On our tour of the South of France, you’ll be charmed by seaside villages, beguiled by local history, and inspired by a romantic, off-the-beaten track festival celebrating the power of feminity.
Situated in the Languedoc-Rousillon region just west of Provence, the old Roman town of Uzès will be our base for our exploration of this off-the-beaten-track region of the South of France. The town lies at the source of the Eure, from where a Roman aqueduct was built in the first century BC to supply water to the local city of Nîmes, 25km away. Water and its role in the sacred feminine will be at the heart of our journey.
Our France Trip is a true adventure, taking you to sacred sites with strong energy and local charm. As we journey we will go slow, taking time to explore the inner journey and what the experience means to us. You will enjoy the comforts of a beautiful French country estate with swimming pool, lounging areas and gardens, as well as ceremonial talking circles where everyone gets the opportunity to share the loving support we have together.
A highlight of our journey will be our visit to the seaside town of Saintes Maries de la Mer to celebrate the Gypsy Festival of Saint Sarah, the most important event of the year. We will spend a festive day in the town, with parades, special events, gypsy dances and rodeos. Together with thousands of people we will follow in the procession where they take the statue of Saint Sarah from the church down to the sea where she first arrived on the shores of the Mediterranean. The statue is blessed in the water and then returned to the church. The gypsies have adopted Saint Sarah as their patron saint, seeing her as a representation of the Sacred Feminine and their goddess Kali.
On our tour of France, our intention is to expose our travellers to the history of the landscape and to gain wisdom from ancient rituals. With a unique, heartful approach to tour creation, Dancing Spirit tours are desiged to help you explore deeper into the mysterious path of transformation.
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Nina Hirlaender of Dancing Spirit Tours
Please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information.
Love & Light,
Nina
Arrive in Marseille any time during the day and transport to hotel. Marseille is a busy cosmopolitan French city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. If you arrive early, you might enjoy some time down by the harbor, touring the city or just take time to rest.
Free time until 5:00pm, when we will meet at the hotel lobby, introduce ourselves and go to dinner.
Overnight in Marseille where we will settle in and get grounded.
(Grounding meditation with the group.)
At SAinte Baume you will connect with the energy of Mary Magdalene. We will hike to the Grotte de Sainte Bbume, the sacred care where Mary Magdalene continued the Essene teachings of Jesus. This is the place where she lived in hiding through the rest of her time on Earth.
You might consider as you climb to the grotto what sacred teachings have you kept in hiding? Do you feel safe to bring out your truth?
We will enjoy a picnic lunch and visit the small chapel to Mary Magdalene before we move on to our home base for the duration of the tour, at a beautiful country estate in Uzes. Here we will be welcomed with the southern french charm and flavors, at the fine table of our chef.
We will begin our day with a group discussion and exploration of the Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine. Throughout the tour we will open and connect with various aspects of both, bringing both sides alive inside us as we move closer to a balanced union within.
Dating back to Neolithic times, Avignon has been held as a Sacred Center. The energies of this city combine the sacred masculine and scred feminine with the two great rivers on either side.
This special energy has been so strong that over the ages the land was once a learning center and initiation site for the Druids and Celts. The Catholic Church later came and built a great cathedral on this land, using the druidic knowledge of the ley lines and geomantic flow of energy.
We will visit the Notre Dame des Domes, the cathedral dedicated to Sophia, the feminine wisdom of the Divine. Then we have a picnic lunch at Les Jardins Des Domes. This high spot was a natural refuge and has been a sacred site for centuries. It is now a park with beautiful views of the landscape below. You will have time to find your own connection with the land and waters here.
In the afternoon, enjoy a short ferry across the Rhone to the island of the Barthelasse, one of the largest river islands in Europe. Another part of the sacred landscape, we can walk along the paths or justtake it easy in the gardens.
France villages have incredible markets, abundant with fresh, locally grown produce from the surrounding countryside. Here you will discover a true taste of the southern culture. The market is fun, a place where you can shop for hand-made goods and souvenirs, as well as food.
This will be followed by free time to rest and enjoy the environs. Our home base has a nice pool, gardens and grounds for quiet time, reflection, meditating or journaling. For those who feel more active, it is an excellent place to enjoy yoga or go for a walk.
Afternoon we will visit the sacred fountain and experience it’s healing water. Here we will connect with the feminine energy of the waters that run throughout the land of France. You can sense the waters in the rivers, the underground streams, the wells and fountains that connect the country with it’s nuturing life-giving force.
Sunday can be a lazy and quiet day. You can be on your own, luxuriating at our place in Uzes, swimming in the pool, enjoying the gardens, or whatever you’d like. Or you can join us for a short drive to Nimes.
Nimes is a bigger city and the highlight of the city is the Jardins de la Fontaine. Here we can explore the park and it’s beautiful waterways, bridges, and lawns. On one end of the park we find a roman temple to Diane, on the other is the Tour Magne.
Some of the other possible sites to visit her include:
We’ll take our time and go with the flow, following the direction of where our inspiration and intuition take us for the day.
The Camargue is a special region in Southern France, a marshaland know for it’s flocks of pink flamingos herds of black bulls and wild white horses. It is a place of Spanish-style cowboys and nightly rodeos.
Connecting with the free spirit of the horse, you will have a choice of a carriage ride or horseback ride through the Camargue. Enjoy the wild marshes with a special tour that includes lunch.
Tarascon has a special story of the Tarasque. The Tarasque was a fearsome and legendary dragon who brought nothing but trouble to the local villages of Southern France. The king sent out knights to slay the dragon, yet none succeeded.
It was none other then Sainte Martha, sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany (also known as Mary Magdalene) that changed all this. She charmed the dragon with her songs, leading the tamed dragon back to the city. However, the people of the city were still afraid and killed the dragon in the night.
This Beauty and the Beast story is a powerful reminder of the dragon that lives within us. The dragon is a powerful symbol of our spiritual powers, it’s is known in Asian cultures, and in Mesoamerica it is Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent.
We will take this time with the energy of the dragon to work with the energetic forces of the dragon within ourselves. What do we fear?
What inner beasts are we trying to tame? Are we trying to tame? Are we trying to slay the beast or simply love it? Can we hold those fears and inner-monsters in compassion, just as we do the parts we see as divine? As Sainte Martha showed us, it is all divine.
Crossing the Rhone River, we go from Tarascon to Baucaire. This place has a dragon of it’s own, known as La Drac. It seems to like lavender sales ladies. But we’ve spent enough time with dragons for the day and this one hasn’t been seen for centuries, so we’ll leave it in peace.
What we will do here is visit the Beaucaire Castle. Beaucaire and it’s castle have strong connections to the Cathar people who once fought so hard to keep their way of life. Here we will begin to understand the story of these people from the 12th Century, people known simply as the “Bons Hommes” or “Good Men”. It is a sad history, as the Cathars were wiped out in the Catholic Inquisition. Yet, Beaucaire held strong in the fight and was a turning point in the career of Simon de Montfort, the crusade leader.
Our afternoon will be spent in Beaucaire, exploring the castle and what the town has to offer.
Today will be a leisurely day back in Uzes. We will have time to walk in the Valley de L’eure and connect with the water there. We will work with the energy of the waters and explore their feminine essence.
Perhaps we may also visit a lavender farm and discover the lavender sachets. There is also the possibility of touring a local lavender distillery.
Afternoon will be a time to rest and free time. It is a time for integration and being with our own sacred selves.
St. Remy is a small old-style French village, with charming nooks and crannies, gift shops and art galleries. We will stroll through the streets of this medieval town, getting a glimpse of the beauty that Van Gogh saw here.
St Remy is where Van Gogh painted Starry, Starry Night and about 150 other paintings, during the year he was interred at the Saint Paul Assylum. It is also the birthplace of the famous seer, Nostradamus.
After lunch we go to the nearby archeological site of Glanum. This Roman city was orginally known for it’s healing waters. We will have the afternoon to explore the site, paying special attention to the sacred well.
One of the highlights of our journey is the Gypsy Festival of Saint Sarah in Saintes Maries de la Mer.
We will spend a festive day in the town, with parades, special events, gypsy dances and rodeos. This annual event is the largest gypsy gathering in the world. The gypsies have adopted Saint Sarah as their patron saint, seeing her as a representation of the Sacred Feminine and their goddess Kali.
Together with thousands of people we will follow in the procession where they take the statue of Saint Sara from the church down to the sea where she first arrived on the shores of the Mediterranean. The statue is blessed in the water and then returned to the church.
Through the festivities we will feel into the energy of this Black Madonna and discover the gifts she brings. Her energy is palpable in a way that is felt even through even the energy of the crowds.
Trhough the festivities we will feel into the energy of this Black Madonna and discover the gifts she brings. Her energy is palpable in a way that is felt even through even the energy of the crowds.
Today is our final day to wrap up the journey. We will have some special group sharing and close the energies of our time together.
Around midday we will journey back to Marseille. We will have the afternoon to be with ourselves and integrate all the energies of the previous days.
In the evening we gather for our final dinner and celebration of our final dinner and celebration of our shared adventures.
You are free to book your flight any time on the 26th from Marseille. Airport transportation will be arranged from the hotel as needed.
Need more information?
Book a call with our travel concierge:
Or call us Toll Free Now: 877-406-5206
12 days May 15-25, 2014
Starts in: Marseille, France
Ends in: Marseille, France
Unfolding the Sacred Feminine is operated by Dancing Spirit Tours partner Adventure Quest International.
Use the coupon code DANCINGSPIRIT to save $50 on this tour.
Here's what some of our guests had to say...
"My trip was fabulous!" Jodee, Lake Forest, CA
Thank you again for making the trip such a delightful, inspirational & life changing experience. --- Jude, New Zealand
"Wow, what a life-changing trip... Greg and Halle were amazing. Together, they are the perfect recipe for a spiritual journey that will transcend anything you ever imagined."
“So organized and knowledgeable – you made the trip ‘one of a lifetime.’”
“Absolutely fabulous! What a pleasure to see your expertise first-hand!”
"An extremely spiritual experience. Like nothing else I've ever experienced before."
"Absolutely fabulous! What a pleasure to see your expertise first hand!"
Ixchel Tucker lives life as a Sacred Quest. Her journeys have taken her to Sacred Sites around the world, landing in Mexico, where she lives part of the year. Her passion is to help others open to their own Sacred Self.
She works with people in a very experiential way, preferring awakening through adventure and movement. Ixchel has a deep connection to the ancient places of the world, where people before us have left their mark.
Ixchel facilitates personal transformation through workshops, ceremonies, retreats and sacred site adventures.
Halle Eavelyn is the Managing Director of Spirit Quest Tours and a spiritual seeker of truth. She has been interviewed by Time Magazine, USA Today, Good Morning America, Wealth TV and many others about her spiritual travel experiences and expertise. Halle has spoken all over the country as well, for institutes such as Vanderbilt University to bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Awakenings, to keynoting an Isis Temple Convocation. She also blogs regularly for Spirit Quest Tours, and The Huffington Post, and her writing has appeared in JetSet Extra, We Said Go Travel, and Travelhoppers, among many others. On tours, Halle handles all the day-to-day logistics and serves as an on-call spiritual healer for our guests.
Greg Roach, is the co-founder of Spirit Quest Tours, and has led Spirit Quest's trips since the beginning. He's an adventurous, knowledgable leader and an experienced spiritual explorer. His love for his job, and the spiritual traditions of the world, is infectious. He delights in sharing amazing experiences, places and people with his fellow travelers.
