Divine feminine energy, spiritual awakening, intuition development, and sacred feminine spirituality are at the heart of this podcast for women seeking deeper spiritual connection and personal transformation. Explore the meaning of the Divine Feminine, how to strengthen your intuition, and how energy healing, meditation, and spiritual practices can awaken your inner wisdom and sacred power. This podcast offers guidance for women navigating spiritual awakening, intuitive development, priestess path teachings, and the embodiment of divine feminine energy in everyday life.
Hosted by Bertena, each episode explores topics such as energy healing, spirit guides, tarot, Reiki, sacred rituals, somatic yoga, meditation, chakra work, and priestess wisdom traditions. Through thoughtful teachings and grounded spiritual practices, listeners receive practical tools to strengthen intuition, deepen spiritual awareness, and reconnect with their inner guidance.
If you have ever asked questions like:
• What is the Divine Feminine and how do I embody divine feminine energy in my life?
• How can I strengthen my intuition and develop my spiritual gifts?
• What role do spirit guides, tarot, Reiki, and energy healing play in spiritual awakening?
• How do rituals, meditation, and somatic practices support personal transformation?
This podcast offers insight, spiritual teachings, and practical guidance for women exploring sacred feminine spirituality in an authentic and embodied way.
Whether you are just beginning your spiritual awakening or have been walking the path of intuitive development, energy healing, goddess wisdom, and priestess traditions for years, you will find inspiration, clarity, and community here.
Each episode blends ancient spiritual wisdom with modern practices so you can integrate divine feminine teachings into everyday life. Topics include intuitive living, sacred rituals, energy healing, meditation practices, tarot and divination, chakra awareness, somatic embodiment, and the spiritual path of the modern priestess.
✨ Listen for conversations on divine feminine awakening, intuition development, spiritual healing, sacred feminine practices, tarot, Reiki, meditation, and energy work designed to support your personal and spiritual growth.
Sign up for my newsletter at https://www.bertena.org/en
Visit our sponsor Cosmic Connections at
https://yourcosmicconnections.com
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 22/10/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Discover shows related to Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
142: Samhain Spiritual Meaning: Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day & All Souls’ Day
Season 6 · Episode 142
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 • Duration 26:01
Explore the spiritual meaning of Samhain and its place alongside Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. In this reflective episode of The Spiritual Sanctuary, Bertena offers a gentle introduction to each observance and the ways this season can invite transition, gratitude, and remembrance.
We’ll consider Samhain as a seasonal threshold, the Christian meaning of All Hallows’ Eve and the days that follow, and the personal ways we remember those who have shaped our lives. Then join Bertena for a quiet seasonal reflection with time to notice what you’re ready to release and what you want to carry forward. You’re welcome to listen from within your own spiritual path.
Join my newsletter for spiritual reflections, seasonal practices, and class news: bertena.org
Learn about my Samhain ceremony: yourcosmicconnections.org
The ceremony includes an intuitive practice, a cacao ceremony, and a guided meditation to meet with your ancestors.
141: Yoga Has a History: Honoring Its Roots | South Asian Origins, Yoga Philosophy & Respectful Practice |
Season 6 · Episode 141
Monday, October 19, 2026 • Duration 08:10
Yoga has a history, and honoring its roots matters. In this beginner-friendly episode of Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine, Bertena explores yoga’s South Asian roots, the diversity of yoga traditions, and why learning yoga with curiosity and respect is so important.
This is Week Three of the 15 Weeks of Yoga series, and in this episode, we talk about how yoga is much more than modern postures or a fitness trend. Bertena offers an accessible introduction to yoga history, including the importance of South Asia in yoga’s development, the role of traditional texts, and the need to approach yoga as a rich and evolving tradition rather than a single simplified system.
You’ll also hear reflection on the Yoga Sutra associated with Patanjali, the eight-limbed path, and why that framework is influential but not the whole story of yoga. This episode encourages both students and teachers to practice humility, context, and respect as they continue learning.
If you are new to yoga, this episode reminds you that you do not need to know everything before beginning. You can start where you are, enjoy a gentle practice, and remain open to the deeper philosophical, contemplative, and cultural roots of yoga. If you are a teacher, this is also an invitation to study beyond the poses and to give credit and context to the traditions that inform what you teach.
In this episode, we explore:
Yoga’s roots in South Asia
Why yoga is more than poses or fitness
The importance of learning yoga history with humility
The Rig Veda and early references to yoga
The Yoga Sutra and the eight limbs of yoga
Why no single book or teacher tells the whole story
How modern yoga developed through tradition, adaptation, and global exchange
Ways students and teachers can honor yoga’s roots in practical everyday ways
A simple curiosity pause activity to support deeper learning
Curiosity Pause Activity
Take a comfortable seat and ask yourself:
What is one thing I would like to understand better about yoga history or philosophy?
It might be a Sanskrit word, a yoga text, a practice, or a question about how yoga evolved over time. You do not need to solve it right away. Let it become a doorway to future learning.
140: Meet the Morrigan: Guided Goddess Meditation for Courage, Boundaries & Inner Power
Season 6 · Episode 140
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 • Duration 11:31
Connect with the Morrigan through a guided goddess meditation for courage, personal boundaries, and inner reflection. In this episode of Spiritual Sanctuary, Bertena offers a brief introduction to this powerful figure in Irish mythology before guiding you on an imaginative journey to meet her beside a quiet river.
This Morrigan meditation invites you to explore your own voice, consider what you are ready to release, and reflect on one courageous step you can take in your everyday life. Through gentle grounding and visualization, you’ll create space to listen inward and consider what personal sovereignty means to you.
Whether you are exploring goddess spirituality, deepening your Divine Feminine practice, or seeking a quiet moment during a season of change, you are welcome here. No previous meditation experience or knowledge of the Morrigan is needed. Approach the practice as a spiritual connection, symbolic journey, or time for personal reflection.
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, settle into your natural breathing, and allow yourself to follow at your own pace. You do not need to see a particular image or receive a message for the meditation to be meaningful.
After the meditation, reflect on:
Where am I ready to trust my own voice?
What boundary would help me honor my needs?
What am I ready to set down?
What is one small, courageous choice I can make this week?
Explore Bertena’s spiritual classes, meditations, and offerings at bertena.org.
Listen to more Spiritual Sanctuary episodes or find the YouTube videos at bertena.org/en/podcast.
139: What Is Yoga Beyond the Poses? Exploring Yoga’s Deeper Meaning
Season 6 · Episode 139
Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 08:09
Welcome to Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine with Bertena. In Week Two of our 15 Weeks of Yoga series, we explore what yoga means beyond the physical poses we often see in pictures.
Yoga can be so much more than stretching or moving on a mat. It can include breathwork, meditation, self-reflection, philosophy, and the ways we bring awareness and intention into everyday life. Whether you are new to yoga or have an established practice, there are many doorways into this ancient tradition.
In this episode, Bertena shares how yoga can meet us where we are, reminding us that we do not have to look a certain way, achieve a perfect pose, or practice in a specific position to begin exploring what yoga has to offer.
In This Episode, We Explore:
Yoga beyond physical poses: Discover how breath, meditation, attention, and philosophy can deepen your understanding of yoga.
Many doorways into practice: Explore how movement, spiritual inquiry, breathwork, and meditation can each become a starting point.
Inclusive and accessible yoga: Learn why yoga can be adapted to your needs, whether you practice standing, sitting in a chair, resting on the floor, or making gentle movements in bed.
Yoga in everyday life: Consider how pausing, practicing patience, and responding with intention can bring awareness beyond the yoga mat.
The eight limbs of yoga: Receive an introduction to the framework described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, including ethical reflection, posture, breath practices, concentration, meditation, and more.
Letting your practice evolve: Give yourself permission to discover different aspects of yoga as your needs, interests, and life circumstances change.
Your Reflection Practice
Take a few quiet moments to reflect on your relationship with yoga.
Ask yourself:
What first made me curious about yoga? Was it movement, stress relief, meditation, spirituality, or something else?
What would I like to learn about yoga next?
Coming Up Next WeekExplore More with BertenaUntil next time, take good care of yourself.🎧 Listen & Subscribe🤍 Podcast Sponsor: Cosmic Connections Nashville
138: Is It Intuition or Imagination? How to Read Tarot & Oracle Cards with Confidence
Season 6 · Episode 138
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 • Duration 24:43
When you read tarot or oracle cards, do you wonder, “Is this my intuition—or am I making it up?” Join Bertena on Spiritual Sanctuary for a welcoming exploration of intuitive tarot reading, oracle card interpretation, and the self-doubt that can arise when learning to trust your impressions.
In this episode, Bertena shares tarot and oracle card demonstrations, describing the images so audio listeners can follow along. Explore how to notice symbols, colors, and personal associations before opening the guidebook—and how to turn those impressions into thoughtful questions rather than absolute answers.
Whether you are learning tarot for beginners or deepening an existing spiritual practice, this episode offers a simple way to practice reading cards without needing to feel certain about every interpretation.
In this episode, we explore:
• Why we second-guess ourselves when reading tarot and oracle cards.
• How intuition, imagination, and personal associations can contribute to a reading.
• How to combine intuitive impressions with traditional tarot card meanings.
• A guided card-reading exercise using observation, impression, and reflection.
• How to ask open-ended questions and practice readings with another person.
• Ways to use tarot and oracle cards for journaling, self-discovery, and spiritual reflection.
Bring a tarot or oracle deck and a journal, or simply listen and reflect.
JOIN BERTENA’S TAROT & ORACLE WORKSHOP
Continue exploring in Tarot, Oracle, and the Divine Feminine, a four-hour certification workshop on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 1–5 p.m. Central.
Attend in person at Cosmic Connections in Nashville, Tennessee, or join on Zoom. Explore intuitive reading, partner practice, the Divine Feminine, tarot rituals, and spells.
If this conversation resonates with you, follow Spiritual Sanctuary and share this episode with a friend who loves tarot, oracle cards, or exploring intuition.🎧 Listen & Subscribe🤍 Podcast Sponsor: Cosmic Connections Nashville
137: You Don’t Have to Be Flexible to Begin Yoga: My Story of Finding Inclusive Yoga After 40
Season 6 · Episode 137
Monday, October 5, 2026 • Duration 28:59
Do you think you need to be flexible, young, thin, or experienced to begin yoga? You don’t. In this 30-minute episode, Bertena shares her personal story of starting yoga in her forties while navigating health challenges, being told she was too sick to enter a yoga teacher training, and continuing her path with White Crow Yoga and Mary Irby. She explains why flexibility is not a requirement, how yoga can include chair, bed, and floor options, and what a gentle first step can look like. This welcoming introduction is for beginners, plus-size students, people over 40, and anyone who has wondered whether yoga has room for them.
“I’m not flexible enough for yoga” is something many people tell themselves before they ever try a class. Bertena understands that hesitation. She began yoga in her forties with health challenges and questions about whether she would belong. When she was told she was too sick to enter a teacher training, the experience strengthened her commitment to creating a more welcoming and inclusive approach to yoga.
In this episode, Bertena shares how her own journey shaped the teacher she is today. She talks about why flexibility is not an entrance test, why a chair or a supported position can be part of a meaningful yoga practice, and how students can ask for the options and support they need. She also guides listeners through a short awareness practice that can be done seated, in bed, or in another comfortable position.
You can begin yoga with the body and life you have today. You are welcome to move, rest, listen, or simply get curious.
In this episode, we explore:
Beginning yoga in your forties and learning to trust your own path
The experience of being told you are “too sick” for yoga teacher training
Why flexibility, body size, and age are not measures of belonging
How chair, bed, and floor options can make yoga more accessible
Questions to ask when looking for a beginner-friendly yoga class
A gentle awareness practice for noticing support and making choices
What inclusive yoga teaching means to Bertena
136: International Podcast Day 2026: How Podcasting Helped Me Find My Voice, Grow My Spiritual Business, and Love Teaching Again
Season 6 · Episode 136
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 • Duration 22:49
Happy International Podcast Day!
In this special episode of Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine, I’m sharing the unexpected story of how podcasting became one of my favorite parts of my spiritual business.
I never thought I would love podcasting. I have always loved teaching, talking, sharing information, and helping people understand new ideas, but I absolutely hated hearing my own recorded voice. The thought of sitting behind a microphone, recording myself, editing episodes, and putting my voice out into the world felt uncomfortable and honestly a little intimidating.
That changed when I began working with Kim from Podcasting for Your Spiritual Business.
Kim helped me understand that podcasting did not have to be complicated or overwhelming. Through classes, office hours, master classes, guidance, and ongoing support, she helped walk me through the process step by step. As someone who has spent most of my life as a teacher, I appreciate when someone can take something that feels confusing and make it understandable. That is exactly what happened for me with podcasting.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking about podcasting as recording my voice and started thinking about it as another way to teach.
That changed everything.
Now podcasting feels like another classroom. It gives me the opportunity to talk about spirituality, intuition, tarot, oracle cards, yoga, Divine Feminine teachings, spiritual development, healing, personal growth, and what it is really like to build a spiritual business.
In this episode, I also share more about the leap of faith I took when I left my career in education and began putting more of my energy into my own spiritual work and business. Leaving education did not mean I stopped being a teacher. It simply meant my classroom changed.
Today, I teach through yoga, workshops, private sessions, spiritual development, the Priestess Academy, newsletters, videos, and this podcast.
135: Tarot vs. Oracle Cards: What’s the Difference? A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing and Reading Cards
Season 6 · Episode 135
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 • Duration 24:25
What is the difference between tarot cards and oracle cards? Which deck is easier for beginners? Can you use tarot and oracle cards together—and how do you choose the right deck for your spiritual practice?
In this fun and beginner-friendly episode, Bertena explains the differences between tarot and oracle cards without making either practice feel complicated or intimidating.
Tarot and oracle cards can both support intuition, spiritual growth, self-reflection, journaling, and personal guidance, but they do not follow the same system.
A traditional tarot deck contains 78 cards divided into the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. Tarot follows a recognizable structure that includes four suits, numbered cards, and court cards. Because the cards belong to a shared system, tarot can offer a detailed look at relationships, decisions, challenges, repeating patterns, and possible next steps.
Oracle decks have much more freedom. There is no required number of cards or universal oracle-card structure. Each creator chooses the deck’s theme, artwork, messages, and method of interpretation. Oracle cards may focus on goddesses, angels, ancestors, animals, affirmations, moon cycles, chakras, healing, shadow work, or another spiritual subject.
If tarot is a language with its own grammar, every oracle deck is an individual conversation.
In this episode, Bertena explains why oracle cards may feel easier when you are beginning, how tarot becomes easier once you recognize its patterns, and why you do not have to choose only one.
In This Episode You Will Learn
The main differences between tarot and oracle cards
Why traditional tarot decks contain 78 cards
How the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana work
Why oracle decks do not follow one universal structure
Whether tarot or oracle cards are easier for beginners
How to choose your first tarot or oracle deck
How to ask better questions during a card reading
How to combine tarot and oracle cards in the same reading
How to begin reading cards without memorizing every meaning
Can Tarot and Oracle Cards Be Used Together?Learn Tarot and Oracle with BertenaEpisode Keywordstarot vs oracle cards, difference between tarot and oracle cards, tarot cards for beginners, oracle cards for beginners, how to read tarot cards, how to read oracle cards, tarot and oracle reading, tarot deck meanings, oracle deck meanings, beginner tarot reading, choosing your first tarot deck, choosing an oracle deck, Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, tarot card suits, intuitive card reading, spiritual card reading, tarot classes, oracle card classes, online tarot course, Zoom tarot class, tarot and oracle workshop, develop your intuition, divination for beginners, Bertena
134: Why Every Priestess Needs to Know Her History
Season 6 · Episode 134
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 • Duration 35:46
Many people say they hate history—and honestly, that breaks my heart.
As an historian, former high school and college history teacher, and lifelong lover of ancient history, I understand why people feel this way. Too often, history is taught as a lifeless collection of names, wars, rulers, and dates to memorize. But real history is filled with sacred stories, powerful women, ancient goddesses, spiritual traditions, political struggles, acts of resistance, and people searching for meaning.
History is not separate from the priestess path. It is one of its foundations.
In this episode of Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine, I explore why understanding history, mythology, and cultural context is essential for anyone studying goddess spirituality or answering the call to become a modern priestess.
We look at the stories and traditions surrounding Inanna and Enheduanna, Isis, Demeter and Persephone, Hecate, Brigid, and Oshun. These sacred figures teach us about initiation, grief, transformation, healing, protection, creativity, leadership, cultural respect, and the responsible use of spiritual power.
We also discuss why goddesses cannot be reduced to simple keywords or inspirational sayings. Aphrodite is more than romance. Sekhmet is more than anger. Hecate is more than a dark-moon aesthetic. Isis is more than motherhood. The goddesses are powerful, complicated, and sometimes contradictory—and that complexity has something important to teach us.
Knowing history helps a priestess understand where spiritual practices originated, how myths changed over time, whose voices were preserved, and whose stories were ignored or erased. It also teaches us how to distinguish between an ancient source, a later tradition, a modern spiritual interpretation, and something received through personal intuition.
All of these can be meaningful, but they are not the same.
In this episode, we also explore cultural appropriation, colonization, living spiritual traditions, historical evidence, primary sources, mythology, ritual, divination, spiritual discernment, and ethical priestess leadership.
In This Episode, You Will DiscoverA Question to Carry With YouContinue Your Priestess JourneyConnect With Spiritual SanctuarySEO KeywordsPriestess training, modern priestess path, goddess spirituality, Divine Feminine spirituality, goddess mythology, ancient goddesses, sacred history, women’s spirituality, Inanna, Enheduanna, Isis, Demeter and Persephone, Hecate, Brigid, Oshun, spiritual leadership, intuitive development, divination, sacred ritual, mythology and history, cultural appropriation, ethical spirituality, goddess studies, priestess initiation, Divine Feminine wisdom, ancient religion, spiritual discernment, women in ancient history
133: Remembering the Priestess: How to Awaken the Sacred Feminine and Begin the Modern Priestess Path
Season 6 · Episode 133
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 • Duration 18:22
What does it mean to be a Priestess today?
Do you need psychic abilities, elaborate rituals or devotion to a particular goddess to become a Priestess? Or could the Priestess already be present in the way you teach, heal, create, study, lead and support others?
In this episode of the Spiritual Sanctuary Podcast, Bertena explores the meaning of the modern Priestess, the history of feminine spiritual leadership, the Sacred Feminine, goddess spirituality, intuition, discernment and sacred ritual.
Perhaps you do not need to become a Priestess. Perhaps you are being invited to remember the Priestess already within you.
What is a modern Priestess?
A modern Priestess is someone who consciously creates a relationship with the sacred through spiritual practice, intuition, study, healing, ritual, creativity, community or service.
She does not have to work in a temple or publicly call herself a Priestess. She may be a teacher, healer, yoga practitioner, intuitive reader, artist, caregiver, business owner, spiritual coach or community leader.
What are the different Priestess archetypes?
In this episode, you will meet eight modern Priestess archetypes:
Temple Priestess: Creates ritual, ceremony and sacred space
Oracle Priestess: Works with intuition, tarot, dreams and symbols
Healing Priestess: Supports healing through Reiki, yoga, meditation or compassionate presence
Earth Priestess: Connects with nature, seasons, plants, animals and the moon
Scholar Priestess: Studies mythology, religion, history and spiritual traditions
Creative Priestess: Expresses the sacred through art, writing, movement or music
Community Priestess: Gathers people and creates spiritual belonging
Threshold Priestess: Supports others through grief, menopause, illness, awakening and life transitions
You may recognize yourself in more than one archetype.
What is the Sacred Feminine?How can you tell the difference between intuition and fear?How do you begin a Priestess practice?In this episode, you will learn:Join Remembering the PriestessConnect With BertenaAbout BertenaQuestions Answered in This EpisodeSEO KeywordsPriestess Path, modern Priestess, what is a Priestess, how to become a Priestess, remembering the Priestess, Priestess archetypes, Sacred Feminine, Divine Feminine, goddess spirituality, feminine spiritual leadership, spiritual awakening, develop intuition, intuition versus fear, spiritual discernment, sacred ritual, spiritual practice, women’s spirituality, Priestess training, Priestess Academy, Reiki, meditation, tarot, oracle cards, Nashville spiritual classes, online Priestess class, Zoom spiritual class
Find Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
You do not need to create a big plan or have all the answers. Simply allow yourself to be curious. If it feels helpful, write down one sentence about what you hope to discover.
Join Bertena for Week Three of our 15 Weeks of Yoga series as we take a respectful look at the history of yoga and why its roots matter.
Visit bertena.org to learn more about inclusive yoga classes and Rose Temple Yoga School.
Connect and explore:
Yoga Teacher Training: Learn more
Podcast Page: Listen to more episodes
YouTube: Explore additional content
Substack: Continue the conversation
Thank you for joining Bertena in Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine. Remember, yoga is a practice of learning, not a pursuit of perfection. You are welcome to begin right where you are.
Find Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
What have you believed you needed to change before you could begin yoga? What would help you feel welcome and supported in a class? What is one small beginning you could make this week?
About Bertena
Bertena Varney is an inclusive yoga facilitator, meditation teacher, and founder of Rose Temple Yoga School. Her teaching welcomes students to explore yoga with options for different bodies and abilities, including chair, bed, and floor practices.
Explore Rose Temple Yoga School
Bertena’s 200-hour inclusive yoga teacher training begins in person on January 17, 2027, which is also the cutoff date for joining this cohort. Learn more about the program and request information at bertena.org/en/yoga-teacher-training.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that starting a spiritual business requires more than having a spiritual gift or a service you love. You may be an incredible Reiki practitioner, tarot reader, yoga teacher, intuitive, coach, medium, or healer and still feel completely lost when it comes to marketing, pricing, websites, email lists, social media, and podcasting.
That does not mean you are not meant to have a business. It simply means that business is another skill to learn.
That is also why I offer a free self-paced spiritual business class for people who are starting or growing their own spiritual businesses. I also offer private 1:1 spiritual business training for those who want more personalized support.
If you are wondering whether podcasting could help your spiritual business, whether you should start your own podcast, or whether your voice really matters, this episode is for you.
Google Questions Answered in This Episode
How do I start a spiritual podcast?
Can podcasting help grow a spiritual business?
Do I need to like my voice to start a podcast?
What equipment do I need to start podcasting?
Is podcasting good for spiritual entrepreneurs?
How can a podcast help me build trust with my audience?
How do I start a spiritual business?
What should I know before starting a spiritual business?
How can I market a spiritual business authentically?
Can I start a spiritual business later in life?
How do I find my voice as a spiritual teacher or entrepreneur?
What does a podcast coach help with?
Do I need a podcast coach to start a podcast?
How can podcasting help me teach online?
How do I turn my knowledge into podcast content?
Can podcasting help me attract clients?
How do I overcome the fear of hearing my own voice?
What are the benefits of podcasting for small businesses?
How can women over 40 or 50 start a new business?
How do I take a leap of faith and start over in my career?
This episode is especially helpful for spiritual entrepreneurs, yoga teachers, Reiki practitioners, tarot readers, oracle readers, spiritual coaches, intuitives, healers, teachers, women starting businesses later in life, and anyone thinking about starting a podcast as part of their business.
If you are building a spiritual business and want help getting started, visit Bertena.org to learn more about my free self-paced spiritual business class and my private 1:1 spiritual business training.
While you are there, sign up for my newsletter to receive updates about new podcast episodes, Divine Feminine classes, yoga, workshops, Priestess Academy offerings, spiritual development opportunities, and upcoming events.
Happy International Podcast Day, and thank you for listening to Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine.
Search Keywords
International Podcast Day 2026, spiritual podcast, spiritual business podcast, starting a spiritual podcast, how to start a spiritual podcast, spiritual entrepreneur, spiritual entrepreneurship, spiritual business coach, podcasting for spiritual entrepreneurs, starting a spiritual business, how to grow a spiritual business, podcast for beginners, podcast coaching, finding your voice, women entrepreneurs over 40, women entrepreneurs over 50, career change after 50, starting over after 50, Divine Feminine podcast, spirituality podcast, spiritual growth, spiritual teacher, yoga teacher business, Reiki business, tarot business, intuitive business, online spiritual business, heart centered business, authentic marketing, spiritual business training, spiritual business class, Bertena Varney, Spiritual Sanctuary podcast, bertena.org
🎧 Listen & Subscribe
Find Spiritual Sanctuary: Wisdom for the Divine Feminine on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
Why you do not have to receive your first deck as a gift
Simple ways to connect with your intuition
How to use cards without surrendering your judgment or personal power
Bertena also guides you through a simple card-reading practice you can try during the episode.
If you are using an oracle deck, you will pull one card and explore its message, imagery, and connection to your life.
If you are using tarot, you will pull three cards representing:
What you already know
What you may not be seeing clearly
One helpful next step
You do not have to produce a perfect interpretation. Begin by noticing the colors, people, symbols, emotions, and movement within the card. Your honest first response can be just as valuable as the meaning in the guidebook.
Yes. Tarot and oracle cards can work beautifully together.
You might begin with one oracle card to reveal the main spiritual theme of your reading. You can then pull tarot cards to explore the situation, challenge, and next step in greater detail. Finish with another oracle card for encouragement, reflection, or a closing message.
Think of the oracle card as the title of the chapter and the tarot cards as the pages that explain the story.
If you are ready to explore tarot and oracle cards in a welcoming and practical environment, join Bertena for her upcoming in-person class on October 11.
Bertena also offers live Zoom classes for students who want to learn from home and online courses for those who prefer to study at their own pace.
These classes are designed for beginners, returning students, intuitive readers, and anyone who wants to build confidence while developing a deeper relationship with the cards.
Visit Bertena.org to explore current classes and registration information.
While you are there, sign up for Bertena’s newsletter to receive announcements about upcoming tarot and oracle classes, Zoom gatherings, online courses, podcast episodes, spiritual teachings, and special events.
Subscribe to the podcast and share this episode with someone who owns a deck—or someone standing in front of an entire wall of decks wondering which one to choose.
History does not take the magic out of spiritual practice. History gives the magic roots.
Why history is an essential part of priestess training
Why many people believe they hate history
How mythology carries cultural and spiritual memory
What Inanna’s descent can teach us about initiation and responsibility
Why Enheduanna remains important to women’s sacred writing and spiritual leadership
How Isis demonstrates healing, perseverance, protection, and sacred intelligence
What Demeter and Persephone teach us about grief, power, consent, and transformation
Why Hecate’s crossroads can help us understand ethical spiritual guidance
How Brigid connects creativity, healing, devotion, and living traditions
Why Oshun must be approached with respect for Yoruba religion and its practitioners
The difference between historical fact, mythology, modern interpretation, and personal intuition
How historical knowledge strengthens ritual, divination, and intuitive development
Why honoring the Divine Feminine also requires examining power, culture, colonization, and inequality
Simple ways to study ancient history without becoming overwhelmed
What history can teach modern priestesses about accountability, consent, boundaries, and leadership
What would it mean for you to become a better spiritual ancestor?
The communities we create, the language we normalize, the people we welcome, the boundaries we uphold, and the teachings we pass forward will become part of someone else’s spiritual inheritance.
You do not have to memorize thousands of years of history to walk the priestess path. You simply need to remain curious, ask thoughtful questions, honor your sources, and be willing to keep learning.
If this conversation awakens something within you, I invite you to explore the Priestess Academy and Level 3: Awakening the Priestess Within.
This training brings together historically grounded goddess studies, Divine Feminine wisdom, mythology, intuition, ritual, healing, embodiment, ethical spiritual leadership, and modern priestess practice.
The goal is not to imitate an imagined ancient past. The goal is to become a wise, grounded, embodied, and responsible priestess in the world we are living in today.
Learn more about my Priestess Academy, spiritual classes, courses, podcast, and other offerings at:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves goddesses but still feels nervous whenever she hears the word “timeline.”
The Sacred Feminine is not limited to softness, nurturing, beauty and moonlight. She also represents boundaries, courage, righteous anger, grief, transformation, death and renewal.
She is the Maiden, Mother, Lover, Warrior, Queen, Witch, Mystic, Elder and Crone.
The Sacred Feminine reminds us that our bodies, voices, emotions, boundaries and lived experiences can all be part of our spiritual paths.
Intuition is often simple and clear. Fear may feel repetitive, urgent, catastrophic or overwhelming. However, there is no perfect formula.
Spiritual discernment asks:
Does this message create clarity or panic?
Does it empower me or make me dependent?
Does it respect consent and personal choice?
Does it align with my values?
What facts support or challenge it?
Could this feeling come from fear, hope, grief or projection?
Do I need more information before acting?
Spirituality should support your judgment—not replace medical care, mental-health treatment, legal advice, financial guidance or practical action.
You do not need hours of daily ritual. A realistic Priestess practice might include lighting a candle, pulling one card, journaling, meditating for five minutes, practicing gentle yoga, walking outside, studying a goddess or creating a small sacred space.
One sincere practice can become a doorway.
What a Priestess is
What the Priestess Path means today
How ancient and modern Priestess roles differ
Eight modern Priestess archetypes
What the Divine Feminine and Sacred Feminine represent
How goddess spirituality can support personal growth
How to develop intuition with discernment
How to create sacred rituals for everyday life
How to begin a realistic spiritual practice
How to recognize the Priestess already within you
Join Bertena for:
Remembering the Priestess: A 3-Hour Introduction to the Sacred Feminine Path
Sunday, 1:00–4:00 PM Central
Attend in person at Cosmic Connections in Nashville or live on Zoom
No previous experience or particular religious belief is required. Bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore.
Bertena is a Priestess, spiritual coach, yoga teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, intuitive reader, author and lifelong student of the sacred. She combines decades of teaching experience with Divine Feminine spirituality, goddess studies, Reiki, meditation, yoga and divination.
Her work helps women and spiritual seekers strengthen their intuition, reconnect with their bodies and create grounded, accessible and authentic spiritual practices.
What is a Priestess? What does a modern Priestess do? How do you become a Priestess? What is the Priestess Path? What are the different Priestess archetypes? What is the Sacred Feminine? What is the Divine Feminine? How do you awaken feminine energy? How can you develop your intuition? How do you distinguish intuition from fear? How do you create a spiritual practice? How do you create sacred rituals at home?
