The Return of the Priestesses
A Retreat On the Sacred Island of Crete
July 9-16, 2025
Join us on this ancient island of magnificent beauty as we steep in the Wisdom of the Goddess and reclaim the Priestess throne.
For a long time now the feminine qualities- that which is mysterious, fluid, emotional, unseen, emergent, unknowable…. has been undervalued and under-supported in our culture and world. And we have internalized that paradigm and world view in ways that limit our options and experiences. On Crete there is a rememberance, a palpable knowing, still pulsing in the land from a time long forgotten, of these feminine qualities and aspects of being, being valued, supported and revered.
In 2016 I had a series of dreams that offered glimpses of stories, of lifetimes, of a deep remembrance that seemed important for these tumultuous times we’re living in.
All those years ago, I wrote out the stories that were being shown to me, but they were incomplete. There were pieces unfinished, understandings missing.
This summer I followed the call. To where exactly I was not sure. All I knew was that it was to an island in the mediterranean. I sniffed my way there. Researching, questioning everyone I knew, listening in practice and dreams.
Even upon arriving on Crete, I was unsure if I had chosen the right spot. My decision to take the trip at all made very little rational sense. Financially, logistically, relationally….But the call was incessant.
And so I followed the unfolding mystery and the small still voice of my heart….
I found myself with a group of four beloved friends, who jumped on board my last minute mission, each answering their own call.
And the Magic began! Our days were drenched and dripping with golden honey and glistening olive oil. We were anointed inside and out- in caves, in spring fed freezing rivers, in the Mediterranean and Libyan Sea’s. We climbed mountains and descended into gorges, harvesting wild herbs on layered mountain ranges, older than time.
We wandered villages along zigzagging, cobblestone streets and met with locals whose ancestors had lived in the same town and buildings for millenia. Direct descendants of a people who lived peacefully in a culture full of high art, education and refined goddess based spirituality for generations.
The island is covered in caves and mountain top shrines that have been used ceremonially for 10s if not 100s of thousands of yrs. Allowing the land itself to be a conduit, an emanating physical expression of radiant mystery, rhythmically throbbing with fluidity, eros and life.
Returning home I feel the stories completing, the lessons integrating, the remembrance becoming more complete. And I am seeing how my capacity is increasing and possibilities are opening in every area of my life as I integrate the countless and unimaginable Blessings this island offered.
I can’t wait to share the profound transmissions and experience with you.
You’ll be expertly guided through an intentionally curated arc of:
Movement and Somatic Practice
Transmission Teachings
Exploration of Sacred Sites
Ceremony With The Land
Playing in the Energy Fields
Creative Self Expression through Writing and Process Art
Reflective and Relational Play
With the mountains, sky, springs, rivers, gorges and seas as our allies, we’ll reweave the fabric of our existence, remembering our potency and taking our rightful place in the tapestry of creation. Returning home with an embodied knowing of your intrinsic value and worth. So that when you reconnect with your families, your work and world, your life can take on a more empowered, more supported, more authentic and satisfying quality. Transforming the nature of your reality and opening up new possibilities in your lived experience.
Our days will include rich experiential practices balanced with delicious meals, rest, time in communion with the land, enjoying swims in the Mediterranean and Libyan Sea’s and basking in the company of each other.
(This retreat is physically strenuous. Crete is mountainous, hot and wild. Be prepared and able to hike steep rocky trails to and from rivers & beaches, to walk in the heat at ruins and along hilly and quaint cobblestone streets in town and to swim in a warm, buoyant sea & freezing river gorge.)
Bring your curiosity & wonder
your purest desires & most heartfelt intent
receive the blessings of the Goddess
and be anointed as you reclaim your priestess Seat
Price and Accommodations
We will be comfortably held in a beautiful home with incredible sea views near Agia Pelagia in the Heraklion area.
Double Room Rate - $3600/ $3800/ $4000 (depending on room amenities)
Single Room Rate (1 person) - $5000
Single room rate (Couple) - $7000
(This will be a very small retreat to keep the container potent & the transmission clear. Register early as we expect it to sell out).
Included in Price
7 nights stay at retreat house
Breakfast each day
Lunch and dinner when we are at the house for those meals
All teachings & practices
Transportation to sacred sites and natural wonders on the island
Practice supplies
Not Included
Snacks or Meals Out During Day Trips
Transportation to and from the retreat house
Museum and site entrance fees
Anything else not specified
If you feel the call to join us
Spots on this unique and magical retreat are limited.
Reach out to us with your interest, questions and to book and we will get back to you soon.
FAQs
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Once registered, you will receive a welcome email. This will come sometime closer to our trip, but still with PLENTY of time to prepare.
Included in this email will be information/guidance about:
• What to pack
• Daily schedules
• Clothing…and more.
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The closest airport to our destination is the Heraklion airport. There are direct flights from many European cities into Heraklion. The retreat house is a 20min taxi ride from the airport.
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Yes, there are laundry machines and drying racks for our use
“Retreats with Gitanjali are always unexpected and surprising, exquisite and profound. Life changing.”
— A.H.- LMFT and repeated retreat participant.
Spots on this very unique and magical retreat are limited.
Reach out to us with your interest, questions and to book and we will get back to you soon.
We can’t wait to be with you and share in the Magic!
Ruthie Yarme (Assistant)
Ruthie is a Syntara System master practitioner and teacher who tends to individuals and families moving through life’s great transitions. She teaches introductory and intermediate levels of training, as well as provides mentorship for students. For the past 8 years as a practitioner, and 5 years as a teacher, she’s supported clients to experience a deeper connection to themselves, to others and to the greater world. She brings to her work a sense of awe for the different ways that people show up through these experiences; and an unshakeable knowing that each of these ways is necessary to the evolution of our world. Helping others find and know their own path is what sustains and inspires her.
Gitanjali Hemp (Retreat Leader)
Gitanjali is a master energy healer, mystic, writer, mother, entrepreneur and the founder of Syntara System, a deeply integrative, evolutionary energy healing and awareness modality. In her work with people, she brings together over 23 years of study and training with healers and masters from some of the world’s richest traditions and most cutting edge healing models. She has spent 21 years in active practice, both as a practitioner, and teacher: facilitating retreats, workshops, professional trainings, virtual courses, ceremonies, women’s groups and working as a consultant for system level change across industries. It is her joy to help bring forth the world we know is possible.
“Gitanjali holds a space that I’ve never experienced before. It’s hard to put into words…Loving, Nurturing, Accepting…. Delicious. And I’m completely surprised by the caliber of the teachings and practices.”
— E.C. Owner and Director of a Spiritual Retreat Center & past retreat participant.