Here are frequently asked questions about the Role of the Priestess in Modern times as well as valuable information on how to cultivate High Priestess Energy when answering the call of the Priestess Path.
How to Become a Priestess
If you are feeling the call of the priestess, chances are you have walked this path in many lifetimes. Becoming a priestess is about remembering you are a priestess and showing up as a vessel for the divine, to be of service to Creator, Great Spirit, God, Goddess energy and one’s community.
Priestess Defined
In modern times the noun “Priestess” is the title of a woman who has studied and trained, and has gained experience as a spiritual leader, spreading the knowledge of the spiritual teachings she has learned and embodied.
She teaches from her direct experience and the journey itself of becoming a Priestess has shaped her and prepared her for this role.
It helps to have community and guidance on the priestess path of remembrance, to have a container of initiation with other sisters to claim your role and share your vows on the priestess path, but one can also self-initiate on the path of the priestess. There is no one way for one to become a priestess, however reading books, and joining a program with a guide you resonate with can be very helpful on the path.
What’s the Difference Between a Priestess and a High Priestess?
The difference between a Priestess and a High Priestess is one who has walked the path long enough to have gained deep experience and knowledge in service, ritual facilitation and leadership skills.
In ancient times the High Priestesses were often born into royal families in places such as Crete, Egypt and Anatolia. The rituals they performed ensured fertility and prosperity for the villages. They were prepared for their role since childhood and were educated for religious roles and duties.
In modern times the noun “Priestess” is the title of a woman who has studied and trained within a lineage, and has gained experience as a spiritual leader, teacher or facilitator to create ritual and spread the knowledge of the spiritual teachings she has embodied through direct experience.
How to Cultivate High Priestess Energy
In order to cultivate High Priestess Energy, one must first find a state of empty presence. Emptying the busy-ness of the mind by listening to the breath allows one to develop the sensitivity needed to listen to the quiet whispers of the heart and soul. Underneath the surface of our thoughts, there is a deeper knowing, an intuition that exists.
The Priestess is the vessel, the chalice, to receive higher wisdom and to bring that wisdom to those around her. For some people this will look like emanating a spiritual frequency, while for others it may look like having a spiritual business, being a healer and a guide for others.
The Priestess often brings women together to facilitate women’s circles and rituals, especially for the High Holy Days of the Year: The Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lammas, Autumn Equinox and Samhain.
The Priestess is highly intuitive, deeply connected to nature and tuned into the cycles of the moon. One can cultivate High Priestess energy by spending more time in nature, emptying her thoughts, and participating in ritual alone or with others.
Priestess Definition: Signs You Are a Priestess
A Priestess is here first and foremost to serve. She brings the formless into form through deep listening and communion with the divine.
She is here to raise the collective consciousness and to contribute in her own unique way, becoming a frequency of divine love.
She is here to anchor the frequency of the divine feminine, to restore balance on our planet and support ascension with an energetic shift.
There are so many ways the Priestess can serve during this time of great evolution and awakening, read this article to learn six pillars of the Priestess path.
But it also can be very lonely to walk this path alone. Do you ever struggle with the fear of being seen? The fear of being judged? Of being isolated and alone? Or being too highly sensitive? If so, read this article to learn how to heal these wounds.
Where to Find a Priestess in Modern Day Life
You may be surprised to discover Priestesses exist even in your community. More and more women are awakening to the truth that they are a Priestess and long to come together as we did in ancient times.
While you can travel to a place like Bali to meet a Priestess in an ancient lineage like Ida Resi Alit, you can also look in your community for women’s moon circles and gatherings honoring the High Holy Days to find other women feeling called to the Priestess Path. (Sometimes even just a facebook events search or google search can lead you to connect with more women on the path). Women who are walking the path of the Priestess are often offering these types of circles publicly or online.
You can also join a virtual community like the Rising Women Leaders Priestess Initiation program and book a free call to see if our community could be a good fit for your next steps on the priestess path.
What is the Priestess Path?
The Priestess path includes the initiations one walks through in their everyday life to be shaped into a Priestess. In ancient times the Priestesses were brought to mystery schools to learn the sacred priestess arts, including skills such as temple dance, ritual facilitation, energy healing, tarot, developing psychic abilities, dream interpretation, sacred touch, medicine making, herbalism, nature communication, astrology, meditation, astral travel, moon wisdom, leadership skills, yoga and spiritual study, immaculate conception, essential oil making, the art of anointing, midwifery, etc.
However today, we don’t have these ancient mystery schools set up in the same way. When we feel the call of the Priestess, we have to look for the signs in our life to lead us on the Priestess path, because often there is not someone telling us where to go or how to hone our skills. Although one can feel lonely or lost at times, we can also see everything in life as our mystery school to learn, grow and ascend. One can also join a priestess program, or apprentice with a teacher to learn the sacred priestess arts.
How to Answer Priestess Call if you Feel It
The path to becoming a Priestess begins with a calling. You begin to hear a quiet inner voice speaking to your spirit, awakening you to the knowledge that your life has a purpose. Chances are you have walked the path of a Priestess for a very long time, and your soul begins to remember.
When you hear the word, “Priestess,” there is a familiarity, a curiosity that is awakened. Becoming a Priestess is a deep and devotional process of learning how to serve in connection with Source, the Divine, the Goddess, all that is. Sometimes this includes becoming familiar with the Dark Goddess energy, which is another facet of the divine feminine.
Spiritual service is about opening our heart, mind and hands and letting the energy of the divine work through us.
For some people, the Priestess path is about becoming a frequency, and allowing it to emanate in all that we do. For others, becoming a Priestess will look more like a counselor, a guide and a facilitator of ritual and women’s circles.
In any case, walking this path can feel very lonely, and it helps to have guidance, community and mentorship when you feel the call of the Priestess on the path. To answer the call, it is so helpful to look for others who are walking this path, whether you find them online or in person in your community.
What is Priestess Ritual?
Rituals infuse magic, intention and sacredness into our daily lives. A ritual can turn a mundane act done without awareness into a sacred act with clarity and purpose. Slowing down to say a blessing before a meal changes the experience. Meditation, singing, or lighting a candle imbues a moment of peace and serenity into a busy day.
Priestess ritual could be simple such as a womb clearing with a yoni steam, or a blessing way for a mother to be. Ritual could be a time to honor a new phase of the year, or a way to release the old and welcome the new on the path of the priestess.
Are High Priestess Rituals Safe? What Goes on During Ceremony?
While the safety of a priestess ritual depends on the safety of a container and the skill of the facilitator, Priestess rituals are generally not only safe but inspiring and transformational.
Ritual often marks what is formally beginning or ending and the purpose of a ritual or ceremony is transformation. People may come together to honor a specific purpose. These rituals may honor transitions, letting go, grieving, the lunar cycle or the change of seasons.
Ritual can be a healing and powerful way to mark a big transition in life. Priestess rituals and ceremonies provide a space for one to be fully seen, acknowledged and supported. It can initiate a life change or attitude, facilitate a change already in process or name and claim a change or transformation that has already occurred.
Sisterhood Ritual calls upon our intuition, and our ability to improvise and be present in the moment. Symbols are often used to represent the transition - they are a vehicle for human awareness, for us to access this shift or change in the psyche.
Witnessing or being witnessed is also a powerful part of a group ritual. It is the opportunity to create a supportive space for each other to mark the transition.
Ritual may also be done on one's own, calling in the witness of spirit and the unseen realms. To become more familiar with the art of ritual, consider joining us in our Way of the Priestess program.
Who is a High Priestess? Am I a High Priestess?
In ancient times the high priestesses were often born into royal families and trained in religious duties to be of service in the temples and churches. In modern terms, a high priestess is one who has walked the path long enough to have gained deep experience and knowledge in service, ritual facilitation and leadership skills.
What are the Signs of High Priestess Awakening?
The first sign of a Priestess awakening within you is the feeling of a calling of a higher purpose. Certain activities in life may not have the same level of fulfillment, for example working at a job that does not have a deeper meaning. This is a sign your soul is being called to a higher purpose, to serve, to love and to devote one’s life to the divine. The next sign may be that when you hear the word, “priestess,” there is a familiarity, a recognition and inner knowing, born with love. You may feel drawn to the High Priestess in the tarot deck, be deeply connected to nature and the moon, or you may be highly intuitive, sensitive, and/or have vivid dreams.
Priestess. What Does That Even Mean?
A Priestess is here first and foremost to serve. She brings the formless into form through deep listening and communion with the divine. She is here to raise the collective consciousness and to contribute in her own unique way, becoming a frequency of divine love. She is here to anchor the frequency of the divine feminine, to restore balance on our planet and support ascension through with an energetic shift. For some people this may look like facilitating ritual and circles in her community, offering healing sessions, or simply embodying a divine frequency of love.
What Religion has a Role for the High Priestess?
The role of the High Priestess is in Wiccan traditions as well as ancient forms of Christianity, Egyptian and Hebrew traditions. Modern roles of the priestess include the ancient lineage of the rose, dating back to Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Egyptian Priestesses like Isis and Hathor. These Priestesses of the ancient past all came with stories of a new earth.
Priestess in Ancient Egypt
When the royal families ruled ancient Egypt, the Priests and Priestesses had high roles in the temples. The Pharaoh would seek counsel with the High Priests and the Priestesses would connect to the divine realms and perform ritual on behalf of the villages and royal family. These roles were honored and revered, especially in times of war or famine. Some believe Egyptian High Priestess names include Isis, Hathor, Sekhmet. Honored High Priests and Priestesses were depicted on the walls of the temples, and some temples were made in their honor.
Are you a Priestess? How to Know if you are a High Priestess.
If you feel you were a Priestess in a past life, and have a priestess awakening in you now, you may be naturally drawn to the healing arts, ritual and holding space for others. You may be considered “highly sensitive” and may have heightened intuitive or psychic skills. You may have a gift working with essential oils or herbs, have a healing touch in your hands, and/or carry a healing quality that others are drawn to.
What is Priestess Training?
Priestess training is when one begins a program or apprenticeship with an opportunity to develop one’s skills and gifts. Priestess training may include meditation practices, education about ascended masters and goddess guides, participating and leading ritual, learning about the high holy days, creating ritual, holding space, developing intuition, understanding astrology, healing past life imprints and/or sharing one’s vows as a priestess. Training as a priestess is an opportunity to learn from someone who has walked the path and can offer guidance along the way.
What Religions have Priestesses?
The term Priest is used more often than Priestess in modern Christianity and religions that carry on a ministry. Many modern day priestesses consider themselves “spiritual” rather than “religious” and practice their skills outside of dogma. Before the official establishment of the Christian religion, some of the holy women in ancient times were priestesses, like Anna, the grandmother of Jesus, Mother Mary, and Mary Magdalene. They provided an important service to the overall awakening of the mission of Christ.
Can a Priestess Tell the Future?
Many people who consider themselves a Priestess have heightened intuitive or psychic gifts, but this is not a necessary skill to be called to the Priestess path. In the times of Avalon and ancient Egypt, the rulers would often seek counsel from the Priestesses on what to do during times of possible war or famine. Priestesses were deeply connected to the dream world and unseen realms and would be able to offer a higher perspective to the events to come.
Can a Priestess Get Married?
The question of marriage depends on the lineage and/or religion one enters into as a Priestess. While there were priestesses who lived a life of celibacy devoted to God, there were also temple priestesses who used sensual energy as a form of healing for men coming back from war. The feminine essence was so soothing to the nervous system it was revered as a healing act in some ancient temples. Today, many modern day Priestesses choose to marry and have a family while others choose to walk a path married to the divine.
Is Priestess Masculine or Feminine?
While we all have feminine and masculine energy within, the archetype of the Priestess is inherently feminine. Some believe the role of the modern day Priestess is to restore the balance of sacred feminine on our planet; for humanity to channel and live in devotion to Mother Earth, to live connected to Source, to slow down, practice forgiveness, listen, feel and heal our pain rather than be in a constant state of achievement, action and doing. Many believe the essence of the feminine is what the world needs most now to enter into the Golden Age.
What it Means to be a Priestess in your Everyday Life
To be a Priestess in everyday life is to live a life connected to the divine in each moment. It is to do our daily actions (caring for the body, cooking, cleaning, walking, writing, praying, meditating, talking) in devotion to God/Goddess/all that is. It is to live in a state connected to breath and intuition, honoring the essence of the sacred feminine within. It is to allow what is, to forgive ourselves and others, and to see everyone around us as a soul, a higher consciousness living in a body.
Living as the Priestess is to see life as happening for us not to us. It is becoming the vessel, emptying out in order to receive. It is communing with nature and the divine as one. It is becoming quiet enough inside to listen to the voice of intuition. It is to listen to others with compassion and hold space for letting go and new beginnings. It is to gaze at the stars, to write down our dreams, and honor the cycles of our body and the seasons of the year. It is to leave this world more beautiful than we found it. It is to midwife a shift in consciousness, to welcome a new Golden Age, and emanate a frequency of love to all those around us on our path.
What it Means to Be a High Priestess Out in the World
To live as a high priestess in the world is to facilitate ritual, embody the spiritual lessons we have learned, and share knowledge through leadership and teaching. One may lead circles and ritual in devotion to the new and full moon and high holy days, lead circle for rites of passage such as a woman’s first menstrual cycle, menopause, birth, death, welcoming a baby into a family, going through a divorce, getting married, leaving home for the first time, and the list goes on. Any big life transition can be honored with ritual, as a way of releasing what was and welcoming what is to come.
High Priestess Tarot
The High Priestess is roman numeral II in the major arcana of the tarot deck. (A two or eleven in numerology). It is the card of mystery and psychic wisdom. In Kim Krans, The Wild Unknown Tarot she describes, “The High Priestess sits in stillness. From there she’s able to access realms others pass by without noticing, the vast world of intuition, dreams and mystery. She uses silence and non-action to harness this power. Sometimes this card appears to remind you to listen more closely to the voice within. Other times it’s a sign to look past the obvious, to find what’s being kept secret or hidden within a given situation. Acknowledge the shadows.”
When one often pulls the High Priestess card in the tarot deck, it could be a sign that the path of the Priestess is calling to you. It could also be a sign that a great teacher and leader lives inside of you and is ready to be honored.
The High Priestess card in Doreen Virtue’s Goddess Guidance Oracle cards reads, “Your wisdom extends back into the far reaches of ancient times. You’ve brought this knowledge forward into your present incarnation, to be a way-shower so that others may benefit from your experiences. Don’t delay in expressing this wisdom. I will assist you in manifesting platforms for your spiritual teaching, whether it’s through teaching by example, or through writing or speaking. All forms of teaching are equally valuable, no matter how many lives you touch.”
Pulling the high priestess card may be beckoning you to share your voice, write books or articles, lead workshops, be a role model, look for opportunities to teach, honor your divinity and know that you are a leader.
Use of Divinity Tools and Crystals
The priestess often has a set of tools and crystals she goes to for energetic clearing of a space and amplifying a ritual. Lighting sage, palo santo, or diffusing essential oils can help clear a space before a ritual. Holding quartz crystals can also be very cleansing and purifying. A priestess practice is to wash your crystals under the light of the full moon to cleanse and charge them up. One may use feather wands to clear energy, or have sacred stones or talking sticks to use in a ceremony. Divinity tools can be made or found in nature and are also not necessary to facilitate a powerful ritual.
If I am Called, Can I become a High Priestess in the Near Future?
One becomes a priestess through the remembrance and recognition of the essence she holds within. Some people may want more guidance and support on the priestess path, where it can help to join a program like the Rising Women Leaders Way of the Priestess program, or find a mentor to apprentice with. To become a high priestess is a lifelong path of devotion and dedication to the divine and the skill of spiritual leadership, ritual and facilitation. If you are just starting on your path, continue reading articles, books, and look for communities where you can learn and practice your inherent gifts. I send all my love on your path of remembrance, and invite you to meet mentors and listen to over 100 episodes about Women’s leadership on the Rising Women Leaders podcast.
