Not in the least, I replied, merely incredulous and a bit amused. For who could have foreseen that a second generation Italian-American born of Catholics on both sides of the family tree would one day create such a thing?
It reminded me of my grandmother, Goddess bless her soul. She would be rolling in her grave if she knew, I told my partner. She was very religious, perhaps the most so in our family. The rest of us stopped going to church when I was 5 or 6.
My partner replied that *I* am very religious.
It seemed a revelation at the time, though thinking about it after the fact, this should have been no surprise.
I have always been interested in things spiritual. From a very early age, perhaps as young as 8, I read about world religions and the occult. Over the next few years, I researched each major spiritual tradition in turn. I even gave my native Catholicism a try. My mother dutifully drove me to church for a few months. I went to Mass on Sundays, and I gave their youth group a go. It was not for me. By age 12, I was certain that it was the Goddess and God who called me. I was initiated at 13.
But even then, my search continued. Most of my life has been about searching. Looking for truth, searching for meaning, groping toward wholeness.
In recent years, I finally found a welcoming community. I joined a coven, and that experience has been amazing. I cried a lot at first. Acceptance is not something I have experienced a lot of in my life. Support, even less so.
Having that foundation of community and loose structure has helped me to truly own my power. To become the person that I have always known myself to be in more than just thought. To bring my power into the open. To take action.
So I have done. For I hear the Goddess and God calling, and I know that They are not to be denied.
The next chapter will include becoming ordained. Any advice or input on organizations who provide Earth-based ordinations is most welcome. I'd love to hear your experiences - how did you become ordained, and how has that impacted your life?
My ordination was a deeply powerful and important event in my life. Like other types of imitation, I was totally unprepared for the rippling effects it would have in my life. At one point I tearfully asked my Bishop to "take it back." And he just gently laughed at me. It's been a struggle with me, though, with my community, because in all honesty I think my ordination confuses people. They either ask me where I went to seminary, or if I got an "online ordination" and they brush it off and not take it seriously, or my Pagan friends give me sideways glances because my ordination might seem a bit too Christian for them! I've identified as a priestess for a long time, but my identity as minister is deeply personal, but has been harder for me to be public about. but that's just my personal experience, and I know that your own ordination would come with its unique challenges and blessings!
ReplyDeleteEspecially knowing so many people who went to Divinity School or seminary or are Christian, that type of ordination is so mainstream so it just confuses people to be a Pagan and a minister. And while I do public or group stuff, I see it as part of my "ministry" but I don't think the people I work with see it as my ministry, they just see it as "that stuff Amanda does", so there are weird things with boundaries and my own identity and how other see me... so it's definitely something I'm still working with!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. I admit, I am confused about your ministry vs. priestesshood too! May I ask what tradition your ordination is in?
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I see this ordination as an add-on to my priestesshood. I want to have the ability to officiate legal ceremonies. I have not yet decided if I want or need additional training, or just the certificate. That's why I'm so interested in hearing from others. I really appreciate you weighing in.
that's a good question to ask yourself, about the certificate and "legality" verses additional training. I think this very question is something many Pagans think about. Because there are lots of legal minister Pagans, lots of Priests and Priestesses, but so few Minister Pagans (well, there are a lot out there, we just don't know what they're doing!)
ReplyDeleteMy ordination is with a Universalist group, the Fellowship of the Sacred Path (at the time of my ordination was under a different name because the group has changed a lot over the years.) http://staffandlantern.org/ The group is pretty big on supporting those on their own path towards and with the Divine. We all have very different traditions, and then somewhere come together in the middle... hah. hard to explain! but our external practices are super duper varied, but when it comes to the Inner stuff... the Mystery, the Spark, that's where it all comes together! and it's beautiful! that Inner stuff is something that I don't really get to experience with my Pagan community, so I appreciate my Fellowship community for keeping this in my life.
I trained with a coven and was initiated into that coven's tradition, so that's when I took the title Priestess. And then after my ordination, about a year later, I was able to take the title Minister. My ordination has a long lineage, which is really neat I think, with lots of people who are involved in the Liberal Catholic Church and other wonderfully heretical liberal and universalist groups.
I think a lot of the difference between Priestess and Minister is that people hear minister and think Christian, and when Pagans hear minister they are hesitant and confused and when non-Pagans hear minister they think Christian and then also become confused or see me as an imposter (it's happened).
So, for example, can I call Gaia's Circle my ministry? Sure, because it is. I'm a minister and it's how I help people on their path to the Divine. But how do GC members feel about me calling it my ministry? I get dirty looks!
So... it's all been a very strange journey for me! hahah
And I'm happy talking to you more about this. Because even if you get an online certificate, a transformation will happen. It might be little, or it might be HUGE. and it can be startling. (as with any initiation...) and if you do training, well, that's something to take super duper seriously! and it brings up all sets of trials and tribulations and contradictions and all of those fun things!
I'm sure you know this, but I'm gonna tell you anyway... my advice to you is to pray about it! The Cosmos will guide you. Trust them and trust yourself!
(thanks for letting me co-op your blog to talk about this stuff... so few people ask so I get a bit shy about it! but I appreciate your interest and letting me brag about myself a little, hahah.)
Ahh, now I see. I'd love to see more discussion about the differences between priestessing and ministering. My natural inclination is to believe that a Priestess is a Minister in a matriarchal faith. Perhaps, though, High Priestess is more of an analogue, as all witches are priests and priestesses. We are, to some degree, a faith full of clergy. But the level of commitment and leadership is the difference between a generic priestess and a high priestess. So as individuals, we are all our own clergy as we believe (in general) in direct intercession between Divine and individual. But not everyone is called to lead rituals, or to help and counsel others, or to lead a group. That's the job of a High Priestess. Is this making sense?
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that I have been thinking about on this whole topic is that it *may* be that I would benefit from some sort of Unitarian or Universalist ordination as I seem to be interested in interfaith ministry. Which I never really thought about, but yet is what I am creating with my Meetup group.
You ought to brag more and keep talking about this, in my view. Keeping things rigidly compartmentalized isn't always a good thing, at least in my experience.