Interview by Thea Prothero.

In my second interview in a series with people who either  featured in my book or were inspired by my book, A Guide to Pilgrimage, published at the end of last year in the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books. These interviews are a way of digging deeper into the various aspects of pilgrimage and a way of highlighting what it means to different people.

The idea is to inspire you, dear reader, to consider pilgrimage as an act of devotion, or a way of connecting to the world around you, now or in the future.

My guest today needs no introduction to regular Moon Books readers – the wonderful Irisanya Moon, whose new book: Pagan Portals Hestiahas just been released this week. I have reviewed this new addition to the Pagan Portals series on my blog, which is listed at the bottom of the page. Irisanya’s other books include several on Greek deities, and going to Greece has always been on Irisanya’s bucket list.  

Firstly, could you tell us where you went on pilgrimage and why this place is significant to you?

In September of 2024, I went to Athens, Greece, a place I had only read about (and wrote about!) for the past decade or so. After writing about Aphrodite, Iris, Gaia, Artemis, and other Greek deities, and teaching classes on building relationships with these beings, I knew I would end up in Greece at the right time.

How long had you been planning to go on pilgrimage to Greece? (Ie has it always been a dream of yours to go there, or a more recent calling?)

It has always been my dream to go to Greece, and life has always gotten in the way. I had concrete plans to go in 2023, but those plans fell through for a few reasons. In early 2024, I lost a job and was feeling down, so I started researching what I thought was a ‘pretend’ trip to just boost my spirits for the moment. But I found reasonably priced accommodations and a strangely budget-friendly plane ticket, so I jumped on the opportunity.

How important was the journey to Greece as a way of disconnecting from your everyday life and becoming a pilgrim?

I didn’t go to Greece to disconnect from my everyday life, rather I went to connect more deeply to the writing and magickal work I do. That said, there is a definite separation when you’re not in your normal patterns and time zone. I had  open space and  an open schedule, I wrote about what I saw, what I felt, and how close the godds felt.

Could you tell us a little about the practical aspects of organising your pilgrimage? (Ie how you planned your route, what type of transport you used etc etc.)

I am probably not the best person for this question, as I tend to be a little spontaneous and trusting of my intuition. My thinking was this: go to Athens and find a small place to stay that is low priced and within walking distance of things you want to see.

I found my Airbnb first, and it was in a neighborhood that was close to grocery stores, restaurants, and some sights I wanted to see. Once I had that in place, I looked for a plane ticket, waiting for the prices to drop by signing up for price alerts on Google and through a service I use called Daily Drop Pro. This way, I can see what the pricing trends are and act on them. I live fairly close to a major international airport, so I use that as the departure location.

Once those two things were in place, I went to a search engine to find a list of the attractions in Athens. I wrote some of these down (and actually ended up seeing most of them). I also went onto TripAdvisor and looked at the different tours and activities. Because it’s easy for me to get a little loose with my travels, I signed up for two tours so I could hear from guides about the history of these sites: Parthenon/Acropolis and Delphi. The Acropolis was an early morning walking tour (important in the unforgiving heat!) and Delphi was an all-day trip on a bus a few hours out of Athens. They had meeting places that were in walking distance from my home base, so it was an easy adventure both days.

For the rest of my adventures, I walked from my place in the morning around Athens until midafternoon when it got very hot. Sometimes, I went to museums to cool down or I would go back to my accommodation, shower and go back out in the evening to explore. I found a main landmark (Hadrian’s Arch) and mapped my movements from there either on my phone or in a notes app.

On one of the last days, I took a train out to the shore to a beach that was supposed to be less touristy – and that was a fun adventure. I got confused about the trains but that just meant I went on a longer walk and saw more things along the way.

I love to walk in new places, so my plan of walking everywhere was perfect and really helped me live in the sun and the heat, while also offering an opportunity to connect to the land and people living their daily lives.

Did you do any meditation/visualisation/journeying to guide you to specific places in Greece to visit?

 I did have a list of places I wanted to see, but I mainly just walked around and discovered things as I went along. One of my favorite moments was seeing on my phone that there was an altar to Aphrodite tucked between buildings and restaurants. I kept following my GPS, and stumbled on a place with a rose bush that FELT like the place and my GPS was pointing there, but I couldn’t confirm it. I sat under the roses and talked with Aphrodite about my trip and my heart. Later in the week, I returned and then found a small stone sign that said that place was for Aphrodite.

I tend to start walking and then follow my heart to places, and I found so many surprisingly amazing things along the way.

How did you keep a record of your visit? Did you write in a journal, or notepad? (change to another format, if necessary) How did this help you after you returned from your pilgrimage?

I wrote about my daily adventures in a note in my phone where I had a list of things I wanted to do. That helped me remember what I did each day and in what order. I mostly took pictures as that tends to help me remember where I was, what I thought was important, and allow me to share bits of my trip with others. (I don’t share trip pictures publicly when I’m traveling alone but did when I got home.)

When I got back and started to share pictures, that’s when I wrote about things and started to give those moments meaning and form. I’m still processing what I experienced and have nearly 2000 photos to help me travel back to that week.

When you returned and reintegrated into your everyday life, how did it feel?

While this might sound ridiculous, I planned to return from Greece on a Friday and in less than 24 hours, get back on a plane to go to Los Angeles to co-teach a Rites of Passage class on Orpheus and Eurydice over the weekend. I knew it would be rough (more so on my cats who were confused to have me home and then gone again so quickly), but it was also PERFECT for transitioning into my teaching life again. I was drenched in Greek mythology, full of devotion, and prepared to bring people through a transformative weekend.

This side trip allowed me to bring myself back into magickal space with friends before heading home and meeting my unopened mail.

How has going on your pilgrimage changed you?

This trip was the first trip I’ve done alone to a new country that doesn’t speak English. And it held personal importance to me and this stage of my life. I stepped back from this trip knowing my magick to be in my bones and blood. I returned knowing I was able to care for myself and celebrate myself in a way I hadn’t been before. The godds are more alive in me, though they were never louder in Greece, as they’re always beside me.

Has any element of your specific pilgrimage transpired into any of your writing?

I’m glad that I was poised to write about Athena after traveling to Athens. One of the early chapters talks about arriving there and another part describes a tour I went on (that may have given me incorrect information!).  I’ve also signed a contract to write more about Aphrodite, so those pieces will be coming to that piece of writing in the future.

I also reference my trip with pictures and short poems or descriptions in my social media and Heart Magick substack. I love traveling back there through my writing and showing it to others.

Was my book A Guide to Pilgrimage useful in any aspect of your pilgrimage?

I think it’s always good to hear the experiences of others and how they approach these sacred moments. Honestly, until your book, I’m not sure I even called my trip a pilgrimage, but it certainly was one.

Finally, do you have any advice you could offer readers who are considering going on pilgrimage in the future?

My advice is to do it. If you’re called to go somewhere, I encourage you to start researching and planning it today. You may not be able to go right away, but I believe that when you start to share what you want out loud, even just to yourself, the universe conspires to help make it happen.

I know it’s not always as easy as that makes it sound. But I also know that acknowledging my longing has often opened many magickal doors.

Thank you to Irisanya Moon for her inspirational insights into pilgrimage by sharing her own story of pilgrimage.  As stated before, Irisanya Moon’s new Pagan Portal on the goddess Hestia is out now and my review of this wonderful new work will be on my blog this evening at heathenpilgrim.substack.com

For more details: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/irisanya-moon

Thea is a Heathen and a pilgrim. She likes to think of herself as a Nemophilist, which means a ‘haunter of woods’. She spends most of her free time walking in the wildest remotest lands, places that still make the gods tremble, and she loves the challenge of finding connection through nature to the divine. She writes prolifically, read equally, has a passion for learning, taking photos, grow things, and spend time with her family. she works in education and lives in the south of the UK.

For more details: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/thea-prothero