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 to 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.
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.
Sacred Sites & Mystical Experiences
This pilgrimage invokes the essence of the Divine Mother through sacred sites, ancient rituals, and the power of song.
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: Sea immersion and sirens of the sea ceremony at the siren rocks.
Cybele’s Hill: Sunrise hike to the grain mills.
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. The site emanates profound peace. Pilgrims come from around the world to receive blessings from the sacred spring.
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.
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 part-bird, part-woman creatures with alluring voices, lured passing sailors to their doom with their songs.
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, often depicted with a lion and crowned on a throne. Her temple was accessible by sea and welcomed seafarers to perform 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
A 50% deposit is required to secure your spot upon acceptance of your application. The rest is due by end of July 2025. Please fill the application form at the end of the page to apply, or apply here.
Applications will close when limited space is filled.
What’s Included
Airport pick-up and drop-off
Accommodation
Daily yoga practice
3 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 during our journey.
Shuttle rides from Adnan Menderes Airport (Izmir) to Şirince 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).
Astrocartography or Natal Chart Reading with Irem, our local support angel.
Turkish Bath & Spa
Ephesus Archeological Museum
Ingiliz Burnu
Cybele’s Hill
What Makes This Retreat Special
Unlike typical retreats or tours, this pilgrimage is a remembrance.
A reclamation of the voice of the Goddess on this sacred land where she had long been revered.
We are weaving back together her song and rituals to make herstory; to anchor her power and prosperity back upon the Earth, where her memory has been purposefully erased.
A special circle of her daughters are called forth to do the work of re-initiating this lineage at this time. Expect to journey with powerful priestesses.
Note from Your Guide
For a long time, the voice of the Goddess and her many names have been buried beneath oppression, disrespect, and abuse. Her temples lie in ruins, but her spirit is alive in the stones, the waters, the fruits, and in us—her daughters.
My soul chose to be born and raised here this time around. This land is the soil of my bones. So are my grandmothers. Yet I could not wait to leave as a young girl. Called by the mystery, I left when I was 18 for the song-lines far and wide. I had to journey across the world to hear her again.
I became a vessel for her song, channeling her voice in mountains, deserts, oceans, and forests. Every melody, every prayer brought me closer to her heartbeat—until I could no longer keep it to myself.
Now it is time to return.
Not only for me—but for us.
This pilgrimage is my soul’s offering. A return to the Mother in her own land. A ceremonial restoration of the songlines that once carried her voice across these hills and coasts.
We are not just visiting—we are remembering.
We are not just learning—we are reawakening..
My mission is to gather the priestesses once more. To stand in our power, confident and heart-led, and sing the song of the Goddess back to her. To restore her silenced voice and erased legacy of abundance.
This is my devotion to her.
If you are reading this and your heart quickens, your breath deepens, or your eyes begin to water…
You’ve heard her too.
And you are being called home.
Sema Ece Gündoğdu
Voice of the Goddess
Daughter of Anatolia
Are you called to embark on this pilgrimage?
…to walk in the footsteps of the ancients,
sing for the Goddess,
and claim her legacy
together with her daughters?
Welcome to Song of Anatolia Retreat.