I’m so excited to share the different ways the ancient practice of embodiment of the goddess was integrated into the 2023 Goddess Conference.
One thing that happens every year is that we have an embodiment oracle evening. This is the Friday night ceremony where everyone gets to meet with a priestess who is embodying the goddess!
Imagine.
You enter the grand hall of the Conference Temple, bedecked in goddess banners and held by directional altars lit with candles, offerings, bowls of water and beautiful statues. Haunting live music calls to you – the sound of a deep drum beat, the otherworld song of chimes, and a beautiful faery voice floats out of the hall towards you courtesy of our temple musicians, Heloise Pilkington and Lydia Rule. You are given a blindfold and step into the hallowed hall, dim and restful, and find a seat.
At the back of the hall sit the nine ceremonial priestesses – experienced, dedicated folk who have held the energy of the conference for the past year and hold the skill of excellent embodiment. They are in trance, half here half somewhere else, channelling and breathing and transmitting the energy of the crone goddess.
They are ready for her devotees to come.
One by one you are lead to the veiled priestesses – one by one, lead in the dark to the holy of holies and guiding down onto a soft sheepskin to sit in front of an embodied priestess.
The one you are lead to is the one you need – you might be in the lap of the fierce crone, who shrieks away your fears. You might be in the presence of the crone of laughter and joy, whose infectious energy holds you in love and helps you lighten into the holy ridiculousness of life. You might be in front of the still crone, who speaks through transmission of her presence only.
And you will receive. You will ask your questions and the Crone will pour love into your body, to heal your broken hearts and free you into fun.
Then you will be caught by the attendants, held and guided to a place where you can sit, listen to the music, and integrate the wisdom that the oracle of the Crone just gave to you.
***
Embodiments are a wild thing. I’ve been present at some, frankly, pretty shitty embodiments in the past – where they just say bland things about “following your heart” and “your inner knowing knows the way” with no big vibes and for a while it really made me doubt the legitimacy of oracle embodiment.
And then, I was lucky enough to be in some really powerful ones. A real embodiment isn’t just about the words that are said, and it’s not some kind of clairvoyant psychic reading – it’s about a transmission of energy. A good embodiment will be transmitting the presence of the goddess to you. They might speak, they might sing, they might laugh, they might scream. They might do energetic work on you, rev you up to release something, or hold you while you cry.
The Goddess Conference team carefully invite and select ceremonial priestesses that have this skill. And they are VERY good at it.
At an embodiment, you bring what you need into the lap of the goddess.
More honesty from me – for many years, I’ve felt a bit awkward at embodiments. Sitting in front of the goddess, I haven’t known what to say. It’s like all my inner dialogue gets all gummed up and I am tongue tied. I want to release into the experience, but I have felt a block. Like I’m embarrassed to ask the Goddess what I really want and need because… I should know better? Or there is something that I am meant to do or know that I don’t know?
I have been present at many of these now. So I know what it can look like. I have seen my sisters and brothers and siblings fall into the embodied goddess’ arms and cry their heart out, being held and soothed. I have seen women screaming release, embodied priestesses calling out the bullshit, untangling old stories and energy leaks from their devotee’s bodies. I’ve seen the shining eyes of a true felt experience of connection with the goddess, and the silent stillness and contemplation afterwards as people integrate and receive.
Not me though. I have always had this self consciousness. When in the presence of the embodied goddess, it’s like my not-good enough wounding grabs me at the throat, pushes my heart away and I’m in a judgement place.
Not always. But very VERY frequently.
This year, I was able to release.
I was held by the goddess. I told her my deepest fears, and let myself share the things and ask the questions that I was almost to afraid and too ashamed to speak. And she held me. And she met me. She snuggled me and spooned me. And I felt that all is well, that I was supported, that life is not as complicated as my human mind likes to make it and divine love is always, ALWAYS there for me.
I cried, and the crone goddess held me.
It was so powerful, and such a special moment for me. I am so SO thankful for it.
Now it sits in my memory like one of those dreams that seem somehow more real than reality.
But this was only ONE of the ways that embodiment was present at the 2023 Crone Conference!
Tomorrow I will tell you of the second way – of how we honoured the elders in our community as goddess herself…..
Want to learn the Priestess’ way of casting spells?
Join my Enchantress Challenge!
At the Autumn Equinox this year I am hosting a FREE five day witchy priestess CHALLENGE to make the most of the most magical time of the year – Autumn!
Each day for five days we will join together to perform a ritual, ceremony or spell… and the best part is, it takes LESS than half hour a day to join in! YUSSS.
Last year this challenge was so loved I decided to do it again – so will you be there?
