Working with Trickster

Some years ago  I was going through a  difficult time in my life and, having worked  with Odin for years I found myself asking Loki for help.  The result was a roller coaster ride that  I do not regret but did not always enjoy.  Nowadays I find  myself most comfortable working with Loki and Ghede Eshu or other tricksters.  Here are few things I found out the hard way and a few common sense observations.

Be prepared.  Tricksters have a sense of humour that is not always nice. You may find your chosen  trickster regards you the way a cat regards a squeaky rubber mouse.

    Choose your trickster. If you  simply invite “Trickster” You may get  the local version (Anansi in Africa for example) or a random trickster, or the Trickster archetype in your deep unconscious. Saying “pick a trickster, any trickster”  is a risk. Remember research before action, but do not let research paralyze action.

    Set limits. Make sure your trickster understands that  some area of your life are off limits. In particular they should leave your immediate family alone.  This will usually work.

    Try to get another god to sit on trickster occasionally. In the Norse path Thor is Loki's friend and will prevent Loki getting too boisterous with you. If asked nicely.

    Be ready to change. Loki had attributes I  needed and lacked and working with  him  helped develop these attributes. The harder you fight change the worse it gets. The gods bound Loki and his son Fenris and when these two broke loose the  change was far greater than it would have been had they simply let them introduce change gradually.

    Stay in contact with your trickster. This does not mean performing rituals, just not ignoring them- though rituals may be a good idea. Sometimes it may be enough to let the trickster see thorough your eyes and feel through your body.

    Respect their desires. Ghede seems to like Rum with Chile, and Loki seems to like Scotch Whiskey.  No Trickster likes stagnation.

    Never let them take over your body unless you are in a safe context like a Voodoo ceremony or perhaps a Spiritualist church.  

Work on integrating with your Shadow and raising your self-esteem, and keep doing this while working with Trickster. You do not know what evil lurks in your heart, but Trickster will find it and may use it. In John Brunner's novel “The Man in Black” the central character grants wishes, in a way that the wisher does not expect and  often regrets, but warns the wisher before granting the wish. In the Norse lore Odin as Bolverk grants the wishes of nine men who wanted his magic whetstone and  throws it  into the air. They all run  to catch it and kill each other with the scythes they are carrying. Maybe  your Trickster will use your greed and ego against you. What he will do is reveal it then sit back with a drink and a snack to see how you handle it.

Trickster lives on the boundary, where rules  become fluid and malleable, or at crossroads. Trickster is the one takes the bait and leaves the trap sprung on empty air  - or his next meal.  So you can contact a trickster using the methods of the culture  of your chosen path and carry out a rite at a crossroads, maybe include a net or a grid in your ritual and perhaps a  mousetrap – watch your fingers and other extremities. A Shamanic trip may be effective  and allow you real communication and interaction with Trickster.  Look also at my series on Loki for a sample rite, or you may simply invite Trickster to join you – remember to invite him to leave as well, if you want to find more than on sock in the morning. and be ready for  an experience like the one described here by iggymak, of a migratory object. I have not had anything as dramatic as that: There has always been the probability I  moved the object myself and forgot I did so – a nice bit of Tricksterly ambiguity.

I have  described a few tricksters and given hints for working with them. Hopefully  this will save you a lot of hassle.