I think we're talking about much the same thing- but looking at it from different angles. If the gods want you for a hollow reed (I like that image) then surely it's because they want their music to be heard by mortals.

Either way we're talking about the priest/priestess as someone who acts as a conduit/bridge/connection between the worlds.

This stuff is diffcult to talk about. We have to use imagery- and it's never sharp enough- and one image excludes other images.

I take your point about costume. There'll always be exceptions to the "rule".