All Activities listed will happen,
maybe not necessarily in the order stated!
(Be prepared—Spontaneous changes are part of the fun!)

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Day 1, Sunday, February 12 - Depart for Cairo

Depart for Cairo EgyptAir Flight #986 leaves JFK at 6:30 PM. Dinner and overnight on the plane.

Day 2, Monday, February 13 - Arrive Cairo/Welcoming Dinner

Arrive at Cairo Airport at about 11:25AM local time where we will be met by our Tour Managers. They will assist us through customs and immigration before transferring us to our luxury accommodations at the Mena House Hotel. We’ll have an opening circle, then we will enjoy our first dinner together. Those coming in at other times will be informed of when our meeting will occur based on the actual arrival time of the New York group. (Breakfast on plane, Dinner)

The Sphinx

Day 3, Tuesday, February 14 - Giza Plateau/Sphinx

We begin our spiritual sojourn with an inspirational sunrise visit to the Giza Plateau. During this time we greet the Sphinx, who sees all of our incarnations on this planet and who keeps safe the Hall of Records where our stories are kept. Overnight Mena House (Breakfast, Valentine’s Dinner)

Khan el Khalili Market, CairoDay 4, Wednesday, February 15 - Cairo Museum / Khan El Khalili Bazaar

We will have a morning visit to the Egyptian Museum of Cairo to view the spiritual legacy of priest kings, queens, scribes and healers. The museum holds an astounding collection of Egyptian antiquities and exhibits over 120,000 artifacts, including those from the tomb of Tutankhamun. After lunch we will all meet at the Khan El Khalili bazaar for some shopping. Overnight Mena House (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 5, Thursday, February 16 – Sakkara / Flight to Aswan/Afandina

This morning we travel by luxury bus to Sakkara, where we visit the oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and its temple of sound and healing. Sakkara was masterminded by Imhotep, the high priest, vizier and architect to King Djoser during Dynasty III. This magnificent site includes other Old Kingdom tombs, among them those that hold the earliest known hieroglyphs, the Pyramid Texts that were the model for the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In the late afternoon we will fly to Aswan, the mythical origin of the Nile River and the home of Nubian kings and queens during the later dynasties of Egypt, and board our beautiful dahabeya, the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 6, Friday, February 17 - Aswan / Elephantine Island

Today we will have a leisurely morning in Aswan, then enjoy a felucca sail to Elephantine Island and walk through the layers of time that archaeological explorations have unveiled. Atop the island we gather at the temple of Khnum for an important initiation and affirmation. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 7, Saturday, February 18 – Philae/Temple of Isis/Sail to Kom Ombo

In our private sunrise meditation and ritual we return to the source of all, the Great Mother, to receive the blessings of Isis at her beautiful island temple at Philae. This isle represents a fusion of three great civilizations – Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The presence of Isis is palpable in the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies of her temple. Later we will gather on deck to share our experiences and discuss our creative projects as we sail to Kom Ombo. Overnight on the Afandina (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 8, Sunday, February 19 - Kom Ombo/Sail to Edfu/Temple of Edfu

In the Temple at Edfu

At Kom Ombo, we visit the only dual temple in Egypt. This dramatic temple poised between the edge of the river and the encroaching desert sand was dedicated to two gods - Sobek the crocodile god of strength, fortitude, fertility and rebirth, and Horus the hawk-headed son of Isis and Osiris. Later we will visit Edfu and the Temple of Horus, one of the most beautifully preserved in Egypt. Here, we follow the pattern of the hero’s quest as we learn how Horus and his followers (the Shemsu Hor) conquered chaos, and we see the sacred marriage of the king and queen as the embodiment of Horus and the goddess Hathor. The side chambers of the temple show the complexity of the rites that include a healing chamber, a perfumery, and singers’ rooms. One chamber, called the House of Life, stored all of the sacred texts used in seasonal and daily rituals. We will dock near Edfu for the night. Overnight Afandina (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)

Art class on the 2009 tour.Day 9, Monday, February 20 - Sail to Esna/Esna Temple and Village

This morning we will sail to Esna and visit its famed temple. The temple of Esna is dedicated to the creative triad of Khnum, Neith and their offspring Hak or Sobek. The site is a prime example of the power of the Nile at inundation. Its hieroglyphs have only partially been translated, and thus the temple represents the mystery and power of an as yet un-translated text. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 10, Tuesday, February 21 - Sail to Luxor/Luxor Temple

Today we sail to Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes that was the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, and visit the Luxor Temple. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 11, Wednesday, February 22 - West Bank

This morning we make a sunrise pilgrimage to Deir el Bahari, the funerary temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. We also visit the Necropolis of Thebes on the West Bank of the Nile. The West Bank holds the tombs of the pharaohs that are inscribed with sacred transformative texts, including the books of knowing light and dark, the book of what is in the underworld, the book of caverns, and naming and taming the hours of the night. Here are the tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramses III and VII, Seti I, Thutmosis III, and many others. We will also see the mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 12, Thursday, February 23 - Dendera / Abydos

Sekhmet at Karnak

This morning we head to Dendera to visit the exquisite temple dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of abundance, love and joy. The temple is built with a zodiacal ceiling that recalls the origins of Egypt. On the rooftop where Hathor priests and priestesses gathered for their celebrations thousands of years ago, we reconnect to our destinies. We then continue north to the temple at Abydos, dedicated to Osiris and housing the nine great beings (the Ennead). This temple rests next to and above the most ancient Osirion, one of the premier power places on the planet. It includes a more recent temple built by Seti I, which contains the most beautiful bas reliefs of any temple in Egypt. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 13, Friday, February 24 - Karnak / Afternoon Flight to Cairo

e will have a free morning in Luxor, then after lunch we will tour Karnak, one of the largest temple complexes in the world. Karnak recalls us to the powerful acts of creation, of beginning anew, and of building on the divine plan. It has been home for more than 3,500 years to the living statue of the lioness goddess, Sekhmet, who will instigate our mystery school rites of passage. We depart the Afandina and take an afternoon flight to Cairo, where we will check into the Mena House Hotel in Giza. (Breakfast)

Day 14, Saturday, February 25 - Open AM/Great Pyramid/Farewell Dinner

You will have free time this morning to take an optional tour of Old Cairo or relax at our beautiful hotel. In the afternoon we will have a special private visit inside the Great Pyramid with a culminating initiation in the King’s chamber. Here, we unite our life story with the story of those who have come before us and those who will come after as we embrace the transformation that we have experienced. Afterward the group will meet in the late afternoon for our closing circle and farewell dinner. (Breakfast, lunch, Dinner)

Day 15, Sunday, February 26 - Farewell to Egypt/ Final Departure

We depart for New York on Egypt Air flight #985 at 10:30AM, and arrive in JFK at 3:25 PM. (Breakfast)

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