| From "Presbyter", the leader of a "witchcraft" coven. The priest or priestess is the one who officiates at religious and/or magical rituals. However, in Wicca all Witches are considered to be priests and priestess, since it is possible to worship in solitary and therefore to interact directly with diety without an intermediary. For this reason, leaders of the coven are often refered to as "High Priest" and "High Priestess".In some traditions,however,(e.g.Gardnerian), the priestess is more important than the priest. A coven meeting may be led by the high priestess even when no hight priest is present, yet a high priest cannot hold a coven without a high priestess.In other traditions, a priest or priestess may lead the rituals. In traditions with a "degree system", the priest and priestess are designated as permanent heads of the coven,while in many "non-degree" traditions(e.g. Saxon, or Seax-Wicca), the leadership changes at specific intervals. Encyclopedia of Witchcraft,Wicca and Neo-Paganism,pp.377-378.Raymond Buckland(Also:Bucklands COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT,1986 and 1995). |
