Rekindling the Pathway of the Priestess | Sensory Awareness
Written by Baelyn Elspeth
In the old times, in the ancient ways, the role of the Priestess was she who was initiated and trained in the arts of ceremony and ritual. She performed rites for the community that honored the cycles of nature and the cosmos. She was attuned to the harmonic frequencies and lived as a conduit for the Divine. She often lived in Temples with other Priestesses, together devoting their lives to studying the great mysteries ~ of earth, the universe, and the unseen. They were skilled in the various healing arts, communing with the elements, plants, songs, and the spirits…
It is important to note that the true pathway of the Priestess is not an easy one, that it isn’t a trendy fad to be worn as an identity and taken lightly. This pathway requires deep dedication to self cultivation… a waking up to everything we are not, and a letting go of all that keeps us separate from our connection to source and the Divine. Along the path, there are many sacrifices and initiations that challenge our way of thinking and strip us down to the core essence of our being.
Image by Alyssa Keys
As we continue to wake up, remembering our ancient ways and our connection to these times of offerings and devotion… how do we make space to tune into this ancient archetype that has been hidden away for so long?
Connecting with our senses through daily practice and awareness is a doorway in… An opportunity to become intimate with ourselves, our thoughts and perceptions, and who we think we are. To be a clear and open vessel for the mystery to unfold and to understand with clarity our role ~ it is a practice of continuously emptying and making space.
So we can begin…
To listen
When we begin to be still and listen, we find in that space many things to learn. We can start to hear the deeper whisperings of our soul, and the thoughts and patterns that run rampant in our minds. These ideas we have about ourselves that create a wall between our vessels and the ephemeral world. As we become still and open our subtle sensations, we can also start to hear more clearly the whisperings of nature ~ the plants, the birds, the trees ~ the things that are being communicated without words. We can step into the dance, creating harmony by listening to the music being played in our bodies and all around us.
& To See
As we attune our listening, we also attune our eyes. We begin to see the world that is unfolding around us. Instead of being lost in the inner workings of our thoughts and mind, our projected fantasies, we see what is really present. We take in the colors and textures of our environment, we see the deeper look in the eyes we greet sitting across from us. Being in full presence and opening our eyes to truly see is a great service to consciousness and the world around us.
& To Touch
How do we engage with our touch, are we really present with how our hands lay on the heart of another, or how our footsteps feel as we walk on our mother? As we attune ourselves, we can feel clearly the needs unfolding around us and understand the art of healing touch, of a touch that is clear of our traumas and woundings, of our grasping and wanting. We can wake up to a true touch that is coming from the unconditional heart of love.
& To Taste
How do we engage with the sensuality of our mouth. What do we take in and what comes out? Are we present to the foods we eat? ~ Finding pleasure in the gifts our mother earth offers us. To how we communicate and the words we taste flowing forth form that space. What are the songs we sing as a conduit and a channel for the divine? I create what I speak ~ This statement is a reminder that our words are powerful, that our mouth is a portal for casting all kinds of spells, and also a space from which we can offer love and beauty.
& To Smell
Our nose is connected to our breath, which is also connected to the mind. Are you present to your breath? When you see a flower do you take time to breath it in? How many times a day do you take to breathe deeply? ~ Bringing your mind down to your heart and taking in the fragrance of this present moment. Smell is also connected to our memory bank. As we work with the fragrant oils and scents of the nature divine, we can unlock many doorways to the unseen and hidden realms, uncovering past lives and ancient memories. And it is of upmost importance that we remember.
Image by Alyssa Keys
This all may seem so incredibly simple. Our minds wanting deeper secrets, spells and magic, but to even begin to understand what one does further along the journey, one must wake up to the presence of each step walked along the way. To the medicine that occurs in each moment. To what a gift and service our presence is to this universe. Listening, seeing, feeling, breathing, and the words we speak into the world are deep magic. When we learn to engage with the subtitles of these simple rituals and begin to weave them deeper into our lives, we reshape ourselves, expanding our vessels, creating more space for the elemental world to flow through us. Our will becomes the will of the divine and our integrity aligns with the highest good and for the good of all beings.
When one lights a fire, one must show up constantly to tend it, this pathway of the Priestess a lifelong journey that begins with a daily practice of presence, reverence and understanding. Of knowing our tools and gifts, of tending our communities and the health of our minds and hearts. Of recognizing that this tending is a great responsibility, and as we tend mindfully, we begin to heal the disease of separation and become One with all things.
As above, so below, as within so without, these are the sacred holy laws.
And so it is,
Blessed be | Asherah, Asherah, Asherah
Image by Alyssa Keys
