To Be a Priestess of Hermes

[NibbleKat]

So... I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or ideas regarding what it would mean to be a priestess in this day and age of a Greek god, specifically Hermes?

When I think priestess, even though I have a friend who is a priestess of Epona, I have an OLD SCHOOL image of a chick in robes in front of an altar day and night burning incense and being incredibly intensely devoted to one god and only that and not having any fun at all.

Which, of course, isn't what it means.

So, could anyone help me with some insight on this?  I think I'm getting some bold hints that it's time that I stop being a 15-year follower of Hermes and start being a Priestess, and that it's going to change my life (for the better) a whole lot... but it kind of scares me.

Help?

[Fier]

So... I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or ideas regarding what it would mean to be a priestess in this day and age of a Greek god, specifically Hermes?

 
I think that to be a priestess means you are serving the community in such a way that aligns with the interests and roles of your god. To be a priestess means that you put yourself out there and say, "do you need help with X? I am here to assist you" to other humans.

I don't know Hermes well enough to say what a priest/ess of his would do. I know of a couple priestesses of Aphrodite who serve as sacred whores.

[Shine]

So... I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or ideas regarding what it would mean to be a priestess in this day and age of a Greek god, specifically Hermes?

When I think priestess, even though I have a friend who is a priestess of Epona, I have an OLD SCHOOL image of a chick in robes in front of an altar day and night burning incense and being incredibly intensely devoted to one god and only that and not having any fun at all.

Which, of course, isn't what it means.

So, could anyone help me with some insight on this?  I think I'm getting some bold hints that it's time that I stop being a 15-year follower of Hermes and start being a Priestess, and that it's going to change my life (for the better) a whole lot... but it kind of scares me.

Help?

 
Okay, I don't worship Hermes or anyone from the Hellenic pantheon, so I'm only talking generalities here.

In general, besides the community service aspect, I think there's a sense of devotion and service to the deity you're "priesting" for first and foremost. For example, someone who's a priestess to, say, Athena would put Athena and Athena's work first. That doesn't mean this priestess can't worship Aphrodite or Zeus or even someone from outside of that pantheon unless she has some kind of deal with Athena.

But then again, it might mean something else entirely. It depends on you, the deity, and whatever else comes into play at the time.

Perhaps becoming a priest for a deity is supposed to be a bit scary. I mean, we are talking about divine beings with an incredible amount of power.

I hope things work out for the best for you.

[Nyktipolos]

I think that to be a priestess means you are serving the community in such a way that aligns with the interests and roles of your god. To be a priestess means that you put yourself out there and say, "do you need help with X? I am here to assist you" to other humans.

 
Using this as a jumping off point...

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece by Joan Breton Connelly discusses how the term priest/priestess isn't as accurate as it could be when describing the roles of people who served the gods and their temples in Ancient Greece. You might not serve your entire life, you might've even bought your way (or your family did) into a priest role, and the focus was more on the gods and their temples, not necessarily the people.

It's a really awesome book, though, since it challenges a lot of ideas we have about women's priesthood and women's public life in general. It's a pretty pricey book so I read mine through inter-library loan. Even if it can't give you much practical info to use now, it's certainly filled with a lot of historical information you might find interesting.

[Fier]

When I think priestess, I have an OLD SCHOOL image of a chick in robes in front of an altar day and night burning incense and being incredibly intensely devoted to one god

 
If we had modern temples devoted to Hermes, there would certainly be a need for someone to maintain them. Temple duties would include maintaining the shrine, accepting and properly disposing of offerings, and managing the space for festivals and other events. But since you're unlikely to find yourself in such a position, I think the duties of modern priests will be different.

[NibbleKat]

 
Help?

Thank you guys for all of your answers.  Having pondered this, the "community" aspect of it, and with some very different things that have also come up that have clarified my situation, I know the path that I am going to take.



Hooray, lovely Cauldron people.  You are wonderful.

[IceAngie]

I know of a couple priestesses of Aphrodite who serve as sacred whores.

 
This is probably a stupid question but... what is a sacred whore?

[Fier]

This is probably a stupid question but... what is a sacred whore?

 
Someone who is available to others for touch and/or sex. Sometimes the priestess may be a horse for the goddess, allowing the practitioner to literally have sex with Aphrodite, or experience her physical touch. Other times Aphrodite might not be present.

[IceAngie]

Someone who is available to others for touch and/or sex. Sometimes the priestess may be a horse for the goddess, allowing the practitioner to literally have sex with Aphrodite, or experience her physical touch. Other times Aphrodite might not be present.

 
Ah, I understand now. Thanks!

[Nyktelios]

So... I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or ideas regarding what it would mean to be a priestess in this day and age of a Greek god, specifically Hermes?

When I think priestess, even though I have a friend who is a priestess of Epona, I have an OLD SCHOOL image of a chick in robes in front of an altar day and night burning incense and being incredibly intensely devoted to one god and only that and not having any fun at all.

Which, of course, isn't what it means.

So, could anyone help me with some insight on this?  I think I'm getting some bold hints that it's time that I stop being a 15-year follower of Hermes and start being a Priestess, and that it's going to change my life (for the better) a whole lot... but it kind of scares me.

Help?

In ancient Greek context, a priest or priestess simply maintained the public cult of a deity. It wasn't a spiritual calling or something that needed years of training like in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon books. Basically, you would care for the sanctuary and the cult idol, and take care of the offerings that people leave for the deity. It doesn't really require any special skills or a deep spiritual connection with the god, but I guess it depends on what kind of priestess one wants to be, as there are different meanings depending on the context of the tradition.

[drekfletch]

Help?

 
You've gotten your situation settled, you said.  But I have thoughts, and I'm going to share, anyway.

There are a number of ways Priestessing can go nowadays.  At it's most pure interpretation, you serve your God.  This can be refined into performing ritual that is solely between you and Him.  Sometimes this will include some form of documentation, in order to share with other people with similar rites.

It can be performing tasks in capacity of temporal hands/feet/mouth/etc on behalf of Him.  This can be advocacy; maintenance of related spaces (f'ex: Adopt-a-Highway); performing specific functions to His petitioners or acting as a ritual technition.

This can expand further into general service for His community.  This interpretation of Priesthood is generally the most common, due to the fact that this is the face that people see most often.

It all depends on what you and He agree to.