|
Home >
Roles
Index > 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).
Next
page | The Artisan Role
.....................................................................................................................................
Phil Wittmeyer is a longtime Michael student and scholar of the teachings.
He can be reached at:
wittmeyer@hotmail.com
Home
| Welcome |
Michael FAQ |
Soul
Age | Roles |
Overleaves
| Advanced Topics |
The
Nine
Needs |
Michael Channeling |
Related
Articles |
Channels & Resources |
Michael
Tools |
Michael Books |
Michael
Chat |
Michael
Student Database |
|