🌿GREECE DREAMING TOUR

🌿 About the Greece Dreaming Tour

Jungian and archetypal psychology frequently use the stories and images of the ancient Greek Gods to imagine the powers that shape our lives. On this trip, we aim to deepen our psychological imagination by traveling to the home places of these Gods.

This trip has grown out of friendships that have developed over several years among students in Thomas Moore’s ongoing classes in Soul Psychology and Imaginal Psychology, classes in which the discussion of Greek mythology is central. Last year, a student who lives in Greece issued an invitation to our group, and this trip is the result.

The trip aims to combine tourism of ancient Greek art, architecture, and religious sites with a small group experience that includes meditation, dreamwork, conversation, and fine dining. Longer day trips to sites outside of Athens, including Eleusis, Epidaurus, Delphi, Vravona, and Sounion, alternate with quieter days in the city and exclusive group zoom calls with Thomas Moore.

For all students and friends of Soul Psychology and Imaginal Psychology, this trip offers a space for community gathering, adventure, conversation, and deepening friendship.

🌙 Why “Greece Dreaming?

“Perhaps the most important thing of all is simply to value conversation, to realize how valuable it is for the soul.”
(Thomas Moore, Soul Mates, p. 123)

During the last decade, Thomas Moore and Joan Hanley led a series of three weeklong retreats that brought together students from Moore’s Soul Psychology classes and Hanley’s Art and Yoga program. These were the gatherings where many of us met and became friends. The three programs were called Desert Dreaming, Ocean Dreaming, and Mountain Dreaming, with the name based on the geography of the gathering place.

These programs included dreamwork, art, meditation, lectures, dining experiences, tourism adventures, and spaces for ongoing conversation. By naming our trip “Greece Dreaming,” we are situating this trip within the tradition of the previous three Dreaming retreats.

Although Thomas and Joan can’t be with us in person, we plan to continue the practices and approach that made those retreats such enjoyable and soulful experiences.  And we look forward to two evening conversations with Thomas about the mythic figures of Athena, Demeter, and Persephone, and the role of sacred travel and pilgrimage.

Although this program has been designed for participants with experience in Thomas Moore’s Imaginal Psychology classes or previous Dreaming retreats, we also welcome your friends, family, and anyone who wishes to participate.

🌿 What to Expect on the Greece Dreaming Tour

Comfortable Accommodations

We will spend 8 nights at the five-star Royal Olympic Hotel in Athens (royalolympic.com). The hotel is centrally located, so we can walk to the Acropolis and other tourist sites, as well as to restaurants, shops, and cafes.
Our stay includes a daily buffet breakfast, access to all hotel facilities, and access to our group’s private meeting room. Expect friendly staff, clean rooms, and a quiet welcoming atmosphere to unwind after our days of adventure.

Cultural Tourism Experiences

In Athens, the group will visit the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the Archaeological Museum, and the Ancient Agora, one site per day. Each visit includes a guided tour for two hours, followed by several hours of free time, in which you can choose to continue to explore the day’s site, visit other sites, shop, visit a cafe, wander off, or return to the hotel to rest.

On three days, we will have longer journeys by bus, visiting Eleusis and Epidaurus, Vravrona and Sounion, and Delphi. On these longer days, a guide will be with us for the whole day.

Morning Meditation and Dreamwork

On our days in Athens, we will begin our morning together with a 15-minute silent meditation for those interested, and an hour for group dreamwork.
For those new to group dreamwork in the tradition of Thomas Moore and Imaginal Psychology, an orientation will be provided.

Evening Talks

Although Thomas is unable to join us in person, he will be with us on zoom for two 90-minute evening conversations, which will be exclusive to our group. He will be discussing the mythic figures of Athena, and Demeter and Persephone, and the role of pilgrimage to sacred sites in imaginal psychology.

Fine Dining

Our program includes a daily breakfast buffet and one other group meal per day. Usually this is dinner at a quality restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. On our longer days, it will be a lunch (see program itinerary below for details).
On the opening and closing nights of the program, we will have a catered meal in our private room at the Royal Olympic.
On our days in Athens, we will conclude our tourism hours with a stop at one of Athens’s finest cafes for coffee, conversation, and a light lunch for those who wish.

Comfortable Transportation

For our excursions outside Athens, we will use a private, air-conditioned bus, ensuring a smooth and relaxed travel experience.

Entrance Fees

All entrance fees to sites and museums are included.

Professional Guidance and Support

Throughout the tour we will have access to expert licensed guides at each site and museum, and ongoing program coordination and support by Travel Smart.

❓ Questions

For questions about the hotel, logistics, schedule, cost, and registration, please contact:
Irene Komatseli – Travel Planner (irene@travelsmart.gr)
Nick Boyar – Planning Committee Liaison (nickboyar@gmail.com)

🌟 In Short

Expect a thoughtfully curated experience that offers both adventurous encounters with the ancient Greek past and its mythic figures, and intimate gatherings for conversation and working with dreams. For the student or friend of Soul Psychology and Imaginal Psychology, it will be a rich feast of friendship and pleasure.

⚠️ Important Notice

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