ACADEMY OF ORACLE ARTS PRESENTS
PILGRIMAGE OF THE ROSE
Devoting to the Path OF MARY MAGDALENE
IN-PERSON JOURNEY
SOUTHERN FRANCE
MAY 7TH - MAY 15TH, 2025
LED BY AUDE BARRAS
Tantric Lineage Practitioner, Pilgrimage Guide, Devotee of the Rose
SUPPORTED BY MARCUS REICHER
It is said that, where a luminous one or Saint walked and loved, their essence, and realizations still reverberate, and can palpably reconnect us to that same source within. This is exactly what many are experiencing today in the land and regions where Mary Magdalene is said to have lived, practiced and embodied a love so intense and total that the lives of many are still touched by it today. Re-awakening a devotional flame, invigorating wonder and meaning.
According to a long-held story, Mary Magdalene was Exiled from Holy Land after Yeshua's death and resurrection, and miraculously found sanctuary in what is now Provence, France. We invite you to a pilgrimage to resonate with her energy, and to live as close as possible to where it is said she brought the "spirit" to the local people and her radiance is still felt. We walk in her footsteps through Southern France - along the Cathar trails, in the forests of Provence, and on the land of Camargue, following the whispered legends and traditions still spoken today of her life and journey. Here, her love and essence can be felt and await recognition to reawaken the wisdom of the land and the Way of Love.
We will begin in Barcelona, traveling to a nearby site dedicated to the Black Madonna to encounter the void space of the womb, the primal mother. Then, we will make our way to the Cathar Land in Southern France, where we will be based for four days at the foothills of Montségur, one of the last Cathar strongholds. Daily, we will journey to secret sacred sites, passed through oral transmission, to feel, honor, and silg love back into the land where the Rose awaits to be re-awoken.
After being fully immersed in these lands, we will travel to Provence, where Mary Magdalene is said to have spent the last 30 years of her life in retreat in the forest. A magical forest that has been revered and considered sacred for thousands of years . Our journey will also include a passage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Camargue, the shore upon whit is is believed she first set foot in Gaul (ancient France).
Many of us have walked the paths of the Rose, seeding the ley lines with the codes of love. As we sowed, we vowed to remember and come together once again. Embarking on a pilgrimage like this is to enter a living stream of wisdom, devotion and love that flows all the way back to source. We invite you to be part of this livings stream of remembrance, along sacred lines where, in the stillness of our being and attunement to the living echoes, we can taste reverence with which she walked. It's a chance for us to become vessels of a love beyond our imagining and carry these seeds back home where they may breathe new life into our world.
What greater purpose is there than to honor "the one who loved much"? And to uphold that resonances of Beauty on a land that knows its meaning and longs for its recognition?
A pilgrimage is an invitation to surrender and embark on a journey of Self-remembering. Each step offers an opportunity to open, receive, and remember the mystical energies still present in these ancient paths. By honoring the wisdom of intimacy-the core of who you are- you will be encouraged to unravel your own ancient wisdom, surrendering to its gentle rhythm. We will engage in deep presence at sacred sites, allowing Her influence to gently awaken the Rose in your heart.
Most days, we will begin with a morning attunement before setting out on our walking adventure.
This is a call for The Pilgrimage of the Rose to gather again: to trust, surrender, offer our hearts in devotion and dedicate ourselves to remembering, living, and loving as embodied presence. The group is intentionally kept small, fostering intimacy and providing a safe space to awaken your own remembrance.
May this pilgrimage and the essence of Mary Magdalene invite you back into an intimacy with your own devotional heart.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- ONLINE OPENING CALL (MARCH 21ST, 2025)
- ACCOMMODATION FOR 8 NIGHTS (BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY)
- FULL BOARD (BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER) WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 3 LUNCHES
- TRANSPORTATION WITHIN THE PILGRIMAGE
- MORNING ATTUNEMENT & PRACTICES
- DAILY WALKING PILGRIMAGE
- POST PILGRIMAGE INTEGRATION CALL (JUNE 2025)
WALK IN BEAUTY
EMBRACE DEVOTION
RADIATE LOVE
IMPORTANT DATES
FEBRUARY 14, 2025 | DEPOSIT & APPLICATION DUE
MARCH 21, 2025 | PRE-PILGRIMAGE OPENING CALL
MAY 6, 2025 | MEETING IN BARCELONA AIRPORT
MAY 14, 2025 | FAREWELL & DEPARTURE FROM MARSEILLE
JUNE 2025 | POST PILGRIMAGE INTEGRATION CALL
RESERVATIONS
LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE ONLY 11 SPOTS AVAILABLE
TO RESERVE:
PLEASE REGISTER BY COMPLETING THE APPLICATION & MAKING YOUR DEPOSIT
APPLY HERE
TUITION
Cost of the Journey is $4300 USD
$2,200 USD deposit by December 15th, 2024
Remaining balance of $2,100 USD due by February 15th, 2025
The price is for double occupancy rooms. There is the possibility of single occupation for an additional $550 USD for part of the journey, depending on availability.
Any cancellation made after February 15th, 2025 will result in a total loss of funds. We reserve the right to cancel the pilgrimage if it does not meet the trip minimum (if we cancel, your deposit is refunded). Your deposit holds your place and the remaining must be paid no later than February 15th, 2025.
ACCOMMODATIONS
MONTESERRAT
HOTEL ABAT CISNEROS
The building that now houses the Hotel Abat Cisneros has provided accommodation for pilgrims since its original construction in 1563. The hotel's location at the heart of the sanctuary, near the Basilica, allows us to bathe in the magic of the mountain once the tourists leave at 6PM.
CATHAR LAND
LES CONTES
Les Contes is the last property as you climb your way through the towering gorge toward the village and Chateau of Montsegur, known as the last Cathar stronghold. Surrounded by the Pyreness Mountains of "Occitan" France, Les Contes (which means the tales) is a place filled with myth, legend and folklore so we may come to understand our unique gift and purpose and weave ourselves back into the natural world to which we belong. Situated at the confluence of two streams and beside a holy spring. Those who feel a strong calling toward Mary Magdalene will discover this place strongly rooted in her tradition.
SAINTE-BAUME, PROVENCE
L'HOSTELLERIE DE LA SAINTE-BAUME
The Hostelry in Sainte-Baume is not a classic hotel. It is a religious house held by Dominican friars who are the guardians of the relics of Mary Magdalene. Settled at the bottom of the mountain of Sainte-Baume, at the foot of the ancient forest, it allows us to be fully immersed in the field of Magdalene. There is a chapel inside the hostelry open 24 hours a day with regular services and song. It's a space that welcomes people from all over the world-religious and non-religious alike. We will be having our dinner there as well.
What previous students say about Aude's courses & Pilgrimages...
"If you’re walking the path of the rose making your way home towards Mary Magdalene, Aude is the most brilliant guide. I couldn’t have picked a better teacher if I tried to. Aude is a fountain of wisdom and walks this path like a true high priestess, with grace, humility & love. Her teachings have left me in awe, wonder, and inspiration. Grateful that the Goddess Herself conspired us to meet.
Maria Amiouni – Dubai
“Our journey with Aude was a beautiful gift to my pregnancy. There was much space for contemplation, ritual, prayer, and silence with the ancient mysteries. I trust Aude’s honor of the sacred sites and her heart’s intention to hold them sacred in great reverence for years to come. She made the journey a place to get to know Mary Magdalene in our hearts and bodies by providing us the framework and structure, and then letting the spirit of love take over. Highly recommend.”
Alexandra Roxo, Bestselling Author of F*CK LIKE A GODDESS + DARE TO FEEL
“Pilgrimaging in the South of France with such a grounded, devotional guide as Aude was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience. She holds incredible space and her commitment to her own practice and the Mother shines through in simply being in shared presence. Pair that with the wisdom of the land from the sacred sites we traversed and the transformation that is available within a journey like this is truly exponential.”
Luna Battalia – USA
Meet your guides
AUDE BARRAS
Through many paths, traditions, and seeming lifetimes of exploring feminine embodiment, Aude found her way in an ancient, living, tantric lineage of Goddess worship, where in an instant of profound recognition, it was revealed that the Rose had always been the way.
Born Christian, the divine mother had called her outside of her own cultural context to be touched by the holy, before returning back to her original faith in the mysticism of Magdalene. Led to the cave of Sainte Baume on the feast of Mary Magdalene, Aude eventually realized she was unknowingly following in the footsteps of the legends of Magdalene’s walk through the rose ways of southern France.
Beyond the mind, beyond her own understanding, beyond comprehension, in a depth of mystery still unveiling itself today, she began to follow a longing and relentless call to live and walk the trails where Mary Magdalene is said to have come after her exile from the holy land.
Years later, on a winter solstice in Avebury — a Celtic site dedicated to the Goddess — a call was heard, a stone whispered, “It is time to bring people on the land to simply be Love.” Ever since Aude has guided intimate pilgrimages of remembrance, where each who walk offer recognition, as petals of beauty, reawakening the long forgotten lines of the Rose in southern France.
MARCUS REICHER
After years of following a flame inside, beyond his own understanding, expectation, plans, or even will — doing it ‘the old school way’ — Marcus found himself living in Catholic Portugal (despite not being formally Christian at all) preparing.
Hearing about the skull of Magdalene housed somewhere in France, and not being able to shake the thought, despite knowing nothing about it and very little about her, Marcus booked a 28 hour bus ride across two country borders on an expired visa. Setting out, as if on a boat without oars, knowing nothing of what he was stepping into or the immense impact it would have on his life.
Years and many pilgrimages, sacrifices, myths, rituals and offerings later, having spent more than a yoga teacher’s training’s worth of hours emptying in front of Magdalene, he knew something was about to change; and was called out of the cave to share some of what she gave.
May you remember it’s a love story after all
