Goddesses In Disguise
Exploring Greece, Crete and Santorini
by Gayle Lawrence
Earlier this year I found myself escorting a wonderful group of lively women on a tour to Greece, Crete and Santorini. We were all filled with excitement and a sense of expectancy as we arrived in Athens and began to explore the city on foot. We caught our breath as we looked high above us and caught sight of the Acropolis, perched on a hill in the heart of Athens. This site was dedicated to the Goddess Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, whom the city of Athens was named after.
The next morning our wonderful guide Olga took us on a very focused tour of the Acropolis and surrounding sites. This magical spell of being smack dab in the middle of Greek Goddess mythology exploring the Acropolis was momentarily broken when I turned around and looked at Olga who now had a Cleveland Indians baseball cap on her head!! (I'm from Ohio). EHH GADS........I traveled here for the Greek Goddesses --- not the Tribe!!
Then we were off to the beautiful mountain setting north of Athens called Delphi, the site of the ancient oracle. We stayed at the Amalia Hotel which was beautiful, our rooms affording us a view of the Bay of Corinth. The Oracle of Delphi site is large and impressive and all the tourists visit here. We were more drawn to a smaller site nearby that is less visited, the Sanctuary of Athena. This place seemed to touch several of us on an emotional level. Perhaps we were feeling the wisdom of the Goddess Athena surrounding us. I suggested that we return after dark to the ruins to spend some time under the full moon, several of the ladies eagerly agreed.
That night sitting in Athena's Sanctuary I looked up between two huge columns at the temple site, the brilliant full moon was shining down on us, illuminating the area where we sat. We talked and shared stories of our lives with one another, and spent a short time in quiet contemplation. We felt that Athena was there with us listening. The prospect of visiting the site after dark had seemed challenging and a little fearful for some of us, but this proved to be a very special and self-empowering nighttime adventure for us all.
The next day Olga and George our driver took us to the amazing Monasteries at Meteora, meteora meaning "in the air". Ascetic Orthodox monks have built amazing monasteries that sit on top of what look like a forest of stone. Huge, very tall columns of rock stand before you with buildings perched on top of them, in perfect harmony with the natural landscape. Pilgrims come from all over the world to this place of peace and quiet solitude. Visitors are allowed inside but women must wear skirts which they provide for you if you arrive in shorts or slacks.
Various other sites were visited and stops were made on our way back to Athens. We then left to spend 4 days on the island of Crete, home of the ancient Minoan civilization where the female, the Goddess, was honored and revered. The focus of our journey was to reconnect with our ancient feminine roots, to come home with a deeper respect for ourselves as women. More self-empowered, more comfortable trusting our own inner wisdom and intuition. Willing to honor our own needs, wants, and desires. Opening the door to latent creativity that lay dormant inside of us.
We arrived at the beautiful Serita Beach Hotel with the Aegean Sea stretched before us and were delighted to find the lobby walls graced with beautiful original artwork of women, what could be more appropriate for us! That first afternoon we sat outside by the pool, gazing out at the Aegean, having coffee and scrumptious deserts. Does it get any better than this??
While on Crete we visited the archaeological site of Knossos, believed by some archeologists to be a social, economic, and spiritual center. This is a huge area, a labyrinthine complex of buildings. Our guide, Kety, escorted us through the ruins sharing information. We passed by the 7 ft. tall "Horns of Consecration", which frame the highest peak of Mt. Juctas behind them. The horns probably had many symbolic meanings. They do depict the horns of the sacred bull or ram, but they also represent feminine reproduction and fertility, the Minoans being a Goddess centered culture.
We observed the distinctive Minoan columns painted blood red and black, sacred bath areas, and wall paintings of griffins, companion animals of the Goddess. Original stone pithos jars standing 5 ft. tall that were probably filled with grain, wine or olives still remain here. We walked along the raised stone pathway that leads to the theatrical area imagining the processionals, rituals, and dances that once took place.
As we gazed into darkened rooms we could imagine the famous Minoan Snake Goddesses present here, standing proud and bare-breasted, holding snakes in each hand. In the majority of ancient civilizations the snake represents wisdom and power, rather than a source of evil or fear as we have been lead to believe in our modern day culture.
Afterward we visited the archeological museum where we got to see the original Minoan Snake Goddesses statues and the famous "Dolphin Frescoes" from the walls of Knossos.
I love getting off the beaten path to non-tourist areas, which for me makes the trip unique. Holding the promise of extra special experiences.
Skoteino cave was such a place. Caves on Crete were sacred to the Goddess, symbolic of returning to the womb. Skoteino cave is immense, a huge cavern of stone that descends 5 levels down into the earth. We began our descent, sliding and climbing over huge rocks, carefully picking our way deeper into this natural "womb". It was moist, quite representative of a womb, and some rocks were slippery as water dripped from the vaulted ceiling of stone high above our heads. This presented a challenge for some of us, facing our fear of moving into the darkness, questioning our physical ability to make the descent and climb back out. Not everyone chose to do this, some preferred to wait and enjoy the sunshine at the mouth of the cave.
Those of us who made the descent to the 4th level were astounded when we saw standing before us a towering stalagmite that looked like the figure of a woman, most certainly representing the Goddess, the "mother" image. I felt speechless, in awe of the sight before me. My gaze was then drawn to my right where high on the stone wall of the cave was a natural formation resembling a face looking down on us. We all felt that we were being observed by a feminine presence just as many earlier Cretans probably had as they came for rituals and to bring offerings in this sacred cave.
We spent some time here, talking, and quietly reflecting on our individual impressions of this place. Originally feeling apprehensive of climbing or falling we were now scampering over the huge rocks like mountain goats, sure of ourselves, powerful and confident. The texture of the rocks on our hands, the dirt that covered them and the moisture offered us a long forgotten experience of something so natural and primal. We were like a group of little girls, frolicking, playing in this cave. Unperturbed by the fact that we were joyously "getting dirty", returning us to the days of the playground and mud-holes..........OH the FREEDOM!!
I suggested that we make an intention of emerging from this cave back into the light with an attitude of being reborn. To now see ourselves and the possibilities for our lives with a new perspective. Embracing the challenge of the descent and the climb back out gave us a deeper sense of our own ability and strength as women. Emerging from the cave we felt cleansed, renewed and bid farewell to the Goddess of Skoteino Cave.
Our next stop was the old convent of Paliani and the Panagia Myrtia, a 1000 year old Sacred Myrtle Tree, symbolizing the Tree of Life. This place is still home to a handful of elderly nuns, quiet, peaceful, and isolated. The energy here soothes the spirit, provides a tonic for the soul. Here you are surrounded by large pots of beautiful flowers carefully tended by the nuns. They hand crochet lace and make other crafts that they sell to help support the convent.
This ancient Myrtle Tree has quite a history. People come here from around the world to ask for blessings, many spontaneous healings have occurred. The base of the tree is surrounded by braces and crutches of people who now have no need of them. We approached this tree with an attitude of reverence, it felt like a holy place. It is said that there is an icon of the "All Holy", the Virgin Mary inside the trunk. This majestic ancient tree definately felt feminine to me. As I held onto a limb I felt a energetic vibration run up through my arm and body, several of the others felt it also. Major hospitals or surgical units aren't the only places for healing; sometimes it happens just standing in front of a tree.
Borrowing an idea from a book that I read, I had brought colored ribbons for those who wanted to ask for a blessing and leave a ribbon tied to the tree as an offering. With our eyes closed we each took a ribbon. I suggested that we pay attention to what came to mind as we opened our eyes and gazed at the color we had chosen. This brought surprising revelations to several women, bringing to mind long denied events in their lives that perhaps still needed some emotional healing and attention. Individually we each asked for a blessing and tied our ribbons to the tree. For some this simple ritual was accompanied by tears, a release of pent up feelings from the past. We were all very content to spend some time just sitting around this wonderful tree, relaxing in the sunshine, watching the nuns go about their daily chores.
As we began walking through the covent grounds toward the entryway escorted by an elderly nun I had an overwhelming desire to hug her. Kety, our guide asked her in Greek if that would be OK, demure and shy she agreed. I embraced her and felt such a deep and genuine love fill me. It radiated from this tiny, humble woman. As I released her she began to speak in Greek. Kety told us that she was giving us a blessing, this was one of the most special moments of the trip for me. We all agreed that visiting Paliani and standing before the Sacred Myrtle Tree was an extra special experience.
Our remaining time on Crete was filled with other delightful adventures and explorations. Not the least of which was spending our last day doing the "shop till you drop" thing in the large city of Heraklion. Then we were off by plane for the last leg of our adventure, 3 days of R and R on the beautiful island of Santorini.
Santorini is unique due to its geological history. Several small towns sit on the top of a now dormant volcano. The tip of this huge mountainous volcano is the only part visible protruding out of the Aegean Sea. Sitting on top you see a spectacle of white-washed buildings with colorful doorways and blue domed churches. The landing at the old port presents you with hundreds of step up to the capital city of Fira. You can walk up, take the cable car or ride donkeys. Having trained and shown horses most of my life I naturally opted for the donkeys. Some decided the cable car was more appealing.
The donkey ride was pretty exciting! Here we were bunched in a group on donkeys, these twisting, winding steps were steep! Coming at us going down the steps were groups of donkeys carrying people. After the initial feeling of "Help.........we're going to be trampled passed", it became pretty obvious that all you had to do was sit there and let the donkeys do their thing! These little guys knew their business and negotiated their way around one another as easy as 1-2-3. We all relaxed and enjoyed our donkey-back ride up the side of the cliff. (Those city-slickers in the cable car will never know what it feels like to be a donkey cow-girl!!)
On Santorini we did visit the archeological site of Akrotiri. A city destroyed around 1500 BC by an eruption of the volcano. In effect this is a prehistoric version of Pompeii found buried under volcanic ash. Legend has it that this is part of the remains of the Lost City of Atlantis.
As we toured these ancient ruins, you had a sense of ancient Atlanteans walking these narrow streets, climbing the steps of 3 story houses.
Sanrotini is a shoppers paradise. Oh yes, we did our share to contribute to the local Greek economy. Many, many of our American dollars exchanged for Greek drachmas, left our hot little hands and now line the pockets of local Greek shopkeepers. We returned home with our carry-ons overflowing with delightful treasures discovered on our journey.
We were all in agreement that the food everywhere we went was fabulous!! I have developed a taste for stuffed grape leaves. Feta cheese, Greek salads, mousaka, souvlaki, and spinach pies were some favorite dishes of the group. Deserts were plentiful, varied and delicious! Baklava is my favorite, sweet and gooey, consisting of strudel leaves and walnuts........ah what a perfect ending to a delectable meal. Add a little Greek coffee and we're talking "I'm in Heaven"! We did become crazed for "Nirvana", Greek ice-cream that was starting to effect us like an addiction!!
We'd see one of those tall, blue Nirvana coolers and we would all start salivating and twitching, on the verge of losing control. At this point I gave thanks that our trip was drawing to a close or I would have ended up with a group of Nirvana junkies on my hands. Unable to return to a normal life in America deprived of their Nirvana "fix". They did choose an appropriate name for this ice-cream -- it was blissfully delicious!
After our 12 day Greek adventure and transatlantic flight we landed safely back on our home turf. I believe we all agreed this trip was a mixture of varied and unique experiences, personal insights and revelations, historical-educational information, all housed within the mythology, magic and mystery of the powerful Goddess archetypes.
Never lacking for spasms of laughter and jokes, we returned home with cheeks hurting from too much laughing! One of the women commented she hadn't laughed this much in years!!
This was an incredible group of women that joined me for this journey.
Each one bringing the gift of her own unique, feminine nature. I believe we were all teachers and students for one another. They taught me many things as I listened, observed, and was allowed to share my own ideas and feelings. I felt supported and nurtured by this group of kindred spirit women. Laughing, crying, shopping, and sharing delicious meals with these new women friends was a joy and delight.
I would like to thank them all for the pleasure of their company on this Journey of Discovery in Greece. I trust our paths will cross again on another exciting adventure.
Gayle Lawrence operates Journeys of Discovery - Unique Travel for women. If you would like to contact her you can email: sevensisters@cplx.com. For descriptions of her other trip offerings visit: http://www.cyberpathway.com/journeys
