Becoming a Priestess
This
article is dedicated to those who wish to work with the Goddess in a
deeper way, to those who are being called by her and feel ready to
embrace her fully. Though I have named the article "Becoming a
Priestess", by no means do I intend to exclude men from becoming priests
of the Goddess, for the Goddess
loves all her children, male and female equally. To deny men the
opportunity to become priests of the Goddess would be just as
chauvinistic and selfish as the mainstream religions are in denying
women the right to become priestesses of their male gods. So let us not
lower ourselves to the same level as those chauvinists and become female
chauvinist ourselves! Purely for the sake of simplicity and for the
simple reason that more women seem to be drawn to the Goddess than men, I
am going to stick to the term "priestess" throughout this article. So,
you male readers, bear with me, and just substitute "priest" for
"priestess".
Soul-Searching
Before embarking on the journey of becoming a priestess of the Goddess,
you should have total clarity that this is really what you want.
Becoming a priestess of the Goddess is a very serious undertaking. And
though being a priestess opens you up to working with the Goddess in a
much deeper way, and brings you special powers, it also requires
sacrifice and responsibility. And, last not least, you will be tested!
Unlike in school, there is no cheating and getting away with it, nor
repeating the test if you fail. You have only one try for each lifetime,
and if you fail you will not be able to be a priestess of the Goddess
in this life. You will then have to wait until your next incarnation to
try again, and you will likely have to carry the shame of having failed
as well.
So let us begin with some soul-searching. I suggest you do this when you are undisturbed for at least an hour. Take a piece of paper and ask yourself the following questions, then write down anything that comes to mind. Why do you want to become a priestess of the Goddess?
So let us begin with some soul-searching. I suggest you do this when you are undisturbed for at least an hour. Take a piece of paper and ask yourself the following questions, then write down anything that comes to mind. Why do you want to become a priestess of the Goddess?
- Is it because you love the Goddess and want her to be more present in your life? Because you want to work with her more deeply in your magick? Or is it because you crave the title of "priestess", because you can then brag with it? Or maybe you have some ideas that being a priestess will give you an additional income from Pagan hand fasting ceremonies, etc? Thoroughly examine all your motives!
- What is it you really seek when you think of becoming a priestess of the Goddess?
Is it to become closer to the Goddess or to flatter your ego? Do you seek magick or greater power? Spiritual growth? Do you seek union with All-that is? Or authority over your own life? Do you want to be the creator of your own reality?
Are You on the Ego Trip?
Ego
is a big problem not only on the spiritual path, but in other walks of
life as well. Did you know that a majority of people when asked in which
way they are special or better than others, answered they were more
spiritual than others? Spiritual pride is one of the worst ego
afflictions. When you go to any "spiritual" gathering you can find
plenty of examples of people on the ego trip, people who talk a lot
about how spiritual they are, but don't put in any actual work nor do
any spiritual practices.
Shortly after I had self-realisation, when I was still deeply immersed in the Oneness that allows no falsehoods to be spoken (by the self-realised person or anybody in their presence), I met a man who told me he wanted to be a spiritual teacher. When I asked him what qualifications he had, he admitted that he had never done any meditation nor other spiritual practices! He then went on to complain how badly God was managing this world and that he could do it better! That is ego of the worst kind!
To work with the Goddess you will have to do more than talking, you will have to do the actual walking of the path -- which can be a hard and rocky road. And to succeed in spiritual growth of any kind you have to make sure that you get your ego under your control and not the other way around. Ego loves titles, rank and certificates. It likes to be special and better than others, more spiritual! Beware, if you let ego run the show you will soon lose your powers, because ego always destroys what you are most proud of! In other words, if you are on the ego trip, ego will trip you up!
Working with the Goddess is the path to power, and before great power is bestowed on you, the Goddess will test you. Complete surrender to the Goddess is the way of getting through those tests. Surrender to the divine is the key to everything, including to self-realisation. And, best of all, surrender is the best ego-antidote! When you are mature enough great power can be bestowed on you -- but you must prove yourself worthy first! And the greater the potential power, the harder the tests are likely to be. Now don't think I want to scare you off! I really do want more people to work with the Goddess, but I have seen quite a few people failing because they weren't ready to confront their own weaknesses, unwilling to give up their rigid belief system, or because they were tripped up by ego. Below are some extreme examples of how ego operates. Hopefully these will drive home the point and make you re-evaluate your motives for working with the Goddess.
Now let us assume that you have done your soul-searching and ego is not your main motivation. Read on about the process of becoming a priestess. However I would like to add here that in any case -- even if your ego seems not much of a problem -- it pays off to do regular maturing of the ego on a weekly basis. This will help you avoid ego's trap and possibly having a serious spiritual fall (which could involve losing all your hard earned powers)! More about the maturing of the ego later...
Shortly after I had self-realisation, when I was still deeply immersed in the Oneness that allows no falsehoods to be spoken (by the self-realised person or anybody in their presence), I met a man who told me he wanted to be a spiritual teacher. When I asked him what qualifications he had, he admitted that he had never done any meditation nor other spiritual practices! He then went on to complain how badly God was managing this world and that he could do it better! That is ego of the worst kind!
To work with the Goddess you will have to do more than talking, you will have to do the actual walking of the path -- which can be a hard and rocky road. And to succeed in spiritual growth of any kind you have to make sure that you get your ego under your control and not the other way around. Ego loves titles, rank and certificates. It likes to be special and better than others, more spiritual! Beware, if you let ego run the show you will soon lose your powers, because ego always destroys what you are most proud of! In other words, if you are on the ego trip, ego will trip you up!
Working with the Goddess is the path to power, and before great power is bestowed on you, the Goddess will test you. Complete surrender to the Goddess is the way of getting through those tests. Surrender to the divine is the key to everything, including to self-realisation. And, best of all, surrender is the best ego-antidote! When you are mature enough great power can be bestowed on you -- but you must prove yourself worthy first! And the greater the potential power, the harder the tests are likely to be. Now don't think I want to scare you off! I really do want more people to work with the Goddess, but I have seen quite a few people failing because they weren't ready to confront their own weaknesses, unwilling to give up their rigid belief system, or because they were tripped up by ego. Below are some extreme examples of how ego operates. Hopefully these will drive home the point and make you re-evaluate your motives for working with the Goddess.
-
The Fast and Easy Road to Glory?
When I was younger I had an American friend, a quiet humble man, who was a black belt Tae Kwon Do teacher and had his own martial arts school. He told me from his experience that few people are committed to diligently practising Tae Kwon Do regularly. Instead he was frequently plagued by requests from people who seriously wanted to take a weekend course from bloody beginner to black belt, and then open their own school immediately! You do not become a martial arts master in two days -- nor a priestess of the Goddess! But ego likes the titles, likes to be important and impress others! If you want to be a martial arts expert, expect to put a lot of hard work into practice. It takes dedication, and so does becoming a priestess of the Goddess!
You will have to put in quite a lot of hard work to earn not only the title of priestess but also the power that goes with it. Some of what you have to go through will be painful, maybe more painful than the blows you get when practising martial arts, for emotional pain is often more difficult to bear than physical pain. Are you willing to put in the effort? Are you willing to take the pain? Will you have the patience and endurance needed? For it won't be done in a weekend. It will take at least nine weeks, plus probably another week or so for preparation. Sometimes it can take much longer. With my last Goddess it took me over a year to complete the process as I had to work through many painful layers of trauma and resistance. There is no fast and easy way, expect blood, sweat and tears!
Rule no. 1 on the spiritual path is: no pain, no gain! -
Don't Jump in the Water if You can't Swim!
One of my clients who worked as a lifeguard told me that there was a shortage of lifeguards in spite of many applications. As it turned out many of the applicants were either poor swimmers or couldn’t swim at all! I was laughing tears over it, but actually this is very sad. How arrogant and stupid is it to play at being lifeguard when you can barely tread water? It is just as arrogant and irresponsible as playing spiritual teacher or priestess when you haven’t got the inner qualities needed. People can get hurt, they may drown spiritually as well, which is worse than the loss of the physical body, as it can ruin more than one lifetime for them.
Therefore observe rule no 2: Practice before you preach!
As swimming skills are the most basic qualification for a lifeguard, devotion is the most important quality in a priestess. Without devotion you will drown in the deep turbulent waters of the spiritual challenges and cathartic life changes sure to come your way once you align yourself with the Goddess. So make sure you have what it takes before you begin this process!
Which brings us to rule no. 3: Look before you leap!
Before becoming a priestess you have to be at least a devotee of the Goddess! A priestess without devotion is as impossible as a lifeguard who cannot swim, or a bird without wings. So ask yourself whether you really love the Goddess with all your heart? Are you willing to give everything, do whatever it takes to become her priestess? You may have to get rid of some of your favourite beliefs that you are holding onto like a drowning man to straw. Do you have the courage? Are you willing to let go of the old and embrace change? Do you know how to surrender?
In the process you may have to deal with emotions that you have been suppressing for many years. I have seen people run and drop out of workshops when the topic emotions came up. To put it bluntly, you cannot work magick when you are an emotional cripple. You need your full range of emotions for magick, and to be whole. The Goddess wants you to be whole, so she will push your buttons. So be ready to embrace whatever comes up.
Sometimes when those suppressed emotions and traumatic memories come up, you may feel like you are drowning in an ocean of pain. Are you brave enough to face your pain? Or have you got a habit of numbing out with alcohol, drugs, or watching TV, in other words, a loser mentality? You cannot be a numbed out priestess of the Goddess, nor have a loser mentality if you want to be successful on this path (more about what distinguishes a winner from a loser here: Be a Winner). To become a powerful priestess of the Goddess you will have to embrace all things! Yes, even death has to be embraced on this path to wholeness! You have to be a warrior not a wimp to succeed. And you need to develop true inner strength. As you need to strengthen yourself before plunging into ice-cold water, you should develop such qualities as courage and surrender as well as deep devotion and faith in the Goddess before you even start your devotional period -- or you may not be able to get through your challenge successfully. -
A Pentacle doesn't Make a Priestess yet
A shaman friend of mine once conducted a sweat lodge ceremony. Among the participants was a woman who called herself a priestess of the Goddess. She was hung with pentacles like a Christmas tree, so my friend said. Yet she was the first one to leave the sweat lodge -- screaming! She said she couldn't take the darkness in the sweat lodge! If you are afraid of the dark, then you have not fully understood the Goddess, nor embraced your own shadow! Integrating one's shadow is a must when working with the Goddess.
The Goddess is both light and dark. But in terms of polarity or Yin and Yang, the male gods hold the solar power, the light of day and consciousness, while the Goddess, feminine divinity, represents the darkness, the night and the unconscious. Her power is in the darkness of the void, represented also in the fertile darkness of the womb. Her power is mysterious and hence shrouded in darkness. How will you embrace the power of the Goddess when you fear her darkness?
And don't think the Goddess will let you get away with it. Sooner or later when you are working with the Goddess she is going to push you into your own shadow and force you to confront your own inner darkness. The Goddess does this not because she is cruel, but because she wants to make you whole. And to be whole you have to integrate your shadow as well. So if “dark things” freak you out, you are not embracing the Goddess fully, and this means you aren't ready yet to become her priestess. Face up to your fears first and do some shadow work!
Ask yourself also whether you are really ready to embrace the Goddess in her dark aspect as well, not just as the benign loving mother, but as the death crone, too. Can you do that? Are you willing to embrace your own inner dark? Can you face death? Do not be like this woman who brings shame on the title of priestess. Wearing the outer trappings of a priestess doesn't make you into one. You may fool a few gullible people but anybody with real power will see you for what you are: a hypocrite and wimp in priestess garb! If you want to be a priestess of the Goddess then you have to develop the inner qualities as well, you have to act like a priestess at all times. And most of all, you must be a priestess in your heart, totally devoted to the Goddess and living the Goddess Way every day of your life, rain or shine. Whatever happens, you should let all your actions and decisions be guided by the Goddess!
Now let us assume that you have done your soul-searching and ego is not your main motivation. Read on about the process of becoming a priestess. However I would like to add here that in any case -- even if your ego seems not much of a problem -- it pays off to do regular maturing of the ego on a weekly basis. This will help you avoid ego's trap and possibly having a serious spiritual fall (which could involve losing all your hard earned powers)! More about the maturing of the ego later...
Finding Your Goddess
So
you have done your homework and feel that you truly wish to work with
the Goddess and that you love her with all your heart. You are also sure
that you have the devotion, courage and tenacity needed to succeed in
this endeavour. You are determined to meet your challenges when they
present themselves and you are willing to embrace change and your own
inner darkness. Yes? Good! Now the next step on your journey to becoming
a priestess is to find out which particular goddess to serve. For the
Goddess is one and yet many! Any form of the Goddess is good to worship,
but, if you can find one that you resonate with, it will be so much
easier.
There are various ways of choosing a goddess. The first one is by attraction. You may already feel drawn to a particular goddess or have an existing relationship with one, and that is a valid and good way of choosing. Again, even in your choice of goddess, make sure that it is not ego drawing you to a particular goddess, but true devotion and hopefully a deep urge to serve this particular goddess.
The second method is by divination of past life connections. We all have served various gods and goddesses in past lives. Maybe you were a priestess in the temple of Athena in Greece? Or served Isis in Egypt? Some of you may know your past lives, most of you probably don't. When you are reconnecting with a goddess that you served in a past life, you will recover your previous spiritual and psychic powers as well. I can assist you in finding out which goddess is the right one for you by doing a Psychic Goddess Reading for you. I get my information right from the source, not by laying out tarot cards or Goddess cards, which is a very limited method because you are then limited by the goddesses portrayed on those cards. Quite often I receive names of goddesses that I have never heard of, yet the readings later prove very accurate when the priestesses-to-be develop a deep relationship with those goddesses.
A third method of choosing is by the power you want to acquire or develop further. For, example, you may choose Isis because you wish to be a greater healer, or Sekhmet because you have been a victim of black magick and need to win against demonic forces. This way you choose the Goddess which you need most in your life at this moment. Do not be afraid of making a wrong decision. You do not have to choose one among the many to the exclusion of all others for all time. Once you have successfully finished your first devotional period you may do another to become a priestess of a second or third goddess -- if you so choose. But be aware, there will be a challenge each time, and quite often the challenges get harder as you go, because you are also opening yourself up to greater power. It helps if you can find your primary goddess first, and become her priestess before you start working with other goddesses. But this is not an absolute must.
I feel this third method of choosing is the weakest, because ego can creep in easily, as well as confusion! I feel the best way of choosing a personal goddess to serve, is to either already have an existing emotional bond, or get a reliable psychic reading from a true priestess of the Goddess who has worked with this method of initiation. Do not go to see the next tarot reader, you are likely to go wrong! If you need help with choosing your personal goddesses, I can always get the information for you from the Goddess herself for a fee. Please book a Psychic Goddess Reading on the Divination page.
There are various ways of choosing a goddess. The first one is by attraction. You may already feel drawn to a particular goddess or have an existing relationship with one, and that is a valid and good way of choosing. Again, even in your choice of goddess, make sure that it is not ego drawing you to a particular goddess, but true devotion and hopefully a deep urge to serve this particular goddess.
The second method is by divination of past life connections. We all have served various gods and goddesses in past lives. Maybe you were a priestess in the temple of Athena in Greece? Or served Isis in Egypt? Some of you may know your past lives, most of you probably don't. When you are reconnecting with a goddess that you served in a past life, you will recover your previous spiritual and psychic powers as well. I can assist you in finding out which goddess is the right one for you by doing a Psychic Goddess Reading for you. I get my information right from the source, not by laying out tarot cards or Goddess cards, which is a very limited method because you are then limited by the goddesses portrayed on those cards. Quite often I receive names of goddesses that I have never heard of, yet the readings later prove very accurate when the priestesses-to-be develop a deep relationship with those goddesses.
A third method of choosing is by the power you want to acquire or develop further. For, example, you may choose Isis because you wish to be a greater healer, or Sekhmet because you have been a victim of black magick and need to win against demonic forces. This way you choose the Goddess which you need most in your life at this moment. Do not be afraid of making a wrong decision. You do not have to choose one among the many to the exclusion of all others for all time. Once you have successfully finished your first devotional period you may do another to become a priestess of a second or third goddess -- if you so choose. But be aware, there will be a challenge each time, and quite often the challenges get harder as you go, because you are also opening yourself up to greater power. It helps if you can find your primary goddess first, and become her priestess before you start working with other goddesses. But this is not an absolute must.
I feel this third method of choosing is the weakest, because ego can creep in easily, as well as confusion! I feel the best way of choosing a personal goddess to serve, is to either already have an existing emotional bond, or get a reliable psychic reading from a true priestess of the Goddess who has worked with this method of initiation. Do not go to see the next tarot reader, you are likely to go wrong! If you need help with choosing your personal goddesses, I can always get the information for you from the Goddess herself for a fee. Please book a Psychic Goddess Reading on the Divination page.
Getting to Know Her
Once you have chosen your Goddess -- or she has chosen you -- you should try to find out as much as possible about her. Read her stories, look at her images, find out what her sacred animals and plants are, her sacred colours and symbols, what offerings she likes, what type of incense etc. There is a wealth of information on many of the Goddesses hidden away in mythology. It is easy to find information on goddesses of the Greek pantheon, and on some of the Egyptian goddesses, such as Isis. But there are other goddesses whose stories and rituals have become lost. Thanks to agents of evil burning down the ancient spiritual library in Alexandria, we have lost a wealth of Goddess and magickal lore. When you work closely with the Goddess she may reveal some of this lost knowledge to you again, as she has done for me. This is called reclaiming.
But to start you off with your devotional period, you need to know as much as possible about your chosen goddess. You will need to write prayers to her, so you need to know what she is all about, how to address her, her titles, her powers and stories, so you can praise her properly and make the right offerings. Also meditate on how this goddess' power and her story relates to you, in your life. If for example you are a single mother and you have chosen to worship Isis, then this be very relevant, as Isis had to bring up Horus on her own also, and suffered much and had many obstacles to overcome. You can draw strength and inspiration from the stories of the Goddess.
Before going on to the next step I suggest that you write down all her titles on a separate piece of paper, because this will help you with the next step, which is...
But to start you off with your devotional period, you need to know as much as possible about your chosen goddess. You will need to write prayers to her, so you need to know what she is all about, how to address her, her titles, her powers and stories, so you can praise her properly and make the right offerings. Also meditate on how this goddess' power and her story relates to you, in your life. If for example you are a single mother and you have chosen to worship Isis, then this be very relevant, as Isis had to bring up Horus on her own also, and suffered much and had many obstacles to overcome. You can draw strength and inspiration from the stories of the Goddess.
Before going on to the next step I suggest that you write down all her titles on a separate piece of paper, because this will help you with the next step, which is...
Prayer Writing
Next
you will write seven prayers to the Goddess. These prayers should
express your devotion and love to the Goddess, but in seven different
ways. Seven being the number of initiation, and a very mystical number,
these prayers prepare you for initiation, which can follow as soon as
you have finished your devotional period and met your challenge. The
seven prayers highlight your relationship to the Goddess in seven
different aspects, such as the Goddess as your mother, the Goddess as
your friend, your relationship with her as a priestess, etc. I am not
going to give you the exact contents of those seven prayers here on the
web, as otherwise this sacred method may become profaned. But those who
really make a commitment to the Goddess, and speak to me personally, can
be given full instructions to work towards becoming priestesses of the
Goddess. Note: this has to be done under supervision, as there has to be
absolute clarity that you have truly met your challenge before you can
be initiated. The seven prayers also have to be written in a specific
order.
Quite often issues already start coming up during the prayer writing process. I remember with one of the goddesses I am now a priestess of, I had huge problems writing the mother prayer. That was because at that time I had serious issues going on with my physical mother. I was stuck on that prayer for weeks and couldn't get it right. As I resolved some of my internal conflicts I could then write the prayer and progress to the next one. You have to understand that this method of becoming a priestess is a very sacred and powerful magickal process. From the moment that you decide to become a priestess of a specific goddess, resistance is going to come up! You will have to persevere, no matter how big the obstacles. So don't be surprised if already during the prayer writing all kind of things happen to hinder you from completing your prayers, or to make you think that now is not the time in your life to do a devotional period to the Goddess, etc.
The prayers should be written to the best of your abilities. If you are good at writing in rhyme, by all means do so. Quite a few goddesses appreciate being praised poetically! They also appreciate the effort you make. If you think your poetry is lousy, do the best you can with your abilities. Rhyming is not the most important part of the prayers, devotion is. When I wrote my first Goddess prayers they didn't rhyme at all, but they followed a specific format and were poetic in their own way. At that time I was very daunted by the idea of having to write poetry, which I had never done in my life before. With each successive devotional period my prayer style improved. My second Goddess prayers I wrote partially in rhyme. When I wrote my third set of prayers I managed to do them fully in rhyme. Now I am on my fifth devotional period and these prayers do not just rhyme but they are fully in song, each with its own melody. I am telling you this, in case you are like me and think that you are hopeless at writing poetry. Take heart, practice makes perfect!
Quite often issues already start coming up during the prayer writing process. I remember with one of the goddesses I am now a priestess of, I had huge problems writing the mother prayer. That was because at that time I had serious issues going on with my physical mother. I was stuck on that prayer for weeks and couldn't get it right. As I resolved some of my internal conflicts I could then write the prayer and progress to the next one. You have to understand that this method of becoming a priestess is a very sacred and powerful magickal process. From the moment that you decide to become a priestess of a specific goddess, resistance is going to come up! You will have to persevere, no matter how big the obstacles. So don't be surprised if already during the prayer writing all kind of things happen to hinder you from completing your prayers, or to make you think that now is not the time in your life to do a devotional period to the Goddess, etc.
The prayers should be written to the best of your abilities. If you are good at writing in rhyme, by all means do so. Quite a few goddesses appreciate being praised poetically! They also appreciate the effort you make. If you think your poetry is lousy, do the best you can with your abilities. Rhyming is not the most important part of the prayers, devotion is. When I wrote my first Goddess prayers they didn't rhyme at all, but they followed a specific format and were poetic in their own way. At that time I was very daunted by the idea of having to write poetry, which I had never done in my life before. With each successive devotional period my prayer style improved. My second Goddess prayers I wrote partially in rhyme. When I wrote my third set of prayers I managed to do them fully in rhyme. Now I am on my fifth devotional period and these prayers do not just rhyme but they are fully in song, each with its own melody. I am telling you this, in case you are like me and think that you are hopeless at writing poetry. Take heart, practice makes perfect!
How not to Do It...
In
the end the content of the prayers and the devotion expressed is much
more important than the style and format and whether or not they rhyme.
However, remember, these prayers are meant to be devotional, which means
they should express your love and devotion to the Goddess. Therefore
they shouldn't be in a "give me, give me!" format, but rather express
your love and a sense of worship towards the Goddess. The prayers are
normally kept secret anyway, so don't be embarrassed if your style isn't
perfect. However, some of my students have showed me their prayers and
asked whether they were good enough. So I can share with you some
humorous examples of what you should not write -- anonymously, of
course. One person wrote in the mother prayer, "O Goddess, you have
constantly worried over me for many lifetimes!" As I pointed out to him,
goddesses don't worry, but his idea was that a good mother worries
ceaselessly. In another funny prayer the heart of the Goddess was
compared with a sea monster (no, this was not a prayer to a dragon
Goddess!). One aspirant gave the love prayer a sexual slant with "you
satisfy my thighs!" Her concept of love was obviously limited to sexual
gratification. She had to rewrite the prayer.
Whatever you write make sure it doesn't offend the Goddess. Really feel the greatness of the Goddess instead of projecting human weaknesses onto her. The Goddess doesn't have human hang-ups, so don't superimpose them on her! Here is a good example of superimposition: a devotee's mother prayer went along the lines of "Goddess, you are very nurturing and not belittling at all (like my own mother)!" This shows how the prayer writing process brings up all kind of issues. If you have never been nurtured and loved by your mother it is obviously more difficult to write a good mother prayer, because mother for you may mean a cruel and cold woman who belittles you and tramples all over you.
Whatever you write make sure it doesn't offend the Goddess. Really feel the greatness of the Goddess instead of projecting human weaknesses onto her. The Goddess doesn't have human hang-ups, so don't superimpose them on her! Here is a good example of superimposition: a devotee's mother prayer went along the lines of "Goddess, you are very nurturing and not belittling at all (like my own mother)!" This shows how the prayer writing process brings up all kind of issues. If you have never been nurtured and loved by your mother it is obviously more difficult to write a good mother prayer, because mother for you may mean a cruel and cold woman who belittles you and tramples all over you.
Getting It Right
How
do you know when you have got it right? You feel it in your heart. The
prayers will be uplifting, empowering and soul-stirring when they are
written correctly. You will feel deep emotion and devotion when you pray
them. The key phrase is: "to the best of your ability", it doesn't
matter how good or poor the prayers are compared with somebody else's
but they have to be the best that you can do. So if you feel you could
have done it better, or that a prayer can still be improved, then work
on it a bit longer until it feels right. Take all the time you need to
get it right, there is no rush!
Writing all seven prayers well can be time consuming, especially when there are issues to work through before each prayer can be written well. The fastest I managed was 6 days, and the longest I took was 6 months! But that was a very deep process that went beyond mere writing of prayers. You will have to complete the full seven prayers before you can go on with the next part of becoming a priestess, which is…
Writing all seven prayers well can be time consuming, especially when there are issues to work through before each prayer can be written well. The fastest I managed was 6 days, and the longest I took was 6 months! But that was a very deep process that went beyond mere writing of prayers. You will have to complete the full seven prayers before you can go on with the next part of becoming a priestess, which is…
The Devotional Period
Once
the prayers are written you should set up an altar to the Goddess if
you haven't done so already. Use an altar cloth in the correct colour
for this particular goddess. You should also have a statue of your
goddess by now. Wherever possible avoid resin, as it doesn't hold power
very well. Stone, clay or metal are much better and hold power well.
Wood is also suitable, but make sure you don't burn it. I know of
somebody who worshipped Ganesha yet burned the trunk of his wooden
statue. This is a serious faux-pas!
When doing idol worship consider the statue as the God or Goddess and treat it as such with full respect. The Goddess will reside in the statue and be present in your house. She will protect you and your house. With regular worship her presence will get stronger and stronger. But you must treat her statue with respect. Any deity statue of course will first have to be consecrated. You can follow general magical consecration rituals for that and ask for the Goddess to reside in that statue. You must make offerings during the consecration ritual as well and do so before you ask the Goddess to accept the statue as her residence in your home. You will also need incense, an offering plate and an offering cup for the Goddess, possibly a candle holder and a good supply of candles or tea lights. Try to match the colours and symbols on your altar with the symbols of that Goddess.
Dedication and Respect
The devotional period lasts for exactly nine weeks on the day. Nine is also a magickal number but a bit darker than seven because it is also associated with death and endings. And in a way this is a death process you will go through. The old you will have to die so the new, greater you can emerge! During your nine weeks’ devotional period you have to make offerings to the Goddess and recite all seven prayers before her altar each morning and each evening without fail. If you skip one time, you have broken the devotional period. It is possible to start over again, but best not let it come to this. Sometimes you may get delayed with your morning prayers, then you can do them a bit later in the day, but you absolutely must do the full prayers twice a day, in front of your altar (which can be portable if you have to travel) and with offerings. I am saying in front of your altar, because people have asked me whether they can do their prayers whilst lying in bed. The answer to this is a definite no, unless you have a permanent disability which makes it impossible for you to get out of bed! Please show respect to the Goddess!
Taboos
You also have to make offerings, and those offering should be appropriate for the particular goddess you are worshipping. Some points to consider: if you are worshipping one of the Vedic goddesses, such as Kali or Lakshmi, then you cannot give any flesh foods! The Egyptian goddesses on the other hand will not accept commercial incense which is often made with cow dung, as Egyptian Neteru (gods) abhor excrement of any type, whilst in India cow dung is seen as one of the five holy gifts of the cow! Therefore when worshipping Egyptian neteru burn resin and herbs on charcoal only, do not use commercial incense sticks or cones! You can order proper Egyptian kyphi incense (made according to ancient recipe) in the Oils and Incense section of my Magick Shop. You can see from the above example how important it is to do your research well so you won't blunder in your offerings and possibly displease the Goddess.
It is understood that one should step in front of the altar in a clean and tidy state, not messy and smelly! In Egypt priests had to remove all their body hair to avoid vermin such as lice. Before ritual the mouth and the ears had to be washed out with natron dissolved in water (you can substitute baking powder mixed with salt if you can’t get pure natron). With Indian deities you should at least wash your feet and hands before worship, brush your teeth and wear clean clothes. Any acts of uncleanliness before the altar are forbidden. (Whilst sex magick isn't an act of uncleanliness, picking your nose etc would be!). Farting in front of your altar during ritual is an absolute taboo, so sort out your diet! I once had to throw somebody out during a ritual because she farted three times right in front of the altar -- long, loudly and with relish! I would rather spare you the grim details of what people do wrong during worship. But not everybody has a sense of what proper ritual etiquette is, so I felt I had to mention this unpleasant topic. One should be in a state of both inner and outer purity when doing rituals. And it is advisable to follow the correct cultural customs for the particular goddess worshipped.
Anybody working with me directly will be instructed fully on how to worship their personal goddess correctly. But those of you who want to start working with the Goddess on your own, even if you are not intending to become a priestess, should still try your best to please the Goddess by following the proper forms of worship. Either you should be very knowledgeable or you better ask somebody who is truly qualified, who has been initiated in the particular tradition you wish to work with. I may later publish information on some of the goddesses I serve, and include what offerings they like. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, such as that the Goddess Bast's sacred colour is green, etc. Nowadays there are many New Age nonsense products available for the Goddess, such as incense sticks for Isis, which are totally unsuitable for above reasons. Do not waste your money on these gimmicks.
Living in Truth
But the devotional period goes further than just making offerings and speaking your prayers twice a day (of course the prayers shouldn’t just be mechanical lip prayers but should come from your heart!). The most important part of the devotional period is to live in truth. That is easier said than done. Because living in truth means that your words, your thoughts and your actions have to be one at all times. You cannot tell somebody “I will meet you tomorrow” and then not show up. You cannot even speak social falsehoods. Better shut up and say nothing. When you give your word you have to keep it. Do not make empty promises (especially not to the Goddess!) during a devotional period. If you have true integrity you will never make empty promises! You also cannot live a lie, as I found out during my first devotional period, when I was living with a man who didn't love me any more. My challenge that time was to separate from my partner, who was my partner on paper only. Why? Because it wasn't truthful to live like this (even though we had already agreed to separate). Besides it was very degrading also as I wasn't being honoured at all.
Living for the Goddess
During your devotional period your thoughts should be revolving around the Goddess at all times. She should be the most important thing in your life, not your mate or your children, not your promotion. This doesn't prevent you from managing your mundane tasks, duties, and social activities, but the Goddess has to come first. In all undertakings and situations ask yourself questions such as: "what would the Goddess want me to do in this situation? How should I as a priestess act in this situation? Is what I am doing really aligned with the Goddess?" You have to "Live the Goddess Way" if you want to become a priestess. (I am planning on writing an article on "Living the Goddess Way" later).
Making the Goddess the number one in your life and aligning yourself with her serves two purposes: the first one is to show your devotion to the Goddess and your commitment to this path. The second reason is also very practical: because the power of the Goddess can only come into you if you are fully aligned with her. Therefore anything that is in the way will have to go. And if you are hanging onto your blocks, having them ripped away could be painful. Surrender is the key here and sacrificing the lesser for the greater!
Now you probably want to know what are those things that are not aligned with the Goddess, which you might have to give up. There are a whole load of things that may have to go, too numerous to list them all, besides, it is different for everybody. Part of the test is not knowing what it is. But, to satisfy your curiosity and give you some ideas of what is not aligned with the Goddess I will give a few examples:
Here is a good one: I knew of one man who had to give up his extensive porn collection. It isn't exactly honouring the Goddess when you treat women as things to be used. Another, who was grossly overweight and very toxic, was told by the Goddess that he had to give up meat -- which was the supreme sacrifice for him who hated eating vegetables. Doing animal experiments will not please the Goddess either, nor any form of cruelty to any of her creatures or children. Maybe it is your drinking that has to go, or smoking grass, or your habit of lying.
When doing idol worship consider the statue as the God or Goddess and treat it as such with full respect. The Goddess will reside in the statue and be present in your house. She will protect you and your house. With regular worship her presence will get stronger and stronger. But you must treat her statue with respect. Any deity statue of course will first have to be consecrated. You can follow general magical consecration rituals for that and ask for the Goddess to reside in that statue. You must make offerings during the consecration ritual as well and do so before you ask the Goddess to accept the statue as her residence in your home. You will also need incense, an offering plate and an offering cup for the Goddess, possibly a candle holder and a good supply of candles or tea lights. Try to match the colours and symbols on your altar with the symbols of that Goddess.
Dedication and Respect
The devotional period lasts for exactly nine weeks on the day. Nine is also a magickal number but a bit darker than seven because it is also associated with death and endings. And in a way this is a death process you will go through. The old you will have to die so the new, greater you can emerge! During your nine weeks’ devotional period you have to make offerings to the Goddess and recite all seven prayers before her altar each morning and each evening without fail. If you skip one time, you have broken the devotional period. It is possible to start over again, but best not let it come to this. Sometimes you may get delayed with your morning prayers, then you can do them a bit later in the day, but you absolutely must do the full prayers twice a day, in front of your altar (which can be portable if you have to travel) and with offerings. I am saying in front of your altar, because people have asked me whether they can do their prayers whilst lying in bed. The answer to this is a definite no, unless you have a permanent disability which makes it impossible for you to get out of bed! Please show respect to the Goddess!
Taboos
You also have to make offerings, and those offering should be appropriate for the particular goddess you are worshipping. Some points to consider: if you are worshipping one of the Vedic goddesses, such as Kali or Lakshmi, then you cannot give any flesh foods! The Egyptian goddesses on the other hand will not accept commercial incense which is often made with cow dung, as Egyptian Neteru (gods) abhor excrement of any type, whilst in India cow dung is seen as one of the five holy gifts of the cow! Therefore when worshipping Egyptian neteru burn resin and herbs on charcoal only, do not use commercial incense sticks or cones! You can order proper Egyptian kyphi incense (made according to ancient recipe) in the Oils and Incense section of my Magick Shop. You can see from the above example how important it is to do your research well so you won't blunder in your offerings and possibly displease the Goddess.
It is understood that one should step in front of the altar in a clean and tidy state, not messy and smelly! In Egypt priests had to remove all their body hair to avoid vermin such as lice. Before ritual the mouth and the ears had to be washed out with natron dissolved in water (you can substitute baking powder mixed with salt if you can’t get pure natron). With Indian deities you should at least wash your feet and hands before worship, brush your teeth and wear clean clothes. Any acts of uncleanliness before the altar are forbidden. (Whilst sex magick isn't an act of uncleanliness, picking your nose etc would be!). Farting in front of your altar during ritual is an absolute taboo, so sort out your diet! I once had to throw somebody out during a ritual because she farted three times right in front of the altar -- long, loudly and with relish! I would rather spare you the grim details of what people do wrong during worship. But not everybody has a sense of what proper ritual etiquette is, so I felt I had to mention this unpleasant topic. One should be in a state of both inner and outer purity when doing rituals. And it is advisable to follow the correct cultural customs for the particular goddess worshipped.
Anybody working with me directly will be instructed fully on how to worship their personal goddess correctly. But those of you who want to start working with the Goddess on your own, even if you are not intending to become a priestess, should still try your best to please the Goddess by following the proper forms of worship. Either you should be very knowledgeable or you better ask somebody who is truly qualified, who has been initiated in the particular tradition you wish to work with. I may later publish information on some of the goddesses I serve, and include what offerings they like. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, such as that the Goddess Bast's sacred colour is green, etc. Nowadays there are many New Age nonsense products available for the Goddess, such as incense sticks for Isis, which are totally unsuitable for above reasons. Do not waste your money on these gimmicks.
Living in Truth
But the devotional period goes further than just making offerings and speaking your prayers twice a day (of course the prayers shouldn’t just be mechanical lip prayers but should come from your heart!). The most important part of the devotional period is to live in truth. That is easier said than done. Because living in truth means that your words, your thoughts and your actions have to be one at all times. You cannot tell somebody “I will meet you tomorrow” and then not show up. You cannot even speak social falsehoods. Better shut up and say nothing. When you give your word you have to keep it. Do not make empty promises (especially not to the Goddess!) during a devotional period. If you have true integrity you will never make empty promises! You also cannot live a lie, as I found out during my first devotional period, when I was living with a man who didn't love me any more. My challenge that time was to separate from my partner, who was my partner on paper only. Why? Because it wasn't truthful to live like this (even though we had already agreed to separate). Besides it was very degrading also as I wasn't being honoured at all.
Living for the Goddess
During your devotional period your thoughts should be revolving around the Goddess at all times. She should be the most important thing in your life, not your mate or your children, not your promotion. This doesn't prevent you from managing your mundane tasks, duties, and social activities, but the Goddess has to come first. In all undertakings and situations ask yourself questions such as: "what would the Goddess want me to do in this situation? How should I as a priestess act in this situation? Is what I am doing really aligned with the Goddess?" You have to "Live the Goddess Way" if you want to become a priestess. (I am planning on writing an article on "Living the Goddess Way" later).
Making the Goddess the number one in your life and aligning yourself with her serves two purposes: the first one is to show your devotion to the Goddess and your commitment to this path. The second reason is also very practical: because the power of the Goddess can only come into you if you are fully aligned with her. Therefore anything that is in the way will have to go. And if you are hanging onto your blocks, having them ripped away could be painful. Surrender is the key here and sacrificing the lesser for the greater!
Now you probably want to know what are those things that are not aligned with the Goddess, which you might have to give up. There are a whole load of things that may have to go, too numerous to list them all, besides, it is different for everybody. Part of the test is not knowing what it is. But, to satisfy your curiosity and give you some ideas of what is not aligned with the Goddess I will give a few examples:
Here is a good one: I knew of one man who had to give up his extensive porn collection. It isn't exactly honouring the Goddess when you treat women as things to be used. Another, who was grossly overweight and very toxic, was told by the Goddess that he had to give up meat -- which was the supreme sacrifice for him who hated eating vegetables. Doing animal experiments will not please the Goddess either, nor any form of cruelty to any of her creatures or children. Maybe it is your drinking that has to go, or smoking grass, or your habit of lying.
The Challenge
But
don't think because you have given up sugar, you have met your
challenge! (A friend of mine thought that was it, but the real challenge
came later...) How do you recognise that the challenge is on? When you
are feeling awful, I'd say. Because the challenge is usually a very big
thing for you, though it may sound easy for somebody else. Giving up
meat would not have been a challenge for me, as I am a vegetarian
anyway. But it was hell for the guy who had to do it. The challenge may
not be giving up something physical, it can also be doing something, or
it may be something more abstract, such as stopping to be a victim, or
speaking up against injustice. Whatever it is, you can be sure it will
be something that is very difficult for you. And you probably will feel
very upset or emotionally attached to the thing you have to give up,
very much afraid of the thing that you need to do, etc. The challenge is
the one thing that is your greatest block to working with the power of
the Goddess at that time in your life, the first thing that needs to go
to be closer to Her.
Sometimes when the challenge comes up you will feel as if your life is falling apart. But you must at all costs face the challenge and get through it with integrity and do whatever you feel the Goddess wants you to do. You have to listen within, with your heart, not your ego. You have to surrender. And you have to be brave. You have to make the Goddess more important than the material things in your life and other people's opinion of you. You have to have integrity in all your dealings with others and you have to be honest with yourself as well.
The challenge can take many forms. You will never know what it is until it is happening. If you do several devotional periods you will be challenged differently each time. The challenge also depends on the individual goddess. If you are doing a devotional period to a love goddess and your love life is in a mess, part of the challenge may be to sort that out. If you are worshipping a dark goddess, you may be challenged to work with darker magick and embrace your shadow. In any case remember the
three keys to successfully meeting your challenge: courage, integrity and surrender!
Once you have faced your challenge, you are worthy to receive your sword or magickal knife. This is very different from buying yourself an athame. When you have earned your sword the power is yours as well! Whether or not you have faced your challenge will be determined by your initiator, who must have gone through the same process her/himself and have the power of the Goddess in them. When you have passed the Goddess' test and met your challenge successfully, and of course after having finished the devotional period of nine weeks of twice daily prayers and worship without fail, you are ready to be initiated.
Sometimes when the challenge comes up you will feel as if your life is falling apart. But you must at all costs face the challenge and get through it with integrity and do whatever you feel the Goddess wants you to do. You have to listen within, with your heart, not your ego. You have to surrender. And you have to be brave. You have to make the Goddess more important than the material things in your life and other people's opinion of you. You have to have integrity in all your dealings with others and you have to be honest with yourself as well.
The challenge can take many forms. You will never know what it is until it is happening. If you do several devotional periods you will be challenged differently each time. The challenge also depends on the individual goddess. If you are doing a devotional period to a love goddess and your love life is in a mess, part of the challenge may be to sort that out. If you are worshipping a dark goddess, you may be challenged to work with darker magick and embrace your shadow. In any case remember the
three keys to successfully meeting your challenge: courage, integrity and surrender!
Once you have faced your challenge, you are worthy to receive your sword or magickal knife. This is very different from buying yourself an athame. When you have earned your sword the power is yours as well! Whether or not you have faced your challenge will be determined by your initiator, who must have gone through the same process her/himself and have the power of the Goddess in them. When you have passed the Goddess' test and met your challenge successfully, and of course after having finished the devotional period of nine weeks of twice daily prayers and worship without fail, you are ready to be initiated.
Initiation
There
are two deaths known to mankind: the lesser and the greater, the death
of the body and the death by initiation. And of the two the death of the
body is the lesser. To embrace the Goddess is to die, for she takes
you. (Chaldean Oracles).
I will not say much about the actual process of initiation here, as it is a secret and should remain so. The initiation itself also is a challenge, in its own way. To become greater, the lesser you will have to die. Therefore initiation is a kind of death. Only after the initiation will you truly be a priestess of the Goddess you have served so faithfully for nine weeks. But the journey doesn't end here. The word initiation actually means beginning. The initiation is just the beginning of your journey to power and self-realisation. In a true initiation real power will be bestowed upon the initiate by the Goddess, through her priest or priestess who initiates the novice priestess. You should be able to feel this power coming in after a genuine initiation. But don't think that this is it, and that after initiation you can rest on your laurels.
As a priestess you should know at least a few rites and invocations of your chosen goddess by heart. You must be able to cast a magickal circle and conduct a complete ritual on your own and by heart, without reading the words from a book! You should also continue doing regular prayers to your goddess, though not necessarily the seven you have written, nor strictly twice a day any more. You can pray to her freely and from your heart any time now.
By continuing to do rituals to your personal goddess you deepen your connection to her. Your relationship with the Goddess doesn't end with initiation, it only begins. You have climbed one round on the spiral, but you haven't reached the top. Once you have been initiated you will find it easier to connect to the Goddess. You should feel her presence more in your life. Your magick will become more powerful.
You can then also sometimes conduct rituals for others. Of course that means you must know magick yourself, know your invocations and ritual words by heart, and have the capacity of conducting a powerful and meaningful ritual and of bringing the power of the Goddess through. You should enjoy doing your private rituals to the Goddess as well, and keep on learning more about her, maybe write your own rituals and develop dances and chants for her, etc. Being a priestess means to be a devotee and a worshiper of the Goddess first and foremost, and worshiping Her is an ongoing lifelong activity!
Being a priestess isn't a title, nor a certificate on your wall. Being a priestess is a way of life and a state of being. And, in spite of all the challenges, it is a joyful, blissful state of deep connection with the Goddess and all life!
I will not say much about the actual process of initiation here, as it is a secret and should remain so. The initiation itself also is a challenge, in its own way. To become greater, the lesser you will have to die. Therefore initiation is a kind of death. Only after the initiation will you truly be a priestess of the Goddess you have served so faithfully for nine weeks. But the journey doesn't end here. The word initiation actually means beginning. The initiation is just the beginning of your journey to power and self-realisation. In a true initiation real power will be bestowed upon the initiate by the Goddess, through her priest or priestess who initiates the novice priestess. You should be able to feel this power coming in after a genuine initiation. But don't think that this is it, and that after initiation you can rest on your laurels.
As a priestess you should know at least a few rites and invocations of your chosen goddess by heart. You must be able to cast a magickal circle and conduct a complete ritual on your own and by heart, without reading the words from a book! You should also continue doing regular prayers to your goddess, though not necessarily the seven you have written, nor strictly twice a day any more. You can pray to her freely and from your heart any time now.
By continuing to do rituals to your personal goddess you deepen your connection to her. Your relationship with the Goddess doesn't end with initiation, it only begins. You have climbed one round on the spiral, but you haven't reached the top. Once you have been initiated you will find it easier to connect to the Goddess. You should feel her presence more in your life. Your magick will become more powerful.
You can then also sometimes conduct rituals for others. Of course that means you must know magick yourself, know your invocations and ritual words by heart, and have the capacity of conducting a powerful and meaningful ritual and of bringing the power of the Goddess through. You should enjoy doing your private rituals to the Goddess as well, and keep on learning more about her, maybe write your own rituals and develop dances and chants for her, etc. Being a priestess means to be a devotee and a worshiper of the Goddess first and foremost, and worshiping Her is an ongoing lifelong activity!
Being a priestess isn't a title, nor a certificate on your wall. Being a priestess is a way of life and a state of being. And, in spite of all the challenges, it is a joyful, blissful state of deep connection with the Goddess and all life!
Those who wish to book mentoring for becoming a priestess, please visit the Priestess Training page!
Goddess Blessings,
Goddess Blessings,
Copyright © Avalon Sakti Tiamat, 29.12.2008
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