The Temple Apollo — claire falcon

Ancient Delphi is a unique and inspiring place to visit for the visitor and mystic seeker alike. Beautifully carved stones, a winding path for pilgrims seeking to pay homage, and the rolling Parnasoss moutains frame this iconic historical site.

Legend and myth tell us it was here in Delphi that two Eagles met, after being released from Zeus at opposite ends of the earth, and thus heralding Delphi as the center of the world. It was here too, that both rich and poor alike sought out the guidance of the Pythia, usually a selected village woman who was trained as the oracle and priestess. Insight on famine, battles, war, and general guidance was sought from this figure who would inhale the gases secreted between the rocks.

The burning of laurel wreths, purification of the body bathed in nearby Castalian sacred springs, and offerings brought by the seeker marked the process. Gifts and tokens were placed along the winding path to the top of the mountain, in hopes of pleasing the god Apollo and forging a way to the oracle. International statesmen and commoners alike sought the prophecies of the oracle, most notably Socrates himself who was told that no man was wiser than he. The eternal fires burned without cessation for over 1,000 years at the Temple of Apollo until in 393 A.D. when the Romans banned the site and its pagan prophecies.

It is easy to see why this site remains a fervent memory in the collective consciousness of Greeks and and even easier to see why so many flock to the site each year. The site is engulfed in mountains that, when seen from the center of the sanctuary´s amphitheatre, provide a breathtaking backdrop. There is a unique stillness that the temple emits--touching the ancient stones as you make you make your pilgramage to the top, seeing the mountains and sea to the distance just as any ancient Greek or international noble would have done, or sensing the deeply mystical energy of the sanctuary as you pause to sense the history of this sacred site.