Priest/ess, what makes one?

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[Margaret McArthur]

I thought about this thread on your forum.
All I can tell you what I can expect from someone  who I have trained over a three year period.
At the end of this period I would expect them to have the basic knowledge of casting,life rights,seasonal festivals, elemental workings,working in sacred sites and many more different skills.
At the end of the day a priesttess (or priest) must be not only able to guide their brethren through magic but also see to their mental and physical needs.
In the circle you are the lord and lady to them and in life their father and mother.
BUT there are those who are natural to this position and have been chosen by the lord and lady to be priest and priestess;perhaps this is the more difficult path because they have to learn what to do and how to do it with only their belief to go with.
I can never forget when i represented my lady for the 1st time;the joy and the love.
it is still the same today as then
I would be interested to her others views

 'Old craft is as old craft does'
Margaret

[V23]

LOL well i do pass the giggle test. I have no trad and that was my point by saying as long as it works it shouldn't matter. It being such a broad word was part of it as well. I choose the serve my deity one.

In my group, if you call yourself a priest/ess and we do giggle, that means that you get to keep the moniker.

"Who's that guy?"

"Oh that's Bob, the High Priest"

both giggle and roll their eyes . . .

[V23]

Heh.  I'm reminded of my pet theory that the real secret of being a grown-up is coming to terms with the fact that everyone else is faking it too.

TRUTH!!!!!!!

[T Bone]

On very rare occassion I will teach certain people basic magick. Usually people that have been put in my path that i am meant to help. Also every so often i will have people who just need help on one or two thing which i will oblige if it isn't dangerous or conflicts with my principles. Well a while back one of them called me priestess. I was a bit confused and unsure how to take it. True i fully serve a goddess for little over 2 years now. I work with her and do as she instructs me to do. I was told once by a high priestess that no one could ever be considered thus without proper training. In their practice a total of about 3 years training is required under that trad.

Now it caused an itch in my mind cause all i could think is 'If that were true then who taught the first ones?' No i do not have formal training. Not to blow my own horn but i have been around 'properly trained' witches and priest/ess' and have more knowledge and experiance than most of them. Technically I have no set in stone Trad either. I think if it works why should it matter?

So i guess my question is this. What makes or does not make someone a priest or priestess? Is it really all in the training? Like a little metaphysical badge of honor? Or is it in the connection you have with that higher being and your devotion and service to them?

In my particular path, I don't really tend to like the terms 'priest' and 'priestess', mostly because it insinuates that one is a devotee or follower of a specific god or goddess.  Although Satan is my Patron deity, I don't defer to Him in such a way.  I'm not judging anyone here who is a devotee or follower of a god/goddess, just saying that in my particular path I don't use the terms 'priest' and 'priestess'.

I prefer terms that reflect the training and mastery level of the practitioner such as 'adept' or 'magister' etc. 

But if I would share what I thought made a priest and priestess, I would say that the god or goddess being served makes the priest and priestess.  To me, the amount of training or lack thereof would make them an adept or a neophyte (and all categories in between).  Of course I'm not approaching this from a Wiccan perspective, so it may not even make any sense lol

[V23]

In my particular path, I don't really tend to like the terms 'priest' and 'priestess', mostly because it insinuates that one is a devotee or follower of a specific god or goddess.  Although Satan is my Patron deity, I don't defer to Him in such a way.  I'm not judging anyone here who is a devotee or follower of a god/goddess, just saying that in my particular path I don't use the terms 'priest' and 'priestess'.

I prefer terms that reflect the training and mastery level of the practitioner such as 'adept' or 'magister' etc. 

But if I would share what I thought made a priest and priestess, I would say that the god or goddess being served makes the priest and priestess.  To me, the amount of training or lack thereof would make them an adept or a neophyte (and all categories in between).  Of course I'm not approaching this from a Wiccan perspective, so it may not even make any sense lol

Adept and Magister tend to get the same knee jerk reactions out of my group as well.

We also like coming up with the most outragious titles that you can think of and extra brownie points are given to the most spectacular.  I personally like to go by Grand High Poombah of Miscellanies, Magestrate of the Inner Temple of Mysteries, Great Master Adeptus Major and No 2 Bottle Washer, (or GHPOMMOTITOMGMAMABW squared).

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