Whether Oracles, Seers, Psychics and Sibyls, or Sacred Dancers and Healers, the ancient Temple Priestesses wove a narrative of both realism and mythology. They held court in every ancient civilization with their mysterious and mystical powers. These empowered women enthralled those who sought their advice while always serving the Goddess they revered.
Often chosen from the ranks of royalty, nobility or the politically elite, these Priestesses brought a valuable prestige and esteem to their families, as it was an honor to offer a daughter to serve Divinity. Ancient Temple Priestesses were the earthy representatives of the Goddess. Their importance transcended the ordinary because of their connection to the Divine. The Priestesses held great spiritual responsibility. The sustenance, prosperity and protection of the land was dependent upon their appropriate behavior and absolute acceptance of the rules of the Temple. Finally, many scholars and herstorians now agree that they were the anchors for the community and their success insured the well-being of all who they served.
Was it the sacred call of the Goddess that brought these women to the temple life? Was it for family honor and prestige, or political gain? Most Priestesses were chosen from royal or wealthy freeborn families. These young candidates, oftentimes around the age of puberty, also had to be physically sound, mentally stable and of course chaste, with exemplary moral character. Then began their life without the constraints of marriage and children. Temple Priestesses were independent and in many cases they could even own property. However, their duties to the Goddess and the temple superseded all else. For their service to Divinity, as Oracles and Sibyls, ritual dancers, keepers of sacred flames and sacred wells, temple housekeepers and even sometimes sacred prostitutes, they received great status and were revered. Perhaps, as many historians now acknowledge, it was a rather a good life.
As herstorians and historians recount there were strict rules of conduct and when any rules were broken severe punishments were dispersed. After all the Temple Priestess held the mystical ability to channel the Goddesses and Gods, and making these deities happy was vital. If there was even a simple misstep Divinity had to be appeased with the Priestess’ punishment. Nonetheless, temple life still had significant appeal.
Being part of such a spiritual community required not only self-discipline but a deep connection with the sacrosanct. Whether voluntarily motivated or chosen by family, these women left behind all normal aspects of existence for a life of contemplative service to their Deity.
Their part in the story of the ancient world is captivating to many and inconsequential to others. Throughout the millennium historians have written and discussed the value of the Priest caste while too often only giving minimal reference to the Priestess and her contribution. These women helped shape the narrative of the ancient world with their presence.
Reading between the lines what emerges is a story no longer shrouded by interpretation. It is a story of self-lessness and piety. Ancient art on vessels and friezes have left us with a vision of women both mystifying and ethereal. It is an image that can only be defined as fascinating.
What was the real archetype of the ancient Temple Priestess? Did she feel a deep connection to the sacred? Perhaps in her role as a Temple Priestess she was a woman who felt a oneness with other spiritual realms. I believe she would have been drawn to her culture’s theology with a profound interest in expanding her mystical awareness. The sanctity of her role would have given her solace in her choice of a monastic life. Yet, there were numerous instances when she might not have chosen this life for herself. I often wonder was she destined for such a life at birth or was it chosen for her for reasons of family honor, prestige or political gain? Then I wonder what type of woman would voluntarily choose this type of life for herself. Nonetheless when she was part of temple life would she have adapted to such a life of holiness and duty? Yes, I believe she would and if she had extrasensory or clairvoyant skills all the better to serve her Deity and her community. Because of her connection to the Divine, she was above the world in which she existed.
With the seclusion of temple life, she was far removed from the normal day to day activities of the time. Depending on her status within the temple community and her proficiencies she would have had a well-planned daily schedule. Some Priestess Oracles followed a strict regime for a limited number of days each month with a cycle of meditation, contemplation and ritual bathing all in preparation for their anticipated oracular messages. The Temple Priestess of antiquity was not only spiritual but also enigmatic. She cannot be easily defined.
I oftentimes marvel at the life of a modern cloistered Catholic Nun in this fast paced technically driven society. These women seem to resemble the Temple Priestesses in that their lives are so simple and precise with each minute of one’s day accounted for in the service of Divinity. It is the ultimate offering up of one’s individual personality for the combined good of the community. There is a parallel between a cloistered Nun and the Temple Priestess.
Could service to Divinity in a modern cloistered convent or ancient temple have heralded an awakening that conjured up in the devotee the driving force of total commitment? There is a mystery woven around the contemplative life. When a woman chooses to spend her whole life within the walls of a monastic temple or cavernous underground shrine, is her life really solitary? Perhaps the cloistered existence allows for the transcendence of the unconscious and conscious mind. Within this concept, does deity reveal hidden knowledge to the devoted Priestess? Is there a Divine purpose that connects these secluded women to each other and to an intimacy with Deity? Is there a paradox here in the fact that the largeness of the earth did not exist within the temple walls or even now in a cloistered convent? The domain of the Priestess or Nun moves away from the expansiveness of the outside world to greet the space within one’s own insightful thoughts. It is here that the Temple Priestess’ story veers dramatically from that of the Nun because the Priestess’ sacred concentration produced her prophetically reflective words.
Beyond the repertoire of her oracular verses, the Temple Priestess was proficient in the ritual of spiritual rites. Ancient ceremonies were magnificent holy pageants. Priestesses cascaded in spiraling processions becoming an inspiration to the neophytes and pilgrims who traveled far and wide to experience their celestial manifestation whether as a prophet or as a sacred dancer.
The remains of many ancient temple structures still exist today from the Magnificent Temple of Hathor in Dendera, Egypt to the ruins at Delphi in Greece that housed the famed Pythia Priestess. Throughout the millennium, many of these important ancient temple sites were destroyed during times of religious upheaval or were simply abandoned when religious tides turned and ultimately left to deteriorate. The sites of numerous temples of antiquity now house churches and mosques. A good example is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus that now is the site of a pagan temple, the Basilica of St. John and the Isa Bey Mosque. With only a column still visible of the original site, it is nevertheless a very spiritually important location.
Outside the remains of above ground temple structures so familiar to historians, lay the mysterious subterranean tunnels where many ancient Oracles and Sibyls summoned the spirits of the dead. Carefully chosen pilgrims traversed the stifling deep hot labyrinths truly thinking that indeed they were traveling down to Hades to speak to their ancestors through the Oracle. Many of these underground tunnels were lost to time, only to be re-discovered nearly 100 years ago. The narrative of the Oracles and Sibyls of the Dead remains divided between reality and mythos.
We know from Delphi and other ancient temple sites that Priestesses sometimes channeled their messages within a sacred space often recessed into the earth. But these were above ground temple complexes with one sacred niched area set aside for the Oracles to receive and give out their messages. The legend of “The Oracles of the Dead” is that of deep underground caverns with mazes of tunnels that went deeper and deeper into the earth until finally reaching the encompassed opening where one would meet the Oracle within her sacred space. She would physically writhe and spew out her oracular phrases to a mesmerized patron who truly believed they had entered the realm of the dead. It was here they believed the Oracle spoke to their ancestors. Unlike their sister Priestesses who lived in plush temple complexes these Priestesses lived and worked deep in the inner recesses of the earth. The demand on Oracles in the ancient world was great because no one, whether royalty or common folk, would make a decision without observing the omens interpretated by an Oracle.
Beyond the spiritual calling of the Priestesses (and the Priests), temples were a profitable business that offered solace for a price and answers to weary seekers who had expectations of an audience with an Oracle or Sibyl. Whether with generous donations or outright payments, the desperate sought answers and these prophetesses held the ancient world in their grasp.
Let us now discover within these pages the alluring story of the Priestess and her temple home whether an above ground structure or a below ground cavern shrine; her sacrosanct visions and verse; her enigmatic life; her mystifying dance and her dedication to the Goddess. She was in service not only to her chosen Divinity but to the religious culture of the time and the community thereof. She was a powerful spiritual servant who shared an extraordinary intimacy with the mysterious unknown. These prophetic women were possessors of Divine inspiration who held the key to observe and interpret omens. History weaves almost a myth around these women, but within each legend lies a reality.
So, what were the forces behind the creation of the reverent structure of temple life whether above and below ground? Could it have been something more complex than our simple understanding of fortune telling. Beginning as Matriarchal societies that transitioned into the Patriarchal, temple structure suddenly relegated the Priestess to a secondary position. Early archeologists saw the male Priests being the primary residents within temples. Fortunately, more and more archeological facts are beginning to surface, portraying the Priestess as more significant than previously interpreted. We are at the dawn of acknowledging the magnitude of the Priestesses role in ancient religious beliefs.
With the emerging story of the allusive Priestesses before us, we can now become travelers through the herstory of antiquity.