A journey
of history
archaeology
mythology
ritual work
and
collective creation

in which we explore

Traditions of Melissai (Bee) priestesses of antiquity rooted in relationship with Bee Nymphai/Spirits of today

Sympathetic magic of agricultural mystery festivals and mystic initiations of the ancient Mediterranean

Symbiotic transformations of plants, deities, sacred ingredients, landscape, and body over the course of the year

twelve moons in deep study and practice...

  • Prehistoric origins of Demeter and Kore, Dionysos, Zeus and more, along with theorised origins of their Mysteries
  • Lore and traditions of Melissai Priestesses across the ancient world, including trance and entheogenic mysteries
  • Ancient understandings of sympathetic magic, and the blurred line between magic and ritual in Mediterranean traditions
  • History, mythology, medicinal and spiritual properties of seasonal plants and related sacred materials
  • A gentle re-orientation of body to local landscape, food and humane agricultural processes, ancestry, and the Gods and Spirits
  • Ritual scripts and online community space for each season's reconstructed festivals

This course draws upon secondary scholarship, prehistoric & ancient sources such as poetry, comedic plays, epigraphy, art and material culture, and lived ancestral, botanical, and agricultural experience.

At the end of the 12 moons culminating in the Thesmophoria in autumn 2027, participants may choose to be consecrated as Thesmophoric Melissai. This will involve a 4-day ritual process, a final ceremony online, a vow of commitment and silence (about the Mysteries), invited participation in Mt Nysa's Thesmophorion (ongoing community of Melissai dedicated to carrying on the Thesmophoric rites of Demeter and Kore), and the opportunity for election as an Archousa (Liturgical Leader).

journeying with...

  • Demeter & Kore-Persephone
  • Zagreus-Dionysos
  • Zeus-Hades & Rhea
  • Kybele & Attis
  • Isis & Osiris
  • Opis & Saturn
  • Kabeiros & Pais
  • Nymphs & Other land spirits

A growing community of diverse Melissai around the world

Three instructors who live and work in the Mediterranean today

And unique you!

instructor - history / archaeology of festivals

Bria Melitta Nuccio is an Ancient Historian and Classical Archaeologist specialising in Mediterranean mystery cults. Through her postgraduate dissertation with the University of Leicester, she developed a new model for the analysis of Demetrian festivals.

She underwent a 2-year priestess training with Yeshe Meryemana Matthews of Mt Shasta Goddess Temple and now serves on the Collegium Mystarum. She spends her time as an instructor with Mt Nysa Mystery School, a childbirth and postpartum doula, and an ancestral diviner through her motherline. 

Originally from south Chicagoland, Bria carries ancestry spanning the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic Seas, and currently resides in Għawdex in the land of honey, Melita.

bria nuccio

guest instructor - embodied relationship

Daphne Kourkounaki is a facilitator born and raised in Crete. After more than two decades living and working internationally across engineering, environmental consultancy, and transformational facilitation, a year-long women's initiatory journey in 2014 marked a profound turning point. In 2018, she returned to her birthplace, following a deep inner call to reconnect with the land.
This renewed connection with the land led her into years of pilgrimage, ceremony, and deep relationship with the landscapes of Crete.

Some of these experiences are captured in her book, Sacred Sites of Crete: The Shaping of Temple, an invitation to encounter the island through embodied presence, story, and ceremony.

Today, Daphne creates immersive experiences that bridge knowledge with lived experience, inviting people to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with their own embodied wisdom. Through her work, she supports individuals, couples, facilitators, and groups in meeting both themselves and the land as living teachers.

daphne kourkounaki

guest instructor - history / science of sacred plants

Alessandra Marazzi is a historian of religions, a researcher in Traditional Mediterranean Medicine and a trained phyto-operator.

She graduated from the University of Bologna with a thesis on the mystery cults of the ancient world. Her work explores the connections between Traditional Mediterranean Medicine, humoral theory, mythology, ritual practices and the sacred uses of plants in the Mediterranean.

She is the founder of Gozo Herbs and Anima Herbaria and is based in Gozo, where she offers consultations, educational walks and workshops. Her approach brings together historical research, the observation of nature and traditional plant practices.

alessandra marazzi

this is for
femme-identifying individuals who...

...feel drawn to Melissai (“Bee  Priestess”) traditions but wish to go beyond mythic/archetypal intrigue and into real practice and reconstructed mystery rites for today

...are looking for an alternative to New Age paradigms of spirituality or Abrahamic religion (though continued familial devotions/folk traditions are very welcome), rooted in historical/archaeological research and living wisdom

...want to connect with complex heritage, especially (but not limited to) European ancestry, but may feel removed from their precolonial traditions or ancestral lands

...crave a devotional system which isn’t limited to textbooks and grounds them in daily and seasonal ritual/relationship as part of an organised online community!

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We’d love if you feel the call sincerely to join us, but believe this should come from a place of true joy, not because you feel we have some secret to sell you. 

The “secret” of the Mysteria is not to be found in any commodified code. It is found in that special experience which can only be cultivated with imperfect devotion, a solid framework, and the magic of collective creation. You don’t need to join our course to find that :) 

After years of research, communal trial and error, lived experience, ancestral and land-based learning and collaboration, we simply hope to offer you the treasure map and supported space to seek those treasures ... your compass is your own.

Either way, may you be blessed in your path!

We begin 13 December, 2026.
There are two 60 minute Zoom calls per month, generally the second and fourth Sundays at 19:00 Central European Time (always Sundays, though exact time pending guest instructor availability). Live attendance is strongly encouraged, but all calls are recorded for those who are unable to make the time slot.

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The full cost of the 12 Month course is €900, or €75 per month. Payment is accepted in most currencies and can be made in quarterly/seasonal installments. As ever, we offer education on a pay-what-you-can basis for those needing financial help, though spaces are limited for this course ; please reach out to courses@mtnysa.com for more information.

Following initial payment, you will be requested to complete a short application. In the case of an application not being approved, initial payment will automatically be refunded.

register here

Is this course only for women?
This course is open to any femme-identifying individuals interested in the annual ritual cycle of the Melissai (Sacred Bees) of Demeter, Kore-Persephone, Zeus-Zagreus-Dionysos, and other seasonal mystery gods. Why femme-identifying? Some of these rites were exclusive to women in the ancient world, and we believe that to be an important factor of the sympathetic magic. As our societies today have different conceptions of gender, we open our tradition to any individuals comfortable with exploring feminine terminology/traditions/archetypes, including those who are trans and non-binary.

Is there a prerequisite for this course?
No.

How does this course differ from the Thesmophoric Magic 10 Week Melissai Training?
The Thesmophoric Magic Training focused on only the autumn portion of the annual cycle now covered in the Rites of the Melissai course. Rites of the Melissai is replacing the Thesmophoric Magic Training as a more holistic, collaborative and comprehensive year-long cycle.

I’m a past/current student of the Thesmophoric Magic Training – can I register for this one too? How does that work?
Yes – Thesmophoric Magic will (permanently) end in October 2026 and Rites of the Melissai will commence December 2026, allowing for consecutive study and participation in the full annual cycle. If you are a past/current Melissai student and would like to continue your education, please reach out so we can deduct the cost of the previous Training from this one!

Is this the true ancient pathway/“accurate” path of the Melissai?
Put simply, that doesn’t exist! As with all our research and practices, we root ourselves in historical and archaeological sources, but acknowledge when we fill in the gaps with ancestral/living wisdom, creativity and adaptation for modern day. This is a reconstructed set of seasonal Mysteries which is no more right than any other. If it does not resonate with you, we encourage you to pursue the path which does. 

Is this course only for devotees of Demeter and Persephone?
Demeter and Persephone are a vital gateway into what we call the Thesmophoric Mysteries, which predate Archaic and Classical Greece, dating back at least to the Late Bronze Age. Goddesses such as Artemis and Rhea – and Gods like Zagreus-Dionysos and Zeus – are also associated with mythologies of the Melissai. In the course we will retrace these threads back and discover the rich shared roots of this prehistoric tradition, with particular emphasis on Orphic-Eleusinian mysticism and the traditions of Minoan Crete, though it existed in diverse expressions across the Mediterranean, Black Sea and beyond.

Can I join as someone from the Southern Hemisphere or a very different climate/landscape?
While this course focuses on the diverse seasons, plants, cultic traditions and mythologies of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, you will be encouraged to research and adapt the themes/materials to your own landscape, agricultural (particularly cereals) cycle, and ancestry.

What happens after the course?
Learning is life-long, but this course is intended to be a complete “system” – a replicable set of accessible practices, tools, and rituals you can perform season after season, year after year, anywhere in the world. Graduates of Rites of the Melissai are welcome to continued participation in the Mt Nysa Thesmophorion, our private community of Melissai who perform each season’s rites and organise agricultural/food-based community aid in areas of need.

Is there an option to perform the Mysteries in-person?
The course provides you the tools and ritual scripts to perform the rites each season, whether alone or leading others. Otherwise, check out mtnysa.com to join our Crete Intensive for the Spring rites! All our in-person offerings are created mindfully in collaboration with local practitioners, service providers, and wisdom-keepers.

q + A