Becoming a Priestess of Persephone

I sit in a dark red room, waiting.  There are several of us, waiting…..  The Priests and Priestesses are preparing the space outside.  I knew that this was a special night for everyone, but I did not know what to expect.  Becoming a priestess of the changing Goddess was something that I knew I was born to become.  I would face whatever challenge awaited me.  It’s just, with my Goddess…. it could be anything.

Goddess of Spring and Rebirth, Queen of the Dead, Persephone seems a paradox.  “But, who else would the dead worship?” the Priestess asked me when I said as much to her.  Of course, the dead would worship one who could bring change and rebirth.  How did that escape me for so long?

I heard the drums begin.  They are coming for us soon.  I sit and look around at the others here with me.  I just met them tonight.  Sally, she’s a mother.  Don the dentist with his great big smile looks nervously around the room as he pretends nonchalance.  I can’t recall the name of the short, heavy set man, but I know he’s a professor at the local college.  Kelly is all of 20, dressed in witchy black.  Then there is me.  I guess I’m the fortune teller.  My clothes are urban gypsy, and I am here because I hear dead people.  Well, not just dead people.  I hear all kinds of things.

The room lightens as a crone enters.  She is carrying a lantern and holds it high as she says, “I am Hekate. I will show you the way.  You may follow of your own free will, and at any time, of your own free will, you may go.”  She then turned on her heel and walked slowly out of the room.

We all follow.

She leads us around the back of the house and across the patio to the back gate of the circle.  There are two rows of witches  that we have to pass through to enter the circle beyond.  The drums become louder as we approach the circle in single file.  I am right behind the crone with her lantern, and as I walk, I see flashbacks in my mind’s eye of many lifetimes where this has happened before:  The entrance to a cave, where an old toothless woman held a lantern up and bid me to enter.  A small row boat, where an old woman with a lantern asked me to climb aboard as we rowed into a large cave.  Crossing a river upon stepping stones, as a man with a torch leads me up a hill to torches burning in the distance.  These flash through my mind as I walk through the elders and into the circle.

The High Priestess is standing in the middle of the circle  dressed in rich reds, with long flowing dark hair.  She wears a familiar circlet with a moon on her forehead and she glows with an intensity that my soul recognizes.  She speaks to us with a clear and powerful, yet soft and compassionate voice.

“Welcome to the Underworld, beautiful children of light.  I am Persephone, your Queen, the mother of all Witches.  You have come to me seeking.  You have come to me wanting, unsure, unfulfilled, lacking, desiring, but of what you do not yet know.  You have come as fertile soil, to be tilled, planted, and nurtured, with hopes that you will bear the sacred fruit; the fruit of mystery, death and rebirth–the fruit of the Goddess.

You have desires and dreams, romanticized versions of what you think you want and need.  Yet are you open to receiving the seed of Goddess?  Are you willing to release your attachments to what you think you know and be Her fertile ground?  Are you ready to embrace the shadow so that you may walk in the light unencumbered?  Have you the courage to face your darkest fears, so that you may be cleansed in the waters of Her womb?  Can you fight the demons of your darkest nature, so that you may be able to embrace your true greatness and serve as Her Sacred Vessel?

Her Priests and Priestesses are Her Hands, Her eyes, Her ears, Her voice, Her heart, Her womb, Her warriors, Her lovers, Her messengers, Her healers, and Her guides.  Yet they are also Her heavy hand of Karma, Her voice of Judgment, Her vessels to serve and protect the balance whether those actions be perceived by you as good or bad.

Can you listen, and follow directions?  Can you set down your pride and lead others by selflessly serving them?  Are you devoted?  Do you have faith in Her love?  Do you trust the harmonious balance of the Universe?  Can you choose to serve the best and highest good, even when it seems that the choice is not in your immediate best interest?

It takes all these things and far more to serve Her.  The power is more than you can ever imagine, and the responsibility is greater than you would have ever willingly chosen.  I cannot possibly lay the mystery before you, for that you must discover on your own.  But I can tell you the rewards far outweigh the cost.  Yet the cost will be paid with hard work and sacrifice.   Are you willing to release that which stands in your way, to know yourself as a sacred vessel through which the God can work?”

She stopped speaking and looked at each of us.  Asking us the question with her eyes.  Watching us intently.  Measuring the look on our faces, or something else we could not see.  She then took a plate of pomegranate seeds, held a single seed up for our inspection and continued speaking.

“Think on this magic seed.  Will it find loving fertile ground within you? Will it fall on barren fear?  Can you suspend your disbelief and let the magic work within you?  Can you allow yourself to be molded by Her into something that you are incapable of understanding at this moment?  Are you the open, waiting, receptive energy of Goddess, waiting to be fertilized with the seed of knowledge?

If so, then partake of the food of the dead.  Allow me to plant the seed within you and let the process of your transformation begin.”

The drums began again.  I hadn’t realized they had stopped until I heard them resume.  She approached me first.  I wondered for a split second how I managed to be first in this whole parade.  Then courage overtook me.  The desire I had to know Her came over me and I smiled, welcoming the seed to  of my Goddess to change me forever.

A chant begins, “Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana…..”  The High Priestess, who has transformed into Persephone herself feeds me a seed.  I feel a tingling upon my lips as she places the seed in my mouth and kisses me with a blessing at the same time.  An elder turns me deosil and sweeps me around the circle into the dance.  Each of my companions are fed a pomegranate seed and brought into the dance.  I join in the chant, as do the others.  The drums increase as the energy swirls around and through me.  The tingling from my lips has spread to my body as the power peaks to a crescendo.  I feel laughter bubbling forth from deep inside me as my hands are grasped on either side, and a circle of swirling witches dance into a rune around the circle.  It’s as though my feet are lifted from the ground as my new brothers and sisters of the wise rejoice with me at my inception onto the path.

For a moment time stands still.  I am swirling, laughing, held aloft in midair with my hair flying around me.  Persephone is there with me, ten times my size.  Holding me like an infant.  Looking into my face, smiling.  She is my mother, giving birth to me as an adult, giving me her talents and gifts, teaching me and guiding me.

I hear my Priestess speak, “Down!” and  I am back… amongst the witches, my brothers, sisters and elders.  Those, who will guide me, open the doors, providing opportunities for me to grow and serve; they redirect me when I lose my way.  It is a special bond.  One I have worked for, searched for and finally found.  My coven home.  “Coven is thicker than blood,” I think to myself as I giggle and rejoice in the ‘tween space of magic.

I have a new spiritual family.

I smile, breathe deep, return my attention to the present and accept the Chalice being held out to me.

There is a Goddess of America, and her name is Columbia. This is not a witty line portraying a concept. I am not using an analogy to liken the capital to a Divine Mother Figure. I am simply stating facts: There is a Goddess of America, and her name is Columbia.
Our founding fathers were not fond of colonial era England, and were all well versed in the periodical of the time: Edward Cave’s Edward Cave’s The Gentleman’s Magazine. “>The Gentleman’s Magazine, in which quasi-illegal transcripts of the Parliamentary proceedings were loosely disguised as fictional works. It was illegal to print the transcripts from such, and so pen names were chosen for all people and places involved/ America was known as Columbia. When our Forefathers got here, they continued the use of this name in Reverence of the early anti-government movement that helped drive the revolution.
In the years following our succession from imperial rule, the people of the country began to personify her. They dressed her in Red, White, and Blue. Her golden curls, or long straight black hair, cascaded down her face. Her look of determination, and open armed embrace, concretized in picture that which was quintessentially American. They gave her the liberty crown. They placed her atop government buildings, as she led our country through conflict; standing next to her male counterpart, Uncle Sam.
She has watched over our country as the mother protects her children, and through her we have always found our way into peace, and freedom. Security for those in need, and a promise of abundance if you work hard. A Mother’s praise for a job well done.
Like a true Mother of Us All, she has smiled down on us. She doesn’t try to hog the spotlight. She sits quietly and watches as her children play beneath her. Glory is not her calling. Her calling comes from the triumphs of her children. She shakes her head softly when we fight, and giggles when we are funny. She sheds her tears for our accomplishments readily. She saves her tears, caused by hurts we inflict on her, for when we aren’t looking, because the way we treat each other breaks her heart, and she wants to stay strong for us. Columbia has been our heart and life force since before we were born; since we were still growing within her, in the pages of The Gentleman’s Magazine.

We have forgotten the face of our Mother.

It is time to remember her.

In times of great need she gets out of her chair, and reminds us that we are all supposed to ‘fight nicely’.
African American Poet Phillis Wheatley”>Phillis Wheatley:
One century scarce perform’d its destined round,
When Gallic powers Columbia’s fury found;
And so may you, whoever dares disgrace
The land of freedom’s heaven-defended race!
Fix’d are the eyes of nations on the scales,
For in their hopes Columbia’s arm prevails

She knows when to stand, and now is the time to stand. Now is the time for all of us to remember the Face of our Mother and smile at her; to unite under her ideal of ‘get along with each other’. We have it in us. We come from strong roots. We can remember that we are one people in this nation, and if others want to count themselves among us then it is their inalienable right, because we are the land of the free, and our Mother, Columbia’s arms are big enough to hold all of her children.
That’s why our Forefathers made sure she had a place at our table.
It hurts my heart that some of my brothers, and sisters have so much fear in their hearts. Our founding fathers didn’t want this for us. They didn’t want us to segregate, and ostracize. They would not be happy with a single religion for America. They purposefully left our Great Nation without a national religion. They wanted us to all learn each others’ religion. Our Forefathers were Masons. Masons at their core encompass all religions equally. They revel in the blending of ideas. This is the energy that our founding fathers, and Columbia wanted. They did not want us to play King of the Mountain. They wanted us to play Sandbox.

I’ve been training people in the Craft for almost two decades years. If someone who comes to me looks very young, the first thing I want to know is their age and whether or not their parents are aware that they’re seeking this training. Under 18? Your parents don’t know you’re here? Then my answer is always an emphatic “No!” Invariably, these kids want to know, “why not?”. There are many reasons why the vast majority of Wiccans and Pagans will not consent to train anyone under 18 in the Craft, and all of them are established to protect the community, including the person wishing to be trained and the group she or he wants to join.

The biggest reason that we won’t train someone under 18 is related to parental consent. Without parental consent, anyone teaching another religion to a child can be prosecuted under the law. Let’s face it, most parents who aren’t Pagan are strongly opposed to having their child(ren) exposed to witchcraft. On the other hand, parents that aren’t opposed are usually studying it themselves. They’re more than fine with letting their kids learn age appropriate material with them, and do.

Which brings me to reason #2. I say age appropriate, because we are a fertility religion. That means the act of creation, and the sexual union of God and Goddess is sacred to us, and is the basis of our religion. You can’t ethically teach that until someone is over 18, because it’s confusing AND illegal. We, as a culture, have decided that sex with children is wrong. We, as a society, have decided that the age limit is 18. We, as a people, made this decision based upon the negative experiences that humanity has encountered when adults have crossed this line. It is an important line, and although all of us mature at slightly different rates, you never know if you’ve crossed that line until AFTER someone is emotionally damaged. Since, the price of safety is only a couple of years, it is foolish to risk it. RESPECT this rule, because if you do not, you cannot undo the damage after it has been done, and you spend the rest of your life trying to get over it. Besides, impatience is a sure sign that one is not ready for magical training.

Reason #3 – What most academic schools are teaching is actually the foundation upon which magical training is built. To be successful in any field, especially Witchcraft, you need a good understanding of Mathematics, Algebra, Mythology, History, Social Studies, Geography, Science, Literature, how to write a research paper, and grammar . These things are very important to know before you begin studying witchcraft. Without this strong foundation, you will never be able to get past the basics of the craft. I look at the report cards of new students coming into the seminary who are under the age of 30. Students with bad grades inevitably lack the required skill set needed to perform in a college level setting. Since they’ve not developed the discipline required to learn basic educational concepts, they have a difficult time grasping the more complex concepts that are required to train your brain to move from a linear thinking pattern to a spiral thinking pattern. Basically, schools are doing FAR MORE to establish the roots of magical training than most people realize!

Reason #4 – Teenagers are really busy “growing up.” Teaching them magical concepts creates more trouble for them. For example, look at the stories of “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”. She causes herself way more problems with her powers than if she’d just be a regular kid. Notice how it takes advice from someone older and more mature to help her find her way out of the trouble she gets into. Maturing teenagers are learning how to interact as an adult in an adult environment: how to be respectful, honorable, grounded, etc. If you dishonor your training, and there are many ways to do this, you could be dismissed and not allowed to return.

Reason #5 – While most of us who are appropriately trained in the craft try to come from our highest place every moment of every day, there are just as many who are lying about their training and looking for anyone to worship and glorify them as God or Goddess incarnate. These people are hard for adults to identify until after they’ve already been spiritually abused. It’s impossible for Wicca, as an institution, to protect our youth from these predators, if we allow children to enter training too soon. We do not have many safeguards to protect people seeking craft knowledge, and people get deeply challenged in the best training programs. BEWARE of anyone willing to teach students under 18! Oftentimes these are unethical people who are more interested in amassing students and lording their power over others. These people can do just as much harm as the worst abusive parent, and then you could be spend the rest of your life trying to get over it.

All in all, youth is a very short chapter in our lives. There are times in life when one’s energy is just not conducive to studying witchcraft. The teenage years are one of those times. It’s not that you don’t need the spiritual interaction or ministering, because if you feel you do, you should do something about it. But do it the right way. Get your parents to take you to a Sabbat celebration and participate in the joy of the craft. Pray to the Goddess, meditate, read mythology, learn to read tarot. The time for formal study will come. It will come when you stop being a member that attends meetings, and start learning how to be the person that leads the meetings.

If you seriously want to study Wicca and become a Priestess or Priest, then properly prepare yourself so you’ll be ready for it when the time comes. Make good grades, take your Literature assignments and writing assignments very seriously. You’ll write a lot as a priest/ess, so you should be able to do it well or people will not respect what you have to say. Learn about our history, because there will be other stories that can’t be found in books that you won’t be able to understand, if you don’t know the historical background. Take your Mythology, Science and Shakespeare lessons very seriously. All of them have mysteries you will discover later in your training.

You are already in magical training, because you’re here on the planet. Magical training has to do with the way you look at your life, and how you respect the magic that is already there. This perspective earns you the right to be exposed to more. When the student is ready the teacher will appear. Make sure you’re ready for formal training, by applying yourself in school, making good grades, learning to be honorable, telling the truth, doing the right thing, and respecting your parents, even if you don’t agree with them sometimes. Respect the fact that people that are older than you have learned many lessons and are trying to help you avoid the same mistakes. The world is this way because experience teaches us things that youthful optimism doesn’t: human nature is not the same in reality as it is in our heads.

Find the long version of the Wiccan Rede and memorize it. Follow it. It has many mysteries in it. Then, when you’re 18 and you apply for training, you will more likely be accepted. Always remember this extremely important part of the path. It’s JUST like college. You APPLY for magical training, you don’t just show up and expect to get it. A High Priest or High Priestess has absolutely no obligation to teach you. They can dismiss you from training at any time, and will, if you make the experience of teaching you unpleasant. If you come properly prepared, if you’re humble, respectful, appreciative, and hard working, you will find your place among the Wicca. Consider your relationships with your parents and current teachers. How do you treat them? Do they find you a joy to teach? Do you turn in homework? Do you listen in class, and read the chapters? Do you take the time to understand why your parents make the decisions they make, or do you just rage against the restrictions? These will tell you where you need to grow. If you make your life successful as a teenager, you’ll make an excellent witch. Good luck.