Oct. 3 - Oct. 17, 2009
May 29-June 10, 2010
October 2-16, 2010
Join us in search of the Goddesses of ancient Crete . . .
Feel Her power in holy mountains, sense Her mysteries in the darkness of caves, pour libations of milk and honey on Minoan altars. Contact a sacred energy that will transform the way you feel about women, about yourself. Walk on the stones of the ancient sites of Knossos, Phaistos, Juctas, Malia, Kato Zakros, Kamilari, Mochlos, Myrtos, and Kato Symi. Discover the matrifocal subtext of Christianity at Paliani, Kera Kardiotissa, and Kritsa. Nourish your soul in the museums of Heraklion, Agios Nicholaos, Siteia, and Archanes. Descend into the caves of Skoteino, Amnissos, and Psychro. Hike in the mountains at Zaros, Archanes, Psychro, and Ida. Stay in small villages, meet local people, dance to Cretan music, feast on fish, tsatsiki, taramosalata, feta cheese, tiny olives, fried potatoes, local wine . . . .
Carol P. Christ loves Greece, the Greek people, the Greek language, and the Goddesses of the Greek land. Crete has a special place in her heart. There, she was taken to an ancient festival, discovered a sacred tree, descended four levels into the darkness of a cave, and was adopted by a Cretan family. Leading Goddess pilgrimages to Crete is a labor of love that calls upon her deepest knowledge and intuition. A pioneer in the Women’s Spirituality Movement, she holds a Ph.D. from Yale. Her books She Who Changes, Rebirth of the Goddess, Odyssey with the Goddess, Laughter of Aphrodite, and Diving Deep and Surfacing, and the anthologies she has co-edited, Weaving the Visions and Womanspirit Rising have changed women’s lives and helped to transform the teaching and study of religion. She has taught at Harvard Divinity School, Pomona College, Claremont Graduate School, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Jose State, and Columbia University. In 1987, she resigned a tenured full professorship and moved to Greece. She has been teaching in Greece since 1981 and as Director of Ariadne Institute has envisioned and led life-transforming, educational programs for women in Crete since 1995.
Mikaela Willow, Ariadne Co-Director, will help you to plan your trip and assist on the spring tour. She wanted to travel to Greece for as long as she can remember. Her lifelong dream was realized when she joined the spring 2006 Goddess Pilgrimage. She discovered her vision of a peaceful and just world grounded in the archaeology of Crete. As a student of life, Mikaela, has studied theater, dance, movement therapy, art, poetry and mythology. A massage therapist for twenty-five years, she also loves spending time with her three adult children, her grand-daughter, and playing in her garden.
Cristina Nevans, who assists on the fall tour, made her first Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete in 1997. She has lived in Greece since 1986; she loves to share her insights about traditional and contemporary Greece and to tell how the Goddesses of Crete changed her life. She is a landscape architect whose dream is to design magical gardens.
Join Us in Crete!
Our tours are small and intimate. Each Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete is limited to the first twenty women who apply. The tour price is $3,450 - this includes hotel accommodations based on double occupancy, air-conditioned bus, entrance fees, breakfasts, and first and last dinners. Single supplement (may be required if you are traveling solo) is $450. No interest loans and a limited number of small scholarships are available. Academic credit may be arranged through California Institute of Integral Studies. Be prepared to walk on uneven ground in archaeological sites, to walk on mountainsides, and to descend into caves.
Day 1
Arrive Heraklion, Crete, dinner and overnight in Heraklion
Day 2
Heraklion Archaeological Museum, lunch in Heraklion, sacred center at Knossos, overnight in Heraklion
Day 3
Paliani Convent with its sacred tree and wonder-working icons of the Panagia (Mary), afternoon in Zaros, a village in the Psiloritis Mountains with a water mill and tavernas with fresh water fish, evening of Cretan music and dancing, overnight in Zaros
Day 4
Sacred center at Phaistos, Minoan tomb, and museum of Cretan Ethnology in Vori, lunch at seaside village of Kalamaki, overnight in Zaros
Day 5
Free day in Zaros to rest, enjoy the mountains and ancient olive groves, overnight in Zaros
Day 6
Archaeological museum in Archanes and peak shrine of Mount Juctas, lunch in Skoteino, Skoteino cave, overnight in Agios Nikolaos
Day 7
Eilitheia cave in Amnisos, Nirou Hani, and sacred center at Malia, afternoon and overnight in Agios Nikolaos
Day 8
Convent of Panagia Kera Kardiotissa, Trapeza and Dictean caves, folk museum at Agios Giorgios, lunch in the Lasithi plain, overnight in Agios Nikolaos
Day 9
Archaeological museum in Agios Nikolaos, church of Panagia Kera in Kritsa with 14th century frescoes, ancient town of Gournia, lunch, swim, and overnight in Mochlos
Day 10
All day in the quiet fishing village of Mochlos with spectacular views of the archaeological sites on adjacent island, optional visit to Mochlos island (weather permitting), rest, swim, eat fresh fish,
overnight in Mochlos
Day 11
Hike the gorge with Minoan cave tombs to Kato Zakros, sacred center at Kato Zakros, lunch and afternoon swim at Kato Zakros, overnight in Mochlos
Day 12
Ancient village of Myrtos, mountain shrine at Kato Symi, lunch in Kato Symi, pottery studios in Thrapsano, overnight in Heraklion
Day 13
Visit the Idean Cave in the Nidan plain and the Minoan Villas at Tylissos, overnight in Heraklion
Day 14
Return visit to Heraklion Archaeological Museum, shopping, overnight in Heraklion
Day 15
Catch your flight home or continue traveling in Greece
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE?
A pilgrimage is one of the most ancient and abiding rituals in all cultures. Pilgrims travel to a sacred space to receive inspiration and guidance in the journey of life, to give thanks, and to pray for the healing of physical and spiritual illness.
WHY CRETE?
Crete is one of the few places where a highly developed prepatriarchal culture celebrating the grace of life is clearly documented. We see museums with incredible treasures, visit spiritual centers (previously called palaces), descend into sacred caves, climb to the tops of holy mountains, swim in the life-giving sea, visit a convent with a sacred tree, gain a renewed sense of the beauty and strength of our female bodies, our female souls.
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS PILGRIMAGE?
It is small and intimate, limited to seventeen women. We share our stories and experiences of Crete,
sharing a sisterhood that will last long after the tour. We keep in touch through our newsletter, Ariadne’s Thread.
WHY TRAVEL WITH ARIADNE INSTITUTE AND CAROL CHRIST?
Carol lives in Greece and is fluent in the Greek language. She introduces us to people we would never
meet on another tour – Cretans whose lives are attuned to timeless rhythms, whose passion spans
cultural difference. A dedicated scholar, Carol’s words are solidly based in years of research. The rituals she leads are inspired by ancient vision and firmly grounded in the land she loves.
WHO HAS COME ON THE PILGRIMAGE?
Young women, old women, women in the middle of life. Our ages are twenty to seventy-six. We have
come alone, with our mothers or our daughters, with friends, with partners. We are single women,
married women, lesbians, mothers, grandmothers, women without children.
DO I HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT THE GODDESS OR GODDESS RITUAL?
Carol’s 73-year-old aunt Dottie didn’t know what a goddess was before she came to Crete. By the third day of the tour, she was praying to “my goddess” for the courage to go into the cave—which she did! Others have been on the Goddess path for years.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT IN CRETE?
Our tours are planned to avoid the heat and to avoid crowds of tourists. We visit out of the way places you’d never see on another tour. The weather is warm enough to swim, yet cool in the evenings. We walk in the mountains and descend into several caves. Some of the hikes are strenuous but there is always the option to sit and meditate.
HOW MUCH MONEY WILL I NEED?
You can expect to spend $40.00 to $50.00 a day or less on delicious meals in tavernas (small home-style restaurants).
HOW ABOUT SHOPPING?
We have come home with Goddess statues, gold and silver Goddess jewelry, hand-loomed fabric, rugs, lace.
CAN I HAVE A SINGLE ROOM?
Some single rooms are available at a small additional cost.
CAN I GET ACADEMIC CREDIT?
Academic credit is available through the California Institute for Integral Studies or possibly through
your home institution.
WHAT ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS, LOANS AND PAYMENT PLANS?
A limited number of partial scholarships and loans may be available. We will work with you on
arranging payment plans.
Reviews
“Carol’s combination of spiritual insight and archaeological knowledge is invaluable.
I could have spent ten years traveling on my own and not have discovered so much.”
-Nancy Backus, freelance writer
“The tour was beautifully planned and executed. I especially appreciated talking with the villagers.”
-Rebecca Gibson, poet and English professor
“The pilgrimage brought me home to a spiritual world view that makes
complete sense to me and that makes me proud to be a woman.”
-Carolyn Holt, Organizational Consultant
Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete with Carol Christ - Total Price $3,150 Note: This $500 Paypal deposit is non-refundable.
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What is the soul? Is it genetically encoded in our DNA or the product of centuries of religious teachings dealing with our mortality?
