The Trickster Spirit Guide

In mythology and folklore the "Trickster" is a deity, a legendary being, an animal or nature spirit guide who plays tricks or employs other bemusing behaviors, designed to teach a lesson through the trickery. Sometimes their actions are seemingly malicious, but usually with ultimately beneficial results. Tricksters can be cunning or foolish or both and they are often funny or satirical, even when performing sacred or other important tasks.

The Trickster is an example of a Jungian Archetype. In modern literature the trickster survivors as a character archetype, not necessarily supernatural or divine. The Trickster is a god, yet is not. Trickster is the wise-fool who rebels against authority, pokes fun at the overly serious, creates convoluted schemes, that may or may not work, plays with the Laws of the Universe and is sometimes his own worst enemy.

The trickster is incarnated as a clever, mischievous creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as a defense. For example, many typical fairy tales have the king who wants to find the best groom for his daughter by challenging her suitors to undertake several deadly trials in order to to win her hand in marraige. No brave and noble challenger manages to overcomes the obstacles, until some poor nebbish comes along, who by using his wits instead of his might, evades or fools the monsters and evil-doers with cunning and trickery. He successfully completes the trials and in the end, this most unlikely hero passes the tests and receives the reward.

Many early cultures and traditions held clowns and tricksters as essential to any contact with the sacred, with many of their most revered shamans considered to be "divine fools". People could not pray until they had laughed, because laughter opens and frees from rigid preconception. Humans had to have tricksters within the most sacred ceremonies for fear that they forget the sacred comes through upset, reversal, surprise. The trickster in most tribal traditions is essential to the cycle of creation, death and rebirth. (The Fool survives in modern playing cards as the Joker).

The central role of the Trickster is to question, and to cause us to question, and not accept things blindly. He appears when a way of thinking becomes outmoded thereby needing to be torn down and built anew. He is the destroyer of worlds at the same time as he is the savior of them.

The trickster is an alchemist and a magician, manifesting realities in the duality of time and illusion.  Trickster is the teacher, when you attract lessons into one's life. With his lessons, he awakens us to who we are and allows us to explore the true purpose of our soul's journey in the holographic experience through which we experience consciously at this level of awareness. 

His energy allows us to break out of old stereotypes, whether they've been imposed by ourselves, our families, our culture, or circumstance. This is the energy that opens the world of limitless possibilities and it behooves us all to work with it before it destroys us, to touch the Trickster as he touches us.

Kokopelli

 Kokopelli is a kachina and one of the most well known of the world's Trickster spirits, originating from ancient American Indian mythology and he is a prominent figure in Hopi legends. The figure represents a mischievous trickster or the minstrel spirit of music.  (The tarot card "The Fool") Kokopelli is considered a symbol of fertility who brought well-being to the people, assuring success in hunting, planting and growing crops, and human conception.

His likeness varies almost as much as his legends. He is usually shown as a humpbacked flute player, often with a large phallus and antenna-like protrusions on his head. Some images show knobby knees and clubfeet. It is thought by some that Kokopelli's humpback may have evolved from a sack that was slung over his shoulders.

The sack may have contained goods for trade. This is based upon the beliefs that Kokopelli represented early Aztec traders, known as Potchecas, from Meso-America. These salesmen would travel from the cities of the Maya and Aztec with their goods in sacks slung across their backs. These traders also used their flutes to announce themselves as they approached a settlement.

More commonly, it is thought that Kokopelli's sack was full of gifts. According to a Hopi myth, Kokopelli's sack contained babies to be left with young women. At San Idelfonso, a Pueblo village, Kokopelli is thought to be a wandering minstrel with a sack of songs on his back who trades old songs for new. According to Navajo legend, Kokopelli is a god of harvest and plenty. It is thought that his sack was made of clouds full of rainbows or seeds.

Coyote

Coyote is well known in many American Indian stories. In some tribes such as the Navajo, he is hailed as a hero. In these legends, he is credited with helping humans by stealing fire and killing monsters. Stories involving coyote always depict him as male and are told during the winter months.

His willingness to help humanity is always beneficial to himself as well and involves deception and mischief. In these stories, the purpose of coyote is to teach sacred and spiritual morals; he can be both funny or fearsome and is said to have been an ancient being that existed from the beginning of time. In contrary, the Navajo also believe the coyote to be a bad omen. If coyote crosses your path, you must not continue your journey as he is considered a symbol of unfortunate events to befall you in future. Although the coyote can be paradoxical and difficult to categorize, the message of the coyote trickster can teach much.

The coyote spirit animal makes its presence known when you feel like one has lost their way. The coyote symbolism signifies the answers to your problems that often come in ways and forms that are least expected. The coyote can live anywhere and can be found everywhere. It is not fussy and can survive in the desert, the beach, the forest, and the mountains because it learns to be a part of the environment as it continues to change over time!

Coyote reminds us of the consequences of our behavior and teaches us to enjoy life through his humour and wit. He balances us with his intelligence and child like nature. Most of all, coyote shows us how to laugh at ourselves and adapt to whatever life throws our way.

 Spirit Guide Links