"Ignisia, what is this ′spirit and keeper of the flames′ about?" Ayana asked, her curiosity reaching out to her fire fairy butterfly that she had come to love so dearly.
"In another lifetime, I was a High Priestess of Sanuela too, my light and my love. That is the name, the people of Sanuela gave me, so I kept it for this new form that I am now. The title transformed me. I liked it, and I believed in it. And then I became it, in the form you saw me: a fire fairy butterfly, my wings leaving a fiery glimmer in the air. Goddess Sanuela can be quite humorous, with how literally she expresses herself in my small body…"
"And how did you come by this title?"
"I have always kept the flame of love burning in almost every new soul I have encountered. It is a great honour to be allowed to bear this title."
Ayana felt the wish to be as giving and loving to people as Ignisia had described, she longed to be able to express her love to them.
"Will the people of Sanuela have expectations as to what a High Priestess should be?" she asked.
As always, Ignisia answered within her. "If people have expectations of you, they cannot honour you for who you are. They need to let that go."
"But is there something I should do or give?"
"You will naturally cultivate their love, simply by being with them. Your aura will shine bright light, radiating love to all those around you. Your presence will help to change any soul in your vicinity, allowing them to open up if they are willing to let go of their fears and break down their barriers. A High Priestess will always find her own way of doing this, so I cannot teach you, only provide some general ideas that you can further explore and build on. However, your heart and intuition will always guide you to the right way when meeting a new soul."
"I understand," Ayana said. "So, how do I start?" She had heard stories of the High Priestesses of Sanuela, but never met one herself.
"Perhaps most importantly, never give away what another soul wants right away. The longing must intensify gradually to create more and more love energy."
Ignisia continued, "The feeling and urge of not quite being able to get the full you can be a powerful energetic and emotional multiplier to let the other soul feel more love for you. This strong pull can be cultivated by you, especially when you are with a man, for simple biological reasons. The reproductive urge has to be overwhelmingly strong in the world; otherwise life doesn't evolve very much on a planet. Every kid learns that on Sanuela, I believe?" Ignisia asked.
Without waiting for an answer, she immediately continued. "The second part of this is equally important: there needs to be an ever-flowing opening and blossoming, never a closing down. Open up like a flower. Surrender to all those deep feelings of love and closeness, each day a bit more. Show your soul that you are ready and eager to open. As you open up, they open up, too – it is a natural reaction to mirror back your behaviour. Maintain the momentum, grow and intensify your love and connection every day, never contract or reduce it."
Ayana nodded, picturing herself blossoming towards another soul like a vibrant flower. "But what if I discover, after some days, that I don't quite like someone for personal reasons?"
"You can still give love, find another way. By accepting and loving the other more, you accept and love yourself more. Don't close off after the first few days; keep going, but do it in whatever way you feel truly good and comfortable. This could change with every encounter, and that's okay. One day, you may feel like a long, close embrace is the best way to connect and show love. Another day, you might just hold someone's hands and give and receive love this way, or you look into each other's eyes for a long time and exchange energetic love energies with each other like that. With some practice, you'll feel it when the love is flowing, regardless of which way you share and experience it."
"Could it be so intense that the other soul could not hold back any longer? Should I be worried about my safety?"
"When you start off slowly, you can always play it safe. Step by step, each time you meet, your love will grow. This way, there is no need for the other soul to rush, as you are setting the tone and melody. They must accept and respect your way of sharing love; otherwise there can be no true love within them, and it may be best to pause the connection or even to end it."
"And, if I recall correctly what we learned in the learning circles about the sacred work of the High Priestesses, then either the other soul or the priestess is always at least partially clothed while we hold or embrace the souls who seek us out? So, essentially, even if a man comes physically very close to me, he is never going to get what he might desire because by continuing to nurture his deepest yearning, he will be able to open his heart so much more?"
"Yes, if you wish to stay with what we refer to as the original teachings, my light and my love. However, like with all of them, they were never meant to limit you. They indicate how far you can intensify a certain emotion. As long as you carry good intentions and good visions in your heart and no fear, use the gathered astral energies in your divine work in whatever way you feel comfortable and at ease with. Create something beautiful; that is what matters.
If you ever choose to go further with another soul, as long as you are safe and in control of your divine priestess powers, please engage as it feels right for you. Maybe you keep all boundaries tight and firm for some time, but occasionally, you might allow both of you some rest, relaxation, and inner healing by granting you both to live out your love in whatever way you like.
But the next time you meet, go back to the pace and setting established before. A bit of spontaneous and intuitive playfulness in your connection and your sharing could deeply intensify both of your capabilities to give and receive sacred love blessings. Keep going, never give less, regardless of how many clothes you both wear, or how close you are with one another.
And perhaps you will only both be completely without clothes the last time you see this soul for a longer time. You can playfully hint at it beforehand or create a sweet 'maybe' dream image about this well in advance to further intensify the longing."
Ayana pondered this idea. What if she promised a man to be fully with him on their last encounter, and then changed her mind? How would he react?
"Wouldn't it be cruel for a man if I deny him the fulfilment of his built-up desires before he left?"
"That depends on your relationship, connection, trust, and love; on so many things, my dear. Consider being with him freely, yet don't feel it a must. Perhaps you can both savour your extended longing for one other until the next time you meet – some moons or even a year later. Or you can give him something else instead. Something he would really love to experience with you. Just always be very honest with your heart; never use the holding back to manipulate – for the universe will return to you what you send out."
Some of Ayana's friends were notorious for their flirty holding-back: dangling affection in front of someone only to take it away, teasing the other soul, magnifying their cravings. This manipulation tactic was a way to get what they wanted – be it material goods, a special favour, or a specific response. Some of them were unaware of their actions, yet kept wondering why they hurt one after the other.
Ayana still felt a bit ashamed that she herself had been playing like this in her first years of becoming a woman. But pretty soon she realised that all fires back in some ways or other. For the better, she wanted to be honest and loving and clear with men. She wanted to love them because she loved the unity of feminine and masculine in herself, and she wouldn't want to play any disbalancing games in her inner world.
She believed love should never be a contest of who could control the other: its only aim should be to further unify and expand everyone.
To step out of the competitive game, some of Ayana's friends didn't like to use their feminine drawing powers at all. But by giving up their natural strength, they were also losing a large part of their joy, Ayana always thought.
She loved playing the game of love, and she enjoyed making a man develop a desire for her – not out of a sense of power but for the feeling of being a contented, purring cat, stretching herself out of deep inner comfort, joy, and love. It helped her open her heart when someone else opened theirs for her, wanting to love more every day. As a High Priestess, Ayana would offer them this way of connection, where both could give and receive freely. Her love was patient, accepting, and kind.
Ayana wanted to spread her love, giving generous amounts to some and more moderate amounts to others, depending on how much she felt comfortable with. Perhaps it was one of the reasons why Ignisia the fire fairy, spirit and keeper of the flames, had sought her out to become a priestess of Goddess Sanuela? Her wishes and visions must have been strong to manifest in her aura, she thought. Ignisia saw her as she wanted to be and live and love, and found her ready to become a High Priestess. Ayana was deeply grateful.
"Thank you for trusting yourself, Ayana," Ignisia answered to her musing.