The Dovecote Seminary is a thealogical seminary for followers of Aphrodite. The Dovecote offers courses, training programs, and individual classes to ALL of Aphrodite's people, including devotees, lovers, followers, priestexes, scholars, oracles, enchanters, courtesans, and leaders.

The Temple of Aphrodite Asteria uses the term 'Priestex' as a gender-inclusive term for all of Aphrodite's people who have been called into service. Priestexes within our Temple include any person working in the role of Hierodule, Hiereia, Hetaera, Exegete, Magissa, and/or Mantis. A Priestex may serve within multiple roles, or just one. 

In ancient Greek, there was no single term for a "Priestess" or "Priest." Rather, there were multiple terms that indicated the form that one's service took. 

All of the ancient Attic (Athenian) terms used within our Temple are cast in the singular feminine declension of the word, as we honor the fact that Aphrodite's ancient Priestexes were viewed as female, regardless of the gender assigned to them at birth. 

No. How you define and experience your spiritual world is entirely up to you. Whether you experience Aphrodite as a Goddess within a cultural pantheon, a Deity within a personalized pantheon, an archetype, a Spirit, or an expression of your Highest Self, the Temple of Aphrodite Asteria believes that all are valid spiritual and/or religious expressions. We do not seek to control your experience.

Course materials are presented from a polytheistic and animistic perspective, however, so the responsibility of reframing them into a compatible spiritual worldview rests with the individual. 

The Dovecote offers 7 courses, a host of additional webinars, an annual online Symposium, and a series of 4 weekend intensive retreats.

The webinars, Symposium, and retreats are open to ALL of Aphrodite's people, regardless of Temple membership or participation in the Seminary classes listed below.

The Thiasote ("devotee, follower") course is designed as a 3-month introduction to Aphrodisian practice, and it is suitable for both devotees (lovers or followers of Aphrodite who do not feel called to Priestex service) as well as those just beginning on their Priestex journey with the Dovecote. It is a pre-requisite for the Hierodule course. This course is 3 months long and is offered 3 times per year, with sessions starting in January, May, and September.

The Hierodule ("sacred servant") course is the foundational Priestex course. Graduates of this course are considered Priestexes of Aphrodite, as recognized by our Temple, and are invited to continue their service and study with us. This course is a pre-requisite for the 5 specialized courses (Hetaera, Hiereia, Exegete, Magissa, and Mantis.) This course is 12 months long and begins on April 1 each year.

The following five courses represent areas of study, play, and practice for Priestexes of Aphrodite. They may be taken in any order, as long as the Hierodule course has already been completed. Priestexes may pick and choose among them, as they like. Each of these courses is 7-months long, and they may be taken via independent study (at your own pace, with open and on-going enrollment). They are also offered in a continuous rotation for folks who prefer a structured timeline and group experience. These courses are:

The Hetaera ("courtesan") course is an exploration of sacred sexuality/sensuality and temple arts. It is designed for any Priestex who wants to explore sexuality and sensuality on a deeper level in relation to their service to Aphrodite. It is understood that Hetaerae will be drawn to ply these arts in a myriad of contexts, and no Hetaera will ever be pressured to act beyond their personal boundaries. The next group session of this course will begin on May 1, 2025. 

The Hiereia ("sacred leader") course is designed to strengthen the leadership skills of the Priestex in relation to both ritual and group leadership. The next group session of this course will begin on  December 1, 2025. 

The Exegete ("spiritual scholar") course is a deep-dive into the history and myth of Aphrodite and her Priestexes, both ancient and modern. The next group session of this course will begin on June 1, 2026. 

The Magissa ("enchanter") course explores the magick of Love, Sex, Beauty, Passion, and Relationship and is particularly well-suited to Priestexes who also view themselves as Witches or Magicians.  The next group session of this course will begin on January 1, 2027. 

The Mantis ("oracle") course is a practical exploration of the mantic (divinatory, oracular, prophetic) arts as related to Aphrodite. Priestexes in this course explore ancient Greek mantic practices as well as contemporary forms of divination and mediumship. The next group session of this course will begin on August 1, 2027. 

Each course is approached within a thematic framework. The themes are based on key epithets of Aphrodite and allow students to synthesize their readings, observations, and experiences in a structured yet creative way. 

All of the Dovecote courses include:

• one monthly 1:1 mentoring session with Laurelei (30 minutes)

• full Temple membership (with all Temple benefits)

• monthly online Dovecote Question & Answer session

• 15-30 page monthly lesson packet (delivered as a PDF to your email address)

• recognition/graduation ceremony upon completion

• certificate of completion

Monthly lesson packets include:

• an essay written by Laurelei Black exploring the monthly lesson theme

• weekly journal/discussion prompts

• photo of related art/sculpture piece with additional notes & prompt

• text of related poem with additional notes & prompt

• text of related quote with additional notes & prompt

• link to related musical piece with additional notes & prompt

• epithet exploration

• symbol exploration

• mythic retelling/re-imagining

• ritual outline with notes for both solo- and group-use

• at least two hands-on activities

• text of guided meditation with audio recording for playback

• additional readings, resources, and bibliography

All students registered in a Dovecote course are welcome to participate in the Temple of Aphrodite Asteria, where they will receive/experience the following:

• access to our Discord server, with private channels dedicated to each course

• monthly online Temple ritual

• monthly social gathering

• discount/promo codes for Agora participants

• priority registration for upcoming Dovecote courses, the Vinalia Rustica Symposium, Odysseys, retreats, etc

• early access to @LaureleiBlack channel videos on YouTube

• discounted rates on the Golden Rose Journal, Asteria Books publications, Temple merch, and more

• discounted rate for additional mentoring time with Laurelei

Students in all Dovecote courses are encouraged to participate to the extent that they are comfortable and able. Ultimately, your participation is for your own benefit, not for that of your mentor. 

Certificates will only be given to participants who attend at least 3/4 of the mentoring sessions offered within their course and have completed 80% or more of the work. 

Students are encouraged to share their reflections and responses to course activities, rituals, and prompts within the course channel on the Temple's discord server, as this promotes group interaction and helps many students dive deeper into the material. However, sharing with the group is not mandatory.

Students are offered a 30-minute monthly mentoring session with Laurelei in which they will review the month's work/play. All written pieces should be emailed to Laurelei (in a single email message) no less than one week before your scheduled mentoring session.

Costs vary based on the length of the course and whether or not the student has taken advantage of "early bird" pricing or other discounts. The base cost for each course is valued using a rate of $100 per month of course duration. The "early" rate (available 2+ months before the course session begins) is 50% of the total course value. The "regular" rate is 75-80% (2-7 weeks before the course begins). And the "late" rate (offered only in the two weeks flanking the start date) is the full value. 

See each course listing for specific pricing.

There are a limited number of scholarship spots for each course, awarded on the basis of financial need. Scholarship rates are calculated at 25% of the total cost of the course at full value. In other words, a scholarship spot for a $300 (3 month) course will only cost a scholarship recipient $75.

The Temple will never publicize the names of its scholarship recipients. 

If you require financial assistance to enroll, please submit a request via our Connect page.

At the Temple of Aphrodite Asteria, we understand that reciprocity and fair exchange of energy is a cornerstone of Kharis - the Grace that sustains all positive, healthy relationships. Our course creators and facilitators are compensated for their wisdom, study, and creativity, as well as the time, emotional labor, and intellectual labor needed to both create and facilitate our courses. The Temple itself retains a small portion of tuition fees in order to fund its programs and administrative needs. And finally, we donate a portion of all of our proceeds to organizations that further Aphrodite's work in the world, including those that seek to empower, decriminalize, and protect sex workers; end sex trafficking; promote positive body image; and protect and support the rights and well-being of transgender people. (If there is an organization that you would like us to consider supporting, please reach out via our Connect page.)

Class sizes are limited for all of our courses in order to maximize group interaction and minimize facilitator burnout. We want the best possible experience for everyone in the learning environment, and this necessitates a limit on enrollment.

All five of our Level 3 classes (Hetaera, Hiereia, Exegetai, Magissa, and Mantis) classes will eventually be available for independent, self-paced study. That means that once the course materials for these five courses are prepared, Priestexes who have completed the Thiasote (Level 1) and Hierdule (Level 2) courses can enroll in any of the Level 3 courses they like. and then study at a pace that is convenient for them. 

In order to prevent burnout for our facilitators, though, we need to limit the number of concurrent classes being offered by the Dovecote. As we grow and more Priestexes step into the role of course facilitator, we anticipate being able to offer more concurrent courses.

The Level 1 (Thiasote) course is offered 3 times per year: Jan-Feb-Mar, May-Jun-Jul, Sept-Oct-Nov.

The Level 2 (Hierodule) course is offered 1 time per year, always beginning on April 1.

The five Level 3 courses will kick off their rotation on May 1, 2025 - when the Temple's first graduating class of Hierodules will be ready to move into the 3rd level of study.