Spinning around the pole, moving my hips, and landing a trick all felt like a corporeal prayer, a body-song of worship. There was energy raised and lowered on the pole. I learned new things about my body and my being. I knew the closer I was to being the full expression of myself, the closer I would be to Aphrodite.
Tag: Deity
What We Label Ourselves
What we decide to call ourselves has immense power. In a spiritual sense, it’s the conscious act of putting yourself out there. Saying “I’m Pagan” has power to it. Saying “I am a witch” has power to it. The Divine is listening and the Earth can hear - you may be surprised what comes your way when you make a spiritual declaration of this sort.
Why I Quit Caring About Formal Ritual and How That Made Me Better At It
When I quit caring about formal ritual, it allowed me to see more clearly the purpose of ritual: to connect deeply with the Divine. This completely transformed my personal practice. I rarely go through a full “ritual” with formal invocations for the elements and the Divine when I practice alone. My private devotions are much more conversational - and thus more strongly integrated into my day-to-day life. I believe this helps me to maintain a more powerful connection with Deity.
Making Soup for Cerridwen
While my closest relationship with a deity is with Aphrodite, I also have a close working relationship with Cerridwen. Cerridwyn is the Welsh goddess of transformation and change. She is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge, and she is frequently viewed as a “dark” goddess.
My Experience of Aphrodite
Spiritual experiences are, by nature, very difficult to put into words. You’ve just experienced something transcendent - It’s no surprise that it also transcends language. Given that, I’m going to do my best to describe to you how I experience the Goddess Aphrodite.
When Books Aren’t Enough
What do you do when books aren't enough? When you begin to experience things that no one has written about? What if your personal experience of a deity doesn't match the lore? Here are some suggestions for how to navigate your experiences.
What Does It Mean to Be a Priestess?
What does it mean to be a priestess? I thought about this question for a long, long time before I took my official oath as a priestess of Aphrodite. I knew that being a priestess in a public Pagan community was not a responsibility to take on lightly, and I wanted to make sure I knew what I was committing to before I took that plunge. It is a holy office, and the mantle of priestesshood, while joyous and ecstatic, can be heavy at times and comes with a sacred duty to both your deity and your community.
Going Deeper – Connecting with Divinity
You’ve done some great personal introspection, feel pretty confident about your spiritual skills, and you’ve taken a look at the personal considerations in the previous blog post (Going Deeper - Are You Ready to Dive In?). You’ve done your research, and are pretty sure of the deity (or deities) you want to work with. You know about their lore, their traditions, and their holidays. Maybe you’ve even already started to reach out to them. These are all wonderful things! Here are some next steps on how to pursue a deeper relationship with a deity.
Going Deeper – Are You Ready to Dive In?
So you’ve decided that you want to begin a relationship with Aphrodite (or another Divinity that feels right to you). A deep, personal relationship. Maybe you want to become a devotee, dedicant, or priestess (or priest; we are open to all genders here). What do you do next? There are some important considerations to take into account, and then I’ll talk about first steps to connect with your deity in another post.
My Journey to Aphrodite – Part Three
This is Part Three in a series of posts on how I came to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. Here I chronicle my journey to the modern Pagan worship of Aphrodite and how I became Her priestess.
Priestess of Aphrodite 