ISHTARA ROSE
experienced light practitioner, medium, spiritual mentor
A medium for mediums and a healer for healers
expect powerful expansion
ishtarablue@gmail.com
PILGRIMAGE TO THE CAVES IN PROVENCE
PRIESTESSES GATHERING
Images - MM ascending with the Angels in her cave in St Maximin St Baume, the Golden Mary is in the Basilica of St Maximin, both places we will visit.
ARRIVING MONDAY JUNE 15TH AT 4PM
DEPARTING SATURDAY JUNE 20TH BY 10AM
COTIGNAC PROVENCE
4 FULL DAYS AND 5 NIGHTS IN A BEAUTIFUL VILLA BY MM CAVES
SPACE FOR 12
all correspondence for those who have paid deposits are in the following fb group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3515395608535927/?ref=bookmarks
ABOUT
The focus for this Sacred Gathering is to be in flow with Mary Magdalene in this beautiful area where she once lived.
This will be a very very special opportunity and a sacred gathering for our priestess group for those who are able or drawn. It is an opportunity for total immersion into the energies of MM and the Rose near the place where she once lived, with other priestesses of the same lineage. You will each have been initiated as a MM Priestess of the Rose by the time we are there.
The 4 days will be open to flow, and will include a sacred ceremony and meditations. We may even have some time in silence.
We will have day trips out each day as well as lots of space with time at the villa to have your own time to yourself by the pool, under a tree, resting in bed or being quietly with others on the same path. You are free to do as you feel, so you can join the outings or even stay at the villa sometimes if you prefer to. It is about being completely free to be and follow your own flow with loving support to be all that you are from those of us present. Some of you may like to exchange your gifts or charge money for healing, card readings, leading a meditation etc Or you may come solely to receive.
Mary Magdalene and the rose will be present with us for the whole 4 days and 5 nights, and so from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, everything that happens here will be a part of your full and sacred immersion with Her.
AS YOU WISH, IT IS YOUR SACRED TIME You can join in with all of it or you may decide to pass and rest at the villa for some of it. Likewise with meals, you may join in with our evening meals together in the villa or you may pass and have a quiet meal alone under a tree. You are free and do and be as you want with our full love, acceptance and support and never any judgement for anything you feel for this is such a sacred time we will all have feelings and all feelings are welcome.
ACTIVITIES
We will anchor and receive light in each place we go, as well as at the villa, with sacred ceremony and meditation.
THIS IS A APPROXIMATE IDEA OF WHAT WE WILL BE DOING EACH DAY -
DAY ONE One hour hike up the the MM ceremony and initiations in the cave. It is a one hour walk through woods and steep in places. If you are not so fit, do not worry, we are in no rush and we can take our time to get to the caves. There is a restaurant near the base where we can have a late lunch. I will give each of you a priestess initiation symbol in circle in the cave of MM.
DAY TWO Initiation with the skull of MM in the basilica of St Maximin and sitting with the Gold Madonna there. Water ceremony at natural springs of Barjols and/or Sillans-la-Cascade where the brave can have a wild swim in the cold waters.
DAY THREE Day at the Villa and surrounding area of Cotignac. Trip to stroll around the beautiful town and see the cave houses of nearby Cotignac and the Lady of Grace Sanctuary. Taking a 1/2 hour stroll up the hill from the villa to the nearby monastery where we can fill up our water bottle from the fresh Spring by the beautiful hilltop chapel and do a ceremony.
DAY FOUR Due to request the final day trip out will be to St Marie de la Mer to see the Black Madonna, which is a little further a field of 2 hours drive. So perhaps we may swop days around and do this on the 2nd day. (other options for day trips were Fontaine Vaucluse or the sacred beaches of Porquerolles island).
THE AREA
ST JOSEPH AND THE MARYS
We are staying in a truly special and sacred place. The whole entire wider area around the caves of MM is most special, not just the national park itself. I have explored the national park of St Baume and it is quite large and very hard to find the right place to stay and when I saw this villa, even though it is not in the national park where I wanted to be, later on that night it came to me in a dream and I knew it was the one. It is called Domain St Joseph and it is just outside Cotignac. Cotignac is very special for although I am not catholic and do not like their take on things, there are 2 holy visions associated with the place which is very unusual. One is with Mother Mary and they built a sanctuary church in the place of the vision. The other is some time later when the vision came to a shepherd of St Joseph who showed him a holy spring and now there is a monastery at the holy spring. The villa we are staying at is called St Jospeh and is at the foot of the holy spring below the monastery and we can walk to it. I believe that St Joseph has come to us for a reason and he will be holding our retreat with Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. St Joseph is called the protector of the virgin. He brings us the father gentle holding love, that many of us may never have had. The virgin is the initiate, the Mary priestess. He is not talked about much in the bible other than he had 4 dreams to which he listened to and guided him, like the other Joseph we know who had dreams and led the Egyptians into safety, he was also led to Egypt in one of his dreams to keep Mary and his child safe from Herod. Both Josephs were the sons of men called Jacob. There was also the Joseph who led the holy tribe once more into safety - Joseph of Arimathea. I believe Joseph is a title like Mary and it is a very special and sacred name or word, and it belongs to a holy man and is Egyptian in origin. In any event, to be a man who listens to his dreams and is guided by them, means that he was a holy man, a man of the Way. There are reports he lived to 111 years old, but he is not mentioned at the crucifixion so assumed by others to have died. The fact he is hardly mentioned and is so quiet also shows to me that he is a special holy figure of the quieter ways. So upon our retreat we will be under the cloaks of this gentle and holy Saint Joseph , as well as Mother Mary and Mary Magdalena.
You may read about where we will be here, and there are many there sites online if you wish to research.
MOTHER MARY VISION COTIGNAC - https://www.marypages.com/cotignac-(our-lady-of-grace)-en.html and http://www.nd-de-graces.com/le-sanctuaire/
ST JOSEPH VISION COTIGNAC - https://saintjosephdubessillon.org/un-peu-dhistoire/apparition-joseph/
and
http://salesianity.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-apparition-of-st-joseph-in-cotignac.html
THE AREA - https://en.varactive.com/circuit-lieux-saints
THE CAVES
In prehistoric times there were humans who lived in the caves, known as Troglodytes, or cave dwellers and this is one of the places where they lived, this special place where these visions occurred, and indeed, Mary Magdalene lived in a cave just near here and yet I wonder if she was linked also to the cave dwellers here. One things you will feel when you are here is that the land here is so very ancient and MM was a mere 200 years ago which is nothing considering they have found Venus figurines in caves in this area spanning 24,000 bc! A couple of hours drive is a place called Fontaine Vaucluse where there is a very holy well pool of water that goes so deep, the faeries are alive there, it was an ancient sacrificial site for ceremony, and under the caves there (you can go on a tour) there is a holy underground baptism site. I am not sure we will have time to go there fo there is so much to do and it is important we have space rather than chase about sight seeing. There are so very many caves and grotto around Sainte Baume area and beyond into the Gorge du Verdon. There is even an underground river at the Castelette cave that feeds the Huveaune spring/river. Look how feminine looking is the entrance to the Cedres grotto…
COTIGNAC CAVES - http://www.provenceverte.co.uk/discover/top10-cotignac-rocher.php
THE ST BAUME CAVE OF MM - https://www.saintebaume.org/grotto/
THE WIDER AREA OF PROVENCE
Other sacred sites in the area include examples here. Also be aware this is the one area of Provence, there are also the areas of the Languedoc. Some people do tours with these areas too but I feel it is essential we stay to this one place fo St Joseph, we have just 4 days and it is nice to fully immerse into the stillness within. We will only be doing 4 things from this list! So please be prepared we are only doing that and not cramming things in.
Basilica at Saint-Maximim - the relics of Mary Magdalene, St Maximum Grotto & ridge above, the egg cave, Springs near Les Sources de l’Huveaune, Gorges de Caramy, Rougiers - Castrum st Jean, Le vieil Evenos castle and village, Barjols Fountains, Cotignac Mary & Joseph sanctuarys, Fontaine de Vaucluse, lavender fields, Gorges du Verdon & Lac de St Croix, Thoronet abbey and the Chapel of Sainte Roseline. Then further afield also is the Black Madonna of St Marie de la Mer of the cam argue with nearby wild beaches and the salt marshes inland. Beaches also include sacred Porquerolles and other islands of Hyeres, Vallon Sourn Natural Beach, “l’argentière” by La Londe les Maures, the cliffs and beaches of Cassis, Cavalier sur mer, Ceyreste, St Cyr our Mer (name of the father of MM)…. this is just the beginning and I have not been to all these places yet...
THE VILLA & CATERING
THE VILLA So I have been led to a beautiful house in a very sacred place near Cotignac just below a holy spring and special monastery of ST JOSEPH. This lovely house will be our base for 5 nights and we will have 4 full days. We can arrive form 4pm and must depart by 10am. There is an outdoor pool, trampoline, sauna etc This is a special place so it will be lovely for us to have time here.
BEDROOMS
The house sleeps 13. There is a mixture of single usage and shared rooms - 4 people will have their own private room with a double bed, and 8 people can share double rooms in single beds in 4 different bedrooms. Those who share a room will be charged a little less.
CATERING There will be caterers coming in to make a vegan breakfast and supper. We will buy our own lunch out most days. If you have any dietary requirements please ensure to let me know.The retreat will be alcohol free.
At the villa you may soak up the energies of St Joseph and the Marys, of the ancient ones, and enjoy the sun, swim in the pool, rest under a tree, take a sauna, have an afternoon nap, borrow the villa's range of bikes, play ping pong, lie in a hammock, wander the hills or the 4 acre gardens, swop and give or receive a healing with the others priestesses…
TRANSPORT & FLIGHTS
Flights are nto included in cost of retreat. The nearest airports are Marseille Airport 1h10 drive, Nice Airport 1h30 drive or Toulon Airport 55 mins drive and airport transfers to the villa will be from marseilles where you will be met.
Some people may arrive earlier on the Saturday 13th to go to Aix and others are staying later, depending on flights, but the retreat cost just cover the dates shown here. If you wish to do this, then please post in the fb group for more info.
COSTS
£880 for a shared room
£980 for your own private room
Cost includes hire of villa, morning and evening food, transportation around the area and airport transfers.
Prices DO NOT include your flights nor lunch.
Please also factor in any extras might include such things as lunch which we can eat out each day either in a restaurant or with a bench picnic from a deli, and any extra spending money for gift shops or a trip into Cotignac etc. If we go further afield on the last day to the island of Porquerolles the ferry ticket is around 20 euros and we could possibly hire bikes. We may instead go to St Marie de la Mer - to be decided. If we go to Fontaine de Vaucluse the caves have a minimal ticket entrance fee. Other than that all the main sites that we will visit are free entrance.
DEPOSIT TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE BY 13 JANUARY
£100 deposit by 13 January
This deposit will reserve your place as we only have places for 12 and it is first come first served. It will be deducted from the over all cost when you pay in full. If we do not have enough deposits in by 13 January, the retreat will be opened up outside of our private temple group.
Please let me know if you are booking a private or shared room.
Payment in full must be made by 20 March 2020
If you are called to come and yet need to pay in instalments please let me know so we can work something out
TRAVEL & HEALTH INSURANCE
In making your payment you agree to take full responsibility for your own wellbeing on this retreat.You are therefore responsible for any theft, lost baggage, accidents, illness, problems with flights as well as anything unforeseen that happens such as political unrest, natural disaster, flight cancellations, or anything along those lines. If you have good travel and health insurance they will cover this and help you recuperate costs and I cannot be held accountable nor make any refunds for any reason. I will ask you to sign a form to agree that you take full responsibility for your well being before attending.
