Witchvox Article

Author: Maggi Setti [a WitchVox Sponsor]
Posted: June 26th. 2011
Times Viewed: 2,269

My current position in life, location on the initiatory path, and my personal astrology has me reevaluating how I see the world and my place in it. Nothing is immune to examination. The Goddess Brigid has had a direct hand in this process lately. She's been pointing the finger, and sooner or later (usually later) , I respond with �OH! That's what you mean�! Then I see her nod� I got the point she's been telling me for months.

Three months ago, Brigid told me that I had ignored her as a healer and not walked the path of healer myself. My immediate gut response was �Oh great, here we go again with the healer schtick�. Over the years I have avoided the word in the Pagan context because I have found time and time again, that healer is synonymous with ditzy new age. I have also been worried that many people use healing rituals and modalities as a way to brag about their ailments and use their illnesses as both crutches and badges. That isn't healing, that's stagnation at best.

So, with that in mind, I had been working on a ritual that would offer healing, transformation, and power for all attending. When it comes to healing rituals, one needs to be able to face one's faults with love and forgiveness. The container of the space needs to be a safe space that protects and encourages actual transformation through paint into healing and growth. Each participant must be able to face their fears, the dark, the ugly, the scary, without seizing into reliving the trauma and opening old wounds. The goal is to face healing and moving on a more whole a more well and connected person.

These thoughts brought me full circle to a new definition of healer: priestess as healer. In fact, acknowledging this definition allowed me to think about myself in new ways. It was as if the mantle of healer had needed to be accepted in order for my next step of progress. In the next few days, I made progress through quiet meditation and examination of myself.

I started asking the hard questions; what do I fear? Why do I feel this way? What is motivating my resistance? Being honest with myself allowed me to be both guide and supporter, as well as seeker initiate. The different parts of myself actually began to play both roles separately. Instead of my inner critic having the dominant voice, negative comments were quickly replaced by a smooth even tone, telling the negative doubting to hush, that the attitude wasn't needed.

I had never heard a piece of myself use the �priestessing voice� before. I had never so easily counteracted the internal negativity. Yet, this better part of me silenced the sabotaging, useless voice, completely. The priestess healer within set boundaries. The unruly hurt child within obeyed.

Priestess as healer may be one of the most important expressions of the healing role for the Pagan community.

The community seeks spiritual growth, understanding, and connection. We seek a better world, full of magick. In order to grow, we must seek personal transformation and self-healing first. The path of initiation into mystery schools requires faith and trust in the system and the guide. Without being about it trust one's leadership in coven work, the process will not happen. In fact, trust in the mystery is the key itself. Just like the voice in my head was trying to sabotage me, it is easy to contradict, be contrary, and resist the discomfort of the growth process. Like kids get growing pains as their bones shift, spiritual growing pains are inevitable.

In fact, many times healing modalities are painful in the process. Anyone that has had surgery knows this. There may be something repaired or removed from the body that was causing chronic pain or would cause illness. The process of fixing the ailment many times requires incisions and bruising and often right after surgery feels more acutely painful and traumatic than the ailment was before hand. Initiation and spiritual growth can be like this.

A well-trained priest or priestess can sometimes be like a surgeon, applying spiritual pressure in order to incite necessary growth. To the initiate, this pressure can feel like bullying or even hazing. Our younger selves react as we would if we were small children, feeling that no one understands us and we are being picked on. What that younger self needs though, is the space and self-nurturing and boundaries set in order to grow into something more whole and more powerful.

The aspect of Brigid that I had always been interested in was her warrior aspect. There is a saying that to know how to heal is to know how to injure. Magickal herbs and stones can be used for both sides of the healing/wounding coin. Rather than coming to a working understanding of this concept from the healing side first though, for me, I have learned it from the martial/warrior side first. In martial arts, you learn to kill first, maim second, and then avert without injury last. The refined skills are learned after the forceful ones.

Brigid is now teaching me the diligent strength, love, and patience that are necessary to see someone through the pain of recovery that is part of the healing and growth process. Brigid herbwife, midwife, healer, and warrior�She is all these things for the same reasons. The priestess role will require all of these aspects for me to be healer, guide, surgeon, and midwife.

I am grateful that I have Brigid as guide in these things. In fact, earlier this week, I was leading a ritual in her honor, and she lit the central fire for the ritual from an unlit candle I was holding. I just need to come to the altar, come to the table every day. She'll do the rest. I have to be willing to go through the motions of the process. In this way, the guide of Priestess is a channel for the Goddesses. I don't have to have the answers. I just have to be willing to look for them and speak them when they come to me.

ABOUT...

Maggi Setti

Location: Hackensack, New Jersey

Website: http://lettinggoisflying.blogspot.com

Author's Profile: To learn more about Maggi Setti - Click HERE

Bio: I'm a member of an electic wiccan tradition The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel (sacredwheel.org) . I a third degree High Priestess and have been a member for 9 years. I am in the coven Chalice of the Living Stars.

I am mainly interested in the Celtic and Norse pantheon, but have dipped into Greek and Egyptian as needed. Personally I have relationships with Brigid, Herne, Freya, Odin, Mimir, Artio (Celtic Artemis) , and the Morrigan.

I am dedicated to none. I am interested in Qabala, Tarot, Astrology, aspecting, Faery, Thelema, nature devas, herbalism and gardening, scrying, shadow work, sacred dreaming, martial arts and warriorship, kitchen witchery, women's mysteries and empowerment, augury, shamanic journeying, sex magick, and magickal painting.

I have worked with the following spirits as well; raven, crow, deer, dragons, unicorns, gryphons, and horses.

I am an avid reader and spend much of my time studying. I am also in the Northern NJ pagan fellowship that can be found on witchvox nj groups, meetup.com, facebook, and on yahoo groups.

You can check out my blog on spiritual musings at lettinggoisflying dot blogspot dot com.

I started teaching publically in 2009 in DE, PA, and NJ and will be continuing to teach in the NJ Fellowship and the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel. I am currently leading a Wicca study group that hopes to become a coven soon.

Please contact me if you in the area and interested in networking. Blessings!

Other Articles: Maggi Setti has posted 15 additional articles- View them?

Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE

Email Maggi Setti... (Yes! I have opted to receive invites to Pagan events, groups, and commercial sales)

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