Who is she? How do we define her persona? A Priestess is a ritual leader, often regarded as the “Mother” of a spiritual community and an important decision maker within a range of blessed roles. Ancient Priestesses were considered revered instruments of the Goddess in many early cultures from Sumeria, through Greece, Rome, and Egypt to the beginning of civilization in Mesopotamia. They tended to the Goddess rites, ceremonies and sacred rituals that supported the prosperity of the land and its people. As temple keepers, Priestesses dressed the deities as an act of dressing the Goddess herself. Priestesses of the Goddess, heralded the power of the Sacred Feminine, with all their holy duties.

     The ancient Priestesses who honored a blessed deity lived a cloistered life in and around temple complexes or ritual sites. Many were sought after Oracles and Sibyls living above ground or in labyrinthine underground caves. And then we have the sacred Priestess dancers of the Egyptian Goddess Hathor. Hathor was the patron of dancers and thus an incarnation of dance and sexuality. Her dancers were passionate and raucous in their stylized movements. The sistrum was Hathor’s particular musical instrument, used by her dancers along with various percussion instruments. The Priestesses of Hathor venerated her by expressing their artistic natures through dance and music.

     The earliest and first time the title Priestess officially appeared was on the base of an ancient Egyptian statute from Abu Rawash. Her name was Neferhetepes and she was a dancing Priestess of Hathor.

     The Egyptian Khener dancers from the Middle Kingdom continued Hathor’s legacy. These Priestess dancers where of Nubian descent and made it their vocation to keep Hathor’s story alive by performing in sanctified ceremonies and rituals.

     Ancient tales tell us of the Vestal Virgin Priestesses who honored the Greek/Roman Goddess Vesta and guarded her sacred flame. And then we have the Grecian Priestesses who tended the Oracle at Delphi and were known as Melissae (thought to be oracular bee nymphs). The omphalos stone thought to be the center of earth at Delphi was carved to resemble a sort of bee hive. Stories about our ancestor Priestesses are as fascinating as they are mesmerizing.

     From ancient times to our modern era Priestesses still honor an esteemed deity. With the unparalleled interest in Wiccan, Pagan, Shaman, Druid, and Witchcraft practices the role of the Priestess has greatly evolved. She probably does not reside in a temple complex but in an apartment, condo, or house. Her reverence for deities might have expanded to include several Goddesses. Her sacred space might not be a temple but an altar in a bedroom or a specially designated space or room. As a Priestess and Witch, I can attest that in honor of Hathor, we still passionately dance and play musical instruments around our cauldron fires. We are most likely leaders of a Coven, Grove or Iseum. Some of us are Oracles and many write books and teach classes covering many topics within our spirituality.

     The title Priestess possibly originated in Old English as the word “preost” with its Greek root as “presbyteros”. In channeling Divinity, Priestesses allow their natures to morph into the formidable and very powerful force of the Divine Feminine.