A SACRED TRIP TO GREECE FOR WOMEN

with Charoula Dontopoulos and Donna Henes
September 24 - October 8, 2005

The Goddess consciousness, buried for millennia in the depths of our being, is alive and well and waiting for us in Greece!

This will be a journey of reconnecting with the Sacred Feminine within each of us, re-membering ourselves as we once were -- priestesses, worshippers, and initiates.

Come join us for an unforgettable experience.
Come enjoy the rebirth of the mysteries.
Come frolic in the olive groves.
Come breathe in the salty sea air.
Come home to Greece and the Goddess.


THE GUIDES

Charoula Dontopoulos, our leader and guide to the Goddess, is a born-and-raised Greek, a scholar and a lover of the Goddess for many years. She will share with us her intimate knowledge of Greece, the Greek language, the Greek people, and especially the Greek Goddesses. In addition, she will open her lovely house on the island of Aegina to us. She has traveled extensively to Goddess sites in Turkey, Egypt, England, Malta and, of course, Greece where she has led four other sacred journeys.

Donna Henes, another passionate lover of the Goddess and Her Mysteries, will be our ritualist. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately known, will help us experience the Goddess within us in the Goddess's very own setting. She is the author of The Queen of My Self (Avalon), Moon Watcher's Companion (Avalon), and Celestially Auspicious Occasions (Putnam) and has 30 + years of experience creating ritual. She is the director of Mama Donna's Tea Garden & Healing Haven, a ceremonial space, ritual consultancy, and spirit shop in Exotic Brooklyn, New York.

OUR ITINERARY:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Arrive in Athens, settle in, get to know each other. Go out to taverna, watch Greek dances.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
AM: Akropolis and the Akropolis Museum.
PM: Walk around the medieval district of Plaka below the Akropolis with its craft shops and wonderful tavernas where we will have our welcome meal.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
AM: The Cycladic Museum (collection of Goddess figurines from the Cycladic era.)
PM: Delphi, incredible site in the bosom of Mt. Parnassus. Arrive around 2PM, visit the Goddess Temples, have a circle among the sacred olive trees. Evening at your leisure.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
 AM: Visit the Delphi Museum and upper sites.
PM: Take cabs to a cave on Mt. Parnassus, up above Delphi. Do a ritual. Return to Delphi, shop in wonderful Delphi stores, have dinner overlooking the valley of olive trees.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
 AM: Leave for Athens. National Archaeological Museum.
PM: Evening boat to Iraklio, Crete.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
AM: Arrive in Iraklio around 6AM. Settle in hotel, have breakfast. Drive to Skoteino Cave, short distance from the city. Experience cave, do a ritual on the floor of the cave.
PM: Lunch in Iraklio. Visit Archaeological Museum. Wander around city, shop, dinner.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
 AM/PM: One-day trip south to Festos, and the Neolithic caves at Mattala beach. Circle. Dinner at a seaside taverna.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1
 AM: Visit Knossos Palace. Eat lunch at outdoor taverna near Knossos.
PM: Free evening.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2
 AM: Fly (or boat) to Santorini (Thera). Settle in hotel. Visit Akrotiri, ancient Minoan settlement. Return to Fira.
PM: Free evening, walk around Fira, shop and watch sunset over the Caldera.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3
 AM: Free morning -- some may wish to take advantage of beautiful beaches to swim.
PM: Drive to Oia, at the other side of the island, a beautiful town on top of the volcanic rock, with breathtaking views.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
 Visit the Archaeological Museum with its collection of frescoes and pottery from Akrotiri.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
 Fly or boat back to Athens -- board hydrofoil for Aegina.
Settle in hotel. Dinner at wonderful taverna.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
 AM: Visit the temple of Athena Aphaia.
PM: Visit Archaeological Museum and site in port.
Drive up to Palaiochora, old Aegina capital on top of imposing rocks, with numerous old Byzantine churches and interesting icons.
Evening meal in great taverna.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
 Charoula's home all day. Some of us who have volunteered will shop for goodbye dinner at Charoula's house. After shopping, we all go up to the house, lounge around, hike to nearby Mycenean magical ruins with panoramic views, visit the beautiful village of Pachia Rachi below the house, and friends there. At sundown, ritual behind the house on the mountain slope, watch the new moon rise while the sun goes down into the sea.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8
 Leave from Aegina for airport, or Athens, if you're staying on longer.

PRICING

Trip Land Cost: $3,000.00

This includes:

-- All hotel accommodations (based on double occupancy).

-- All breakfasts, the welcome dinner, and a dinner at Charoula's house in Aegina.

-- All group transportation by coaches, taxis, etc. (but not driver tips)

-- Boat and flight tickets within Greece.

-- Entrance fees to all sites.

A $500 deposit is required at the time of reservation. The deposit is not refundable, except in case of illness or political upheaval in the close proximity of Greece.


Single room supplement: $250. Please inform us soon if you wish a single room as they are hard to get!


RESERVE A SPACE

To reserve your place, please contact:

MOONROCK
P.O. BOX 237
WILLIAMSPORT, OH 43164
(740) 986-6945





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