Goddess and Sacred Site Tours

September 21th to September 28th 2013

Journey to the Sacred Sites of Greece

The Great Harvest Goddess Tour Athens, Delphi and Eleusis

The Eleusinian Mysteries of Kore and Demeter with Donna Virgilio Fall 2013.

Goddess and Sacred Site Tour Greece! September 21, to September 28th, 2013

The earliest Oracles in Greece were Priestess Sybils who spoke directly to the

Great Mother Ge or Gaia. While in trance these Priestesses spoke for the Goddess and inspired the people. Travel with Donna Virgilio to Greece and feel the energy of the Goddess at the Sacred Sites of Delphi, Athens and Eleusis.

Explore through the actual temple site where Kore/Persephone descended in to the underworld. Arrive at Mirthless rock where these mysteries were regularly

celebrated and where Demeter wept for her daughter. Learn about the Eleusinian mysteries at the Eleusis museum. Hear the voice of the Oracle at

the Sacred Korykion Cave, located high in the mountains of Parnassus. Follow and walk the sacred ancient priestess paths to the Oracle. Visit Goddess temple ruins, the Acropolis and museums in Delphi, Eleusis and Athens. In ceremonies

on the land, we will connect with Goddesses Athena, Gaia, the Muses and Ge. In spiritual bathing, we will bless ourselves and swim in the Sacred Waters of

the Aegean Sea and Castalian Spring. Reclaim your personal connection to the Goddess and revel in the power and magic of this Goddess tour.

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$2660 Early Bird Price Register on or before April 30, 2013 Pay in full or a $900 Deposit Required by April 30, 2013

Late Registration $2860 Due by June 30, 2013

Only 6 Spots Available

Itinerary for All Goddesses

Your Goddess Hostess: Donna Virgilio, Psychic at 12listen.com

and Author of Goddess Scopes Horoscopes, USA Your Goddess Guide: Georgina Sirett-Hardie, Priestess of Avalon

and Director of the Goddess Temple, UK

September 21, 2013 Day 1: Arrive in Athens Transportation will be provide from the Athens Airport to your accommodations

Athens, Greece

Dinner Reservations will be made for our first supper.

September 22 and 27, 2013 Day 2 through Day 7

Welcome to Athens!

We Begin our Goddess and Sacred Site tour of Greece in Athens, the city named for Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Civilization, Justice, Weaving and Womanly Crafts, we will explore the Acropolis high above the city, with its world famous Parthenon, Temples of Athena Polias (Protectress of the City). and Athena Nike, as well as Temples to Artemis Brauronia – Artemis the Bear, Poseidon, Erechtheus and Cecrops.

The Acropolis at Sunset

The Erctheion: Temple of Athena Polias

The Erectheion, also know as the temple of Athena Polias, is the most sacred of all temples in Athens. It was built between 421 and 406 BC on the north side of the Acropolis. On the south portico, the caryatids have become the temple's signature. However, the six famous statues of young women with their long ionian dresses, standing there as columns, are actually copies. Five of the original ones are protected in the Acropolis Museum and the other one can be seen in the London Museum, having been appropriated by Lord Elgin along with the Parthenon marbles

Welcome to the Acropolis Museum!

Acropolis Museum: The Gallery of Slopes

The Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis After crossing the ground floor lobby towards the turn styles of the Museum, the first collection lies before the visitor. An ascending, wide glass-floored gallery houses finds from the slopes of the Acropolis. The occasionally transparent floor provides a view of the archaeological excavation, while its upward slope alludes to the ascent to the Acropolis. The Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis houses finds from the sanctuaries that were founded on the slopes of the Acropolis, as well as objects that Athenians used in everyday life from all historic periods. On the left hand side, finds from some of the key sanctuaries of the slopes are exhibited. On the right hand side, finds

from the smaller sanctuaries and settlements that developed on the slopes of the Hill are displayed. In antiquity, the slopes of the Sacred Rock constituted the transition zone between the city and its most famous sanctuary. This was the area where official and popular cults, as well as large and small sanctuaries existed alongside private houses.

Acropolis Museum: The Archaic Gallery

The Archaic Gallery Archaic is the period throughout the 7th century BC, until the end of the Persian Wars (480/79 BC). This period is characterized by the development of the city-state and the transition from aristocracy to tyranny and, eventually, democracy. It is also characterized by great achievements in the economy, art and intellectual life. In the Archaic Gallery, for the first time, visitors have the opportunity to view exhibits from all sides as three-dimensional exhibits. With the benefit of the changing natural light, visitors can discern and discover the delicate surface variations of sculptures and select the vantage point from which to observe the exhibits. In the south side of the Gallery, depictions of young women (the Korai), the horse riders (the Hippeis) and many other provide a striking picture of the Acropolis in the Archaic Period.

Acropolis Museum: The Caryatids

The Caryatids from the South Porch of the Erechtheion. The area around the Erechtheion was considered the most sacred of the Acropolis. The Erechtheion was a complex marble building in the Ionic order, an exceptional artwork. The eastern part of the Temple was dedicated to Athena, whilst the western part was dedicated to local hero Boutes, Hephaistos and other gods and heroes. Thus, the Erechtheion was a temple with multiple functions, housing older and newer cults, and the site of the ‘Sacred Tokens’, the marks made by Poseidon’s trident and the olive tree, the gift of Athena to the city of Athens. The building had two porches. The roof of the north porch was supported on six Ionic columns, while below its floor the Athenians pointed at the mark of the thunderbolt sent by Zeus to kill the legendary King Erechteus. At the south porch, which was the most well-known, the roof was supported by six statues of maidens known as the Caryatids, instead of the typical columns. Below it stood the grave of Kekrops, another legendary King of Athens. A building inscription of the Erechtheion refers to the Caryatids simply as Korai (maidens), while the name Caryatids was assigned at a later time. The second Korai from the western section was removed by Lord Elgin in 1801 and is today located in the British Museum. Several interpretations about the Caryatids have been put forth. The most convincing one supports the view that they constituted the visible portion of the grave of Kekrops and were the choephoroi who

paid tribute to the glorious dead. The main building and the north porch were surrounded by a continuous Ionic frieze decorated with images of gods, heroes and mortals, in scenes related to the ancient cults of the Erechtheion. The figures were separately carved in Parian marble and affixed on slabs of grey Eleusinian limestone.

Acropolis Museum: Head of Artemis

Head of Artemis Brauronia by the sculptor Praxiteles. 330 BC Artemis Brauronia was the Goddess protecting expectant mothers and women in confinement. Her main sanctuary was located in Brauron, in Attica. The sanctuary on the Acropolis was founded at the time of the tyrant Peisistratos, who originated from Brauron. The cella housed the wooden statue (xoanon) of the Goddess, similar to the one in her Brauron temple. According to Pausanias, a second statue of Artemis, carved by Praxiteles, was added (330 BC). The colossal head of that statue is on display in the Museum. We will walk down through the Agora to the Keramaikos and the beginning of the Road to Eleusis, along which pilgrims walked in ancient times to celebrate the Mysteries of Demeter and Kore.

Welcome to the Athens Museum!

The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and one of the most important museums in the world devoted to ancient Greek art. It was founded at the end of the 19th century to house and protect antiquities from all over Greece, thus displaying their historical, cultural and artistic value. Its abundant collections, with more than 11,000 exhibits, provide a panorama of Greek civilization from the beginnings of Prehistory to Late Antiquity. The museum is housed in an imposing neoclassical building of the end of the nineteenth century, which was designed by L. Lange and remodeled by Ernst Ziller. The vast exhibition space - numerous galleries on each floor accounting for a total of 8,000 square meters - house five large permanent collections: The Prehistoric Collection, which includes works of the great civilizations that developed in the Aegean from the sixth millennium BC to 1050 BC (Neolithic, Cycladic, Mycenaean), and finds from the prehistoric settlement at Thera.

The Sculptures Collection, which shows the development of ancient Greek sculpture from the seventh to the fifth centuries BC with unique masterpieces. The Vase and Minor Objects Collection, which contains representative works of ancient Greek pottery from the eleventh century BC to the Roman period and includes the Stathatos Collection, a corpus of minor objects of all periods. The Metallurgy Collection, with many fundamental statues, figurines and minor objects.

Goddess Themis

Statue of the Goddess Themis. Pentelic marble. Found at Rhamnous Attica in the small temple of Nemesis. Themis, daughter of Ouranos and Gaia, was Goddess of Justice. The statue was carved by Chairestartos of Rhamnous. About 300 BC. National Archaeological Museum of Athens More about Athens: Athens, largest city and the national capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. Athens is the center of the cultural, economic, financial, industrial, and political life in Greece. The city has a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area. Athens was a flourishing city-state in ancient Greece; it was an

important cultural center in the 5th century bc. The city was chosen as the capital of a newly independent Greece in 1834. To see more about the Acropolis Museum visit their website: http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/default.php?la=2

Welcome to Eleusis! The following day we will drive the 20 km from Athens to Eleusis and explore the ruins of the magnificent Sanctuary where the Mysteries of Eleusis were celebrated. Nestling into the slopes of a small hill this is the actual spot where Kore or Persephone descended into the Underworld, where Demeter mourned for her daughter at the Mirthless Rock and where the Maiden returned to the surface again.

Forecourt and Caves

Mirthless Rock and Cave

Our pilgrimage continues following an ancient route, just like the women of Athens, who traveled each autumn into the hills and mountains to meet with Dionysos, God of Wine and Revelry.

Sacred Way to Athens

The Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis The famous Eleusian Well at the Sanctuary of Demeter. Famous for the mystai, or initiates of the elusive Eleusian Mysteries. who took an oath of

secrecy never to reveal the secrets of their religion. At, Eleusis mysteries were taught and celebrated, and pilgrims from around the Mediterranean world traveled to take part in the secret rites. Hundreds or more devotees followed the clergy, including a virgin priestess, who carried the basket, or cista mystica, that held holy objects, or hiera, that would be used in the Greater Mysteries of Demeter once the reached their destination.

The Famous Eleusian Well at the Sanctuary of Demeter

The Famous Well of the fair dances (Kallichoron). This well has existed since very early times. According to myth, it was here that Demeter rested as she searched for her daughter Persephone. This was celebrated by a special festival with dances performed by maidens from Eleusis. The well-head was first made in the sixth century B.C. All later structures in the Sanctuary respected this sacred area.

Welcome to The Archaeological Museum of Eleusis

Eleusis Museum

The museum is located inside the archaeological site of Eleusis. Built in 1890, by the plans of the German architect Kaverau, to keep the findings of the excavations, and after two years (1892) was extended under the plans of the Greek architect J. Mousis. The most remarkable collection of objects dated from the 5th century BC, when the reputation of the temple had been panhellenic, and the number of believers who moved there in order to attend the ceremonies of the Eleusinian mysteries had been increased significantly. Eleusinian Mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were held to be the ones of greatest importance. It is acknowledged that their basis was an old agrarian cult which probably goes back to the Mycenean period (c.1600–1100 BC) and it is believed that the cult of Demeter was established in 1500 BC. The idea of immortality

which appears in syncretistic religions of antiquity was introduced in late antiquity. The mysteries represented the myth of the abduction of Persephone from her mother Demeter by the king of the underworld Hades, in a cycle with three phases, the "descent" (loss), the "search" and the "ascent", with the main theme the "ascent" of Persephone and the reunion with her mother. It was a major festival during the Hellenic era, and later spread to Rome. The name of the town, Eleusís seems to be Pre-Greek and it is probably a counterpart with Elysium and the Goddess Eileithyia. The rites, ceremonies, and beliefs were kept secret and consistently preserved from a hoary antiquity. The initiated believed that they would have a reward in the afterlife. There are many paintings and pieces of pottery that depict various aspects of the Mysteries

Spiritual Bathing as Ritual in the Mysteries: One of these preliminary rites

was purification by bathing in the sea, for which all candidates for initiation went

down to the coast close to Athens on an appointed day. The procession took

more than one day to cover the twelve miles of road, for it had to halt for all

sorts of performances by the way.

Welcome to Delphi!

Delphi Ruins

We will make our way to Delphi, home of the earliest Oracles, which is perched on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, From the most ancient times pilgrims traveled from all over the ancient world to consult with the Pythia, the Oracle of Ge or Gaia, of the Earth Herself. Later as patriarchal forces entered into Greek society, Apollo the Sun God, is said to have killed the Python and instated his own Oracle. Priestess Sybils spoke for Him seated on the Omphalos stone or on a high stool perched over a chasm in the rocks from which fumes emerged. These Underworld emanations allowed the Priestess to enter an altered state of consciousness, through which the God spoke.

Omphalos Stone

We will explore the Delphi Ancient Ruins that cling to the hillside and cover great areas of the land, showing the importance and the tribute that was paid to the Oracle.

Archeological Site at Delphi

On one of the days we will travel higher into the mountains, to the wonderful Korykian Cave, which is the site of the earliest Oracle of the Muses, of Ge and of Pan.

Korykian Cave

Our purpose on this pilgrimage is to connect to this ancient world that was full of spiritual knowledge, to listen to the Voice of the

Oracle and to hear Her words for us, so that She may help us in our life’s journey.

Georgina will be the Oracle on our tour and sit in the cave and provide answers to your questions

Oracle at Delphi Casting a Prophecy

Welcome to the Delphi Archaeological Museum!

Delphi Archaeological museum is the museum that houses the ancient artifacts that were found in Delphi, Greece. Its centerpiece is the antiquities found in the complex of the ancient Oracle of Delphi from the 18th century BC when the oracle was founded to its decline in Late Antiquity. Its exhibits are mainly offerings to the oracle and architectural parts of the buildings The Archaeological Museum of Delphi, one of the most important in Greece, exhibits the history of the Delphic sanctuary, site of the most famous ancient Greek oracle. Its rich collections are comprised primarily of architectural sculpture, statues and minor objects donated to the sanctuary. These reflect its religious, political and artistic activities from its early years in the eight century BC to its decline in Late Antiquity. The museum is housed in a two-storey building with a total surface area of 2270 square meters, with fourteen exhibition rooms, 558 square meters of storerooms and conservation laboratories for pottery, metal objects and mosaics. A new lobby, cafeteria and gift shop were created during the museum's latest refurbishment. The museum is overseen by the Tenth Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.

Temple of Apollo

The Temple of Apollo at Delphi is located in the ancient city that is an archeological site and has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. This temple at Delphi is central to the entire site. The current temple was erected on the site of an earlier temple, which was built in at least 6th Century BC. This earlier Temple was built over a fault line in the rock where it was said that noxious gases rose to the surface. Here the Delphic Oracle sat to receive the words, first of the Goddess Ge or Gaia, and later, after the slaying of Python, of Apollo. Higher up the steep hill are the well preserved and maintained theatre which dates to the 4th Century BC and an athletics stadium. The stadium was extensively remodeled by the Romans while they inhabited this area.

Temple of Apollo

Castalian Springs Outside of the ruins the waters of the Castalian Spring flow beside the main road. This is an original site of the earliest Oracles and was the place where Priestesses and supplicants prepared themselves to meet the Oracle by washing themselves in its cold sparkling waters. The spring emerges from a cleft in the mountain side, which lies directly opposite a pair of beautiful mountain breasts on the other side of the valley.

Castalian Spring Flowing today!

The underground Castalian Fountain house: It was built at the end of the 7th century BCE and repaired with slight alterations in the Hellenistic period. Before entering the Sacred Precinct, it is believed that everyone visiting Delphi for religious purposes, including the athletes, were required to bath themselves in the clear but icy waters of the Castalian Spring.

Castalian Spring Bathing Pool

The Castalian Spring is not in the sanctuary of Apollo itself, but about 500 m east of its main entrance visitors of the oracle went to source first to ritually cleanse themselves. Washing one's hair was sufficient, but murderers had to wash themselves completely. The water was also use to sprinkle the temple of Apollo. It came down from the two rocks that were known as the Pheriads, and plunged down as a little stream, the Papaddia, from the rocks, and joined the river Pleistos below Delphi.

Galaxidi Town

This fishing town is 40 minutes away from Delphi. It's beside the sea, a quiet village with a nice harbor for a walk. Enjoy a lovely walk, a coffee by the sea and enjoy a local fresh fish lunch. We will have a chance to swim in the Aegean Sea and do a spiritual bathing ritual ceremony.

City of Galaxidi on the Aegean Sea

Aegean Sea

September 28, 2013 Day 8: In Athens Depart accommodations and return to Athens International Airport. Transportation will be provided to the Athens Airport from your accommodations. Book your outgoing flights after 9am.

Complete Goddess and Sacred Site Tour Fall 2013: Athens, Delphi and Eleusis Greece

Includes: Private coach and bus tickets, free shuttle services to and from the Athens Airport to your accommodations on 9/21 and 9/28, accommodations, entrance fees to all sacred sites and museums, tour guide, tolls and parking are included. Double Occupancy: Rooms are shared with a group member. 2 beds per room. Not Included: Airfare and meals are not included. Travel insurance is highly recommended for travel, medical emergencies and unexpected cancellations. Please contact a provider. Travel insurance is not included. Donna Virgilio will be using www.allianztravelinsurance.com. We will need proof of your travel insurance before your departure. Payments/Deposits: Deposits are non-refundable. Payments are made through Paypal. Paypal accepts all forms of payment credit, checking and debit. Payment plan arrangements may be made with approval. Free Transportation/Shuttle Service for Arrivals and Departures to and from Athens Airport: Please make sure you book your flight to and from Athens Airport (ATH) to receive free shuttle rides on September 21 and September 28. All others days and different airports do not include free shuttle service. Airport: Athens, Greece - Eleftherios Venizelos airport (ATH) Email Donna Virgilio if you have questions: donnavirgilio@aol.com