Recently, I had a powerful experience that reminded me of the importance of Pagan spiritual mentoring.
It didn’t happen in the context of an established mentor-mentee relationship, but rather, in an interaction I had with another person who has dedicated their life to the Craft.
It was a wake-up call that I didn’t know I needed — an experience I could have only had with another experienced witch.
As I’ve mentioned on my About page, in 2022, I had the opportunity to experience a modern recreation of the Eleusinian Mysteries online.
This event, called the Spring Mysteries, has been hosted by the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in the US state of Washington for 40 years.
Having experienced the Lesser Mysteries in 2022, I’ve wanted to attend the Greater Mysteries for quite some time.
There hasn’t been an option to attend virtually since 2022, however, and I haven’t had the funds to travel to the event in-person.
As I thought about all of this, I decided to reach out to the Church to ask about the possibility of attending virtually in 2026.
I received a prompt response from Reverend Belladonna LaVeau — this is what she wrote:
Hello Alex,
I’m so glad you wrote me . . . We have tried to do a hybrid event, and have not been able to make it happen with quality. As we get more advanced tech, I hope to be able to have an online side to it. I will continue to try to make that happen.
While I would never recommend you travel to the USA under the current administration, I would recommend asking Demeter to help you with travel expenses. When I first attended the Mysteries, I was a single mother of three, who lived off child support. She gave me an income that was in excess of my ex-husband’s, allowing me to travel to the Mysteries every year after that. She’s the Goddess of Abundance, and has the ability to help you get the funds. It seems to work for everyone that has tried it.
Something very powerful happened inside of me as I read Reverend LaVeau’s words.
I realized that my view of what I could and couldn’t do was largely based on what I could achieve on my own.
It didn’t occur to me to ask for assistance getting to Mysteries — be it from the Gods, or from other people.
Reverend LaVeau’s message reminded me of something that I had known for quite some time, but that I still struggled to remember: I don’t have to do everything on my own, and it’s okay to ask for help.
Reason #1: You need help identifying your blind spots
The experience I’ve mentioned above is a classic example of a mentor pointing out a “blind spot,” and is one of the many benefits that come from Pagan spiritual mentoring.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a blind spot is a lack of insight or awareness about ourselves that can have a powerful, negative impact on our lives.
The trouble with blind spots is that we have no idea they exist until someone else points them out to us.
In this sense, they’re very similar to the psychoanalytic concept of the unconscious — the part of ourselves that we know nothing about, but that is responsible, in large part, for our behavior.
A skilled spiritual mentor can help us identify our blind spots, and draw our attention to what we’re not seeing, doing, or saying.
This gives us an opportunity to change our behavior, and live our lives in a new way.
Reason #2: You need help interpreting signs, omens, or dreams
As Pagans, we are in constant conversation with a living world, both when we’re awake, and when we’re asleep.
The things we see and experience in our waking lives and in our dreams have the potential to give us guidance about our present and future.
How do we distinguish a sign from an everyday occurrence, however? How do we know when we’re seeing an omen?
How can we tell if a dream is simply a satisfaction of a desire, or a portent of something to come?
A spiritual mentor can help us learn how to discern messages from the Otherworld, and interpret their multiple meanings.
This kind of one-on-one work is essential, since the meaning of a sign, omen, or dream is uniquely personal to each person, and can be rarely found in a dictionary.
Reason #3: You want to discuss unverified personal gnosis with someone who will take you seriously
Unverified personal gnosis (commonly abbreviated to UPG) is a crucial element of modern Pagan practice.
In a nutshell, UPG is what you perceive when you communicate with gods, spirits, or other ethereal beings. It’s usually transmitted during mediation or trance, but also occasionally in dreams, or divination.
The knowledge imparted in these experiences often provides insight about the spirits that we’re working with, or speaks to what’s going on in our lives, and how we might solve it.
An important element of UPG, however, lies in comparing it to what we collectively know about the beings you receive it from.
The messages you receive from the gods should generally be congruent with what historical sources teach about their nature.
Hera, for example, is not going to tell you to cheat on your spouse. That’s just not who she is!
The trouble with sharing your UPG, however, is that the wrong person can cheapen, or even ruin something you genuinely experienced or perceived.
Not everyone has the ability to take our spiritual experiences seriously, and they may question, laugh at, or otherwise belittle an experience that was meaningful to you.
For this reason, a spiritual mentor is the perfect person to share your UPG with, as they will take it seriously, and help you unpack it.
They will respect your experience and help you learn to discern the voices of the beings you work with.
Reason #4: You’re experiencing a crisis of faith
Most of us on the Pagan path have struggled with our faith at one time or another.
This can range from a typical amount of self-doubt and uncertainty about our experiences, to a full-on crisis that makes us question everything we once believed to be true.
An experience like the latter is often referred to as a Dark Night of the Soul — a term that was coined over 400 years ago by St. John of the Cross.
During a Dark Night of the Soul, we may be unable to feel the presence of the divine, and wonder if the gods even exist.
The world, which we once visualized as being full of spirits, may now seem empty, silent, and meaningless.
In a Dark Night of the Soul, we feel like we’re completely alone with our anguish, and for this reason, it’s incredibly important to seek out connection.
Speaking with a spiritual mentor who has had their own crises of faith can help normalize what you’re going through. Often, that in itself is a powerful way to alleviate the stress of a spiritual crisis.
In addition to listening, and providing a space for you to share your worries and your fears, a mentor will also likely have some practical advice for you.
They may give you recommended readings, or suggest certain exercises and activities to help you during your crisis of faith.
Perhaps most importantly, your mentor will accompany you and hold space for you, for however long it takes.
Closing thoughts
It should be clear, by the end of this article, that Pagan spiritual mentoring has very real benefits for everyone in the Pagan community.
Whether it’s a one-off session, or regular support, mentoring enriches our spiritual practice.
As human beings, I believe that our greatest learning takes place in relationships, and this includes our spiritual education.
Whether we’re studying from books, one-on-one sessions with priests and initiates, or the gods themselves, our knowledge and our tools come from others.
If you’re looking for a spiritual mentor to accompany you on your path, I hope you’ll consider me for that honor.
For more information, you can visit the Work With Me page, or send me a message using the contact form.