Hecate by Priestess Ascensions from The Priestess Ascensions Album

Novice is the title used for all Sisters of the first stage. They are at the most basic level of participation in the Mysteries. They are either in training for the second stage or have not made that commitment yet. No Sister has to move past the Novice stage ever, if she does not feel the call to do so. Novices have the same right to participate in Full Moon celebrations and to voice their thoughts and feelings on all subjects touching the basic functioning of the Mystai. The Novices participate only in the outer Rites of the Mysteries.

All Novices can ask for training to the next stage when they feel the call and are at a point in their lives to make the commitment to study further. At this point they request for a Mentor Sister (see below) to train them for however long it takes for them to progress to the next stage. There is no set time for this training as it is more than a simple body of knowledge. It is an inner transformational process and preparation for the Mysteries. It can take as little as one year or much longer. It is done when the Mentor Sister feels that the student is truly prepared for initiation.

Arktos is the title used for all Sisters of the second stage. They have gone through the first round of initiatory studies. They have created a personal practice and can participate in the outer Mysteries as well as all Full Moon Celebrations. Again, 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 (plural for Arktos) 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 (see below) to 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 Radical 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 inititation.

Mystes is the title used for all Sisters of the third stage. They have gone through the first two rounds of initiatory studies and can lead the Full Moon celebrations and celebrate the inner Rites of the Mysteries. 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. The Mystai are divided into two main groups, the Sisters of the Outer Temple, who lead the Full Moon Rites and create ritual for the whole Sisterhood to share and the Sisters of the Inner Temple who focus on communion with Goddess to deepen the Mysteries and our understanding of Goddesses in the modern world. Both roles are equally important within the Sisterhood and are needed as the Sisterhood grows and changes. Both groups can also participate in the work of the other, they are not mutually exclusive. So sisters of the Outer Temple can take time to do oracular/mystic work in communion with various Goddesses if they feel a call and Sisters of the Inner Temple can lead the rituals when they wish to do so, for example if they wish to introduce some new aspect to our rituals.

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 one Mentor Sister will take on the training of the Mystes for the final phase of the path working. This takes a minimum of two years as well. 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.

Mentor Sister is the title used for all Sisters of the fourth and final stage. They have complete all three rounds of the initiatory pathworking and can lead Full Moon celebrations, celebrate the central Rites of the Mysteries, help craft the Mysteries through communion with various Goddesses, and are responsible for training all 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.

As far as the training work goes, each Mentor Sister can have up to five Novices, three Arktoi, and one Mystes to train at any given time. The difference is due to the much more involved process as the training goes deeper. 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.