Cyprus sep 2022
In September of 2022, I traveled to the island of Cyprus on the Mediterranean Sea with High Priestess Rev. Helena DeFelice to commune with Aphrodite and receive Source Transmission in ancient Aphrodite sites. We stayed in and around Paphos, on the west coast of Cyprus, and visited ancient Aphrodite Temples in Kouklia and Amathous. We submerged our bodies in Petra Tou Romiou, the legendary seashore where Aphrodite arose from the Sea Foam in times of antiquity, and visited the Cyprus Museum, where we documented some of the earliest artifacts of goddess worship still in existence. From the witchy car rental person with a cat named Luna who picked us up at the Hermes Airport, to Ilias, the caretaker of the Aphrodite Temple at Kouklia, who recognized us as Priestesses and gave us the “behind-the-scenes” experience, everything in this journey was filled with love, magick, and mystery!
Receiving transmission from Aphrodite in this land where she has been worshipped for millenia has been such an honor and a gift. It truly has changed my life, my practice, and deepened my spiritual calling of working with the queer and trans communities to access sexual healing, liberation, and connection. The Aphrodite Temple at Amathous sits on top of a hillside (acropolis) near the modern-day city of Limassol. In ancient times, Amathous was a harbor and marketplace and its Temple of Aphrodite flourished and thrived. In this place, there were documented worship of Aphrodite in a specifically queer context as Aphroditos, an androgynous bearded aspect of Aphrodite. Being present in this sacred Place was a gift that was both profound and ineffable. A single olive tree overlooks the Aphrodite Temple and the Temple itself overlooks the land and sea surrounding it in such a beautiful way. During our second visit to Amathous, Helena & I did a ritual that affected us both in deep and mysterious ways.
The Aphrodite Temple at Kouklia, also called Paleopaphos, was a truly magical experience! Our senses filled with pleasure, delight, and awe, as our very consciousness became altered in this place that felt outside of space and time. One of the caretakers of the place noticed us as Priestesses of Aphrodite when we arrived and escorted us to the most Sacred parts of the site and kept the mundane tourists away. We spent quite a long time with Black Rock Aphrodite, which was a baetyl, a meteor which was worshipped for thousands of years as an aniconic (not resembling the human form) icon of Aphrodite. Being in the presence of this massive Aphrodisaical rock was such a privilege and its power and love were so ubiquitous that I still hold them in my heart today.
The Sanctuary was filled with golden pomegranates and it was such a joy to relax under the olive tree and revel in the ecstatic bliss of biting into the golden, juicy, seeds. Feeling Aphrodite fill me with this juicy, golden love was so exquisite and we spent hours communing with Her and feeling Her essence fill us to the brim.
Petra Tou Romiou, also known as Aphrodite’s Rock, is located close to Kouklia and is the place where Aphrodite was born. According to legend, Kronos (one of the Titans and deity of the Harvest) severed his father Uranus’ (the personification of the Sky) genitals and threw them into the Sea. Aphrodite was born in the Sea Foam of Uranus’ genitals and first walked onto land at Petra Tou Romiou, whereupon flowers grew with every step she took. To honor this, Aphrodite’s name translates to “foam-arisen”.
This beach of Petra Tou Romiou was infinitely beautiful and the water was both warm and buoyant. Submerging my naked body into the Sea and feeling the Golden Waves of the sunset rush over me was both exhilarating and divine. On our first visit, we stayed until after sunset and felt the fullness of the Moon shine down upon our bodies and reveled in the power and delight of this Place.
We took a trip to the capitol of Greek Cyprus, Nicosia, and visited the Cyprus Museum, which housed an astounding collection of artifacts from many different epochs of time. It was lovely to track goddess worship through the ages. Historically, there was a Great Goddess of Cyprus, later merging into Aphrodite, who then became part of the Greek pantheon. The Divine Love inherent in these pieces which had been worshipped for so long was deep, loving, and genuine. I am carrying this Love into all of the spiritual work that I do. May you enjoy the Love and this Magick and may they lift your Heart.
