Hecate by Priestess Ascensions from The Priestess Ascensions Album

The Mystai of the Moon offer teaching of our spiritual Path through the Lyceum and through one-on-one teaching in person with a Mentor Sister or Mystes. The Lyceum is our online school, which gives women who choose this method a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week option for learning at their own pace and from their homes.

We decided to offer this option because the Mystai are a far-flung group and this gives every Sister, not just those who live near a Mentor Sister or Mystes, the same chance to learn and grow. The Path is composed of three stages, and all Sisters are welcome to go as far as they feel called along the Path. There is no charge for the teaching but only members of the Mystai are welcome to study the Path.

Novice is the term for any Sister who has not yet completed any of the Path. So this stage takes a Sister from being a Novice through many lessons with the goal of making her into an Arktos Priestess. Arktos(Greek meaning "little bear" - from an epithet of the goddess Artemis) is the title used for all Priestesses of the Mystai who have completed the first stage of the Path. In the process of becoming Arktoi (plural form of Arktos), they have created a personal practice and have become comfortable as Priestesses in their own right. This stage takes twelve to fifteen months on average to complete.

The Arktoi often help as Priestesses in the Mysteries and Full Moon Celebrations. Any Sister can stop at this phase and be an Arktos as long as she wishes. Only the Sister herself can know when she is called to continue.

All Arktoi can ask for training to the next phase when they feel the call and are at a point in their lives to make that commitment to themselves, their Sisters, and the Goddess. At this point they can request that a Mentor Sister train them for however long it takes for them to progress to the next stage, which will lead them into the deeper mysteries through study of Goddess Lore and Feminist principles into a more involved role. This training takes one to two years on average but it is not done until the Mentor Sister feels the Arktos is truly ready for initiation.

There are three Paths from Arktos to Mystes, depending on the inclination of the Priestess and how the Goddess calls her.

The first is the Inner Temple priestess path. Sisters of the Inner Temple focus on communion with Goddess to deepen the Mysteries and our understanding of Goddesses in the modern world.

The second is the Outer Temple Path. Sisters of the Outer Temple lead the Full Moon Rites and create ritual for the whole Sisterhood to share.

The third is the Path of the Portals. Sisters of the Portals dwell in the liminal world between the Inner and Outer Temples. As such they have been called to both be leaders of the Rituals and go into deep communion with the Goddesses.

These Paths can lead to different Priestess roles within the Mysteries. These are discussed as the Priestess chooses her Path and learns more about where and how she is called.

Mystes is the title used for all Sisters who have gone through the first two rounds of initiatory studies. They can lead the Full Moon celebrations and serve as Priestesses of the Rites. They can also help with teaching the Novices in the Initiatory Path as part of their own work towards Mentor Sister, or they can teach other classes at the Lyceum on subjects on which they have knowledge and expertise which can deepen the magickal and practical wisdom of the Sisters. Again, any Sister can stop at this phase and be a Mystes as long as she wishes. Only the Sister herself can know when she is called to continue. All three types of Mystai are equally important within the Sisterhood and are needed as the Sisterhood grows and changes. All groups can also participate in the work of the other, they are not mutually exclusive. The reason for the differentiation is to allow the Sisters to answer the call of the Goddess in the way best suited for them. The purpose of the separate Paths is as a foundation for different roles within the Mysteries to which various Priestesses may be called.

All Mystai (plural for Mystes) can ask for training to the next phase when they feel the call and are at a point in their lives to make that commitment to themselves, their Sisters, and the Goddess. At this point they request for the Mentor Sisters to speak with them about their desire to enter the third stage of the initiatory path and how they feel they can serve the Sisterhood through their commitment. If the Mentor Sisters agree that the Mystes is ready, then the Mentor Sisters will take on the training of the Mystes for the final phase of the path working. Training to be a Mentor Sister is a commitment of at least two years. It is a deep transformational process and also goes into the deep magicks of the central Rites of the Mysteries. It is done when all the Mentor Sisters and the Mystes agree that she is ready. When this time is complete, then the Mystes is initiated as a Mentor Sister.

Mentor Sister is the title used for all Sisters who have complete all three rounds of the initiatory pathworking. Mentor Sisters have many different jobs within the Sisterhood including planning and leading Full Moon celebrations, celebrating the central Rites of the Mysteries, helping to craft the Mysteries through communion with various Goddesses, and training Sisters who wish to study for initiation. They can hive off new Covens of the Mystai either online or in their local area and train up Sisters to continue the lineage.

Each Mentor Sister gives a lot of herself to the Mystai tradition through continuing refining of the pathworking, the one-on-one communications she makes time for with each Sister she is training, her time working with various Goddesses to build the Rites, and her own personal practice. That's why the Mentor Sisters take time to speak in-depth with any Sister who wishes to become a Mentor Sister, to make sure she is truly ready for that commitment. Being a Mentor Sister is a labor of love for those who go to this phase of the Path. We welcome all Sisters who wish to join us in our work.