Star Mountains Tour

A Journey Through the Sacred Land of South Heraklion

1, 2 or 3 Days

The Star Mountains Tour takes you into the heart of the Asterousia Mountains in South Heraklion, a wild and sacred landscape where ancient healing sanctuaries lie hidden in caves, where Asklepios, the God of Medicine, was once worshipped, and where places in nature have long been experienced as portals and energetic sites, offering a sense of connection with the invisible realms.

The Asterousia Mountains are a dramatic chain of rocky peaks stretching across the south of Heraklion. The area has a particularly powerful energetic presence. Beneath the earth, geological forces and underground influences are believed to create energetic pathways with healing and activating qualities, and this may help explain why so many places of worship have existed here for millennia, particularly within caves and other natural formations.

There is also a belief that the Earth's energies are especially activated in this region through the meeting and movement of ley lines and the tectonic plates of Europe and Africa. The mountains rise from a landscape shaped by the immense forces beneath the Earth's surface, a world of geological movement, minerals, crystals and the elemental energies of the land.

Throughout this journey, mythology will be our guide and connective thread, allowing us to move between the different places, stories and layers of this extraordinary landscape.

AGHIOS THOMAS

The Centre of Crete

On our way south, about half an hour from Heraklion, lies a hidden jewel: Aghios Thomas, a village situated almost at the geographical centre of Crete.

It is a remarkable place, with almost 38 churches, built among and around majestic boulders and impressive rock formations.

According to local tradition, one of the entrances to the Underworld was located here. There was once a deep opening in the earth, now closed, with an almost immeasurable depth, where even until relatively recently the dead were honoured with offerings and prayers.

We will walk through this beautiful village and visit what was once part of a temple dedicated to Demeter and her Daughter, that is also associated with the entrance to the Underworld, which is now home to a small and beautiful church built inside a cave.

There is also an assumption that this may have been the place from which the famous Eleusinian Mysteries began.

If time allows, we may visit a few more of the churches and sacred places in the area before stopping for a snack at the lovely local taverna.

Then, prepared for the journey ahead, we continue south towards the Star Mountains.

LENTAS

The Ancient Asklepieion Healing Sanctuary

Our journey leads us to Lentas, a small coastal settlement built against the southern slopes of the Asterousia, close to the famous beach of Dyskos (Dytikos), which in summer becomes a favourite destination for swimmers and free campers.

Lentas is ancient Levin, an important settlement and port connected with Gortyn, which became the capital of Crete during Roman times.

Here lies an ancient Asklepieion, a healing sanctuary dedicated to Asklepios, the God of Medicine, which was once famous throughout the ancient world.

People travelled from far beyond Crete, including from Greece and Libya, in search of healing.

The sanctuary was associated with medicinal water, which continued to flow until the 1930s. We will explore the site energetically and discover how ancient Asklepieia functioned; the practices that were used, the role of water, ritual and dreams, and the ways in which the ancient Greeks understood healing.

In this area we will also encounter another extraordinary place: a hill shaped like a lioness, the animal associated with the chariot of Rhea, mother of Zeus and many of the great gods.

According to mythology, Rhea came to Crete to give birth to Zeus.

At the top of this hill lies an ancient Minoan settlement, together with breathtaking views across the landscape and sea. The place carries a powerful energetic presence and the signature of an ancient, royal divine feminine energy, to which we shall tune into if given the chance.

Throughout our journey, mythology will continue to be our guide, connecting the different places and allowing us to experience the landscape through the stories and archetypes that have shaped people here for thousands of years.

TRIPITI

The Dream Oracle Cave

Tripiti lies at the end of an impressive gorge, a place that can be difficult to reach when the weather is bad, as the roads are rough and the landscape becomes challenging.

It is a raw, wild and powerful environment.

Depending on the conditions, we may approach the end of the gorge - which can also be reached by boat - and visit a remarkable ancient cave associated with dreams and oracle traditions.

The history of this place remains largely unknown, adding to its mystery.

It is a cave with a particularly powerful energy, and we will have the opportunity to explore it energetically, sitting within the space and experiencing what it evokes in us.

Above the cave, on a nearby hill, lies a pre-Minoan settlement, inhabited by a prehistoric population who lived in this wild landscape around six thousand years ago.

Further down is an ancient tomb.

Visiting these two sites requires additional hiking and reasonably good weather, as well as protection from the intense sunlight, particularly during the summer months.

This is a magical and mysterious place, and we will visit it whenever the conditions allow.

TSOUTSOURAS

The Eastern Gateway of the Star Mountains to the South

Our journey can continue eastwards towards Tsoutsouras, a traditional seaside settlement overlooking the Libyan Sea.

Tsoutsouras combines a peaceful coastal atmosphere with a deep and fascinating history.

The area is associated with the ancient port of Inato, as well as the famous cave of Eileithyia, where people travelled from across the ancient world to visit, make offerings and participate in sacred practices.

Eileithyia, daughter of Hera and Goddess of childbirth, was much more than a goddess associated simply with birth.

Her cave was a sacred place and her worship was connected with conception, pregnancy, childbirth and the first months of a child's life. People came to make offerings and seek protection and guidance through these important stages of existence.

Numerous figurines were found within the cave, many of which are now displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.

The region is also famous for its many caves, a characteristic of much of the Heraklion area due to the geological nature of the land.
And Tsoutsouras carries yet another layer of mystery.

There are stories and beliefs surrounding unusual and unexplained phenomena, including accounts of possible extraterrestrial or otherworldly activity in the area. Whether one approaches these stories with curiosity, belief or scepticism, they form part of the fascinating modern mythology that surrounds this remote landscape.

THE JOURNEY

This tour is a unique and personal offering that can be shaped around the needs, interests and desires of each person or group.

It is not a rigid itinerary.

Depending on whether you have one, two or three days, and depending on the season, weather and local conditions, we select the routes and experiences that make the most sense for you.

We may visit only one of these places; and that alone can be enough for an entire day.

We may spend more time exploring a particular site, walking through the landscape, working energetically with a place, listening to its stories, or simply allowing ourselves to experience its atmosphere.

The journey will be discussed and shaped together beforehand.

Choose your dates and tell us how many days you have.

Tell us what you are drawn to.

We will shape the journey around the season, the conditions, the land and the experience you want to have.