Ciel Dafford is a Wiccan Priestess, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Reiki Master-Teacher, boasting over 20 years of spiritual guidance and 12 years of healing touch expertise. Her influence extends across diverse faith communities in Chicago, the UK, and France, promoting unity and understanding. Ciel’s massage therapy practice reflects her profound understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection, offering clients a rejuvenating and transformative experience. Beyond her therapeutic skills, Ciel is distinguished by her boundless creativity and passion for the arts. In her role as a priestess, she artfully integrates myth and folklore into rituals, creating enchanting sacred spaces for healing and empowerment. Alongside her work as a healer and priestess, she channels her artistic flair into various forms – from painting and drawing to costuming and incense-making. Ciel believes that creativity is a sacred gift, a vessel for spiritual expression and connection.
Who makes up your art circle?
I was lucky to be born into a family of artists: my father and sister are muralists and my mother is a dancer, and I grew up immersed in Lafayette’s vibrant art scene. Now, I’m married to an actor and all my friends are artists, actors, creatives, and bodyworkers.
How do you expand your art circle?
I am passionate about the arts and I love attending art events and museums. I love going to Art Walk and events at Basin Arts, and making connections with new artists and reconnecting with old friends. I’m also a member of a local art club that meets to connect diverse artists and discuss different topics at each meeting.
What value do you see in having a creative community?
I am constantly inspired by my peers and friends, and value their insight into my own creative process. I truly believe that we all create more, and better, work when we come together than when we work in isolation.
How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?
As a priestess, the main aspect of my work is to serve my community. I see creativity as a gift from the Divine, and I love the challenge of writing and creating new rituals for my coven. I draw from historical practices (how ancient peoples worshipped their gods), mythology and folklore, and modern pagan practice to craft rituals and ceremonies. I am also legally ordained clergy, and it is my deepest honor to officiate weddings; I love writing rituals that bring together two families and create a new one.
Our weekly Art Circle series profiles artists throughout the community and is sponsored in part by Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund managed by Lafayette Travel
