[Today, we sit down for an interview with Nonir Amicitia. The founder of Wandering Jotun Crafts, they are currently at work on a devotional for Loki. Here, they discuss the devotional, their work with sigil charms, and their many upcoming projects.]
BookMusings: How would you describe your personal spiritual path?
Nonir Amicitia: Oh, a hard one right off the bat, haha. My spiritual path is very eclectic. I identify as a Heathen and a Lokean, but I've also recently been exploring pop culture paganism. I do a lot of metaphysical and spirit work, a little bit of chaos magic via sigil work, and some energy work here and there. Honestly, it sounds a lot more impressive and interesting than it is on a day-to-day basis!
BookMusings: What initially drew you to Loki? And what do you wish people understood about Loki?
Nonir Amicitia: Loki originally kind of tapped me on the shoulder when I was in high school and my family was going through a rough patch. At first, all I heard were the Ragnarok myths and people talking about how Loki was evil or should be avoided at all costs. But he stayed at the edges of my life and was always there when I needed support. He helped me recognize my own sexuality and gender identity, helped me find my current Kindred, helped me find more confidence in my creative talents and pursuits. Eventually, I actually welcomed him into my practice and he's been here ever since.
I wish people outside the Lokean community would realize that Loki isn't evil or chaotic just for the sake of stirring the pot. Loki represents radical change and hard truths, and those are uncomfortable and sometimes terrifying or dangerous -- but they're necessary to keep moving forward. Without the Trickster to shake things up now and then, the world (including us and the gods) stagnates and that is deadly. Loki can be harsh and surprising, but no more than any other of the Norse deities, and he can be wonderfully kind and supportive, too. He's an outcast and as such understands and welcomes most folks who don't fit society's mold: from my experience, a lot of Lokeans (myself included) tend to be queer, mentally ill, disabled, or any combination of those and/or other "othering" identities. It's an incredible thing to find a god who not only supports you, but understands the struggle that comes with being on the outside.
BookMusings: You are currently taking pre-orders for On the Tightrope: A Loki Devotional. Firstly, why a devotional for Loki?
Nonir Amicitia: This project came from two main things: 1) I was writing devotional poetry for myself and decided I wanted to share it with other Lokeans, and 2) the few other Loki devotionals I've stumbled across were put together by folks who have some less than savory attitudes and beliefs and/or like to police the way other people worship and practice. I wanted to create something for Loki and his followers that wasn't connected to any "big name pagan" with those issues, or any larger organization. I wanted to write something that included pieces from a queer point of view, pieces from the point of view of a godspouse, and a more casual worshipper. I wanted to make something that showed the world the Loki that I see and interact with instead of the scapegoat Loki a lot of other pagans see.
BookMusings: What will the anthology include?
Nonir Amicitia: On the Tightrope includes twelve written pieces, divided between general devotionals and consort devotionals. Each section has three poems, two prayers, and a prose piece -- all accompanied by incredible illustrations a good friend of mine created. It's a small book, but I hope the variety and the uniquness will make it worth a read! Some of my personal favorite pieces include a prayer to Loki as shapeshifter to help one feel comfortable in their own skin, and a poem that plays with different pronouns for Loki throughout it.
BookMusings: What sort of research went into the collection? And were there any pieces that you wanted to include but could not?
Nonir Amicitia: Most of the collection is based on my own interactions with Loki -- and I have a very plain disclaimer at the beginning of the book saying as much. I don't want to mislead anyone or claim that my experiences are universal, but this book was very much a personal project that I hope other people will appreciate, too. So I guess you could say the "research" was over a decade of living with Loki, reading the lore, and interacting with other Lokeans.
I actually wound up with more material for the book than I anticipated, which is always a nice surprise! I'm sure I'll continue writing devotional works for Loki, but for the time being, all my favorite pieces are included.
BookMusings: Where and when will the book be available?
Nonir Amicitia: This is a tougher question than one would expect, unfortunately. I'm currently fighting with Createspace on formatting issues, but my goal is have it available by early August. To start with, it will be available on Amazon (I know, I know; I wish I could get away without listing it there, but ISBNs are expensive), and through my own
website, where it's currently available for preorder.
BookMusings: What resources would you recommend to those who are interested in paganism, but identify as outcasts, as people who don’t quite fit into traditional boxes?
Nonir Amicitia: Unfortunately, finding these resources can be pretty difficult. A lot of books and major blogs on paganism tend to have some unfortunate homophobic/transphobic/ablism/etc. issues, which can be pretty subtle. For example, focusing on "masculine" and "feminine" energies/magic is inherently problematic for folks like me who don't fit into the gender binary and really don't like imposing those qualities -- because life is far more intricate than that. But that's a rant for another day, sorry.
I don't have many solid resources to recommend at the moment, because of these issues. I could be egotistical and say come to me at Wandering Jotun, because I'm designing it partially to help deal with this problem, but I don't want to set myself up as someone who can talk for everyone. I'm happy to discuss things and point folks to people I know, but that's about all I've got right now. I hope that's changing.
BookMusings: How and why did you create Wandering Jotun Crafts?
Nonir Amicitia: Wandering Jotun Crafts started as a blog and a few sets of prayer beads I made for myself. People started saying I could sell those (I've sold one set as of yet, haha), so I decided to give it a shot. From there, I started realizing there was much more I could be doing -- a niche of people like me who weren't really being served by a lot of traditional pagan services: people who are caught between the "woo" and being super practical; queer pagans and pagans of color; disabled and mentally ill pagans; pop culture pagans. So I sort of sat down, tossed some ideas around with my friends and spirit companions, and decided to go for it -- first with an Etsy shop, now with my own website, and hopefully expanding even more in the near future. Wandering Jotun has only really been A Thing for a year or so now, but I'm hoping that I can help create more resources and support for, as I say, the outcasts.
BookMusings: How do you create the sigil charms? And do you do custom charms?
Nonir Amicitia: Oh, my sigil charms are fun! I've been interested in sigil and bindrune work for a few years and have tested out a few different ways of creating them. For me, it tends to be more of an intuitive process, working with some of the shapes of words I want to include, some runes, and some light trance work, depending on what I want to accomplish and how much I already have in my mind.
They originally started when I was in a really toxic work environment and needed something to get me through the day. I started doodling sigils for particular causes in a notebook. A few months ago, I realized my Cricut could engrave aluminum and decided to test it out on the sigils. So I digitized them (the original ones are very messy; I can't draw a straight line to save my life), popped them into the machine, and colored the result to make it stand out a bit more. Not be biased or anything, but I absolutely love them.
And I do make custom charms! I'm actually working on a commissioned protection sigil tattoo right now. I charge $20 for the custom pieces, but I make sure the sigil is exactly what you want before engraving it, and include a digital copy for download.
BookMusings: What other projects are you working on?
Nonir Amictia: So many things! I'm working on some nerdy charms (some of which tie into my own pop culture practice and some that are just for fun), fanfiction for my pop culture source (that's a trip, let me tell you), a fantasy romance novella, a primer to pop culture paganism, a collection of hopefully poetry that may or may not make its way into a music album, some new divination reading techniques, and I'm tossing around an idea for a zine of some nature specifically for trans and nonbinary folks. I'm not very good at working on only one thing at a time, haha.
BookMusings: Which conventions, retreats, book fairs, or other events will you be attending in the foreseeable future?
Nonir Amicitia: The only thing I currently have for sure locked down is the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference in September, where I'll be teaching a workshop on fanfiction and one on writing characters that aren't cisgender. I'm hoping to get a table at Denver Pagan Pride and the Bizarre Bazaar on Small Business Saturday, but those haven't been confirmed yet. Other than that, if a certain trickster decides he wants more attention, I'll be holding a little release party for On the Tightrope ... sometime. I'll be sure to post details on the Wandering Jotun Tumblr or Facebook page, though, so if you're interested, make sure to give me a follow!
I drove past an egg tree in someone's front yard the other day: its exuberant colors against the dull early Spring Minnesota lands
Growing up I enjoyed them both with enthusiasm each in his own time. Nowadays the people who lived in the house before I moved in
