The Aquarian Tabernacle Church: A World-Wide Wiccan Ministry

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The Oracles of Delphi - A Living Priesthood

 

I am an Oracle of Delphi.

When I first began learning about Wicca and the Greek Gods, I was immediately drawn to Apollo. The more I learned, the more it made sense.

 

I grew up loving dolphins, one of his totems. My name, Brenna, is derived from a Celtic word that means “Raven” (ravens represent prophecy, making them sacred to Apollo). When I was a child, I would stare at the sun, feeling power build up inside of me when I did. In witchcraft, I gravitate toward all forms of divination. My passion for work lies in the public relations/marketing fields, realms that fall under Apollo’s rule.

 

This year at Hekate’s Sickle Festival 2017, I had the opportunity of playing the part of an Oracle during an Oracle Ritual.

 

We began about a three-minute walk away from the ritual. Four oracles surrounded the leading priestess in a square, and we walked in formation in silence to the ritual. I held a chalice, the other three Oracles held glitter, an incense burner, and a torch, symbolizing the four elements. We were invoked and more than ready when we arrived at the ritual location. I felt a warm breeze and could smell the sweet Mediterranean air.

 

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We approached our beautiful Oracle chair, covered in Ivy. The Oracle carrying the torch lit the torches flanking the chair and the other oracles, creating a beautiful vision for those attending to behold. There was an incense burner hanging beneath the chair, fumes wafting up from it. The steam vent from the building nearby also played the part by starting each time a new oracle got up into the chair, and stopping when the oracle climbed down. 

 

We called upon our God, Apollo, to help us deliver messages to the humans standing before us.

 

Individual attendees stepped up before the chair to receive readings from the oracles. Even when I wasn’t on the chair I still was unintentionally reading for every person. One person walked up, and I received the message of “spiders.” My fellow oracles told him he was at a crossroads; clearly this man had a message from Hekate.

 

When it was my turn, I stepped toward our priestess, and she placed the Oracle’s Red Veil over my head. I turned, surveyed the crowd, and climbed up into the chair. Immediately I knew this was going to be a very intense experience – images, words, and voices began to move through my mind.

 

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The messages flowed easily. I often struggle to figure out what is being said to me and how to say it in a way the person receiving the divination can understand. The Oracles, however, are not concerned with deciphering it or crafting it in a way to make sense. I said what came to me, having faith that what I was hearing and seeing was meant for that person, and that they would understand what I gave them.

 

The images and voices lessened once I climbed down from the chair. I was still seeing things I don’t normally see; the stars above me connected and formed new constellations in my mind, creating meaning through their shapes and numbers of stars. I still received messages just by looking at someone, feeling the needs to make sure each person heard what the gods had in store for them.

 

Upon finishing, we took our elemental tools back up, reentered our square walking formation, and headed back. As we walked back, the real world started to come back to me. When we ended back where we started the night, I had almost fully devoked and realized how cold it was, suddenly hit by the damp, Pacific Northwest-smelling wind.

 

As I was lying in bed after performing the Oracle Ritual, it suddenly hit me:

 

We are the Oracles of Delphi.

 

We are the Priestesses who are carrying this energy, delivering the messages to those who seek the Oracle. We tapped into the memories and energy of countless oracles before us, thousands of years old, and are keeping this tradition alive.

 

I AM AN ACTUAL ORACLE OF DELPHI.

 

I’m not just acting, pretending, or holding the energy for a short amount of time. This is something we are going to continue and is now imbued into my mind, body and soul.

 

 

We might be the first ones in thousands of years to recreate this ritual, reading for those who come and giving them the answers they seek (no matter how little sense it may make at the time). I’ve tried to look to see if anyone else has recreated these rituals, but I have not found anything to indicate otherwise yet.

 

I’m not sure that will ever fully sink in, but I am beyond proud to serve my Lord Apollo in this way, and am ecstatic and filled to the brim with contentment and satisfaction that he chose me for this task.

 

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Brenna Grace is a 1st Degree Priestess in the Wise Tradition with the ATC. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in PR/Journalism from Western Washington University in 2013 and will soon have her Bachelor's from Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary.  

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Rt. Rev. Belladonna LaVeau is the ArchPriestess of Aquarian Tabernacle Church and Dean at Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary. A Navy Veteran, Mother of three, and Spiritual Counselor; Bella is a 10 year veteran of full-time Wiccan ministry. Her current passion is to create a benefits package for Wiccan Clergy to help provide the resources for groups and leaders to be successful in their ministry.      

Comments

  • Denisa
    Denisa Friday, 19 January 2018

    I feel like being an oracle of Delphi is a lot like being a psychic. So, do you have any guiding ideas for a person born with strong psychic abilities, rather beyond control (sometimes, most of the times)?

  • Aquarian Tabernacle Church
    Aquarian Tabernacle Church Friday, 19 January 2018

    Learn to read the tarot is the quickest and shortest answer I can give you. The longer answer, seek magical training. Decide what you believe and pursue a magical discipline to keep yourself centered, grounded, and protected. We train the Oracles of Delphi at http://WiccanSeminary.EDU/ You are welcome to join us online. :)

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