GODDESS PILGRIMAGE TO CRETE in the footsteps of CAROL CHRIST
Carol discusses "Imagining God as Feminine" on CBC, "Marija Gimbutas Vindicated," and "Gratitude & Sharing"--listen online
GODDESS PILGRIMAGE TO CRETE
“The tour changed my life, I am no longer asking who I am, I know…” Alana Roman, USA
Our beloved Carol P. Christ has gone to the realm of the ancestors.
Carol passed away quietly in her sleep on July 14, 2021. May the Goddess of life, death and regeneration bless her on her onward journey.
Before she crossed over, Carol asked her close friend Laura Shannon to carry on leading the Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete and to step in as the new Director of the Ariadne Institute. Since 2022, the Pilgrimage has continued with Laura's guidance, assisted by several wonderful co-leaders. We follow the template Carol created, with just a few changes to her original itinerary.
On the Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete you will learn about a Society of Peace where Goddess was revered as the Source of Life, women were honored, people lived in harmony with nature, and there was no war. You will celebrate the grace and joy of life in sacred places and find the wellsprings of your own creativity and power.
This unique two-week tour for women includes museums and archaeological sites, sacred ceremony, delicious food, and swimming in the Cretan sea, as well as meetings with local women, cultural encounters such as cooking, pottery and weaving, and visits to mountains, caves, and places of ancient worship.
Sicne Carol P. Christ first developed the Goddess Pilgrimage in the early 1990s, over 650 women have come on the tours – on our own, or with mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, or female partners. Some of us have been on a Goddess path for many years, others are new to this path and open to insight. All of us are interested in learning about art, archeology, and history, experiencing the beauty of ancient Crete, meeting a fabulous group of women, and enjoying a carefully planned and beautifully organised journey in Greece. Participants have been as young as 10 and as old as 85, and have come from many countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Scotland, South Korea, Switzerland, and many states of the USA. Groups are small and intimate, usually between 14-18 participants, allowing a sense of community can develop, and some say this is the best part of the tour.
Laura Shannon, to whom Carol passed the torch of the Pilgrimage before she died, is known worldwide for her work with traditional women's ritual dances. Although the Goddess Pilgrimage is not a circle dance tour, those who wish will have the chance to learn several dances and to dance with local musicians. Above all, the Pilgrimage allows us to learn about the pre-patriarchal, woman-centred, Goddess-honouring civilisations in which communal circle dance has its roots.
The Pilgrimage fees include our experienced guides, lectures about the Goddess and Crete, a comfortable air-conditioned bus with our own driver, entrance fees to archaeological sites, double room accommodation (single rooms are available, on payment of a supplement), all breakfasts, plus three group meals.
Online Introduction Sessions Sunday March 15 & Tuesday March 24, 2026
90 minute session:
9:00-10:30 a.m. Pacific time
10:00-11:30 a.m. Mountain time
11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Central time
12 noon -1:30 p.m. Eastern time
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. UK time
View the meeting time in European time zones:
These introductory sessions will give an overview of the Goddess Pilgrimage, which was originally initiated by Carol P. Christ, and is now continuing with the guidance of Carol's close friend Laura Shannon, with co-leaders Dr. Joan Cichon and Susanne Willis. We will share an illustrated presentation on the Pilgrimage, and will have plenty of time to ask and answer questions. The sessions will be recorded for anyone who can't make it on the day.
All women are welcome who are interested in participating in the Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete, as well as those who have already participated. The gathering is free of charge. If you would like to join us, please email laura@laurashannon.net for the registration link.
Upcoming Pilgrimages are scheduled for:
October 3-17, 2026
October 9 – 23, 2027
"I felt like I was a part of the very fabric of Crete.
This was the source of the joyous energy I felt.
I am blessed to be connected to the ancient Goddess of that land."
Milena Rooney, USA
"I came expecting nothing, and I received everything."
Ramona Lane, Australia
"A pilgrimage with Carol is THE BEST!" Michele Manos, USA
Read "Notes from a Goddess Pilgrimage" by Joyce Zonana