, played the woman.
Loki: Well, it is said that on Samos Isle you learned seid and dressed as a witch in order to do so, thus playing the part of a woman yourself.
Frigga: Let’s not talk about these things you did together in your youth. It isn’t seemly to make such information public knowledge.
Loki: Oh, be quiet, Frigga! You’ve had both of Odin’s brothers in your bed!
Frigga: If I had a son like Balder, he would challenge you for making that statement!
Loki: It’s technically my fault that Balder is no longer with the Gods.
Freyja: Don’t say that. Frigga knows well the truth, though she keeps quiet about it.
Loki: Well, you can just hold your tongue, too, Freyja! You’ve slept with all of the Gods and Elves here present!
Freyja: You have angered the Gods by telling these things, grief will come to you from it.
Loki: Oh, shut up! Don’t call the kettle black! You, yourself, have slept with your brother!
Njord: We don’t care that Freyja slept with her own brother. We just can’t stand it that you slept with yours.
Loki: Yeah, you drank giant piss, Njord. Who cares what you think?
Njord: Well, anyway, I have a really cool son in Frey. He’s the best!
Loki: You slept with your own sister to produce Frey. So there!
Tyr: When Frey joined the Aesir, he freed himself and his men from those old Vanic traditions! They now follow the Aesir laws of matrimony.
Loki: Tyr, do you really want me to tell everyone the story about how you lost your hand to a wolf?
Tyr: Yeah, I lost my hand, but you lost something just as important to you, didn’t you? How does that make you feel, bitch?
Loki: Shut up, Tyr. Your own wife bore a son to me, and I got away with that scott-free! How does that make you feel?
Frey: The wolf will remain in fetters until the world’s end. And we’ll make sure you stay fettered, too, wizard of evil!
Loki: You gave your sword up for the daughter of a giant. Now you will be weaponless at the last battle!
Byggvir (Frey’s servant) : If I were in a higher position like Frey, I’d crush you like barley corn.
Loki: Get back to your grindstone, you little kernel! Who the Hel are you to speak to me in this way?
Byggvir: I am Frey’s proud servant, and pour ale out to all!
Loki: You would cause argument and strife in the banquet hall, except you, being cowardly, are the little pieces they missed during harvest gleaning. Thus, we walk all over you.
Heimdall: Be quiet, Loki! You are drunk and raving. Why not leave this be?
Loki: Be silent, Heimdall! You, especially, among all this crowd know what I speak of, as you have been privy to its secrets.
Skadi: What I say is now coming to pass, that you, Loki, will no longer have the freedom you have long enjoyed. The Gods will bind you to the stones by iron bonds, forged at the death of your son.
Loki: That may be so, but I remind you that I led your father to his death.
Skadi: I have nothing but grim words for you, Loki.
Loki: You had better words for me when I gave to you my manhood.
Sif: (Pouring Loki a drink) Loki, have this fine drink of mead, and remember that I am one you cannot find fault with!
Loki: (Taking a drink) Well, I do know someone who slept with you besides Thor, your husband! So there!
Beyla: (Frey’s servant) Speaking of Thor, I hear him coming! He will silence your slander, Loki!
Loki: Shut up, Beyla! You have dirt enough on you for all of the Gods!
Thor: Shut your mouth, Loki, or my hammer will shut it for you! In fact, I’ll knock your head off!
Loki: Big words, Thor! Will you have as big an action when the wolf is threatening to consume Odin?
Thor: Shut up, unmanly one! My hammer will send you flying so far east that you’ll never be seen again!
Loki: I plan on living a long time, Thor. Remember how poorly you fared in the realm of giants? I am at home in that realm.
Thor: I tell you my hammer will shut your mouth and send you to Hel!
Loki: Oh, okay. I’ve said all I came to say. But since you really might smite me with that blessed hammer while you are in battle frenzy, I’ll go. But before I do, I say that Aegir will serve no more banquets for the Gods. I will curse Aegir’s hall with fire, that it be consumed by it.
After that, Loki went and hid himself at Franang’s waterfall, disguised as a salmon. The Gods found him, and captured him. They turned Loki’s son Vali into a wolf, who then tore apart his own brother, Narvi. Loki was bound to the stones with Narvi’s entrails. Skadi fixed a poisonous serpent over Loki’s head, and the poison drips down onto his face. Loki’s wife, Sigyn, catches the poison in a bowl. When the bowl gets too full, she walks away to empty it, and it is then that Loki writhes in agony. Men call these writhings earthquakes.

Loki: Bound and Determined

Laeviss is running a reprint of something that previously appeared on my other blog:

Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.
(Tao 11, from Tao Te Ching)


We know Loki as a shapeshifter, a magic-worker, the bench-mate and brother of Odin, chief of the Aesir. But Loki was seen as so powerful that he frightened the Aesir, and they bound him on an island off the coast of Europe. What about Loki was so powerful that it had to be contained, and how was it so confined?
Why the stones? Why the holes? Why the bowl? Why the snake venom?
Snorri gives us one description of the binding of Loki. According to Snorri, after the Aesir got hold of Loki, they took three flat stones, set them on edge, and drilled a hole through each of them. They then fastened Loki to these three stones. He was bound with iron bonds across his shoulders, his loins and his knees, making him damn near immoveable, unless one had the key.
What exactly are these stones? This type of standing stone can still be found today in parts of northern Europe, and smaller versions of it are worn as amulets. One stands today in Cornwall, and is known as the Men-an-Tol, the Holey Stone. And one, unfortunately, from the Orkney Islands has been lost to us. This stone, which has been long destroyed, and the smaller amulets like it which are still worn today, are known as Odin Stones.
The purpose of these stones, as recounted in the lore which surrounds them, was to witness the swearing of oaths. Lovers would plight their troth on the Odin Stone, and any oath sworn thereon was accounted unbreakable, and anyone forsworn would suffer dire consequences, and be considered infamous and excluded from society.
“It is the holes which make it useful.” The Odin stones would not be able to be used to bind Loki were the holes not present.
Why the snake venom? Snorri claims that Skadi hung a venomous serpent over Loki’s head, so that the venom would drip onto his face. Now, Loki is no stranger to snakes, in fact, they are part of his family. They have been a part of Goddess-worshipping people’s households for millennia. But this snake is a venomous snake. Venom is an interesting word. It comes from the same root as the word Venus, the Love Goddess and Roman equivalent of Freyja, and originally meant a love potion, not a poison. Gives new meaning to the phrase “in your face.” The root “van” meant “wish, desire, gain.” And in modern German, the word venom signifies a “gift.”
Why the bowl? “It is the space within that makes it useful.” Cauldrons and bowls are transformative vessels. They are symbols of the womb of the Mother Goddess, and the creation of all works of magic, whether of the flesh or of the spirit. Loki’s wife, Sigyn, patiently sits, holding the bowl over Loki’s face so that the painful venom will not fall on him. She is the Keeper of the Bowl. But she must make periodic trips to empty the bowl, and when she is not there, the venom does fall. Snorri says the writhing that Loki engages in during this time is the cause of earthquakes.
So what was it about Loki that the Aesir felt they had to confine by not just one, but three solemn, binding oaths? What was his magic, and why was it so powerful that it frightened such mighty Gods?
It is said that the Dwarves made a jewel for Freyja that far surpassed the beauty of any other, and that Odin coveted this jewel, and ordered Loki to get it for him.
There is your key.
-Laeviss
websites for reference: (Odin Stone) www.orkneyjar.com (Snorri’s Prose Edda) www.sacred-texts.com

Freyja's Jewel

   Laeviss tells his UPG regarding the history of Freyja's jewel, and how it is of great significance: In very ancient times, the Goddess wore this jewel to indicate her representation of the Earth, and the powers that are encircled therein. It was her divine authority to designate the sacred king, and to honour him with the wearing of this jewel. He would wear the jewel for a time, spreading its energies throughout the land, then he would return it to the powers of the Earth as a sacrifice, to ensure the fruitfulness and prosperity of the people. A new king would then be chosen.

   Now, Laeviss says that the Vanir continued in this long tradition. Their king would be chosen by the Goddess, and that king would be her consort. As a symbol of this, he wore a braided cord around his neck, or a representation of one. (This sort of idea of a divinely bestowed kingly jewel has survived for a very long time. Even now, we would recognize it as a king's circlet or crown.) After a period of time, he would be sacrificed and a new king chosen.

   The Aesir had abandoned this system ages before. Tyr had been king for a time, then Odin had been declared king, though Tyr didn't die like the sacrificial kings of old. He hung around to give his counsel and to help maintain order. The Aesir were at war with the Vanir, and Odin needed all the help he could get.

   Odin liked being king. He was well-suited for it, being both crafty and wise. There was no better to take his place.

   Freyja had foresight, and could see the fine character that Odin possessed, and what a fine king he was. She saw with her foresight that the world was changing, and what would be the best way to determine that the world changed in a way best suited to her desires. So she sent a messenger, one of the priests or "dogs of the Goddess,"  to Odin to tell him that she was willing to call a truce and end the war. She was willing to join her people with the Aesir and declare Odin king if he would take her as his wife, and that he would not be bound by the fate of the Vanic kings, but that he would be king as long as he liked.

   Odin was already married to a very fine Goddess, indeed, with all of the attributes of an excellent wife. But Odin knew a good thing when he saw one (and he saw a lot of good things about Freyja.) Odin was attracted to strong, confident women, who could give wise counsel when it was called for. There should be no objection to him having a second wife. This war had been dragging on far too long, with no signs of either side gaining ground.

   "Well, this sounds like a good idea. I will agree to it if I get the final say in all matters," Odin sent back. "Oh, and I get to keep your errand boy, too. I can see he has many uses."

   Laeviss says that although he has given vows to serve the Goddess, her order to him has been "Stand your ground in support of the King." He has done this quite happily, he says, ever since. It's what he was made for.