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I’m seeing the terms (more often high priestess) showing up more and more on social media and I think perhaps it is time to talk about them and their meaning in modern witchcraft. (As opposed to the ancient world.)
I think part of the issue is that we’re in a period where most witches are solitary and therefore don’t have the framework available to feel they can ask the right questions.
I want to set things up by asking you to consider a term, probably nearly as contentious - professor.
In the US, if someone calls themselves a professor, it implies 2 things. That 1) they have an advanced / graduate level degree and 2) that they teach at a college or university.
I earned my MA but work in the corporate world, so it would be odd for me to call myself a professor. A friend who has taught elementary school for decades but doesn’t have a graduate degree isn’t considered a professor. Another friend who has a PhD and teaches at a university is a professor and will avoid at all costs being placed in charge of a room full of elementary school kids.
Overall - it is term that indicates a level of learning that leads to a profession or vocation. A professor can be considered to be in service to education and learning.
Now lets consider High Priest (HP) and High Priestess (HPS) as they very generally applies to modern initiatory witchcraft and occult practices. If someone calls themselves a High Priest or High Priestess, it implies 3 things. First that they have completed a cycle of study / degree levels in a tradition that uses those terms. Second that they have been awarded those titles within their tradition. And third (and probably somewhat contentious) that they are currently working in service to that tradition.
Note: the title doesn’t necessarily transfer. Being a Gardnerian HP, doesn’t mean you automatically become a Feri HP if you change traditions. Though you might be granted certain considerations if you undertake studies for an HP/HPS,
Different traditions have their own processes in place for attaining the degree of HP/HPS and their own expectation of what each HP/HPS does. So there isn’t always a one-on-one comparison between traditions. But, I think it’s important to note that this is a title held within a tradition. Much like a professor is expected to be teaching at a college or university, a HP/HPS would be in service to their tradition.
The service part does get a bit contentious as there are people out there who like to collect degrees/titles for other purposes. For example, using it on author biographies or setting up their own tradition / classes. And in many cases, people may simply have moved on from a tradition they pursued in early life.
Can someone not in a tradition be a HP/HPS?
There isn’t much need to be a solitary high priest or high priestess. You are already (or should be) sovereign in your practice. Being solitary doesn’t present the opportunity to take on the additional roles and responsibilities of a HP/HPS. Much like calling myself a professor at work would be odd because that’s not the work called for.
What does this mean on social media or in the larger witchcraft sphere?
ASK QUESTIONS!
Look, if someone showed up at the office looking for a job and told me they were a professor, I’d expect to be able to ask them where they taught, what subject, for how long, etc. I’d be somewhat suspicious if they dodged answering those questions. (You would be surprised.)
So if someone shows up offering to teach, asking to have you join their coven, wanting to tell you how to practice because they are a high priest or high priestess, feel free to ask them -
What tradition?
How long have you held the title?
Are you still part of that tradition?
What responsibilities do/did you have in that tradition?
What was the process you followed to earn the title?
Also potentially -
Who else can I talk to about this tradition?
What is the process for joining this tradition?
What are the core practices/beliefs of the tradition?
What part does sacred sexuality or going sky clad play in this tradition? (Not all traditions have the same practices but I want to know these well in advance.)
I’m X (gender, sexuality, etc.) what does that mean in this tradition.(Example - If I’m non-binary, what happens to the term high priest or high priestess? Answer - this would vary by tradition, but in general by the time you reach the level where the decision has to be made, you and the tradition should know each other well enough to make a comfortable decision.)
Some questions may be considered personal and not answerable. For example - can you describe your initiatory experience? Which is somewhat different than - can you describe how initiation happens? But if someone is using the title, they should be able to explain why.