Reclaiming the Priestess

Most religions and spiritual structures have been taken over and dominated by the masculine. The centerpiece of the patriarchy is the church. By controlling the narrative of the blueprint of humanity, through stories, deities, and myths, the religious organizations have managed to infiltrate the very core of beliefs. Beliefs create reality, so thus, there has been an intention of creating a reality dominated by masculine energies. Many of us know that this is a blatant and perverted intention. And many of us believe the time has come for this to change. The rising of the feminine presence on this Earth: both in the form of women, and the planet are rising up out of the ashes of oppression. One of the ways it is rising is a reclamation of the path of the Goddess, the path of the Mother, the path of Her. For the most part, the feminine essence of divinity has been left out of the stories, and worst yet, the little pieces of the feminine that have been put in the stories, are often negative, diminishing, and insulting.

During this time of great change, there is a new story emerging: Herstory. It goes back to ancient times when the Mother was venerated and honored in the center of our lives. And now, that ancient story is getting re-woven into our fabric. It has been lost, it has been suppressed, on purpose, to make rise of a patriarchal power system.

For many of us, we have been remembering this time. We have been healing our ancestral roots. We have been gathering in circles, singing the songs, praying, and reconnecting to rites and rituals of our past. And as we do so, we are remembering who we are.

Many of us have the bloodline of Priestesses. We have a soul as someone who has walked a holy path. And we have been devoted to the essence of the Mother in all her forms:

Priestesses of Isis, Priestesses of Aphrodite, Priestesses of Demeter, Priestesses of Brighid, Priestesses of Minerva, Priestesses of Hathor….the list is endless. This period of time, this way of being, this tradition, rooted in the honoring of Her is a calling to many of us.
We are re-membering.

Part of this website for me, of communicating who and what I am, is a reclamation of the Priestess.

To reclaim a tradition that was illegitimized.
And a way that was twisted and cast out of the story.
To stand in the truth that this tradition was almost eradicated from humanity.
The burning times were one of the largest genocides in history.
It was a blatant attempt to wipe out the ways of magic, the ways of the “pagans”, the ways of the holy ones.
It was a blatant attempt to pervert the story of Mary Magdalene, and the feminine aspect of Christ consciousness.
A blatant perversion to leave the Mother in the doctrine, which the people wanted, while silencing Her and taking Her name out of the holy trinity.
And it worked.
Our system is not in harmony or balance.
The patriarchy caused the masculine to dominate, which in turn injured both the feminine and masculine energies in humanity.
And like all things, it may be just about time.

The ways of the Mother are returning.
She is rising out of silence,
To bring the teachings of the divine feminine into our lives.
She speaks of the holy trinity as Father, Mother, and Child.
So we can reach unity and freedom.

Some of us have the soul of ones who have devoted our lives again and again to Her.
We are Her embodiments on this Earth.
And we have come back to usher in a New Way, seeped in the Ancient Traditions.
Because there is something inside our spirits that remember.

I believe I am one of those souls.
The first time I entered a circle, and heard a circle song,
I knew I was home.

So yet again, I dedicate and devote my life to Her teachings and Her way.
I do my best in these modern times to bring back the rites and rituals of my lineage.
I do my best to honor the ways of the past, and weave them into the current times.
And I do my best to stand in belief, of what I know to be true in my heart.

Past all of the limited thoughts, all the bullshit beliefs handed to me:
That women are born of sin
That women are the cause of all that is evil.
That women are only holy if they are silent and a virgin.
That women need to be “saved”.
That Priestesses are prostitutes.
That pleasure of a woman is a temptation of the devil.
That being someone of magic is wrong and will be prosecuted.

I remember a deep calling in my heart.
I remember the truth.
I remember that I am Priestess.
And I remember my sacred worth.
I remember when Priestesses were honored.
I remember when the path of the sacred started and ended with Her.
I remember when the temples were places of healing and love.
I remember when sexuality was holy, and a way of connecting with divine.
I remember the way home.

The Power of Circles

 
The form of the circle is one of the primordial symbols, used to represent community, connection, healing, cycles, gentleness, and openings. It is often the symbol of the feminine and nature.

The formation of a circle for healing can be a potent way of gaining deeper access to yourself by being in connection with others. Circles are intentional, and when we show up with the same intention, magic happens. For many people, the healing of shame is the cornerstone of their journey. One of the most powerful ways to banish shame, is to illuminate it with others. There is a lot of healing we can do on our own, and there is a lot that we can not. Being in a circle together to heal can help us to be seen, witnessed, and supported as we reach further towards love. Circles also build a sense of community and connection, which feels paramount in us overcoming isolation and feeling alone. When we feel connected and held by others, it can often open inner landscapes of healing that otherwise are hard to access.

I believe in the power of the circle. In a world of many squares, I believe the circle is a key to humanity balancing the feminine and masculine energies of life. I believe in the way of the ancient peoples of the Earth built so many structures in a circle form, and I feel dedicated to bringing back that symbol into our fabric whenever we can. In many ways, it feels like a time of circling the square, and softening the edges.

My beliefs about money

 
It’s been a journey for me to find a way to be at peace with money being inside of spiritual and healing offerings. In a system where everything has been commodified, and many things are exploited, it has left me searching for how to best navigate with integrity and honor intact.

The basis of our current form of capitalism is the intention for anyone to create a business they want to, regardless of how that business may impact our society and the world as a whole. This ego-centric view has caused major exploitation, a blatant disregard of precious resources, and a bypassing of our effect on the Earth. I don’t agree with this form, and continuously hope we can grow here, to create a more sustainable model, with deep consideration of the Earth, other people, and our business’ impact on the whole.
I believe we are heading towards this, and it has been at a large cost. We are still having to stand up against big business that continue to take and take without morality in place. And, at the same time, we are seeing more companies forming that are building economies with the future of our planet’s health at the center of what they are doing.

In my own way, and in my own exploration, it has been hard for me to align with the current system we are in, and how to best make my offerings with reciprocity in place. I believe in reciprocity, I believe in exchange. I also want to make my offerings accessible, as I believe healing and spirituality are our birthright.

So for someone that is in exploration of how to be in integrity, and also welcome in reciprocity, I am going to change the current model within my own offerings. I believe that even when we change a small thing, we are beginning to move in a different direction.

I have landed on offering sliding scales for all of my offerings. I believe this provides agency and choice, and also can meet the individual where they are. I believe money, like many things, has a different value for different people. I don’t believe it is fixed.

I also value other forms of barter and exchange.

I value what I do, and I value all the teachers who came before me.And I value reciprocity.

I also value accessibility, and agency.

Sliding scales, and welcoming barter/exchange seem to meet a middle place for me, so I will start there….