More than a pilgrimage.
It’s a sacred encounter.
You’re invited to walk the sacred landscapes of Southern France while entering into the living story of Mary Magdalene with Annalisa as your guide.
Through history, mythology, scholarship, ritual, contemplation, and embodiment, you’ll immerse in Mary Magdalene’s legends and archetypes—not simply to learn about her—but to discover what she awakens within you.
You’ll journey toward a deeper encounter with the living presence of Mary Magdalene, awakening embodied vitality, feminine wisdom, and sovereign feminine power.
Come home to yourself
May 20: Arrival in Marseille
Arrival and opening circle. We’ll travel to La Sainte-Baume, where we’ll settle into the monastery hostellerie, share our meals with fellow pilgrims, and prepare for our journey to begin.
Your Journey Through Southern France
May 21: La Sainte Baume
After a simple French breakfast, we’ll hike 45 minutes through the ancient forest to Mary Magdalene’s cave for a sacred encounter with her living presence.
May 22: St. Maximin
We’ll depart for Saint-Maximin to visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene and descend into the crypt where her skull relic is held. After lunch and time to explore the town, we continue south to the seaside village of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
May 23: Arles
A spacious day for cultural exploration and integration in the historic Provençal city of Arles, once home to Vincent van Gogh. We’ll explore the city with a local guide, and enjoy time for lunch, shopping, and wandering. Additional activities may include a riverboat cruise or cooking class. Those wishing for a quieter day may remain in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer for rest and restoration.
May 24: Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
We enter into the heart of the annual pilgrimage festivities, joining the procession of Saint Sara, the Black Madonna, as she is carried from the church to the sea. The town comes alive as Romani pilgrimage traditions mingle with Catholic devotion and the distinctive culture of the Camargue.
May 25: Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
A second day of pilgrimage and celebration as the Two Marys are carried in procession to the sea. We’ll immerse ourselves in the music, dancing, culture, and festivities that fill the streets, where Romani, Provençal, Spanish, and Camargue traditions converge.
May 26: Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
A spacious final day for rest, reflection, and integration before gathering for our afternoon closing circle and farewell dinner.
May 27: Goodbyes & Departures
After breakfast, we’ll say our goodbyes and begin our journeys home, carrying the experiences of our pilgrimage with us.
What Your Pilgrimage Includes
Sacred Study & Embodiment
Pre-pilgrimage Zoom workshops
Guided visualizations and journaling
Embodiment rituals and sharing circles
Teachings and discussions
Selected readings and preparatory material
Accommodations & Nourishment
Seven nights accommodation (Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baume & a 4-star hotel in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer)
Two meals per day. (All three meals are included on May 21st while residing at the Hostellerie)
Transportation & Pilgrimage Sites
Group transfer from Marseille to La Sainte-Baume
Private transportation throughout the programmed journey
Entrance fees
Excursion in Arles (Local tour & secondary activity TBD)
Guidance & Support
Guidance from Dr. Annalisa Derr before and throughout the pilgrimage
Pre-pilgrimage support to help you prepare for your journey and answer questions as they arise
A detailed preparation guide with recommendations for what to wear, travel planning, and where to stay before and after the pilgrimage
A private WhatsApp group for group communication, connection, and support before and throughout the journey
On-the-ground support from my assistant guide, Sofia
An intimate, small-group experience with space for reflection, questions, and integration
NOT Included
Flights to and from France
Transportation to the airport after the pilgrimage
Third meals and snacks
Personal Expenses
Tips
Optional activities (spa treatments, for example)
Who This Journey Is For (& Who It Is Not For)
You are open to experiencing Mary Magdalene not only as a historical or religious figure, but as a living mythic & archetypal presence whose story can illuminate dimensions of your own life.
You are open to encountering themes of feminine wisdom, sacred sovereignty, death & rebirth, devotion, creativity, and renewal within the stories of Mary Magdalene and within your own life.
You value both intellectual inquiry & embodied knowing and want to explore Mary Magdalene not only through teaching and conversation, but through guided visualization, ritual, movement, journaling, reflection, and other embodied practices.
This journey may be for you if…
You feel drawn to Mary Magdalene and want to encounter her beyond conventional stories that have shaped her image for centuries.
You are drawn to exploring the sacred feminine through a rich weaving of mythology & folklore, history, scholarship, ritual, embodiment, and lived experiences.
You long for travel that is more than sightseeing. You want to enter sacred places slowly and intentionally, allowing the outer journey through the landscapes of Southern France to become a portal into your own inner journey.
You are comfortable traveling within a small group of women and are open to participating in a temporary community rooted in respect, curiosity, presence, and women-centeredness.
You appreciate a pilgrimage with a spaciousness built into it. There will be time for rest, wandering, integration, meals together, and simply being in these extraordinary places rather than rushing from one destination to the next.
You do not need to be a devotee of Mary Magdalene to join us. You do not need to follow a particular spiritual tradition or arrive with an established relationship with her. Curiosity, openness, and a genuine willingness to enter the journey are enough.
This journey may not be ideal for you if…
You are looking for a conventional sightseeing tour of Southern France. We will certainly experience the beauty, food, culture, history, and landscapes of Provence and the Camargue, but this is first and foremost a pilgrimage and embodied journey.
You are looking for a packed itinerary in which every hour is scheduled. Spaciousness, reflection, rest and integration are intentional parts of the experience.
You are uncomfortable participating in simple rituals, contemplative or embodied practices, personal reflection, or meaningful group conversation. You will always have agency over your own body and personal boundaries, but willingness to engage with the practices and community is an important part of the pilgrimage.
You are seeking a strictly orthodox, fundamentalist, or exclusively Christian interpretation of Mary Magdalene. Christianity and Christian traditions surrounding Mary Magdalene are an important part of the history we will encounter, but they are not the sole interpretive framework for this pilgrimage.
Our exploration draws upon history, mythology, goddess studies, depth psychology, archetypal interpretation, and embodied practice, alongside Christian traditions and legends. We will ask questions, consider multiple interpretations, and engage Mary Magdalene in ways that may depart significantly from conventional Christian theology.
You are looking for someone to tell you what you must believe about Mary Magdalene. This pilgrimage invites inquiry and encounter rather than dogma. You are welcome to bring your own beliefs, questions, skepticism, and spiritual understanding, while extending the same freedom and respect to the other women in the group.
You are unable or unwilling to participate in the physical dimensions of pilgrimage. Our journey includes walking on uneven terrain, stairs, extended periods on foot, and the pilgrimage hike through the ancient forest to the cave of La Sainte-Baume.
Why I Guide This Journey
Two years before my first pilgrimage to Mary Magdalene’s cave in Southern France, I encountered goddess worship for the first time while traveling through India. The experience was overwhelming. The goddess was worshipped not simply as a theological concept, but as an indwelling presence within people, animals, plants, and the earth.
In a moment of clarity, I recognized the difference between this goddess-centered tradition and the goddess-phobic tradition I had grown up within. That realization ignited in me a quest to find the missing goddess within Christianity. Soon afterward, Mary Magdalene became my guide and companion on that journey.
My research revealed a Mary Magdalene far more complex than the traditional stories I had inherited. Eventually, I knew that studying her from a distance was no longer enough. I needed to travel to the places in Southern France said to hold the stories of her life there.
During my third and final visit to her cave on that first pilgrimage, I reached out to touch the statue of Mary Magdalene. As my hand touched her knee, a drop of water fell from the cave ceiling and landed directly on my third eye.
“I’ve been anointed,” I thought.
The moment felt like an initiation into the path of the Sacred Feminine, as if my devotion to seeking Mary Magdalene had been witnessed and affirmed.
In that moment with Mary in her cave, I knew I had found my path.
That pilgrimage taught me that journeying to sacred places is never simply an outward journey. The places, stories, rituals, and encounters become portals into an inner journey of discovery and transformation.
Since then, I have approached my life as if I am on one continuous pilgrimage. Today, it is my privilege to share that journey with other women.
“In that moment with Mary in her cave, I knew I had found my path.”
DR. ANNALISA DERR
EMBODIED MYTHOLOGY
Scholarship, ritual, guided visualization, & embodied practices
SCHOLAR
PhD, Mythological Studies & Depth Psychology
GUIDE
Guide of embodied pilgrimages and women’s sacred journeys
PILGRIMESS & DEVOTEE
Devotee, seeker, & scholar of Mary Magdalene
What Pilgrimesses Say
“Visiting the cave of Mary Magdalene in La Sainte-Baume and the Gypsy Festival in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where I felt a deep connection with Saint Sarà la Kali, was a truly transformative experience—one that I know will help me face whatever lies ahead.
But more than anything, it was the true practice of sisterhood that marked this trip.
When women come together to feel deeply, to share openly, and to support one another fully—it’s like a magic portal opens. Things that once felt far away suddenly feel within reach. This was the power of the feminine, lived.”
“I highly recommend this Mary Magdalene journey. It was truly transformative and changed the way I see women, our strength, our stories, and our place in the world.
It opened my heart and gave me a much deeper connection to the power and wisdom of the feminine.”
Practical Information
Everything you need to know to prepare for this sacred journey
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You may have questions. Here are some of the most common.
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Your pilgrimage investment includes seven nights of thoughtfully selected accommodations in Southern France, beginning with two nights at the Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baume, located at the Dominican sanctuary beneath Mary Magdalene’s sacred cave.
Your investment also includes private ground transportation throughout the pilgrimage, entrance to the sacred and cultural sites included in our itinerary, facilitated teachings and discussions, ritual and embodiment practices, and the full guided pilgrimage experience with Annalisa.
Select meals and special experiences included in the itinerary will also be provided.
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International or domestic airfare or train travel to Marseille, transportation to your point of arrival in Marseille, travel insurance, meals and beverages not specifically included in the itinerary, personal purchases, and any additional accommodations or travel before or after the pilgrimage are not included.
You are responsible for arranging your own travel to Marseille at the beginning of the journey and your onward travel following our departure on May 27.
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Our pilgrimage begins on May 20, 2027. Please plan to arrive in Marseille by air or train with enough time to meet the group for our departure to La Sainte-Baume. Depending on where you are traveling from, you may wish to arrive in Marseille the evening before.
Our final full day together is May 26, with departure on the morning of May 27. More detailed arrival and departure instructions will be provided to registered pilgrimesses as we get closer to the journey.
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Our accommodations reflect the different rhythms of the pilgrimage. For our first two nights at La Sainte-Baume, we stay at the Hostellerie de la Sainte-Baume, a charming but modest monastery hostellerie beneath Mary Magdalene’s sacred cave. Rooms are simple, and pilgrimesses should plan to bring their own toiletries.
For the remainder of our journey, we stay in a more traditional hotel in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, offering a greater level of comfort and amenities.
Specific accommodation and rooming details will be shared with registered pilgrimesses as we prepare for the journey.
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The pilgrimage is accessible to most people with a moderate level of mobility. We will spend considerable time walking and on our feet, although much of the walking is on relatively level ground.
The most physically demanding part of the journey is our pilgrimage to the cave of La Sainte-Baume, which involves approximately 45 minutes of uphill walking. No hiking experience is necessary, but you should be comfortable walking uphill at a steady pace.
Southern France can also be warm in late May, and some of our activities will take place outdoors, so you should be comfortable with periods of sun and heat.
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Our days weave together pilgrimage, scholarship, ritual, embodiment, sisterhood, and the experience of being in Southern France.
Each day is intentionally spacious, with at least a couple of hours of free time to rest, reflect, wander, or simply be on your own. There will also be an open meal each day, giving you the freedom to choose where and how you would like to eat.
Some days center around sacred sites and the stories and archetypes of Mary Magdalene, while others include cultural experiences and more time for integration. Rather than rushing from site to site, the journey is designed to allow what we encounter outwardly to become part of an inward journey as well.
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No. You do not need prior academic knowledge of Mary Magdalene, experience with pilgrimage, or previous experience with ritual or embodiment practices.
Annalisa will guide you through the historical, mythological, spiritual, and archetypal material that informs the journey. What matters most is your willingness to participate with curiosity, openness, and respect for the experience and for the women traveling alongside you.
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Begin by completing the pilgrimage application. After receiving your application, Annalisa will invite you to schedule a private Zoom conversation.
This conversation is an opportunity for the two of you to meet, talk about the pilgrimage, answer any questions you may have, and make sure the experience is a good fit. Once you are ready to join, your deposit secures your place in the pilgrimage.
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A $1,500 initial payment is required to secure your place on the pilgrimage following your application and private Zoom conversation with Annalisa.
The remaining balance may be paid in full or divided into a payment plan. All remaining payments must be completed by March 21, 2027.
If you cancel on or before December 31, 2026, payments made toward the pilgrimage will be refunded, less a $50 administrative fee. Cancellations after December 31 are subject to the cancellation and refund policy outlined in the Terms & Conditions.
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Because this is an intimate international pilgrimage with accommodations, transportation, guides, and other experiences reserved in advance, cancellations are subject to the Journey to the Goddess Reservation & Cancellation Policy.
Cancellation eligibility and refund amounts depend upon the date of cancellation. Please review the complete Terms & Conditions before submitting your deposit. Your deposit confirms that you have read and agreed to these terms.
