Intuitive Healing Sessions with Helena
SACRED JOURNEYS and GODDESS
TOURS 2006:
Goddess Tour to Greece & Cyprus
PAST TOURS:
Goddess Tour to the Black Madonna of France
Sacred Journey to Avalon and Cornwall
Celtic Mystery Tour of Ireland
Goddess Tour to Turkey"Ancient Anatolia"
Earth Mysteries of the British Isles
Shamanic Initiation in Peru and Bolivia
Sacred Journey Along the Silk Road
SACRED JOURNEY to GREECE: CRETE & CYPRUS
Oct. 2 - 14, 2006
Optional
3-day extension to Delphi, Epidaurus and Athens
Purple Mountain Tours is proud to offer this magical tour in 2006. If you would like to join us on this journey, please contact us as soon as possible.
With great pleasure I invite you to journey with us to the magical Isles of Crete and Cyprus in the spirit of birthing the Goddess within. During the Minoan Culture, the Goddess was supreme on the Isle of Crete.
Riane Eisler says in her scholarly book "The Chalice & The Blade": "In Crete, for the last time in recorded history, a spirit of harmony between women and men as joyful and equal participants in life appears to pervade. It is this spirit that seems to shine through Crete's artistic tradition, a tradition that is unique in its delight in beauty, grace, and movement and in its enjoyment of life and closeness to nature". And there is no better place to practice the High Magic of Love than in Cyprus, the Isle of Love and the birthplace of Aphrodite.
The ancient people perceived Gods & Goddesses as living, passionate, creative beings with whom they could have intense, soulful, personal relationships. In our own lifetimes, we too have the opportunity to reawaken within ourselves the power to be living bridges between darkness and light ~ true messengers of Light, which IS the essence of Love!
I invite you to join us for an unique Journey of Healing and Celebration of Life - "Birthing Aphrodite - The Goddess of Love". From Athens - the ancient City of Athena - we journey to the sacred site of Eleusis, where the Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone were performed. These initiatory rites of death and rebirth symbolize the soul's journey through the labyrinth of earthly existence; they honor our descent into the matter world and celebrate our return to the light. On the mystical island of Crete we enter sacred caves of the Goddess, climb holy mountains and explore the roots of the Minoan people, believed by many scholars to have originally come from Egypt. On the magical island of Cyprus - the birth place of Aphrodite - where the "foam-born Goddess" had risen from the sea at the rock of Petra tou Romion, we celebrate our own rebirth.
ITINERARY
| Day 1: |  Our tour starts in Athens where we explore
the ancient city and walk up to the Acropolis and Parthenon, dedicated
to Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and patroness of Athens. |
| Day 2: |  Eleusis - sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone - where the Eleusian Mysteries were performed. Evening flight from Athens to Crete, and on to our Beach Resort Hotel at Capsis Bay. |
| Day 3: |  Morning visit to the museum in Heraklion to see the world famous Snake Goddesses and other treasures of the Minoan Culture. Afternoon exploration of the Palace of Knossos, where societies worshipped the ancient Mother Goddess in her many forms over 3500 years ago. |
| Day 4: | Tour to Festos/Gortys, in beautiful southern Crete, where we see the famous historical site of Phaestos, which like Knossos, was an important center and ceremonial site of the Minoan culture. |
| Day 5: | Full day at the Lasithi Plateau, Dikti mountain and Psychro Cave. The breathtaking western slopes of Mt. Dikti are green and fertile, irrigated by thousands of windmills. The Kera Monastery with its late Byzantine frescoes and folklore museum is in the nearby village of St. George. Our next stop is Psychro, where the Diktean cave - the mythical birthplace of Zeus - offers impressive stalactites and stalagmites. |
| Day 6: | Travel to Agios Nikolaos, a picturesque port with a legendary bottomless lake, and one of Crete's liveliest resorts. We continue to the scenic village of Matala on the Southern coastline, to visit the caves of the Goddess. |
| Day 7: | Flight to Cyprus, via Athens; transfer to our hotel in Limassol by the Sea. |
| Day 8: |
. |
| Day 9: | Amathus, Kourion, Sanctuary of Apollo, Hylates. In Amathus the worship of Aphrodite flourished and legends tell us Theseus left the pregnant Ariadne here to be taken care of after his battle with the Minotaur. We will explore this potent myth! In Kourion, one of the most spectacular sites on the island, we visit the theater, the sanctuary of Apollo, the holy sanctuaries and shrines, and the Nymphaeum - dedicated to the water nymphs. |
| Day 10: | Petra tou Romiou, Palaipaphos, Mosaics of Paphos. Petra
tou Romiou is the birthplace of Aphrodite and it is said that this
strikingly beautiful site is where the Goddess of Love and Beauty
rose from the waves. We will perform a special rite dedicated to the
power of love and the Goddess within. In the village of Kouklia, near
Paphos, is the famous sanctuary of Aphrodite, one of the most celebrated
pilgrimage centers of the ancient world. The local museum contains
many interesting finds from the sanctuary, including a huge black
stone, excavated from Aphrodite's Temple ~ The Black Madonna of Cyprus
~ |
| Day 11: | Special Celebration at the birthplace of Aphrodite, and visit to the newly excavated Aphrodite Temple in Nicosia, believed to be part of ancient Ledra. |
| Day 12: | Departure from Cyprus for our return flight to the US via Athens, or join our optional extension to Athens, Delphi and Epidaurus. |
| FEE: Please contact us. |
Our prices include round trip airfares Athens-Crete-Athens and Athens-Cyprus-Athens; 4-star hotel in Athens and beach resorts in Crete & Cyprus, including breakfasts daily; all ground transportation and transfers by private coach; entrance fees to all sites; services of English speaking guides.
Contact us for our 3-day extension to Delphi, Epidaurus and Athens.