Embracing Sacred Leadership

Summary

In this conversation, Leandra Witchwood guides listeners through the transformative journey of stepping into their roles as spiritual leaders or priestesses. She emphasizes recognizing one's sacred purpose, releasing limiting beliefs, and building confidence through daily rituals. The discussion also highlights the significance of mentorship and community support in personal growth and the embodiment of the priestess archetype as a model for sacred living. Ultimately, Leandra encourages individuals to trust their inner calling and embrace their unique gifts to lead with compassion and integrity.
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome to the Unbound Priestess Summit
03:41 Overcoming Societal Doubts and Fears
09:16 Establishing Daily Rituals and Routines
15:06 Shadow Work and Internal Authority
20:03 The Call to Sacred Leadership
23:23 Ambient_Vocal_Logo.wav

Struggling to find your rhythm on your spiritual and magickal path? You’re not alone. Visit my website to gain perspectives and guidance for your unique journey. From certification programs to energy healing and divination, I offer a wealth of knowledge and options to meet your needs.

Visit LeandraWitchwood.com today!

About Your Host:
At the heart of The Unbound Priestess Podcast is Leandra Witchwood, a seasoned spiritual mentor, Witch, certified Master Herbalist and holistic practitioner dedicated to helping you remember and embody your sacred nature. Drawing from her rich background, Leandra infuses each conversation with her passion for modern mysticism, Witchcraft, personal development, and the healing power of nature. Her warm, supportive style makes even the most esoteric topics feel accessible and inspiring, encouraging you to follow your intuitive path and find strength in your inner knowing.
As you walk each garden with Leandra, you’ll gain a trusted guide who stands beside you as you evolve; you become part of a community committed to living boldly, loving fiercely, and stepping into the freedom of authentic spiritual expression.

Learn more by joining Leandra in The Gardens of the Mystic Program or visit www.LeandraWitchwood.com

Transcript

Leandra Witchwood (02:23.32)
 Merry meet and welcome everyone. I'm Leandra Witchwood and I'm your host for this summit. This is going to be an amazing journey, a journey towards transformation, a journey towards stepping into that role that you've been called to step into. So before we get started, I would like to invite you to close your eyes. If you can, if you're comfortable, take a deep breath, center your breathing.
 
 And I want you to inhale the possibility, the potential, and I want you to exhale everything else that no longer serves you. Today we gather in this sacred space, this virtual space to explore the power of transformation and the transformation of stepping into your role as priestess or priestex and guide your community. As you step into that role, you guide your community with
 
 confidence towards knowledge, structure, focus. If you feel the call to serve as a vessel of spirit, to usher in healing and to uplift those around you, then you are in the right place. If you have taken my classes, if you've listened to my podcast, the Unbound Priestess podcast, the Magic Kitchen podcast, any of the places where I show up, you know I have specific recommended supplies and you don't have to have them, but they are good to have.
 
 a notebook or a journal, something to write with, a comfortable safe space where you can devote your attention, where you won't be disturbed. This is all optional, but I do recommend making your space as inviting as possible. Maybe with blankets, pillows, incense, candles, whatever you need to help you relax and focus on the materials that we have for you in the summit, make that space your own.
 
 And as we begin, I want you to recognize the call, the whisper in your soul. Many of us feel it as a gentle push, a gentle persistence, an inner prompting, a whisper that says it's time. You have a sacred purpose to fulfill. Yet, often we second guess this, we second guess ourselves.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (04:49.772)
 We fear being misunderstood or delusional or whatever it is that mean girl decides to tell us.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (05:06.572)
 We fear being misunderstood or delusional in our calling. If you are here, you have heard the call and perhaps you were like me and you have been ignoring or deflecting that call for some time now. You realize that you can no longer accept your life and the world as the status quo. Things are just not working. Something has to change. This change has to begin with you.
 
 One thing you need to know is that this call is real. It is an invitation from the divine, asking you to step forward and become a beacon for others. We need individuals like you to step forward with integrity, to lead the world into a better expression of humanity through divine guidance. Let me say that again, because that is power. That is the divine speaking. You are being called to step forward to lead our world into a better expression of humanity through divine guidance.
 
 Now, societal messaging and internal resistance play a huge role in our inability to step into this role we are called to fulfill.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (06:37.462)
 We live in a society that often suppresses our intuitive nature. Hustle culture values productivity over introspection and spiritual connections. This can create a huge internal tug of war where we feel compelled to stand in our power, but simultaneously we are told we're not good enough, we're not knowledgeable enough, we're not wise enough, we're not stable enough. This path is too woo.
 
 Chances are you recognize this contrast and you realize the old messages are fed to us over the generations. Those messages that we have heard our parents and grandparents parrot are no longer sustainable.
 
 Our doubts, our fears are keeping us from fulfilling our highest potential. The judgments of others prevent us from stepping into our power. Acknowledging these shadows is a courageous first step. Our fear of being seen, being judged, being ostracized is real.
 
 they can be terrifying. Rightly so, we are hardwired to seek acceptance from the collective. But there comes a time when every evolution goes through a huge change and that evolution recognizes and realizes that the current expression, the current path we are on is no longer leading us towards sustainable growth. It's the wrong path for us.
 
 the importance of self-validation is critical.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (08:24.844)
 The importance of self-validation is critical as you step out of the status quo and onto that path, into yourself, into your power, and onto that path of self-discovery.
 
 Before you can guide others, must first acknowledge and validate your own calling.
 
 You must learn to regulate and validate yourself. There is nothing selfish or audacious about knowing your worth and your gift.
 
 Accepting our calling is a profound act of self love and devotion as we forge a sustainable existence where we call in and elevate through understanding, through acceptance.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (09:26.446)
 So it is time to release those limiting beliefs, those limiting messages. So let's take some time. wanna guide you through a little reflection. This is where your journal and your writing implement and that quiet space is gonna come in handy. I want you to take a moment and place your hand over your heart. Close your eyes and breathe in deeply.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (09:56.76)
 Bring to mind one limiting belief that helps you as.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (10:05.592)
 bring to mind one limiting belief that has held you back.
 
 one of the things that stand in your way, that stand in your way of fully embracing your role as a spiritual leader or guide.
 
 I want you to observe this belief. And as always, always, always, we observe without judgment.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (10:34.146)
 I want you to just notice it, see it, recognize its shape and texture. How does it look and feel?
 
 Leandra Witchwood (10:46.774)
 Now imagine a soothing light enveloping that belief, a gentle dissolving of this belief as the light grows brighter. See this belief transform into something pleasant and useful. Perhaps it's a microphone you will use to speak about your journey.
 
 Or perhaps it's a notebook where you begin to write the words that form that book others will read as they seek guidance for their journey. The guidance you can offer, the experiences, the knowledge, the wisdom you can offer.
 
 See this limiting belief transform, willfully transform it.
 
 Now breathe deeply and with each inhale, welcome in empowerment, embody empowerment. With each exhale, allow additional cleansing energy to flow through you. Allow that cleansing energy to remove any old stagnant residual stuck energy and messages to just dissolve away.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (12:08.098)
 that energy go. Let that shit go. And now I want you to start rewriting that narrative, that icky old narrative. I want you to truly transform that narrative with your journal. Quietly reflect on the new empowering story you wish for yourself. See yourself as that new empowered leader, guide, wise individual.
 
 who has stepped into their power. See them in detail. What do they wear? What do they eat? How do they do their hair? Do they do makeup? Hey, why not? Do they roll around in the mud? Let's take a walk in the woods in the rain.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (12:56.002)
 I want you to write those narratives of you're not good enough, you're not smart enough, you're not thin enough, you're not...
 
 knowledgeable enough, whatever it is. And I want you to rewrite it. I want you to see yourself as that new expression of yourself, the expression of yourself living the life you know you deserve, the life I know you deserve.
 
 and I want you to reframe it. Write in your journal, I am a perpetual student of the universe. I always am learning, growing and evolving. My wisdom grows with every step I take on this path.
 
 These are important anchors for us, affirmations and spiritual language we use for ourselves. Create an anchor. Help us reform those neural pathways that tell us we can't into ones that tell us we can.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (14:05.346)
 Trust your inner calling. Trust your inner gifts. Trust that the world needs what you have. Trust that you are ready to lead with compassion and courage. You can speak your affirmations aloud. You can place them on stickies, on your bathroom mirror, maybe on your computer. Wherever it is you need to see them.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (14:32.334)
 Building confidence and a structured focus is how we get from point A to point C without breaking down a B. This means creating daily rituals, daily cultivated practices that help us step into who we desire to be. Perhaps this is lighting a candle every day, pulling a card, lighting some incense, a quick meditation.
 
 You can see my altar behind me here if you're watching the video.
 
 This is my daily practice. I light a stick of incense and a candle and I say a little prayer, quick practice, but it anchors me. Consistency allows us to deepen our connections to the divine. We're creatures of habit. That's just human nature. We like predictability. So we have to create that stuff for ourselves. We have to create those patterns, those routines. We have to protect our energy.
 
 by creating boundaries that keep us from encountering unpleasant situations, people that don't serve our higher good. We have to connect with our spirit team. Maybe it's simple as visualizing a shield around you, a shield that only lets the right energy through, the energy that will serve you.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (16:00.64)
 Another way to do that is to establish those clear goals, the vision of what you want to achieve. That's why we wrote it down. That's why we envision that future person, our future selves, so that we can begin to guide others through their own journey, help others gain their own clarity, and offer them structure that gives them something tangible to work with.
 
 Sometimes we can use the methods and lessons we learn from the hustle culture to help us establish these routines. And I say routines because I am very much Piscean. I am double Pisces. so a lot of what I was doing before, before I really learned to step into my path was going off my mood. What did I feel like doing?
 
 But over time, I realized I was not making progress. I was allowing my hormonal cycles, my mood, my temperament to dictate what and when instead of setting routines that actually helped me accomplish these goals. Now, let me be clear. I'm not rigid in these structures, in these routines. They are loose. But I do have a set pattern I conduct myself in. So my average day is I will wake up, I get dressed, make some coffee, get my son on the bus, and I go to the gym or the park, depending on the weather. And I move my body, preferably in the sun, preferably with sunlight around me. Then I come home, you know, shower, breakfast, all that fun stuff. And that's when my work starts.
 
 So I have a dedicated block in my day where it's dedicated to work tasks, where I am focused on work instead of, well, I don't feel like it today. So I'm going to go, I don't know, paint. What I ended up doing was I realized that I was working too much. So now I've broken up my day to where I have my work block, whatever it, whatever needs to be done. That's when I work on it. And I set a time limit for myself.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (18:31.01)
 Then I have lunch and then I do a creative block, a block where I maybe move my body again, dance, do kickboxing, or I paint, or I write, I create. And then if I need to, I will set myself another work block, depending on my workload. As you can see, it's pretty loose. I'm not scheduling myself minute by minute. I'm saying, okay, from this time to this time, this is what I'm gonna work on. And whatever that is, in that moment is what I'm working on. So if I'm working on creating new classes or organizing summits or creating workshops for speaking engagements like sacred space conference, that sort of thing, or TempleFest.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (19:21.492)
 That's what I'm working on and I'm focused on that.
 
 If I'm focused on creating classes and activities for my Gardens of the Mystic program, that's where that falls in. That's technically work for me, is creating spiritual experiences for my community. And that's when I work on it. And I also make time for those fun things, or creative things, for things that make me feel like I'm not just working my life away. And that is a snapshot at what it means to have this divine potential within us and making a routine that brings that out of us. So we can mark out those times where we can plan and study. We can make time for ritual. We can make time to read. We can make time to learn. If we just set those blocks for ourselves. And maybe time blocking doesn't work for you. Maybe you have some other system. Use it. Whatever works for you that gets you to from point A to point C without breaking down at B. Another really helpful thing that I found in creating this pathway for myself is seeking out mentorship and support. I spent a good chunk of my path solitary. I'm still pretty much solitary, but I enjoy working with others because I found that when I have a mentor, when I have a teacher, when I have somebody kind of pushing me towards the edge of my boundaries and a little bit past, I grow much faster.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (21:00.054)
 A mentor will help you define that road that is best for you and help point you in the direction. They're never going to hand it to you, but they're going to be that guidance you need when you need to align with your mission and you just don't know how. Having someone to hold you accountable and provide knowledge and insights so you can move a little bit faster rather than getting stagnated and stuck on your path.
 
 That can happen a lot more than we care to admit when we are solitary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to knock the solitary practice. Like I said, I'm pretty much solitary. But working with others is incredibly rewarding. And it brings you to a place you can faster. It brings you to where you need to be when you need that guidance.
 
 Shadow work is another important key aspect to stepping into this role. You need to be vigilant in recognizing your internal doubt, your internal hangups, your limiting beliefs, and you need to work towards dissolving those. And it's also important to recognize those collective shadows as well, because that will play a huge role.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (22:17.186)
 So this is the process of how we, this is just a look really, the process of how we step into our power, how we gain our internal authority and begin to trust ourselves and trust our intuition. Leadership without trust is nothing. You have to be able to trust yourself before others can trust you. Fetting those daily practices down, being steadfast in your beliefs, and becoming that bigger, brighter entity in the world, expression in the world is important.
 
 The priestess, the archetype of the priestess represents that bridge between the seen and unseen realms. Someone who leads ritual offers guidance and is that model for sacred living, sacred expression.
 
 Envision yourself actively filling this role and let that image guide your actions. This role is not exclusively male or female. Let me be clear about that. Instead, the archetype is a trait we can all nurture within us. Our world needs this leadership, this archetype. Fear may arise when you're breaking free of the norm of that status quo. However, courage is not absence.
 
 However, courage is not the absence of fear. It is the commitment to move forward, even though you feel scared or fearful. It's having that open heart despite it. Remember that you need to share what you can offer the world because the world needs you. The world needs heart-centered, transparent, integrity-based leadership. Heart-based, soul-based leadership.
 
 People who are willing to stand in the liminal and channel that divine knowledge. Leadership that focuses. Leadership that focuses on strengths of an individual rather than the weaknesses of the individual.
 
 Leandra Witchwood (25:10.656)
 As you reflect on all that we've explored here today, the limiting beliefs, the shadows, the unspoken strengths, allow yourself to feel that soft goal.
 
 As you reflect on what we've explored, the limiting beliefs, the shadows, the unspoken strengths, the possibilities, allow yourself to feel the soft glow of possibility radiating from within you, the potential you hold within. 

 You have everything you need within you right this moment. Everything you need to step into your sacred leadership. I know it may not feel that simple. It may not feel easy. And you may need a mentor. You may need a guide to help you tackle those shadows and gain that structure. You will become that powerful leader. 

 Take the knowledge offered and use it to fuel your path. And when you are ready for something comprehensive, when you're ready to dig into a structure that will lead you towards nurturing your sacred wisdom and teaching you esoteric knowledge and giving you that solid foundation to become the mentor, the leader, the guide, the priestess.
 
 I encourage you to join me in the gardens of the Mystic program. This comprehensive program provides extensive teachings on sacred wisdom and esoteric knowledge. It gives you the mentorship and the support, the foundation you need to step up into your leadership role to become the priestess. Through the Gardens of the Mystic program, you will receive structure, focus, and gain the confidence you need to embody your calling. Now, I only opened this program up once every six months. It's currently open. If you miss this window, you will have to wait another six months for it to open unless you're going for the self-paced program. You can learn more at leandrewitchwood.com or you can click the link below to learn more. 

 And remember, the world needs you. The world needs your voice, your heart, your wisdom. Thank you for allowing me to share this knowledge with you. And I look forward to seeing you soon. Blessed be.