A Practical Guide to Pagan Priesthood: Community Leadership and Vocation

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This is true for us whether we are hard polytheists, humanists, naturists, or operating from a non-dual frame. In each case there are the Divinities, and irrespective of Their being interpreted as completely separate, aspects of our psyches, human generated stories, manifestations of, simply Nature herself, or in any other theological frame, They abide. They, however framed, are what we gather around to remember, to honor, to affirm their value, or in other words, to worship. Regardless of our understanding of what it means, when we gather in worship we all come together as a community. This is the place where we all meet. Prayer is speaking to the Gods, either words of praise or expressing the yearnings of your heart. If you’re trying to figure out how to become a priest – or what kind of priest you’re supposed to become – you’re going to have a lot of questions. Ask them. Ask for guidance. Ask that obstacles be removed and that ways be opened.

Introduction. What Is a Greek Priest? - The Center for Introduction. What Is a Greek Priest? - The Center for

Perhaps we can use the word “priest” to simply mean “consecrated religious specialist” – but then add what they specialize in. We would have liturgical priests and magician priests and counselor priests. Perhaps some traditions would expect their priests to be competent diviners, while others would expect some skill in counseling. There are many ways to divide up the work. Toward a robust religious vocabularyA volkhv or volhv ( Cyrillic: Волхв; Polish: Wołchw, translatable as wiseman, wizard, sorcerer, magus, i.e. shaman, gothi or mage) is a priest in ancient Slavic religions and contemporary Slavic Native Faith. In Wicca, the leader of a coven or temple (either a high priestess or high priest) often appoints an assistant. This assistant is often called a 'deputy', but the more traditional terms 'maiden' (when female and assisting a high priestess) and 'summoner' (when male and assisting a high priest) are still used in many denominations.

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If you’re talking about how to connect to a specific deity or how to deepen your devotional practice, a polytheist priest probably is the best person to consult. If you need someone to listen with compassion or to offer some suggestions for dealing with the difficulties of life, maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. 8. Administrator But sometimes you need to approach an unfamiliar deity and you need expert advice on the best way to do it. Or sometimes deity wants to speak to you and you won’t listen, so They send a human who can physically stand in front of you and say “the Morrigan says it’s time you got your act together.” 4. Worship leader A.—Historically the oldest of pagan religions, the most fully developed, and the most deeply marked by vicissitude is that of India. Four divisions, distinct in history and nature, are recognizable: Vedism, Brahminism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Even in the ancient Vedic hymns a special priesthood is distinguishable, for, although originally the father of the family was also the offerer of sacrifice, he usually sought the cooperation of a Brahmin. From the essential functions of praying and singing during the sacrifice arose in Vedism the three classes of sacrificing (adhvariu), singing (udgatar), and praying priests (hotar). The four categories of soldier, priest, artisan or farmer, and slave developed formally in later Brahminism into the four rigidly distinguished castes (Dahlmann), the Brahmins meanwhile forging ahead of the soldiers to the position of chief importance. The Brahmins alone understood the intricate and difficult sacrificial ceremonial; thanks to their great knowledge and sacrifices, they exercised an irresistible influence over the gods; a pantheistic explanation of the god Brahma invested them with a divine character. The Brahmin was thus a sacred and inviolable person, and to murder him the greatest sin. Brahminism has wrongly been compared with medieval Christianity (cf. Teichmuller, “Religionsphilosophie”, Leipzig, 1886, p. 528). In the Middle Ages there was indeed a privileged priesthood, but not an hereditary priestly caste; then as now the lowest classes could attain to the highest ecclesiastical offices. Still less justified, in view of the pantheistic character of the Brahminic religion, are all attempts to trace a genetic connection between the Catholic and Indian priesthoods, since the monotheistic spirit of Catholicism and the characteristic organization of its clergy are irreconcilable with a pantheistic conception of the Deity and the unsocial temper of a caste system.Christianity [ edit ] A Catholic priest during Holy Mass Eastern Orthodox priest wearing epitrachelion (stole) and epimanikia (cuffs), Mtskheta, Republic of Georgia This is different than ministry, which is about serving the people, the ‘congregation’ who has called the minister to serve it. In many ways ministry is far harder, in that it requires training to do it well, while serving a Deity ‘only’ requires the touch of the Deity. While these notions are entwined in practice, it is useful to disentangle them for discussion. Today our subject is priesthood, next time it will be ministry. Buddhists don’t use the same structure of religious specialists as Christians. Catholics don’t use the same as Protestants, and Baptists don’t use the same as Lutherans. Our many Pagan traditions are no different.