So let’s circle back to Priestly concepts, shall we? I have struggled with this concept for a good deal of time. You can dig back through some of the older posts, and find all of that – should you wish to do so. Quite some time back, during one of my meditations, Crow approached me over the idea of being a Priest. Originally, I was confused, thinking that Crow was asking me to be a Priest of His. It took a lot of time to realize that this was not the case. Crow was not pointing me at a position of servitude for Him. We already had created – and continue to work within – a strong boundary-related partnership. granted, its not always easy, and seemingly is not as evenly-sided as I think it should be, but it exists and I work within it at my discretion and benefit. No, instead, Crow’s push has been towards me finding my way as a Priest. And this vague direction has brought a lot of issues forward for me.

I have pushed back on the concept – I have no desire to be a leader of any group, much less cultivate any form of following – even here on the blog. I have been on my Pagan Path for over thirty years, with the majority of that as a single individual. I have tried groups. I have tried covens. I am even part of an organization currently, the order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD). Groups and covens proved to not be useful for me or the other people I interacted with. OBOD has provided me with my own perspectives of autonomy and self-determination along my own Path, to be a more precise fit for what works for me. With no flock, no followers – how could I be a Priest?

I was reminded, time and again, that being a Priest did not mean that one had to have others that they tended to their Spiritual needs as a Shepherd would tend to a flock of sheep. That directive and concept was extremely Christian in its being, and would never be a fit for me. And while being a ritual leader is not precisely my forte, that could be one way that being a Priest might fit for me. The same holds true for being an adviser for those who are on their own Pagan Paths. In a manner of speaking, I could be a Guide along the Path – there to help those that need assistance, even if that assistance was just getting them to someone that could be in a more Priestly role for them.

I am reminded by a few folks that just by writing my blog posts – explaining my thinking, my internal processes, essentially my approach to my own Paganism and Druidry – that I am exploring a function of being a Priest. In its own manner, all of this can be construed as teaching and philosophizing, at least to some degree by other folks. That this is an aspect of being a Priest, though I am somewhat unsure at times of helpful I can be with what I write about.

I am already exploring aspects of simple ordination, so that I might be able to step in to some functions of a Priest, as expected by modern-day society, when others cannot be found – or where I am considered to be some kind of a fit for that role. In baseball vernacular, I am setting myself up as a pinch-hitter in a reserve role. Primarily, this comes about from my lack of experience in working in group rituals. Time and participation can change that.

Would I call myself a “Priest” at this point? Well, in a manner of speaking – yes. I am a Priest. Just as I am a Druid within OBOD. I may not have finished my Ovate and Druid grade training, which I will, but I can call myself a Druid, because that is what I am. I definitely have a lot to learn, but I am a Druid. I certainly need to consider a lot of other functional roles, in terms of Priesting (is that a verb?), but at this point, I am an inexperienced Priest. I may not have the years of training behind me, but I can step in to handle various roles…even if I am somewhat clumsy at this point.

Certainly, there will be those that will disagree with my usage of the words. Frankly, I am not about to let that bother me. No matter what one says or relates, especially in today’s social environment, someone will always be willing to take up some aspect of umbrage. I am not trying to fulfill these concepts and roles for my own benefit, but to benefit others – where I can. Even if, at this moment, I am a Priest of one.