Spiritual ranks and titles we should stop romanticising.
Demystifying the mystics.
Yes, I’ve heard the Pope has passed away. I live in one of the most Catholic countries on Earth, of course I did. I’m not a Christian, so I won’t write extensively about it, but I’d like to extend my condolences to those who are grieving his death. May he rest in peace.
One funny thing I couldn’t help noticing, though, was the pedestal a lot of news outlets are putting him on. I wonder how Jorge Bergoglio himself would react to that. It’s not that I don’t understand the homage — I do, it’s a valid choice — but it’s very interesting to me how easily people forget that these figures of authority are ordinary human beings. It’s interesting how we “remember the relatives who outlived” a deceased person if this person is considered a bit of a nobody (forgetting all of their small accomplishments); And on the other hand, we only seem to fixate on the “life and legacy” when it’s someone like the Pope (forgetting to mention that he had relatives too, and connections from the past, etc, all of whom are probably grieving now).
Shouldn’t there be both sides to every funeral? Am I the only one who just doesn’t get the double standard? I hope that’s food for thought.
On that same note, let’s talk about the religious people we look up to. Shouldn’t we consider their religious function a normal job, just like “doctor” or “engineer”? Why is it people insist in idolising religious leaders and lending them an almost superhuman status solely because of institutional politics? Isn’t that outlook… Kind of Medieval? Shouldn’t we have gotten over it already?
All food for thought, my friends.
Anyway, on to the list (I’m listing them in no particular order). This is a list of archetypal religious titles — each item on the list is embracing many different cultural titles under overarching categories according to “what they do”, so this is by no means anthropological; instead, I’m taking a technological approach. (For example, do Eastern European witches and South American pajés exist for the same and/or similar purpose? Yes. Well, I’m grouping them together under “Sorcerer” here then. A pajé can also be a Healer, so both categories apply to him. My categories are merely functional).
Priest
A Priest prays, like the word “priest” already alludes to. This professional is responsible for directing the sum of prayers (both petitions and thanksgiving) of an entire community so that the resulting collective message reaches a deity more effectively. Priests also practise the opposite: they translate or explain in simpler terms teachings from a higher power (usually gathered by an Oracle or recorded by a Wordsmith) so that the common people can understand them with ease. The Pope, for example, is a Priest. So are neopagan Priests, Shintoist Priests, Buddhist Lamas, Yoruba Babalorisa, and so on.
We mystify them because: there must be something special about them since they have achieved a high rank full of notoriety and prestige… Right? Well… No. Wrong. A Priest isn’t any more “amazing” than, say, your boss. They are “there” because, well, someone has to do their job. This usually means years upon years of service to the community landing them where they currently are — not anything innate or out of the ordinary about them.
Teacher
A Teacher, strictly in a religious/spiritual context, is someone who guides one or more disciples in their acquisition of sacred knowledge. This can take many shapes and forms, from general knowledge to specialised knowledge leading to one of the professions listed here, and everything in between. Teachers are very similar to priests, except for one key responsibility: responding and adapting to each disciple’s individual needs.
We mystify them because: they know so much! Wow! They must be superior to all other people, yes? No. Much like a “regular” teacher, spiritual Teachers are simply good at teaching. That is: helping disciples grasp the lesson in each story or situation… Which doesn’t automatically mean being a walking encyclopaedia who knows “everything”. A lot of teachers don’t know the basics of this or that topic. That’s normal. They’re human.
Oracle
The Oracle acts as a “bridge” between a living inquirer and a dead or immortal responder. Usually, this is limited to one question or one general direction for a series of questions. It’s very important for the oracle to exercise neutrality to the best of their ability, so that no biases interfere with communication. I have likened the activity of oracle to a combination of maths, arts, and translation — so if you like comparisons, feel free to rely on this one. Anecdotally, Oracles tend to be “hard to love” because they’re unafraid of addressing difficult truths when people aren’t always prepared to hear these truths. It comes with the lifestyle.
We mystify them because: when you see an Oracle translating into human language a message from beyond… It’s easy to assume Oracle and Spirit are one and the same. (“Oooohhh, this is a superhuman with a special connection” — actually, no, they’re perfectly human. They’re just translating). An Oracle’s job is very down-to-earth, so to speak, so contrary to the assumptions we make about Shamans (scroll down…), we tend to assume we have Oracles all figured out and our perception of them is absolute truth. Acutally, no, it’s not. Let’s be a bit more humble.
Shaman
The Shaman is the Oracle’s archetypal opposite. This is probably why I remembered it now and put it in this position on the list. Instead of receiving spirit(s) in this realm, a Shaman travels to (or in other words, is received BY) the spirit(s) in their own realm. This is why Oracle training emphasises how to be a good host, whereas Shaman training is more concerned with how to be a good visitor — to put it in simple terms. Shamans gather spiritual intel over time and help people according to their accumulated knowledge.
We mystify them because: we don’t quite understand what a Shaman’s work entails, and we’re afraid of the unknown, so we automatically assume that in order to WORK WITH the unknown, one needs superhuman courage and psychic abilities. While it’s true that Shaman lineages exist, and the Shaman path isn’t for everyone, I wouldn’t go on a limb and call their job “superhuman” at all. Let’s consider that they put a lot of focus and hard work into it. It’s called a path for a reason. Nobody is born ready.
Healer
A Healer, in the context of spirituality, is someone who connects with medicinal beings (mostly plants, but also other kinds of beings with healing powers) in order to help those in need. This profession has been very distorted and misunderstood by greedy people, so let me stress the following: this is NOT a medical doctor and shouldn’t replace one. Okay? Are we in agreement? There’s no need to invalidate one or the other. We can have both. Why not both? I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather believe in abundance [of options] than scarcity.
We mystify them because: we want instant gratification and simply cannot come to terms with imperfections in the materialistic healthcare industry… So we place all the responsibility for delivering a flawless service complete with instant miracle solutions and not a single hint of hesitation on the poor Healers’ back. Is that fair? Honestly. Is that fucking fair?! No. It’s not. Let’s just not. Let’s learn to live with disappointment. Just because spiritual Healers deal with invisible forces, that doesn’t mean they’re beyond failure either. Nobody lives up to that gold standard you invented in your mind. Take off those rose-tinted glasses, please.
Sorcerer
Sorcerers use energy and engage with different beings for a specific end. Some people consider this activity “cunning” (it’s not by chance that so many people are afraid of it and create myths around it); I’d rather call it diplomatic. Of course if you’re self-conscious about all the little ways in which you manipulate people and animals and whatnot, you’re going to project that onto Sorcerers and hate them (to avoid dealing with this shadow of yours), but that’s lame, so I’d rather differ. The fact is Sorcerers accomplish what nobody else even tries: they push the limits of what we can find, see, or do.
We mystify them because: we’re secretly afraid to dare. We’d rather stay on the comfy side of things, rely on the tried-and-tested, and see others have our back. It’s a lot more difficult to forge your own path off the beaten track, which is why most people don’t understand the sorcerer’s job. But love it or hate it, this is a job like any other. Where would society be without innovation? Probably still living in caves, hunting/gathering, and dying of preventable ailments before the age of 40. A similar principle applies to the evolution of spiritual knowledge.
Wordsmith
I struggled to name this category, and I’m still not fully happy. If you know a better term, drop it in the comments.
Wordsmiths are essentially mystics who record sacred messages for posterity. In doing so, they need a knack for finding the most timeless and unambiguous words for relying information (which, in the context of religion and spirituality, is a real challenge! Messages are often multi-layered and context-dependent). They tend to work together with Priests, Oracles, and Shamans (or whichever exists in each spiritual community) in order to gather wisdom that has already been revealed. The so-called “prophets” in the Bible were Wordsmiths (not actual Oracles. God darn it, this is a pet peeve of mine lol). So were the Poets who translated ancient oracular messages into poems and maxims.
We mystify them because: we overlook the fact Wordsmiths CANNOT work in a vacuum. No, they’re not the source of all knowledge. And no, that doesn’t mean their job isn’t important either; But if you’re happy enough staying on a surface level and taking things at face value, I guess I’m speaking in vain here.
Do you know any other categories to add here?
If so, feel free to comment.
