The Priestess Path, Goddess Religion -- Spiral Door, Cella

Being on the Priestess Path means (for me) a commitment to Goddess, to learning, and to spiritual service in Her name. I have graudated from two Goddess Spirituality programs: The Spiral Door Women's Mystery School of Ritual and Magickal Arts (2005: a teaching/training program in the Temple of Diana tradition of Dianic Wicca) and the Cella Program (2003: a self-directed studies program for Goddess Women). This part of GoddessMystic.com is a web documentation of my Cella studies.

Though I worked the Scholar/Teacher, Creatrix/ and Earthwalker paths in the Cella program, I consider my path to be that of the Goddess Mystic -- one of many pathways to service that have been largely overlooked in Goddess Religion. The Cella Training Program declines to consider it a valid "doing your Goddess work in the world" path, but as a self-identified mystic, I do many "in the world" pieces of work. My contemplative practices are an integral part of that work.

Whereas the Spiral Door teaches you many skills and ritual construction and personal magic, the Cella Program provides a structure on which you develop your own studies. Both of these programs, though very different, give give their students structures and practices to help them understand their relationship with Goddess. The Cella program specifically is designed to help a student discover her Priestess path. Though I knew intuitively that mine was the path of the "mystic," I ignored that knowing when my first Cella advisor discouraged my thinking/perceptions about mysticism and Goddess Religion. As I grew in my spiritual practice and understanding of Goddess and religious life, however, I reclaimed Mystic as my Priestess Pathway. Others inside and outside the Cella Program are also adding the face of the mystic to the other more familiar faces of the priestess -- ritualist, healer, teacher.