Loki is a god that many point out occupies a difficult to fully comprehend position within the Norse pantheon. He is a god of transgression and reparations. He is a god who speaks truths that no one wants to hear and is well known for his lies. Loki is both part of the inner society of the Aesir and an outsider at the same time. To say that he is a god of contradictions is to over simplify things.
The Sky-Treader occupies a place where he is in between all these things. He is similar to Janus of the Roman pantheon, albeit only with respect to he is a god of liminal spaces. He is a god of places where transition happens. He is not exactly the one who draws the line in the sand as much as he is the one who stands right on it and says, "So, what are you going to do? I haven't crossed it with more than my toes."
Loki is a god that encourages us to grow past our self drawn limitations. For a time, I was phobic of spiders to the point that I would cry out and cover my eyes if I had even seen a little one. Loki made a point one year of making me face that phobia, that self drawn line in the sand (a subconscious line, but a line none the less). We were inundated with spiders. They were randomly dropping down out of the ceiling. They got into the pantry. They made massive, complex webs across the front porch and in the tree out front. They were, quite literally, unavoidable. I had to force myself to look at what the big deal with spiders was for me.
Through that experience of forced exposure therapy, I have come to where I don't panic at the sight of a spider now. I get uncomfortable and a bit anxious, but I don't panic. The limitation that I had placed on myself was that I had to avoid spiders to be safe. I was thrust over that line in the sand with a hearty push to realize that while I'm not comfortable with spiders, most of them in and around our home are safe. This is but one of the experiences like that which Loki has provided me in facing my fears.
The trick with crossing lines is knowing what the cost is and if it is worth it. And, in some cases, how to talk your way out of someone getting a bit extreme in their interpretation of the line. After all, Loki promised Brock and Sindri his head, not one inch of his neck, and he reminded them of it. Fast talk is one of his gifts, as is a keen wit. Put the two together, you can get out of just about any sticky situation.
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