JOURNEY TO MARY MAGDALENE

21-29 May 2025 | South of France

Join us on our Journey in the South of France where we’ll immerse in the legends of Mary Magdalene and explore her archetypes and myths as a vessel to reclaim authentic feminine power, potential, and stories.

EARLY BIRD PRICING UNTIL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27th, 2024

ARE YOU READY TO:

• Unearth the Hidden Mysteries of the Divine Feminine?

• Deepen Your Connection with Ancient Wisdom?

• Transform Your Life through Sacred Rituals and Sisterhood?
  
  

This journey is more than just a retreat—it's a spiritual awakening, a call to connect with the deepest parts of your soul and the ancient wisdom that lies within

WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE

(highlights in pictures)

DayS 1, 2 & 3

Location: Sainte Baume & Saint Maximin

Archetype: The Mystic Mary Magdalene

What you will experience:

Who was Mary Magdalene? A Priestess. A Devotee. A holder of sacred wisdom. In the first part of the Journey, we find ourselves in the Provence region. Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life in a Cave at Sainte Baume. The Cave —which is the representation of the womb as per the sacred feminine symbology—is now adorned with magnificent stained glass windows that tell a secret story (see picture). Here, women will get in touch with their inner Priestess, the wonder of the underworld and their embodied experiences of death and rebirth, the continuous process for the Sacred Feminine. Then, we will visit the Basilique of Saint Mary Magdalene at Saint Maximin. In the crypt underneath the church is kept what’s believed to be the head of Mary Magdalene surrounded by a golden helmet. She is the Queen of the Underworld.

DayS 4, 5 & 6

Location: Les Saintes Maries de la Mer

Archetype: The Great Mother

What you will experience:

The next three days of our Journey take place in Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, a seaside town in the Camargue region. Legend has it that Mary Magdalene arrived here by sea after fleeing Jerusalem. She was welcomed by a local woman, Saint Sara. During our stay in this picturesque town, we will join the local Romani festivities in honor of their matron Saint Sara, who is part of the Black Madonna tradition. The celebrations involve religious rituals as well as folklore celebrations with flamenco dancing and music. This is a perfect opportunity to get an immersive experience of Mary Magdalene as the Great Mother, Goddess of creation, sustenance, death-transformation, and rebirth. Other activities can include horseback riding, a boat excursion, or a walk through the beautiful landscape of Les Saintes Maries. Another option is to take a day trip to Arles, a city so charming that Vincent van Gogh chose to spend his life there.

DAYS 7, 8 & 9

Location: Rennes-Le-Château & Cathar region

Archetype: The Beloved Companion

What you will experience:

In the final part of our Journey, we will travel to the heart of Cathar country where it is believed Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ traveled and taught together. In this region, we will discover Magdalene as the Lover, Wife, and the Beloved Companion. Through the lens of the Goddess of Love, we will break out of the constraining beliefs on feminine sexuality and eroticism as sinful and reclaim the sacredness they hold. We will visit the infamous Rennes-Le-Château, made known widely by Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code”, where it is said the secrets of Mary Magdalene, Jesus Christ, and a royal bloodline are hidden. To conclude our tour, we will spend a day luxuriating in the spa town of Rennes-Les-Bains.

OUR SACRED EXCHANGE

YOUR INVESTMENT

PRIVATE ROOM - 5000 USD 4500 USD until December 27th, 2024

Details: All the rooms we will book for your stay throughout the journey will have a single or double bed and private bathroom.

SHARED ROOM - 4500 USD 4000 USD until December 27th, 2024

Details: All the rooms we will book for your stay throughout the journey will have two single beds and private bathroom which you will share with another female participant.

WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE IN EXCHANGE OF YOUR INVESTMENT

• Dr. Annalisa Derr’s knowledge & expertise on Mary Magdalene and her passion for female empowerment rooted in years of studies, embodiment practices, and experience in leading women’s workshops

• 3 Sessions via Zoom in the month before the Journey with workshops and information about the Journey

• Daily meditations and journaling

• Daily embodiment rituals & sharing circles

• Daily discussions on the legends of Mary Magdalene and how they are connected to Sacred Femininity by Dr. Annalisa Derr

• Additional reading material to enhance your knowledge and experience:

  • Gnostic texts:

    • The Gospel of Mary (attributed to Mary Magdalene) and interpretations

    • The Gospel of Philip

    • The Thunder: Perfect Mind

  • “The Woman with the Alabaster Jar” by Margaret Starbird

  • “Invoking Mary Magdalene” by Siobhan Houston

  • Dr. Annalisa’s article on the sacred marriage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ

  • Mystic Cynthia Bourgeault’s excerpt on Magdalene as The Beloved Companion

  • and many more…

• An assistant guide who will support you during the Journey

• 9 days / 8 nights at charming local hotels

• 16 meals

  • 8 breakfast meals

  • 7 dinners at favourite local restaurants

  • 1 dinner with flamenco dance & music

• Private transport throughout the Journey (excluding optional activities or free time)

• Private group transport from Marseilles airport to Le Sainte Baume

• Visits / Special Experiences:

  • entrance fees for the planned museums and sites

YOUR INVESTMENT DOESN’T INCLUDE

• Optional activities such as

  • Visit to Arles and the Vincent Van Gogh Museum

  • Other activities in Les Saintes Maries de la Mer (horseback riding, boat excursion, birdwatching)

• Lunch meals & snacks

• Travel insurance

• Flights to and from France

• Transport from the final hotel location to the airport

• Tips for hotels, restaurants, etc

• Private expenses

THIS JOURNEY IS DESIGNED FOR WOMEN WHO…

• are curious to learn about the legends and teachings surrounding Mary Magdalene

• want to embrace different facets of womanhood through Mary Magdalene’s stories, legends, and archetypes

• seek to connect with Mary Magdalene as an inspirational heroine / myth model

• seek to heal from patriarchal religious wounding 

• accept and embrace spirituality as a concept derived from all traditions and religions

• want to discover the sacred feminine

• enjoy embodiment techniques

• seek to heal their relationship with their body and sexuality

• seek to create bonds of sisterhood with other like-minded women
  

THIS JOURNEY IS NOT INTENDED FOR WOMEN WHO…

• have fixed religious beliefs about Mary Magdalene

• expect to join a traditional pilgrimage experience

• are closed minded / not curious about alternative interpretations to the legends of Mary Magdalene

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YOUR TRAVEL

A TYPICAL DAY WITH US

08:00 Breakfast

09:00 Morning meditation/ journaling

10:00 Activities

12:30 Lunch break

14:30 Activities / Free time

17:00 Evening Ritual & Sharing Circle

19:00 Dinner

Please note that the meals at the Hostellerie de Sainte Baume are pre-set and cannot be changed. Please plan accordingly if you feel you may need to supplement your meals during our stay there. The seasonal menu will be available prior to our arrival in France.

REGISTRATION FORM

My Personal Story with Mary Magdalene:

A Journey of Coming Home

My journey with Mary Magdalene began shortly after encountering the fierce, sensual, and infinitely powerful Hindu goddesses while on a dance retreat in India. These goddesses literally turned my world upside down. Suddenly, the difference between Hinduism and Christianity was glaringly obvious. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the two starkly different religious approaches. One that sees Goddess everywhere and the other one that sees Her nowhere. As I processed this massive chasm, I looked back at my own culture and longed for a familiar image of the Divine Feminine. “Where is She?” I wondered. Feeling perplexed, angry, and betrayed, I knew that my next and only mission was to find Her. 

It was from there that I began my search for the missing Goddess in the Western tradition. Soon Mary Magdalene came to me in a mediation and made it clear that She would be my guide and Sacred Feminine muse on this quest.

Ravenous to learn everything I could about Magdalene, I quickly found myself on a solo pilgrimage to Her sacred sites in South France. I wanted to know who the REAL Mary was, beyond the official church narrative.

My quest to find Mary Magdalene there was a magical initiation into the realm of Goddess worship. According to the legends, it’s believed that Mary Magdalene landed on the shores of Southern France (then Gaul) post-crucifixion. She taught Christ’s teachings to the inhabitants before retiring to the cave La Sainte Baume (in Provençe), living as an ascetic, devoted to Her beloved Christ, for the last 30 years of her life.

Entering the cave feels like entering the womb of Goddess. Walking through the cave entrance for the first time, I felt as if I was entering Mary Magdalene’s secret feminine sanctuary. Magnetically pulled to this site, I made the 30-minute hike three times in two days. I had an urgency to be near Her. I felt deeply connected to Her spirit there. On my final day in the belly of the cave, standing in front of one of Her statues, I reached my hand out to touch Her face one more time. In the exact moment my hand made contact with Her face, a single drop of water fell from the cavernous ceiling and landed directly on my forehead in the location of my third eye. Ecstatic, I exclaimed “I’ve been anointed!” so loudedly in my head I was sure everyone in the cave heard my joy. This was a moment of divine clarity; I was on the right path.

Mary put me in touch with a deeper, archetypal, experience of the Sacred Feminine. She revealed Her archetypal potency as intense devotion and a heart on fire with Love.

At the end of my journey I realized that my pilgrimage to Mary Magdalene was just as much a journey of self-discovery as it was about finding Her. It dawned on me that my search for the “real” Mary Magdalene was born from my desire to discover what it truly means to be a woman outside of patriarchal conditioning. As my journey with Her continues, the Magdalene has helped me discover that truth for myself.

The Mary Magdalene pilgriamge makes it possible for all women to experience this level of transformation and freedom.

Are you ready to join me on the journey?