The Career Astrologer 1 2016 | Page 29

OPA Conference Greece! Special Event Cultural Evening in Athens May 28 O n the evening of May 28, following a day of cosmic presentation at the conference, we will visit the Dora Stratou theatre, considered the living museum of Greek dance. There are daily performances in the its 800-seat garden theatre and includes a company of 75 dancers, musicians and folk singers, with collection of over 2,000 village-made cos- tumes, with jewels and other works of folk art worn on stage. fill a week. Mycenaean and ancient monuments around every corner. Among them are Epidavros, one of the best preserved amphitheatres in existence in terms of its perfect acoustics and fine structure. It was constructed in the late 4th century BC and it was finalized in two stages. Originally the theatre had 34 rows of seats divided into 34 blocks by stairs and walkways. It is situated near the ancient sanctuary of Asklepios, a cele- brated healing center of the classical world. It was used as a therapeutic and religious centre dedicated to Asklepios, the God of Healing. Properly positioned on the stage, I could hear Dvora’s unamplified whisper from the top row of seats! This is per- haps an opportunity for us to send from this site waves of healing to the world! The next morning we headed back north, travelling to the ancient fortifications of Mycenae, where Agamemnon once ruled, husband of the very same Helen whose escape with Paris started the Trojan War, subject of Homer’s Iliad. No trip to Greece is complete without a picture taken under the Lion’s Gate! The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, southern Greece. It was erected during the 13th century BC in the northwest side of the acropolis and is named after the relief sculpture of two lionesses or lions in a heraldic pose that stands above the entrance. The Lion Gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture as well as the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean. R Alexandra and Dvora Epidavros Amphitheatre Retrace the first leg of the Greece Sacred Sites Journey itinerary May 31–June 9 I n tasting a bit of the sacred sites tour, Dvora and I found ourselves driving from Athens, passing the ancient port of Piraeus, crossing the impossibly narrow and deep Corinthian Canal (started by Roman Emperor Nero), in finding our way to the north end of the Peloponnesian Peninsula toward the city of Nafplio. The ARGOLIS region is what locals call the “real Greece”, and they claim Nafplio is the most beautiful town in the country. Nafplio was the first capital of Greece, and beauty, culture, his- tory and tradition characterize this wonderful city. The beautiful old city has a wealth of narrow alleyways and streets, steep stairs, taverns serving delicious Greek food, lively bars, clubs and cafés, a lovely seafront promenade, and enough sights to The Career Astrologer OPA’s Quarterly Magazine Lion’s Gate V25 -01 MARCH EQUINOX 2016 page 29