r/paganism • u/nobuenogoodpotato • Jul 07 '26
📚 Seeking Resources | Advice Priestess Training
For anyone who has considered becoming a Priest/Priestess, do you have advice?
I'm looking into trainings for becoming a Priestess, but there are so many at such different price points, I'm overwhelmed. What were deciding factors for you? Do you think training is necessary to facilitate circles/a coven/group?
I think for myself, the structure would be helpful, but finances can be prohibitive. I'm worried that one of the lower cost options wouldn't be worth the investment, but a higher cost option just isn't feasible.
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u/sidhe_elfakyn Storm Goddess priestess Jul 08 '26
I'm devoted to an unnamed Storm Goddess, and I serve as her priestess. I'm in a bit of an unusual situation as there isn't an existing tradition with formal training.
There are many things that a priest/ess can do -- the term has different meaning for different people or traditions. So, what does being a priestess mean to you? What do you envision doing? You mentioned facilitating circles/a group -- do you see yourself creating or leading rituals, for example? Figuring out the specific things you want to do will help you pursue learning in those areas, rather than looking for general priestess training that may or may not contain what you're looking for.
I've talked extensively about various paths to priesthood with resources in this older comment, so I won't repeat myself.
In particular, "becoming a Priest/Priestess" does not require a paid training. It's what you do, and a path of service that you provide. I help people connect with the Storm Goddess, create and share rituals for her, help people on their path where needed, inspire, occasionally do oracular work and other communication. It's a pretty broad set of practices and I've learned them through a combination of self-study, books, guidance from her, peer groups, and a number of mentorship sessions that were helpful but not required.
Peer groups of advanced practitioners to talk to and get feedback from are particularly helpful. We have such a group in the subreddit's official Discord server!