Threads of the Ancient Feminine
An ancestral retreat on the island of Naxos
June, 2026 · 7 nights / 8 days · 7 spaces available
The first week of June, 2026, I will be gathering a small group of women on the Cycladic island of Naxos, where I’ve lived for the last three years but have drifted in and out of for over a decade.
My vision for this gathering is of remembrance; of where we come from, and of the lineages carried in our bones. This retreat is shaped by the slow, seasonal ways our grandmothers once knew: tending to what’s in front of us, walking slowly, working with our hands, and spending time interacting with the myths, history, and the land that surrounds us.
To connect us with our deeper ancestry, each woman will receive a small wooden loom and a selection of yarn. We’ll begin by warping our looms together during the opening circle, under the light of June’s Full Blue Moon, setting the foundation for the threads we’ll carry with us throughout the week. Over the days to come, each woman will weave her own ancestral altar cloth from handspun natural yarn—something simple and beautiful, rooted in land and memory and not that different from cloth that women in our bloodlines would’ve made hundreds or even a thousands of years ago.
Our home base will be a traditional guesthouse in the old town, nestled among narrow back-streets with sleepy cats and pots of bougainvillea, and walking distance to the sea, shops and tavernas.
Our days will move with the rhythm of the island: quiet mornings with coffee in the courtyard, our daily outings & adventures shaped by the season, and meals spent gathered around a shared table, with food grown nearby.
We’ll visit the Temple of Demeter, where priestesses once walked in procession to honor the grain. We’ll hike to an ancient cave in the mountains where it’s said Zeus was raised—and feel the pulse of our earliest cave mothers. We’ll board the ferry to Delos, the most sacred island of the ancient world, and walk its still-standing streets with a guide: temples, sanctuaries, and the ghost-print of homes that once looked out over the same blue sea. Though it might be a touch chilly still, we’ll swim in the crystal clear Aegean—the same waters that carried the stories of Ariadne, Dionysus, and Apollo across these islands.
We’ll taste wild goat cheese from the hills above the villages, try the local wine, and share meals in small tavernas, where grandmothers still stir the pots and old men sit out front watching the cats stretch in the shade. In between there will be farms, villages, sacred sites, olive-stained fingers, and our gatherings, with incense, small altars, & quiet rituals where we will weave the threads of ancestral memory.
“Your grandmother’s prayers are still protecting you.”
What’s Included
7 nights in a traditional guesthouse in Naxos Old Town
Breakfasts and one main meal (either lunch or dinner) at hand-picked island tavernas & restaurants
Visits & entrance fees to all of our visits including the Temple of Demeter, Naxos Archeology Museum, Delos visit, Citron Distillery tasting, farm visit, etc
A wooden frame loom + natural yarn for your ancestral altar cloth
Ritual circles & gathering experiences (herbs, teas, incense, ancestral work guidance, songs)
Support and guidance from a local host
All transport on the island including pick up & drop off from port or airport to our accommodation
A welcome gift with local goods, ritual items & journal prompts for your time here
Dates & Cost
Dates:
May 31–June 7, 2026 (7 nights / 8 days)
Cost:
€2,700 shared room
€3,000 private room
A non-refundable deposit of €300 reserves your place. Payment plans available.
How to Join
This retreat is intentionally small, with just 7 women gathering.
A $300 deposit holds your spot.
As I have always in my shop, I offer payment plans. If you would like to set up a payment plan for this trip, please email: writetoedesia@gmail.com