To Charge or not To Charge... that´s the big question

Have you ever wondered why charging for services in a spiritual realm has such a bad reputation? Where does that come from? If I look at Catholic Priests, they live fairly well and their congregation helps them every time they can without questioning why. When it comes to Pagan Priestesses and  Priest, there is a certain belief that training should be given for free. I have nothing against those who feel they could provide trainings without charging a fee but I also think there is nothing wrong with charging a fee. A Priestess or a Priest is performing a sacred service to her or his community and should receive something in exchange. This is an energetic transaction. Besides this person has studied a great deal and practiced a path of devotion. It is a spiritual leader and paying a small fee to support her or his work should not be such a big deal.

I´ve had teachers who have done training for free and some who have charged a fee. In the end, it is a personal choice. I can´t say the free training was less meaningful than the paid training but one thing I could say is that I had no issues paying for training because I was supporting that person in her or his path of sustainable priestessing. 

When we look at corporations or other legal entities, there are no issues paying a salary for a person to lead them or to come up with the vision for them. There is also no issue paying people who have a profession so the question becomes why Priestessing is not a recognized profession. Who decided that the work of a Priestess/Priest should be done for free? Why do people feel it is ok not to contribute of their energy/mana?  I´ve been pondering on this a lot and there is no right answer but I do believe that a Priestess should be able to live by being a Priestess and not need to have a second job to be able to sustain herself. If you are a Priestess, do you charge for your services? How do you feel about your Priestessing? Can this be sustainable?

I look forward to your comments. 

Many blessings,

Carolina A. Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/

 

The Inner Sanctum Symposium on Infinite Possibilities - April 9-12, 2015

Sometimes the second rounds are not as good as the original movie but this was not the case with The Inner Sanctum Symposium of Infinite Possibilities that took place at the Isis Oasis Temple in Geyserville, California on April 9, 2015. Last year, I had the honor to present in the first Inner Sanctum Symposium so when I was invited to participate gain this year, I couldn´t say no. I decided to cut my vacation in Miami short to be back in the Bay Area for this event. Needless to say that it was worth coming back to attend this event.

I landed on Thursday April 9 and unpacked my bag to repack it once again with my Priestess attire. This attire includes my robes, systrum, wand and many other magical elements that I always bring with me when I go to Isis Oasis. I left early on Friday morning with the intention to get there to be present for Linda Iles presentation on Lady Nephthys. I was stuck in traffic for a while but I surrendered to the universe and did traffic. I can´t complain as I was reviewing my notes and presentation on the book of doors. I arrived at the Temple just in time to be part of Michael Starsheen´s amazing presentation titled "Stretching the Cord". Michael has the ability to present on the stars as nobody I´ve ever seen. It was great to learn how the Egyptians would create their temples in alignment with the planetary bodies in the skies. After this presentation, Linda Iles presented on Nephthys showing us a different side of Isis´ twin sister. Even though Nephthys gets a bad reputation because of some of her actions, she is also the one that brings harmony and balance to the Isis-Nephthys duality. 

Celestine Star performed an ancient Egyptian Moon Ritual  taking us back to Dendera-Temple of Stars. When I arrived at this ritual, we got to choose our seats. Some of the seats had little orbs on them. I decided to sit in a seat that contained an orb... These orbs represented the different planets in the solar system.. guess what planet I got? The one that is not a planet anymore! Lord Pluto of Death and Transformation. I definitely accepted my role in this ritual as bringer of transformation and the scorpio energy. The Ritual was the perfect way to tune into the energies and prepare for my consecration ceremony later that evening. I was to be consecrated ArchPriestess in the Fellowship of Isis Tradition. As I prepared for this ceremony I remembered the last consecration ceremony I participated in several years ago when Lady Olivia Robertson consecrated me ArchDruidess. My father had always been present in my consecrations so this time felt different but it also felt right. The ceremony was beautiful and I had the honor to witness Rain Graves and Mana Youngbear´s consecration as Grand Dame Commanders. After the consecration we watched the fire dancer dance outside the small Temple and we ended the night in the Nesu house with wine and amazing conversations.

Saturday was a day of assimilation and preparation as it was the day I was presenting about The Book of Doors Oracle. First I had to assimilate the energies of the previous night´s consecration and then I had to make sure I was ready for my workshop. I spent most of the morning practicing my presentation and when the time came, I was ready. People enjoyed learning about this oracle that is based on alchemy and numerology combining the Emerald Tablet teachings with the Pythagorean Table with the Goddesses and Gods of Ancient Egypt. I was introduced to this oracle many years ago by Lady Loreon Vigne so it felt just appropriate to present it in the symposium that took place in the place she founded. After my presentation, I was able to participate in an amazing ritual for Sekhmet, one of my main Goddesses, presented by Kielankhamun Milner. Connecting with Sekhmet in ritual space was very powerful and then during the feast, it was funny when somebody brought me a red beer and I thought... I do not have the rage of Sekhmet but I can use a beer! To finish the evening, I participated in the Nefertem´s Sacred Blue Lotus Ceremony with Rain Graves. This was my first time participating in a blue lotus ceremony so I was intrigued. I did not like the blue lotus elixir that much but the ceremony was beautiful and very powerful as well. So powerful that it left the veils very thing for me to see  a spirit that we identified as the Goddess Dana the following day after talking to Tracy and some others. Luckily Tracy saw the same Lady in our room so I did not feel as weird as I had dreamed it.

The last event I participated in was Connecting with the Bast through Art with Serena Toxicat. This event was an art class where we got to create a piece of art to bring home so I used some of the stamps and acrylic paints to create a painting for the Goddess Bastet. Art is not my biggest strength but I enjoyed a more practical class to balance a lot of academic and ritual work that had taken place during that weekend. 

When the weekend was done, I felt complete as I had learned many new things. I had spent time wiht my chosen spiritual family and connected with the Goddess once again. Being a Priestess is one of the best things that have happened to me in this lifetime and I enjoy every moment in this journey. I am already looking forward to Convocation in October and Symposium next year. 

Many blessings,

Carolina Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/

Miami

As I say my final good byes, I look back at this journey of 6 days in Miami, Florida. What a journey!!! It did not take long for me to get lost. As soon as I got off the plane I had a hard time finding my way out of the airport... then finding my way to the rental car... then to my next location. Each movement in this land has come with some sort of lost feeling even when I had a GPS. I kept finding myself saying but this is not the right direction... finding the GPS was taking me to who knows where. The lesson was to be comfortable being lost... just surrender... go with the flow... you will eventually find your way and when you do, you will get to your destination. 

I also found myself spending a lot of the time in the beach these days. It feels like from all the attractions that Florida has to offer the one I have connected with the most is spending the day on the beach observing the ocean, getting into the water and singing Yemaya Asesu and enjoying the feeling of connection with the Water. I was created in the ocean when my father took my mother on one of his trips so no wonder my connection with the sea is very strong. My father was quite cute today when he told me ohhh you have converted in a "beach Lady" when I said I was getting ready to go down to the ocean. I told him... Yes!!! Just like when I was a child that we would spend the days on the beach in Mar del Plata... with the exception that the ocean here is blue and clear instead of brown and cold. 

I couldn´t believe the lady with the umbrellas memorized my name by day two! I would get to the beach and she would be Sra. Amor!!!!! I felt tempted to say Sra. Amor is my mother but I realized that now I am Sra. Amor even when I am divorced, I am a Sra. and I will not change the Amor name ever again... no matter whether I get married again or not.

The hotel life has been very nice. As I said good bye to all servers today I felt a mutual appreciation and I promised I´ll be back. Now I want to bring my father here to do some days of beach relaxation, good cuisine and total connection with the ocean. It´s been an amazing vacation and I can say I´ve seen the sawgrass mall and the dolphin mall and it´s ok! I did some shopping, I had a few drinks, I had lots of meat and I felt like home with the Spanish influence everywhere I went. I honestly think if I lived in Miami, my father would have moved in with me because the Spanish influence makes it easy to transition to this land.

I know I´ll be back... I enjoyed Miami... I enjoyed my vacation.... Miami ... I´ll see you next time!

Many blessings,

Carolina A. Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/

Influence, Manipulation and Toxic People

If somebody was to ask you what the difference between influence and manipulation is, could you point it out? Yesterday I decided to dedicate the day to myself and just grab a book, read and relax and not worry about work or anything at all. The book I chose to read was Toxic People and Manipulative People box set by Sarah Goldberg. Yes, I know! Light reading.... well, I can say I finished the box set in a couple of hours and it left me thinking. Some people may choose books that are recreational for a self-care day but I do enjoy books that challenge my brain to think outside the box, question and analyze different topics.

The first topic I was to analyze yesterday was the difference between influence and manipulation. The author was mentioning that intention was what set the two apart. Influence was positive and manipulation was negative. A little bit like white and black magick although I don´t believe there is white or black but several shades of grey and when it comes to magick, it is the intention of the witch that makes the difference. Like Thomas Ashley-Farrand said in his Mantra - Sacred Words of Power, you can use fire to light a fire and cook a meal or you can burn down the whole city. The quality of fire is the same. What´s the difference between cooking a meal or burning down the house? When it comes to influence and manipulation, I can see that it definitely depends on the person performing the action. I have experienced both first hand so I can say they feel different but they both motivate you to do certain actions or be a certain way. In my case, influence pushed me to get better, to aim higher, try to grow and take the higher road. One of the biggest influences I can think of is Ava Park and her Queen Teachings, she really showed me an archetype that I can bring to life and make my life better, be responsible for my realm and really direct my life in a different direction, away from toxic people. Another big influence in my life was moving to the USA in 2003 and being introduced to the American Dream, that dream where you can have it all, house, car, family, husband, all... I can say I have lived my American dream and I prefer Carolina´s dream. My dream is not the same as the American dream but it has definitely influence my life.

When it comes to manipulation, I was exposed to it from very early in my life. My mother, as much as I loved her, was a great manipulator. She was bipolar and she knew how to make me do things. I remember the days she would get sick just before I had to go out with my friends so I had to stay home and take care of her. With time, I learned to read the signs and I would not let her manipulate me but it took time and effort not to fall into the traps of guilt or co-dependance. Unfortunately, for the outside world, I looked like a cold hearted woman because I could see through the manipulation and not act.

Manipulation and Influence could be seen as similar in vibration but different in intent like the two sides of a coin. Would you agree? I still feel that at times it´s hard to know where influence stops or turns into manipulation because sometimes manipulators can be very subtle. This leads me to the next topic that I analyzed yesterday - toxic people. Why is it so hard for us to break away from toxic people? Are we addicted to drama? Can we break away from people that drain our energy? Toxic people are usually needy, they take more than they give, at times may be egocentric or self centered, they can also be narcissistic, among other things. When you are in a relationship with a toxic person, you will notice that you are unhappy, you are anxious, you feel guilty and somehow you find it very hard to leave that person. Some signs that you are in a toxic relationship is when you feel you can´t do anything right, you feel you can´t be yourself with that person. You can´t enjoy the good moments together and it is always about them and not you. Some suggestions to deal with toxic people are to speak up and stop pretending their behavior is ok. To have compassion but put your foot down and if that does not work, then walk away and move on. Looking at my relationships in the past few years, I can see I have had my fair share of toxic relationships whether they were based on co-dependance or other issues and lessons in my life. As I grow and learn more about myself, I become more confident and love myself enough to say no to toxic people in my life. During the past two years, I have gone through a massive cleansing in my life not only of spaces but also people and relationships. I have let go of many toxic relationships and said goodbye to several people. The people that have remained in my life are the ones that have shown me our relationships are healthy and are based on mutual and reciprocal interactions. Nobody gives 100% while others don´t give anything. I can be myself and I don´t feel like I can´t grow if I am part of that relationship.

How are your relationships? Can you see who has influenced you? Who has manipulate you? Are there any toxic people around you? How are you dealing with those people or situation?

Influence, manipulation and toxic people - awareness is key.

Many blessings,

Carolina A. Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/

Goddess Devotion is Gender Neutral

Tonight I sit in a space of contemplation as Circulo de Isis celebrates its 5 year anniversary. The past, the present, the vision of the future all blends together into the main mission of my community - a Path of Devotion and connection to the Goddess in her many forms and many names. As the Presiding Priestess of this community, it is my responsibility to look back and see what worked and what needs revisiting as well as see how our present moment is working. What needs does my community have that I am not meeting? Can I meet those needs? How can we keep growing and evolving as a group together? If I am not the one to meet those needs, can I partner with somebody that can bring that diversity and variety to my circle?

When I started 5 years ago, I had a vision of only training Priestesses as I felt I was suited to train women on this path because it was a path of self-discovery and empowerment, healing of old wounds that patriarchy had caused and connection to the Goddess so we can bring her back to this realm once again. Now that five years have passed from the original vision, I start thinking things over and I see that there are more paths to Goddess than the female path. Having participated in other communities, I got to witness that Priests can be as effective as Priestesses and they have a strong connection to Goddess, as strong as any woman that I know because what brings them together is Goddess, not gender.

When I started to vision a class for Priests, I couldn´t help but doubt whether I was capable to train men as we do not have similar experiences or wounds or archetypes. Then I realize that the paths may be different but they all led to the same principle - The Goddess. Why would I feel I am not suitable to train them? The Path of Devotion is a path that has no gender. We all develop a relationship with the Divinity that is unique to us. Some may connect with Goddess through ritual while others connect when they are hiking in nature and that does not make any connection less than the other.

There are rites of passage for all of us. There are archetypes for all of us. We are tasked to develop our unique relationship with Goddess the way we feel it suits us but one thing is certain, as the saying says "all roads lead to Rome" I can say all roads lead to Goddess. We may not know the way or the path to take but the destination is certain because we are all heading to the same place, a place of Devotion, a place of Goddess and this place is gender neutral.

Blessings,

Carolina Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/

It all starts with You!

Nobody puts baby in the corner! I couldn´t help but start with this phrase from Dirty Dancing, one of my favorite movies from all time, because it does mean so much. It´s just a simple phrase, a simple scene but it contains a lot of meaning. Do you put yourself in the corner? Do you let others treat you in an unfair way? Do you allow others to take your light? Are you dimming yourself so you don´t look as bright to others? Do you believe in yourself to stand tall and speak your truth? When I hear that phrase, I think of all those times when I put myself in the corner of life and I did not allow myself to shine brightly because I did not want to be the center, I did not want to call anybody´s attention, I just wanted to be the wallflower in the background and not be noticed by anybody.

I also noticed this pattern in my relationships where I was able to tolerate certain behaviors that I would not tolerate today. I once heard that we will only tolerate as much pain from others as we are able to inflict to ourselves. I know this to be true. Looking back at the relationships in my life I can see the people who were in my life just to take, they were there because I would easily give to them and fulfill their needs but they did not care about me in any level. I can also see those who treated me badly or were rude and I was not able to stand up and say "hey, you don´t speak to me like that, that´s not okay." I would just ignore the words or pretend they were not there. Just look at the other side and deny reality because if I saw this person for who that person was, I would see an abusive human being who is treating me the way I just treat myself because deep within you think you deserve to be treated that way.

Today, with the Full Moon in Virgo, I start seeing that the past is the past and I can not modify it. The relationships and situations that have brought me pain can only be healed by changing my present moment decisions and in those decisions I build the foundation for my future. It begins with me not accepting people treating me in a bad way, dimming my light so they can shine brighter, putting me down or just being disrespectful to me. I also don´t want any more people who are just in my life to take advantage of me in any way. I want people that are there to share the journey of life with me, that will support me and allow me to grow, those who will show me the areas I can work on and also be grateful for all those things I give to them because relationships are a give and take, they are a mutual and reciprocal partnerships. No part needs to give more than the other but there needs to be balance and harmony between giving and receiving so the partnership can grow stronger. If one gives less all the time, the partnership erodes while if one partner gives all, he or she will just burn out and resent the other. We can change our future by changing our present and not allowing unhealthy patterns to continue. We have the power to modify our destiny and to reroute our ship. We are on the driver seats of our lives.

If you are evaluating your relationships and your life today, just know it all starts with You! Make your present what you want it to be. Don´t allow others to spoil your happiness moments and just live from the heart. As you resonate with your own song, your tribe will find you. Just be authentic and honest. It all starts with You!

Many blessings,

Carolina A. Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/

Pantheacon 2015 - a healing experience

Three times a charm... Yes, I finally made it to Pantheacon and it was a healing experience. Somehow, before this year, Pantheacon was associated with some dreading experiences such as participating in a controversial women only ritual where transgender women were denied entrance.... or losing the friendship of people I thought were my friends but were not there when I needed them them most.

As you can imagine, it was with hesitation that I got into my car to begin my journey to San Jose. Fear stoke me as I faced the possibility of finding people I may not want to see there as well as the anxiety of the unknown. I knew what classes and events I wanted to attend and I would not let any energy get in my way of getting to those events.

I arrived in my hotel early Friday afternoon and I was able to check in! I left my things there and I couldn´t help but noticed that it was pretty warm and I was not dressed properly with my warrior boots but then after a second I said... yes... I am dressed well! The Maiden Queen in me was smiling and saying let´s go with warrior boots, skirt and power to punch above the waistline! 

I waited for the shuttle for a few minutes when I decided I would walk to the Double Tree Hotel. The lady in the front desk said it was close by so I would just start walking. I put the address in my phone and started walking... yep! I am that type of lady with the gps on the phone guiding her as she walks. I did not need a GPS thought... I could follow my crowd!!! We pagans are easy to spot these days, thank Goddess we don´t need to hide or fear that we will get killed for our beliefs like in the past. 

I arrived at the Double Tree Hotel after following a few people and that´s when the fun began. I felt like when I was in Universal Studios, all by myself, deciding what attractions I wanted to partake at that time. Even though I was by myself, I never felt lonely. There were plenty of people I knew and I felt really supported.

The events I chose to participate were great and met my expectations. I was impressed by The Rite of the Grand Convergence by Black Rose Witchcraft. I enjoyed witnessing this rite as it is very different from the Egyptian rites we practice when I attend the Convocations or the Symposiums under the Temple of Isis and the Fellowship of Isis. 

I also experienced my first Pomba Gira and I had a wonderful partner for that ritual! Thank you Iris! The dancing, the energy, the songs, the drumming were just out of this world. It took me a couple of hours to fall asleep after such a ritual but I wouldn´t have missed it for anything in this world.

Overall, I had a great time there and I am looking forward to being part of that event again. They say you are healed when you have no more feelings about people or situations when you are faced with them. I can say I am healed now! Thank you Pantheacon 2015!

Blessings,

Carolina A. Amor

Presiding Priestess of Circulo de Isis
www.circulodeisis.org
Member of the Archdruid Union
https://sites.google.com/site/fellowshipofisiscentral/fellowship-of-isis-foundation-union-triad---archdruid-union
Founder of Tienda Roja
https://www.facebook.com/groups/441201419296609/