10 April

After flying into Heraklion, we will pick you up from the airport and settle you into your room at our villa. We will get to know each other over dinner at a local taverna.

11 April

First, we will marvel at the excavated finds in the renowned Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, with time after for lunch and shopping for replicas and vintage treasures. Then we will journey to the Minoan palace of Knossos during golden hour to tour its breathtaking art, architecture, and landscape. Back at our villa, we will enjoy a wine and mythology night beneath the stars, retelling the stories of Princess Ariadne, the labyrinth, and the minotaur.

12 April

After a spacious morning of rest at the villa, we will journey inland to Archanes for a pottery workshop with  Myrto Politaki in her private studio, a magnificent replica of the Throne Room at Knossos. There we will create Minoan figurines and ritual items, infusing our art with Linear B symbols and sacred phrases. Afterward, we will pay our respects to the nearby "beehive" tombs of Phourni, including one which is suggested to belong to a priestess.

13 April

Next we drive east along the coast to explore the sprawling Minoan palace of Malia. After lunch, we will make our way back along the sea, descending deep into the sacred caves of Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth, and Britomartis, indigenous predecessor of the maiden huntress Artemis. Within these prehistoric spaces we will make offerings, sing, drum, and enter into a traditional mystery experience in communion with the devotees and priestesses who came before us.

14 April

The following morning we will move inland to hike the mighty Psiloritis mountains, whose peak (Mt Ida) is sacred to the Mountain Mother goddess Rhea. In some mythology, it was in Ida's caves where Rhea hid her son, the Divine Child Zeus, and he received nourishment from the Melissai (Holy Bees). Here, a cave mystery as old as time has unfolded each solar cycle, millennia after millennia. As we ascend Ida's slopes, we will speak of her timeless secrets, guarding them reverently and walking away forever transformed.

15 April

The following morning will be dedicated to rest and recovery from our pilgrimage to Mt Ida. After some time by the pool, we will spend the afternoon with our friends at a traditional Cretan honey farm, learning about beekeeping, sacred bees and medicinal honey, and the fermentation mysteries of Zagreus-Dionysos. Of course, the afternoon would not be complete without a tasting of delicious honey, grandmother-baked pastries and olive oil!

16 April

On our final full day, we will journey back to Myrto's studio in Archanes to collect our finished ceramics. There we will enjoy the mountain village square and explore some of the Minoan sacred cave and peak sites scattered around Mt Juktas.

17-21 April

For those ending their journey here, they will be transported back to the airport, bidding farewell to Crete and wrapping up our beautiful pilgrimage together!

For 2-3 individuals desiring an extended experience, they are invited to join our intimate Lasithi Plateau Retreat for an additional €900 (shared room) or €1200 (private room). From 17-21 April we will journey inland to our second villa in the shadow of the mythological Mt Dikte. The next days will be dedicated to tranquil rest and integration, exploration of the sacred Diktaion Cave and neighboring sites, experience of traditional Cretan mountain villages and folk arts, and development of divination/trancework skills in a smaller-group setting. The additional cost covers extended accommodation, breakfast, coffee and tea, ground transportation and all activities, and transfer back to Heraklion Airport on 21 April.