Breakfast at your leisure. Service begins at 6:00AM.

9:00AM We check out of the hotel and bid our fond "Farewell" to Killarney and County Kerry as we drive through the lovely Irish countryside to County Cork. Along the way we stop along the highway to see the Paps of Anu, two mountains shaped like breasts, and named after Anu, the Mother Goddess of the Tuatha de Dannan (see below). Anu or Danu as She was also called, was originally a European Goddess, Her name being commemorated most famously in the River Danube. She was the ancient Celtic goddess of fertility, prosperity and comfort, a very ancient figure whose name means delight, pleasure, and melody. She was the patroness of springs and fountains. In Celtic Christianity she became known as St. Anne, to smooth the path of conversion, and many St. Anne's Wells are named for Her. Commune with the Goddess Anu and open your heart to receive Her blessings!

The Tuatha De Danann (People of the Goddess Danu/Anu), the Ancient Ones, or the Shining Ones, were one of the mythical races of deities and heroes of Irish pre-history. They were skilled in art and science, poetry and magic. Legends say they were a were a branch of the ancient seafaring Dananns of the Mediterranean, who, beginning in the 2nd millennium BCE, abandoned some of their coastal territories in the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor coast to conduct a series of migrations to the windswept regions of northern Europe. Danu's son Dagda was their most powerful leader. He came to Ireland with Arch Druids and Druidesses. Upon reaching the shores of Ireland the magical Danaan cloaked themselves in mist, appeared unexpectedly to the current residents, conquered them, and spread throughout the land. Eventually they were conquered by the Milesians from Asia Minor. They retreated to Tir na n-Og (Land of Youth) or continued to lived on the land with the Milesians. Their subterranean homes were entered solely thorough the sidh-mounds, the "hollow hills", which were hidden by magic from the eyes of mortals. Their homes were called Sidhe or the Otherworld. Another name for the Tuatha De Danann was the aes sidhe or the "People of the Sidhe". Today they are known as the "Faery People". These fairies are not the ones with tiny pixie with wings that are found in folklore and children's fairy tales. Rather they are human-like, with supernatural powers!

10:00AM We continue to nearby Ballyvourney (Town of the Beloved), a primarily Irish-speaking village. Our first stop is the local sacred well dedicated to St. Gobnait, a woman saint from the area, a longtime place of pilgrimage. Many of the sacred wells in Ireland were originally the sites of pagan shrines. The Celts believed the earth's waters were especially sacred and healing, that they issued from the realm of the Underworld Goddess who ruled both birth and death, linking her domain with the Upper World. For them, the waters represented Her eternal wisdom and Her life giving properties. They believed that the easiest way to gain access to the Otherworld was through the divine springs and wells. Every well had its own guardian spirit or local goddess who presided over it. Andrea will facilitate a sacred ritual of "doing the rounds", during which we will encircle the well a certain number of times, holding those near and dear to us, alive or departed, in our hearts and minds. We then offer water to the Mother Earth in thanksgiving, then to our ancestors, finally drinking of Her lifeblood! (Bring a small plastic bottle and you can take some of the blessed water home with you!)

Afterwards we walk to the nearby abandoned church to see one of the few remaining in-situ Irish Sheela-na-gigs, an ancient symbol of woman's freedom and creativity, and perhaps the last vestiges of what some researchers believe to be the pagan connection with Celtic Christianity. These stone carvings of a female figure consist of an old woman squatting and pulling apart her vulva. They are usually associated with "hags" or the Crone. The Sheela is situated above a window on the south wall the old church. The locals still refer to Her as the ancient Mother Goddess and regularly make their personal pilgrimages to Her, especially each year on February 11th, the feast day of St. Gobnait. Our ritual to connect with our own creativity will consist of rubbing of the image - to touch and feel Her, communing through meditation.

1:00PM After our morning visits we enjoy a group lunch at a local pub/restaurant in Ballyvourney.

2:30PM Then we're off to Knocknakilla Stone Circle! The name is derived from the Irish Cnoc na Cille, "The Hill of the Church". The megalithic complex, which is thought to be 3500 years old, is situated between nearby Macroom and Millstreet, on the northwest upper slopes of Musherabeg mountain. Knocknakilla is best known for its large phallic, now leaning, portal stone. Given the stones' relation to both the rising and setting sun, it's thought that they were aligned with purpose and functionality in mind, most likely as calendars to early farmers, relating to harvest or fertility ceremonies. We'll take some time for individual exploration and a group meditation facilitated by Andrea to connect with the ancient energies of this sacred place.

4:30PM Depart to Killarney.
5:30PM Arrive back at the hotel. Free time tonight; dinner on your own.

Overnight Killarney. Randle's Hotel.