Reflections is a contacted mystery school based in Washington, DC. We accept students for yearlong trainings and offer classes to the general pubic.
Reflections is run by Katrina Messenger, a poet, priestess, warrior and witch. Katrina is a full time mystic, shaman and an ordained minister. More about Katrina is available on her web site.
Reflections is a tradition; it is a mystery school; it is a way of life; it is the vision of one woman, Katrina Messenger.
Reflections is the answer to a set of specific questions.
We are witches, shamans, pagans and mystics. We are called spiritual seekers within Reflections because we seek the seemingly familiar yet un-trod path.
Our methods appear eclectic on the surface, but are grounded within the theology, science and vision of Katrina Messenger. The inner teachings arise from her personal spiritual contacts that descend into human consciousness at times of great potential and transformative change.
Our purpose is to train the vision keepers, edge-walkers, soul retrievers and seed savers of the incoming age. Much has been lost and hidden of the human mystery. What is available seems contradictory and in many places has been misinterpreted. But the seeds are alive still, and with the loving assistance of our allies, co-walkers, guides and guardians; they will thrive again within the soul of human consciousness.
We are not the only ones on this path and so we share amongst and between the various traditions a set of tools, insights and learning. However, even as we share, we also accept that we may play very different roles in the turning of the great wheel, the dawn of the new age.
Reflections (and the tradition it serves) is rooted fundamentally in respect; respect for one’s elders and teachers, respect for fellow seekers on the path and respect for oneself.
We invoke two qualities: embodiment and en-soul-ment. By embodiment we mean invoking sacredness into everyday life by living out in the world the values we hold dear within our hearts. We define en-soul-ment as the raising of every day life to the level of a sacred vocation.
Join us as we experiment, observe and discover the seeds of sacred vocation, a spiritual journey within a secular life.
If you seek
Then maybe Reflections is the place for you.
Mission
The mission of the Reflections Mystery School is to acknowledge, deepen our awareness of and strengthen our relationship with the presence of divine mystery. We recognize that the primary responsibility of a witch is to transform ourselves and that this work spans many lifetimes. We use our personal transformative work as our lens and blade, as our fuel and staff, as our salve and well, and as our foundation and womb as we participate fully within the flow of life.
As shamans of the new age, we delve into the subtle energies and communicate with all the realms. We study, work and grow with a spirit of curiosity, respect and humility. We listen. We observe. We acknowledge. We act. We learn. We grow. We accept. We move on.
Spiritual & Cultural Lineage
Reflections is a contacted mystery school. The school is not affiliated with any pre-existing mystery tradition. Entry into the mystery tradition that directs the school is via a first-degree initiation or via a second-degree initiation into one of our magical guilds.
Our spiritual lineage includes direct influences from Dark Flame Coven, Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, Reclaiming and Feri. Indirect influences include Catholicism, the Sojourner Truth Congregation of Unitarian Universalist, Voodun, Santeria, Hawaiian Mysticism, Jungian Psychology, and the cultural/political commentary of folks like bell hooks, Cornel West, Audrey Lourde and Starhawk.
Faculty
Katrina Messenger is the founder and primary instructor for the Reflections Mystery School. Starting in 2008, Ivo Dominguez Jr., Elder of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, joins the faculty of Reflections.
Reflections will also feature visiting and affiliate faculty from other mystery schools and traditions. Additional faculty will be added as needed.
The mystery tradition that supports the work of Reflections is based on a guild system. There are four primary guilds, each associated with an elemental archetype.
The four primary guilds, when launched, will act as elemental anchors for the tradition. First-degree initiation makes one a member of the tradition, but guild membership requires a second-degree initiation. Primary guilds can spin off specialized or major guilds that remain answerable to their parent guild. Covens and circles are considered minor guilds within the tradition; currently there is a single minor guild – Dark Flame Coven.
At the highest level is the Guild Circle, which contains the heads of the four primary guilds and all the members of the Oracle Circle. The Oracle Circle represents the element of spirit, and contains the elders of the tradition. The head of the Oracle Circle is the head of the tradition. Currently the Oracle Circle is the only active guild and it has only one member – Katrina Messenger.
Each primary guild acts as a semi-autonomous religious order dedicated to exploring the work of their respective archetype within the lives of its members. Instead of the traditional three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the primary and major guilds have six vows: Sustainability (poverty), Willingness (obedience), Self Care (chastity), Humility, Service and Discipline.
The mystery school uses the four archetypes associated with the primary guilds within rituals and ceremonies. We also explore the six guild vows and what they mean within a modern spiritual context.