I am very fond of tricksters. That fondness has not always been here. While it is not exactly recent, it has been slow to ripen into my present affection.
I feel particularly warm towards Old Man Coyote (Raven and Crow, too). Old Man Coyote has been much maligned by good society. He’s an opportunist and a rascal. He’s also loyal, playful. and often kind. Not that he doesn’t disrupt the ease and calm of everyday life. He does that for sure. He just does his best to get through life, creating and recreating the world and our fortunes as he goes. That seems to upset some folks who decide Old Man Coyote is no good, maybe he’s even evil.
Seems to me such a position misses the mark. Old Man is more complex than that.
Michael Melville posted a piece about Old Man this week. It’s a good read.
Coyote’s Synchronous Windfalls
December 6, 2012 by Michael J. Melville
My amazingly true and synchronous stories began with the entrance of the Native American Trickster, Coyote. Well that’s not true, or maybe it is, maybe I just didn’t know Coyote was behind me all my life. It is like I have been riding on his magic carpet since I was a child. I just didn’t know who or what to blame for all the crazy dreams, psychic abilities, and unsolicited life stories people told me. Well I guess that’s one of the problems of being a good listener. My Grandfather was a coyote. I used to sit with him and listen to him tell me all sorts of wonderful stories. But no one knew he was a coyote. He never confessed he was. I had to figure that out on my own.
In case you are not familiar with Coyote, I should begin by saying that he/she is a fabulous character in Native American myths and legends. Coyote is a Trickster, who often plays tricks on himself while thinking he is tricking one of our four-legged relatives. A creative spirit, Coyote is the one who made us humans. I guess Coyote was bored one day, so he created us to entertain himself. He amuses himself by putting us into embarrassing situations to see what we will do. Often we surprise him, so he gets a good laugh as he plays with us.
Thanks, Michael!
Dreaming the World 
Michael,
I enjoyed reading about Old Man Coyote. Thanks for sharing.
bw
In Tibetan Buddhism you sometimes hear about the dakinis, who are playful and creative and chaos-inducing. It sounds a lot like a masculine version of that.
Yes, I think those energies are recognized by many religions and practices, and given other names. Those beings sure make life interesting.