Modern Priesthood

(From Wandering in Darkness)

I consider myself to be a priest of the Egyptian god Setesh. In Polytheism, priesthood was one part of a greater life, at least in Ancient Egypt, which will be the main inspiration of this book. A priest might only be one for a week out of a month, and only had to follow the rules of purification during that time. They would lead rituals or record the holy texts, but they were not there to tell the average citizen what to do with their lives. In fact, pluralism and inclusivism were the norm in Egyptian religion, despite the common view of the Asar (Osiris) myth being universal in the way of Christianity. Different nomes - cities or tribes dedicated to a god - had different creators, creation stories, divine families, rankings of the gods, etc. They were Henotheists - Polytheists preferring one or a few gods over the others, and creating stories about said gods accordingly. Despite this, priests did play important roles as scribes, healers, magicians, and more. 

            To me, modern Polytheistic priesthood is about a mix of one’s nature, knowledge of their gods, spiritual devotion, and acknowledgement by peers, the gods themselves, and even outsiders. 

            By one’s nature, what I mean is that the nature of the priest matches the nature of the god. In my case, my nature and Setesh’s are reflected in each other. If that concerns you because you believe Setesh to be an evil being, this book will clear things up. This is a perfect example of what modern priesthood means in the Polytheistic sense: to vindicate one’s god(s) from the perversions and demonizations of history. I am not evil, but like Setesh I am indeed isolationist, chaotic, someone who has grown up in the desert, is interested in the northern circumpolar stars, and I have always been a foreigner - from a Jew in Christian areas, to a poor kid in a rich high school, to a Polytheist in a Monotheistic culture. As much as I correspond to Setesh, I very clearly do not correspond to other deities. I do not have the parenting nature of Aset (Isis), I do not have the leadership skills of Heru (Horus), I do not possess the stability of Asar, I am not authoritarian like the Aten. The next closest god I relate to is Djehuty (Thoth) the scribe. 

            By one’s knowledge I mean they know about both themselves and their patron deity. Hopefully this text will stand as a testament to knowledge of Setesh, and knowledge of him far beyond the most mainstream, popular conceptions of Egyptian mythology. There is much to know about any deity - their symbols, associations, relationships to other gods, mythological as well as real world history... As far as Setesh is concerned, this book seeks to address it all. But this also means knowledge of oneself and your own nature, which is necessary to even identify a patron in the first place.

            By spiritual devotion I mean there is some esoteric, metaphysical connection between the individual and the god(s). Many people are knowledgeable on Setesh simply from a place of interest and curiosity, rather than belief. The majority of Egyptologists do not believe in his existence, like most fields this one is inhabited mainly by Monotheists and Physicalists/Atheists alike. One cannot be a priest even if they know everything about a god when they do not acknowledge the existence of said god. 

Being positively acknowledged would include things like one recognizing you as being of like mind, people coming to you with questions on practices or for information, or simply friends accepting one another as they are. The negative type of acknowledgement is rejection, such as those who have threatened my life both online and in person because they both acknowledge who and what I am and hate me for it. This could be anyone from a student in a class I have guest spoken to, to folks who do not like my takes on the world we live in. If they did not recognize your authenticity they would have no need to threaten you.

            Having the same essence as one’s god, becoming familiar with their true history and nature as well as your own and how the two reflect each other, accepting and embracing the objective existence of the god, and being acknowledged as a manifestation and representative of the deity (whether through acceptance, repulsion, or both) - these are what make one a priest as far as I am concerned. If it sounds so simple that anyone with a dedication to a deity could do it, this is exactly the point. Anyone with the will and dedication can be a priest of their patron, and I truly wish more would recognize this within themselves and accept the role. Hopefully the rest of this book will inspire such acts and show why they are needed in a world divided equally between manifestations of Monotheism and Physicalism.