Priestessing

The SOA does not initiate Priestesses; we feel that a Priestess of Avalon cannot be “made” by any earthly authority. We treat this title with great respect and honor and do not use it lightly. In the days past, it took many years for a woman of Avalon to become a Priestess, and then she did so with the advantage of living in a closed community dedicated solely to the work of the Goddess in an established continuum.

Today, alas, we do not have the same kind of support, and while we are actively remembering, reclaiming and renewing the traditions of old, becoming a priestess is not something that can (or should) be accomplished easily or through the reading of a book or completion of a course. How can we, who work in the mundane world of endless distraction and in a different cultural context without constant support for our work, think we can attain this goal in the same amount of time, much less in LESS time than our foremothers?

Attending a few Avalonian workshops and being active in the Sisterhood for a few years does not a Priestess make. It is a life-transforming experience — one of many as there are MANY initiations — and one that comes from the fruit of commitment to self-transformation and inner growth. A woman is recognized a Priestess by her actions and her very presence of being. It need not be spoken, nor imprinted on a business card. No woman can pass through the doors of Initiation as Priestess without some profound and lasting inner change occurring in her life.