The Vesting of a Priest

Emerging steaming from the fragrant, herb-strewn bath, the priest pads barefoot across the room to where his (or her) vestments lay in wait. Piece by piece, he adorns the symbolic regalia of his office - garter and girdle, robe and necklace, and finally the mitra, or crown. Each garment is handled reverently, worn with conscious awareness of the meaning of each item. Properly adorned, in prayerful reverie, the priest collects his thoughts and begins the night's ritual. In the eyes of his congregation, the priest embodies the forces of nature and the presence of the Divine.
It is part of human nature to delight in self-adornment, to decorate our bodies with bright colors and jewelry. We use the props of clothing and accessories to declare who and what we are to the world, and sometimes even adopt the role we will play in response to the garments we choose to wear. The priest, however, knows that the trappings of the office are only symbolic of the greater truths and duties of the priesthood. In the ceremony of ordination, the supplicant is told, "Behold, this day art thou made a priest, and thou art a priest forever. Be vested, now, in the raiment and duties of your office." The new priest is then in-vested with the powers of his new status, and given the symbols of his post. Let us consider, then, these vestments of priesthood.
The first item a priest will wear is the garter, a length of supple leather worn high on the left thigh under all other garments. Traditionally green or red in color, the garter symbolizes the connection between the priest and his congregation. Worn near the femoral artery, this hidden binding reminds the priest that his life's blood is irrevocably bound to those he serves. He is vested with the responsibility of serving his congregation wisely. Only the most senior of clergy may wear this regalia.
The most visible vestment is, of course, the robe of a priest. Made without closures, this simple garment is usually ankle-length and long-sleeved. Made of natural fibers (wool or silk in winter, linen or cotton in summer), and generally unadorned, the robe is usually sewn by hand in soft and subtle colors. This garment represents the power invested in the priest by the Divine, in order that the priest might serve the Gods. Sliding smoothly on the skin, the robe clothes the priest in dignity and power.
Over the robe is worn the girdle or cingulum, the belt woven of four cords. Traditionally woven in the elemental colors of red, yellow, blue, and green, the girdle represents the priest's connection to all the forces of nature. The girdle is given at initiation, and is tied in a series of knots, each of which represents a level of expertise in the practices of the faith. An initiate would have three knots, a priest six, and an elder priest a full set of nine knots, each knot itself a symbol of a skill mastered in devotion to the Divine. Tying each knot in the cingulum reminds of the priest of his increasing progress in his vocation.
The necklace of a priest is a perfect circle without closure, and symbolizes the mastery of the priest over the forces of life and creation, in service to the Divine. Generally made of all natural materials (silk cord and beads or pendants of stone, shell, wood, bone, metal, and clay), the weight of the necklace is a constant reminder of the skills a priest must use responsibly
The last piece of priestly regalia is the mitra or crown, worn for only the most solemn of celebrations and rites. The crown has many forms, depending on the occasion being celebrated. Some of the traditional forms include a crown of holly and oak, a crown of ivy, the crescent-moon crown, and the stags-horn crown. The crown, whatever its form, symbolizes the presence of the Divine within its chosen vessel, the priest. Only the elder priests wear the mitra in ceremony.
Resplendent in the regalia of office, the priest becomes a symbol himself, an earthly representative of the Godhead. As lovely and as symbolic as the regalia of a priest may be, it is but a pale echo of the true power vested into a servant of the Divine. Vestments are not the source of the intangible yet almost palpable aura of authority, mystery, and divinity that surrounds a priest. Yet, these trapping of office serve more of a purpose than theatrics, for it is in the worshipful wearing of this regalia that the priest is reminded of that transcendent moment when he was vested with the power of the Gods, and made a priest forever.