SONG OF ANATOLIA RETREAT
A 7 Day Pilgrimage to Turkey’s Ancient Sacred Sites
September 17 - 23, 2025
Embrace this rare opportunity to journey amidst Turkey’s ancient sacred sites in ceremony with the Divine Feminine, woven by a daughter of these lands.
Your guide Sema, Turkish songstress and temple artist,
is inviting an intimate circle to her Motherland,
where her family continues to reside,
to re-initiate the Great Goddess lineage.
A Mystical Voyage into the Heart of the Goddess
Join us for Song of Anatolia Retreat
A 7-Day Pilgrimage to Turkey’s Ancient Sacred Sites,
a mystical journey through the land of the Mother Goddess.
From the breathtaking ruins of Ephesus to the sapphire coastline of Phokaia,
this experience is an invitation to
reconnect with the Divine Feminine,
honor the ancient wisdom of the land,
receive sacred songs from the Earth.
Through ceremony, song, and spiritual communion, we will walk the path of the ancient pilgrims, immersing ourselves in the profound energy of Mary, Artemis, Cybele, Muses and Sirens.
Sacred Sites & Mystical Experiences
This pilgrimage invokes the essence of the Divine Mother through sacred sites, ancient rituals, and the power of song.
Şirince: 3 night stay at a charming boutique hotel in the quaint wine village.
Ephesus: Visit the ruins of the ancient city, milk and honey ceremony at the ancient church of Mary.
House of Mother Mary: Pilgrimage to the shrine, rose ceremony, sacred spring water blessing and prayer ties.
Ephesus Archaeological Museum: Homage to Artemis sculptures, the Muses and the reliefs of drumming priestesses.
Temple of Artemis: Pilgrimage and song-channeling ceremony & sharing the secret mantra.
Phokaia (Foça): 3 night stay at a vibrant boutique hotel on the coast of the Aegean sea.
Turkish Bath: Rejuvenation and singing in the marble hammam.
Temple of Cybele: Pilgrimage to the ancient open air temple and maiden to mother ceremony.
Boat Tour of Phokaia’s Islands: Sea immersion and sirens of the sea ceremony at the siren rocks.
Historical Windmills: Sunrise hike to Cybele’s sacred hill.
Ingiliz Burnu: Sunset hike and closing ceremony at the peninsula.
The journey is taking us to…
Ephesus
Once a thriving metropolis, Ephesus was a center for worship of Cybele, Anatolian (Phrygian) Mother Goddess of nature, fertility and the wild as well as Artemis, Greek Goddess of land animals, fertility and the moon. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city’s grandeur is evident in its Library of Celsus, grand theater, ancient temple of Cybele, bath houses, world famous port and breathtaking marble art & architecture.
Milk and Honey Ritual
The ancient church of Mary, the first church dedicated to Mother of God is the most significant building from Christian times in Ephesus. It was built on the ruins of an earlier basilica known as the "Hall of the Muses” as the city has a long tradition of religious worship of female deities. Here at the ruins of the church of Mary we will honor the Goddess and her names Cybele, Artemis and Mary with a Milk & Honey Ritual witnessed by the Muses. This will be the first ceremony to initiate our pilgrimage.
House of Virgin Mary
Nestled in the hills of Ephesus, the stone house was discovered following the descriptions of Anne Catherine Emmerich’s visions. It is believed that Mother Mary was taken here by Saint John after the Resurrection of Christ to live for the remainder of her earthly life until her Assumption. Now a Christian and Muslim shrine, the site emanates profound peace. Pilgrims come from around the world to receive blessings from the sacred spring and make their innermost prayers.
Rose Ceremony
Here on Mt. Koressos (Mount Nightingale) we will have our Rose Ceremony consisting of communion with Meryem and her sacred heart at the shrine, water blessing ritual at the sacred spring and prayer ties - a long lasting tradition of the sacred site. We will get the chance to bring home holy water from her spring for anointment rituals.
Temple of Artemis
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Artemision was the grandest sanctuary dedicated to the goddess of land animals, fertility, and the moon, who was highly revered as the protector of Ephesus. The temple was not only a religious center for the cult of the Great Goddess, but also a symbol of cultural convergence, attracting worshippers, tourists, and pilgrims from various regions. Renowned for its architectural grandeur at its day, today only the foundations and fragments of the temple remain at the site, although it remains a powerful energetic grid.
Song Channeling Ceremony
The main ceremony of our pilgrimage will take place here at the ruins of the Artemision. We will make bountiful offerings, connect with the ancient grid and commune with the sacred caper flower as well as the Melissae - oracular bee nymphs. Invoking the power and wisdom of the fertility Goddess, we will channel and sing her song back to her. The participants will receive a secret mantra in her sacred name and be initiated into temple keepers of the fractal linage. This is a ceremony of deep remembrance, home-coming into her body and rejoicing in her song and dance.
Phokaia (Foça)
An ancient Ionian port city, Phokaia was home to seals, seafarers and mythical sirens. The picturesque coastal town is rich with Aegean history and famous for fresh caught seafood and daily fish markets. We will immerse ourselves in the beauty of the Aegean coast through sea immersion, rituals, song, and connection with the elements.
Siren Rocks
These legendary cliffs are said to be where Sirens, mythical creatures with alluring voices, lured passing sailors to their doom with their songs. In modern times, sirens are sometimes depicted as fish-women or mermaids, though originally they were depicted as part-bird part-woman. Swimming and fishing are prohibited to protect the natural life in the area, including Mediterranean monk seals.
Sirens of the Sea Ceremony
We will reach near the cliffs by boat to conduct our "Sirens of the Sea" ceremony, freeing our wild voices and reclaiming our feminine power in harmony with the sea birds, wind song and the caverns. This ritual is a reclamation of the wild feminine and all that has been misunderstood and feared about our true essence.
Temple of Cybele
Cybele, also known as the Great Mother, is the Phrygian mother goddess of nature, fertility, and wild animals, later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. She is often depicted with a lion and crowned on a throne or chariot. In the ancient Ionian city of Phocaea a sanctuary for the Anatolian Goddess existed and welcomed seafarers for ancient Cybele rituals and blood sacrifices. The Temple of Athena was later built on top of the site marking the archaeological and spiritual significance of the harbor sanctuary.
Maiden to Mother Ceremony
Here we will attune ourselves to the energetic grid of Cybele’s sacred lands around Foça and beyond. Her ancient worship sites are unmarked and pretty much everywhere on the hills, shores and islands as well as the village.Our Maiden to Mother Ceremony will take place here along with moon blood offerings in honor of her ancient rituals.
This is an initiation into full embodiment of her power; of the frequency of the mountain and the lion.
Accommodation
Şirince
A charming boutique hotel nestled in rolling hills and vineyards, infused with the essence of rose, offering a grace-filled retreat.
Rooms available: Private rooms (queen bed) or shared rooms (single beds),
all with private bathrooms.
Foça
A vibrant family-run boutique hotel in the heart of the old town with a swimming pool, serving fresh produce from their organic farm.
Rooms available: Private rooms (queen bed) or shared rooms (single beds),
all with private bathrooms.
Investment
Option 1: $4800 private lodging
Option 2: $4400 (pp) shared lodging
What’s Included
Airport pick up & drop off
Accommodation
Daily yoga practice
Three local organic meals per day
All ceremonies
Entrance to all sites
Boat tour
Turkish bath
All transportation during the pilgrimage
What’s Not Included
Airfare
Optional massage at the spa
Optional offerings
Nourishment
Enjoy fresh, organic and locally sourced Turkish cuisine.
Breakfast
Traditional Turkish breakfast featuring tea, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, honey, jams, eggs and specialty pastries such as simit (Turkey’s beloved sesame seed pastry)
Lunch & Dinner
Home-cooked meals and local restaurant experiences, including fresh caught seafood, mezes (a selection of small, appetizer-sized dishes), and Aegean greens.
Vegan and vegetarian diets honored.
Transport
Sema’s beloved brother Alp will provide all transportation and energetic protection during our journey.
Shuttle rides from Adnan Menderes Airport (Izmir) to Şirince will be available upon arrival on September 17.
Final shuttle back to the airport from Foça on September 23.
Optional Offerings
Available for booking at an additional rate. Not included in the package.
Private oracular voice coaching session with Sema
Coffee oracle with Sema’s mother Emel (with translator)
Astro cartography or natal chart reading with Irem, our local support angel.
Schedule
Selçuk / Şirince
Day 1: Arrival in Şirince, check-in, village exploration, wine tasting, dinner, opening circle.
Day 2: Yoga, breakfast, city of Ephesus, ceremony at the church of Mary, lunch, house of mother Mary, water blessing, prayer ties, dinner.
Day 3: Yoga, breakfast, Ephesus archeological museum, lunch, ceremony at the temple of Artemis, dinner.
Phokaia (Foça)
Day 4: Yoga, breakfast, transfer to Foça, check-in, Turkish bath, lunch, beach, dinner, ceremony at the temple of Cybele.
Day 5: Yoga, breakfast, boat tour, ceremony at the siren rocks, lunch on the water, sea immersion, dinner.
Day 6: Sunrise and yoga on Cybele’s hill, breakfast, shopping, lunch, optional private sessions, sunset dinner, sacred fire, music and closing ceremony on the peninsula.
Day 7: Yoga, breakfast, departure.
Turkish Bath & Spa
Ephesus Archeological Museum
Ingiliz Burnu
Cybele’s Hill
What Makes This Retreat Special
Unlike typical retreats or tours, this pilgrimage is weaving together song, herstory and ritual in remembrance and reclamation of our ways as the daughters of the Goddess on this sacred land where she was always revered.
