GUIDED BY
MARCELA LOBOS & ALBERTO VILLOLDO

When an ancient landscape has the power to impact our inner world, it is worth considering it as a place of pilgrimage. Once known as Anatolia, Turkey is the cradle of Western Civilization.

Here at the birthplace of Hera and Pythagoras is the origin of our Sacred Mysteries and the Seven Wonders of the World. Marcela and Alberto have chosen this destinations for its profound power of transformation. We invite you to join our small and intimate group in this journey of the spirit.

Storytelling, ceremonies, nature walks, and meditation are ingredients in our daily practices. In Ephesus, we contemplate the inevitable decent to the underworld for renewal. At the Oracle of Apollo, we ask the deep questions of the soul. In Cappadocia, we weave the wisdom of the past into the tapestry of a more enlightened future.​​

We follow the footsteps of the ancient seekers who searched for the secret meaning of life, inquired into the journey beyond death, and sought revelations from gods in oracles, sacred power sites, and temples of Gnosis.

If you feel called to be part of this group of mystical travelers, please review the day-by-day program for our Mystery, Myth and Muses of Origin pilgrimage.

 
 

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

 
 
DAY 1:
October 16 — CAPPADOCIA – FAIRY CHIMNEYS AND FRESCOES IN ANCIENT CHURCHES

The group will meet at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (IST) for a late morning flight to Cappadocia. After we check into our hotel we have lunch in the town of Goreme. Later we explore the “fairy chimneys” and the rock-carved sanctuaries of Goreme, visit the Dark Church and rock-carved monasteries including the Yilani Snake Church, and the Mirror Church. This area was called (in the Scythian language,) Khepatukha, meaning "the country of the people of the chief god Hepat. The Cappadocian Tablets and the Hittite works of art date to 2000 B.C. We explore the complex underground cities used as hideouts by early Christians during the Roman era. ​

 
 
DAY 2:
October 17 — CAPPADOCIA

In the morning, we visit the Kaymakli Underground City, and Derinkuyu, a subterranean urban complex that extends eighteen stories below the ground and was occupied by many as many as 20,000 people including livestock food supplies. After lunch, we visit the Gümüsler Monastery and see its stunning frescos. Evening desert hike.​

 
 
DAY 3:
October 18 — CAPPADOCIA

This morning we visit Cavuşin, a Byzantine-era village rich in dwellings carved into soft rock. We enter the Church of St. John the Baptist built in the 5th century for the local Christian community. We learn about the ‘desert fathers’ and their stoic visionary practices. The church has stunning frescoes and carvings, which offer a glimpse into the religious traditions of the Byzantine era. formations. Afterwards, we share a lunch among the Fairy Chimneys of Pasabag, the ‘Valley of the Monks’, and visit monuments in the Red Valley. ​

 
 
DAY 4:
October 19 — EPHESUS

Optional early morning hot-air ballon flight over the desert, or join Alberto & Marcela for a return exploration of the vast underground cities of the Cappadocians, including the underground chambers and churches at Derinkuyu. After a leisurely late lunch we relax at our hotel and attempt to understand the wisdom of the desert monks and nuns. Evening flight to Izmir by the shores of the Mediterranean.​

 
 
DAY 5:
October 20 — EPHESUS & HOUSE OF MARY

After a leisurely breakfast we walk to the archeological site at Ephesus. The city was famous for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its buildings include the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators. The House of the Virgin Mary, about 7 km away, may have been the last home of Mary, mother of Jesus before her ascension into heaven. After lunch we visit Temples of Athena and Zeus Olympus, the theater, and the agora at the ancient Ionian town of Priene. (Priene is accessible from the town of Söke)The Temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is Priene’s most famous landmark. We stop at Didyma to discover the Temple of Apollo – site of the most important Oracle in the ancient world, second only to the Oracle at Delphi.

 
 
DAY 6:
October 21 — EUROMOS – TEMPLES OF ZEUS, APPOLO & ATHENA

Leisurely morning at the beach with yoga and meditation. Mid-morning we depart for Euromos (meaning 'Beautiful and Strong') –an ancient archeological site in the middle of an olive grove - and one of the best preserved temples in Asia Minor. It holds a magnificent temple of Zeus and the remains of an ancient theatre, city walls, and an agora. We hike and explore the temples of Apollo & Athena, and discover how the power of the goddess was usurped by the old male gods during the Hellenization of these areas of Asia Minor, and the replacement of female Anatolian deities with the gods of the Greek pantheon. Marcela shares how the wisdom of the feminine is returning to bring renewal to the world. Late afternoon arrival to our beachfront hotel.

Six Senses Kaplankaya

 
 
DAY 7:
October 22 — KAPLANKAYA

Morning stretching and hiking. Rest and recover from our journey. Join Marcela and Alberto for a beach hike and a lively discussion of the return of the goddess and the role of psychedelics in the ancient oracles. Evening Yoga and farewell dinner.

Six Senses Kaplankaya

 
 
DAY 8:
Day 8 / October 23 — DEPARTURE

Morning transfer to Bodrum airport for your return flight, or further exploration in Turkey. Or join Dr. Alberto for the Grow a New Body Program at Kaplankaya.

 
 

CONDITIONS:

The Expedition includes the following.
Price:  $5,975 per person:

  • Hotel accommodations in first-class hotels, double occupancy starting on October 16th

  • Hotel taxes and service charges

  • Transfers and luggage handling

  • Guided tours with English-speaking guides 

  • Entrance fees to all archaeological sites

  • Daily full buffet breakfast; arrival dinner.

  • Daily seminar and meditations led by Alberto & Marcela

  • All ceremonies and meditations

  • Single room upgrade available for $1,470

Flights you need to book:

October 16:
Turkish Air #2004 IST-NAV Departing 11:15-12:40

October 19:
Sun Express ASR-ADB Departing 22:50-00:25




For more information and registration please write to: contact@marcelalobos.com or monikadancer@yahoo.com