Goddess Pilgrimage to Athens,
Eleusis and Delphi

In Search of the Oracle

Monday June 7th - Sunday June 13th, 2010

With KATHY JONES and GEORGINA SIRETT-HARDIE
Priestesses of Avalon

For more details please email Georgina

The Ancient Oracle

The earliest Oracles in Greece were Priestess Sybils who spoke directly for the Earth Mother Ge or Gaia, from deep inside caves within Her body, the Earth. They embodied the Nymphs and Muses who inspired the people. At Delphi the Priestess Oracle spoke for Ge in trance, sitting on a high rocky outcrop, or above a crack in the valcanic rock from which intoxicating gases emerged. In classical times the Gods took over the ancient places of the Goddess and the Sun God, Apollo killed the chthonic Python or Earth Serpent and claimed Delphi for Himself. Throughout classical times travellers came from far and wide to consult the Pythia, the Priestess of the Oracle, whose mumbled words were then "translated" by Apollonian Priests, affecting the course of politics, wars and ordinary human lives.

Our Pilgrimage

On this exciting Goddess Pilgrimage we will be following the ancient paths to the Oracle, searching for and reclaiming our personal connection to the ancient Oracle of the Earth Mother, Ge, and Gaia, and to the inspiring Muses. We will own our own capacities to Oracle for the Goddess once again. We will journey to some of the most ancient and sacred places of the Goddess in the ancient Greek world.

Our journey begins in Athens with visits to the Parthenon, with its great temple to Athena, Virgin Goddess of Wisdom, Peace, Weaving and all Crafts. She was the parthenogenic daughter of Metis, who is Wisdom. We will be taken on a guided tour of the newly opened Acropolis Museum, which contains a feast of original Goddess imagery. We will visit the Kerameikos, where the mystai attending the Eleusinian Mysteries gathered to walk the 14 mile Sacred Way to Eleusis.

Travelling to Eleusis we will be guided through the Temple site, which is the actual place where Kore or Persephone descended into the Underworld, where Her mother Demeter wept for Her on the Mirthless Rock, and where the Eleusinian Mysteries were regularly celebrated. This Initiation into the Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone were believed to unite the pilgrim with the Goddess and to bring powers and rewards in the afterlife. These Mysteries were celebrated for nearly 2,000 years, but the Secret at the heart of the Mysteries was never revealed to those who had not taken the journey.

From Eleusis we will drive through the hills and mountains to sacred Delphi, home of the ancient Oracle. Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern day town situated high above the valley of Phocis on the south-western spur of the beautiful high Mount Parnassus, which in winter is a premier Greek ski resort. Delphi is a powerful earth energy site built on a wide ledge on the mountainside, its large ancient temples now ruined by the effects of earthquakes – Gaia reminding all who really rules in this land of mountains and earth. She is very present here in the high rock walls that rise above the Temple ruins.

With an experienced guide will explore the Temple ruins and Museum, and will perform ceremonies on the land, connecting to the ancient Goddesses, to Athena, Gaia and Ge. We will bless ourselves with the Sacred Waters of the Castellian Spring. There will be time to relax, to wine and dine in the many lovely cafes in the town, and to visit the sea.

The highlight of our pilgrimage will be a visit to the Sacred Korykion Cave of the Oracle, high in the mountains, the place where the original Oracle of Ge of the Muses was heard. This extraordinary natural sacred place is remote and off the beaten track. Here we will open our hearts and minds to hear Her words of inspiration for us.

Your Pilgrimage is led by

Kathy Jones and Georgina Sirett Hardie

Kathy is a Priestess of Avalon, Priestess of the Goddess, who lives in Glastonbury, England. She has travelled extensively throughout mainland Greece and its islands, and has been deeply inspired in Her own Goddess work by her experiences in the ancient land that once honoured many Goddesses. She is a healer, writer, teacher, ceremonialist and initiator. She teaches, with Ren Chapman, a Three Spiral Priestess of Avalon training, and is the Founder and Organiser of the international Glastonbury Goddess Conference. She also teaches an Esoteric Soul Healing course, and leads Goddess Pilgrimages to many sacred places around the world.

Georgina has been working with the Tarot for 38 years. Her work as a therapist is centred on providing support and healing that empowers others. She will be offering Karmic astrology readings, spiritual counselling and tarot readings. For many years she has dedicated her life to the Goddess and helping others learn how to meet difficult challenges with love and self respect.

FEES

Full Fee for the 6 nights/7 day pilgrimage is £650 per person, based on a twin share room. Private rooms are available for a single room supplement of £200.
Fees include :
2 nights accommodation and breakfast in a lovely boutique hotel in Athens, and 4 nights in simpler accommodation in Delphi.
Transfers and all travel and excursions in Greece.
All guide fees and entrance fees to sacred sites and museums.

Please note that the Fee does not include your return airfare to Athens. It is highly recommended that flights are booked well in advance to get the maximum discount. It also does not cover meals other than breakfast.

Deposit A non refundable deposit of £200 paid by 21st March 2010 secures your place. The balance of £450 is payable by May 1st 2010.

Earlybird Fee
A discounted Earlybird fee of £599 is available to those who book and pay in full by 21st March 2010.

For more details and to receive a booking form,
please contact Georgina at soblessedbe@aol.com