Create Magic, Reveal Your Inner Priestess

There's been a lot of talk lately about the "feminine rising,"  but there may be an even more sacred link to our feminine or Goddess self, another path to the divine feminine, to uncovering the spiritual power of women:  Within each of us lies a spiritual goddess known as an Urban Priestess.

The Priestess is an essential role of women, one in which we help create and maintain the psychic, energetic, and emotional landscape of society.   The Priestess was much revered in ancient times, and even still today in the spiritually dominated world of the East.  But her presence, this magical part of the Divine Feminine, has been hidden in our age of spiritual materialism - an age from which we are beginning to awaken.
I attended the most honest, love-filled, and joyful wedding I had ever been a part of in Santa Fe this summer.  It felt very much like seeing the true meaning of a wedding ceremony for the first time, and it was officiated by Urban Priestess Ashley Turner.  Glad.is is honored to share these inspiring words from Ashley on how to tap into and grow your inner Priestess:

Magic.  Mysticism.  Merlins.  Myth.  A Modern Day Priestess.

by Ashley Turner

Ten years ago, I read the epic novel Mists of Avalon, a retelling of the Arthurian legend as seen through the eyes of the women of Avalon.  This was my first encounter with the term priestess.  Deep inside, my Presbyterian bones began to quake.  Intuitively,  I knew what a priestess was.  I understood her role in the world and knew it was mine as well.
Empowering the feminine always stirred my soul.  I studied feminism and geopolitical socioeconomic theory at University of Southern California in hopes of bringing more equality to the world.  I happily devoured Simone de Beauvoir while living in Paris in the mid '90s.

After reading Mists of Avalon, I longed to attend a Mystery School.  How did these secret teachings relate to our modern world?  How could I translate them? Luckily, someone passed me a booklet, and all the missing pieces fell into place.  A Guidebook for the Modern Priestess was written by my teacher, Ariel Spilsbury. Upon reading the manual, I eagerly completed Ariel's 13 Moon Priestess Training, an amalgamation of feminine spirituality, Jungian psychology, Tantra, mythology, sacred geometry, Celtic mysteries, and quantum physics.

To this day, people ask me more about my priestess work than anything else that I do.  The word holds a mysterious charge but is really quite simple:  By aligning with elemental forces, nature, and our intuition, we have more direct access to truth and love. Here are some simple steps, carefully distilled from Ariel's voluminous work, to help you on your path to becoming an Urban Priestess.

SLOWDOWN & BEGIN A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE.  The mantra of the priestess archetype is:  I amplify stillness.  True power comes from within.  Spend time each day in stillness ad silence.  Answers arise.  Intuition strengthens.
WORSHIP YOUR BODY.  A priestess knows her worth and chooses foods, relationships, and activities that support her highest good.  Eat well.  Exercise daily.  Practice radical self-care.  Pamper yourself.
START A MOON CIRCLE.  Honor the natural rhythms of life by cresting monthly rituals.  Gather a small group of trusted friends around the New Moon to sit in a circle, confidentially share, and create rituals to honor the seasons.
SET INTENTIONS.  Take an hour each week to meditate on and write out your deepest desires.  A priestess understands her power to manifest.  Journal to keep track of miracles and recognize synchronicity as it occurs.
PRESENCE BEAUTY.  Pay special attention to how you adorn yourself.  In each encounter, offer beauty- by how you dress, decorate your home, move, speak, and listen.
ESTABLISH RESONANCE.  For magic to occur, a resonant, coherent field is required.  Keep rooms and relationships orderly.  Use candles, flowers, sound, and lighting to establish resonance.  Listen athletically to align with another.  Instead of listening passively, listen with your whole body, your whole attention.  Notice sensations and subtle, unspoken cues to accurately meet another where they are.
 
Ashley Turner brings a fresh approach to yoga as a modern day psychotherapy intern with a soulful bent on celebrating the body’s wisdom and inner spirit.


Fill us in!  How do you practice evolving into an Urban Priestess?