Ancient societies had priestesses: the women of the temples of Artemis and Diana in ancient Greece and Rome, the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi and the Celtic priestesses of Britain. All these wise ones were keepers of arcane, sacred knowledge. They had many skills, including the sacred observation of seasonal customs, healing, star craft, divination, seeing the future, and understanding and recognizing the roots of that future in the past and present. They also held sacred the spiritual lives of the communities they served.
