The Priest Role

The Priest Role

BY PHILLIP WITTMEYER

The Priest role is also one of Inspiration, like the Server. But the kind of inspiration for which the Priest is a channel is to lift others up from their lowly condition, to inspire the people of the world to higher aspirations, to provoke people to noble virtues, and to raise the consciousness of mankind. In the Positive Pole of Compassion, the Priest feels sympathy for the psychological suffering in the souls of others, and seeks to alleviate it by encouraging them to find their way out of it. In the Negative Pole of Zeal, the Priest crusades to reform the wrongs of the world. He campaigns fervently to make life better for others. Metaphorically speaking, Priests are the heart of the body of mankind.

Many Priests literally fulfill the name of their Role type, of course. They pursue a career in the area of religion. It might be as a pastor of a flock, a rabbi in a synagogue, a priest in a church, or a minister of a congregation. In this occupation a Priest can most clearly fulfill his inherent urge to inspire others. A Priest feels impelled to exhort others to "lift of your eyes unto the heavens and behold the glory of God". Priests are very big on spiritual health — "How is your relationship with God?", "Do you know the Lord, brother?" The issues of cosmic significance and importance are what interests Priests. Whatever is holy and sacred is their domain.

But priests are not always blatantly pious or religious by any means. If not in the actual ministry or priesthood, then another favorite life role that occupies many Priests is psychology, such as in counseling or psychiatry. Here they can apply their natural desire to heal to the task of healing the minds and spirits of their clients. Priests are very big on mental health — happiness, fulfillment, and positive attitude.

Many Priests also find their calling in the medical profession, healing bodies rather than minds, although this is more the province of Servers. However, a Priest will usually be more aware than the Server of the psychological components of healing. Normally the Priest/Server Complementary Pair make an all-around healing team, intent on improving the quality of life. The Priest wants to heal the spirit of his patients, and the Server wants to heal the body. Still, physical healing is very much a natural function of the Priest. One instance known to me personally is a Priest who was a Baptist minister, who also worked as an employment counselor on the side. In this capacity he was able to help the right person find the best job, and the right job find the best person. Priests often also choose careers as teachers. Here they can encourage young minds and hearts to grow, and inspire them to learn. In whatever occupation Priests find themselves, they will apply a measure of good psychology to it, because of their inherent sensitivity to spiritual issues.

Historically, Priests have served in the capacity of tribal shaman or holy man, temple priests or priestesses in various nations such as Egypt and Babylon, and as Monks in monasteries. Their role was to initiate people into the mysteries, to reveal higher truths, to lead in the worship of God or gods, and to speak for the deity. Wherever and whenever there has been pious activity, there has been a Priest.

Priests have high expectations of moral conduct for themselves and for others. Consequently, one trait that often besets Priests is that they have an inherent sense that they are enlightened, whether or not they actually are. This often translates into a feeling of superiority. It is in fact this very feeling which causes them to presume that they know what to do to help other people out of their problems. Thus they are often guilty of offering unsolicited advice at every opportunity. They may see themselves as the local Johnny-on-the-spot Ann Landers. They believe it is their sanctified job to be a blessing to others. The action here is to metaphorically reach down from their exalted plane above, and take hold of the lowly wretched ones, and lift them up and out of their misery. In their less-polished expressions, Priests can be very moralistic and self-righteous in their attempts to show people a better way of life. An arrogant Priest might be guilty of "helping" people who didn't ask and don't want that help. He might say within himself, "They don't know any better, but I know what's good for them." They can be preachy, evangelistic, and fanatical about their righteous cause in the name of God. They can crusade zealously for reforms. They can be so overly optimistic about their own ability to transcend limitations, and so hopeful for others, that they tend to overestimate the amount of progress they can effect. They have a difficult time with the concept of leaving well enough alone, since they are always trying to improve and optimize things. In their highest expression, Priests do give advice tactfully, and only at the request of those needing assistance or advice. Matured Priests have learned that they do have limitations, and that other people do also. They learn that it is best not to try for too much too quickly. The path to God is taken one small step at a time.

One of the good things about Priests, even though they may tend to be moralistic and self-righteous, is that they also tend to forgive easily. What they really want is for others to see the error of their ways, to "repent of their sins" — and when they do, a Priest quickly extends his absolution and remission. One of the functions of a Priest is to relieve guilt wherever he finds it. Guilt is that feeling that one has done wrong, and is in debt to God for not living up to His exalted standards of goodness. But God (and his representative on earth, the Priest) is also merciful and compassionate. He understands our human limitations, and offers us grace, the forgiveness of sins. This grace is given freely, unearned, and with no strings attached. Priests believe in the ultimate goodness of people, even though this be hidden for a time. The Priest seeks to reveal these transcendent qualities and unfold these noble virtues.

All Priests have a feeling that they have a Mission in life — a cosmic or divine Destiny. They sense that they are guided by the hand of God (whether they call It this or not) to show others the way to Truth. (I capitalize these words because this is the way a Priest thinks.) The more downtrodden, messed up, and wretched the person is, or the more destitute of hope the situation is, the more fulfillment the Priest feels in tackling the problem. Often times Priests, especially in the Negative Pole of Zeal, will take upon themselves impossible tasks. They might become missionaries and go to the tribes in the dense jungles or deep rain forests, with the intention of converting everyone to God, Christ, Buddha, or Whatever. It is not uncommon to see a Priest, especially a female Priest, marry some down-and-out ne'er-do-well with the hope of changing him. It might be an alcoholic or a drug-addict, for instance, that she intends to save. It fulfills her Priest nature to try to rescue him from himself with her encouragement and inspiration. "What does she see in him?!?" people might ask. She sees an opportunity to exercise her Priest essence and to save a soul. Whenever I see such an unequal relationship existing between two people, where one is obviously far below the other in status, I suspect a Priest attempting to salvage a sinner. But no matter what kind of relationship a Priest is in, he will always desire to heal the mind and spirit of his partner. In this connection, like Servers, Priests often give sex as a healing service.

We all probably at one time or another act as a priest when we feel high or good, or need a priest when we feel low or bad. We reach down and take the hand of those who are a step or so behind us in order to pull them up with us as we seek to transcend our human limitations. We also reach up to those who are a little beyond us, to be pulled up with them as they strive to excel. True Priests do this all the time. They view the whole world as their congregation. They reach down toward others and offer them illumination. They look up to God for their illumination. Priests are the shepherds of mankind, caring for their flocks, watching over them, helping them to grow to maturity. Their purpose in life is to break bonds and restraints which hold people back from fulfilling their potential. One of their favorite sayings might be, "You can do better than that." Priests point out the path to righteousness, and illumine it with supreme truth. If he is not behind the pulpit, then he is up on his soap box — preaching, exhorting, campaigning, crusading, proselytizing, provoking, and evangelizing.

Another significant factor in the consciousness of Priests is their emphasis on prosperity consciousness. They regard the universe as full to overflowing with the abundance of God. They proclaim that this richness is our natural inheritance — we should claim this plentifulness as our own. There is ample for all, and more, they say.

Like a person with the Goal of Growth, a Priest takes advantage of opportunities for greater experience. He promotes his development, or that of others beyond their natural limits. He aspires to higher potentials and ever-increasing progress. Almost as if he was in the Passion Mode, a Priest behaves with freedom of expression and intensity of experience. His life is an open book, and he has a buoyant enthusiasm for life. Not unlike a person with the Feature of Arrogance, the Priest sees himself as a good person, a representative of the Most High, a cut above the rest of humanity, sent to show them the way to better themselves. Like a Spiritualist, the Priest sees the whole universe as a manifestation of the glory of God, working out a Divine plan, ever evolving to a finer and higher state. He always looks on the bright side, and sees the world as miraculous. He regards every event as a propitious sign from Providence, Which is ever looking down on him. With sensitivity and reverence the Priest is heartened and cheered up by events in the world. He is fascinated and awestruck at the wonders he beholds. Everything is an uplifting experience. A number of famous individuals have been or are Priests, and obviously so.

Among them are: John Calvin (Protestant Reformation), Saint Dominic (founder of Dominican monks), St. Francis of Assisi (Catholic theologian), Joan of Arc, Jesse Jackson (Reverend), Carl Jung (psychologist and mystic), Abraham Maslow (psychologist), Oral Roberts (evangelist), Carl Rogers (psychologist), Martin Luther King, and Fred Rogers (children's TV show host).

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Phil Wittmeyer is a longtime Michael student and scholar of the teachings. He can be reached at: wittmeyer@hotmail.com