Inspiring Stories of How Travel Can Spark Personal Growth
In Search of Aphrodite
by Pamela Leigh
Newly divorced and craving adventure, it was not my intention to actively seek out the Goddess of Love on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza in the summer of 2000. My primary purpose in going was to visit my Dutch friend Anna, who lives on the island. At that time, we had been friends for 30 years, ever since I was a college student in Texas and she was working as an au pair for an oil executive’s family.
But then the brief mention of Tanit, the Carthaginian goddess of sexuality, in a guidebook about Ibiza, caught my fancy. Tanit was worshipped in sanctuaries all over Ibiza, among other Mediterranean locales. Her symbols include the dove, the fruit of the pomegranate tree, and the moon. The guidebook information was just that brief, but it sparked my curiosity about this goddess whom I had never heard of before.
I began my search in the Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera, located in Dalt Vila, Ibiza’s medieval high-walled city. Hundreds of bronze, ivory, and bone amulets of the “sign of Tanit” have been excavated from her various shrines. The sign of Tanit is a simple triangle topped with a cross piece representing outstretched arms and above that a circle, representing her head. A small selection of these amulets is displayed in the museum.
After viewing the exhibits, I returned to the museum’s front entrance, a small room with a museum employee who collects the admission fee, a postcard rack of photos of the museum’s collection, and a small glass enclosed case with replicas of some of the museum’s artifacts for purchase. In it was a small bone amulet of the sign of Tanit, which intrigued me. About an inch long, there was a hole in the circle representing her head, ideal for adding to my gold neck chain. Even though I was drawn to it, I hesitated. The 1200 peseta price was not exorbitant—approximately $7 in U.S. currency—but, on a budget, I still thought it an extravagant purchase for such a small piece of bone. I instantly thought that if the bone amulet was at least 500 pesetas cheaper, I would buy it.
I reluctantly turned away from the case and walked over to the postcard rack to purchase one of the Tanit postcards. Happening to glance down at my feet, I found lying on the floor a 500 peseta note. I looked around and saw I was alone; no one was present other than the museum employee, who was absorbed in a task behind the desk. I bent down to pick up the note, amazed that I had just thought about purchasing the Tanit symbol if it had been priced 500 pesetas lower. I had to laugh and thought to myself, “All right, Spirit! I don’t know what this is all about, but I got the message!” I bought the bone Tanit amulet and immediately put it on the gold chain around my neck , which had for years only held a small emerald pendant—the gem of the heart and love. How appropriate I thought and wondered why on earth Spirit had been so insistent that I buy this amulet.
During the five weeks that I was in Ibiza, there had been talk of my friend Anna, a Dutch friend of hers, and I going on a goddess pilgrimage to the sacred site of Tanit that was mentioned in my guidebook. But Anna’s Dutch friend was already experiencing Aphrodite with a young lover she had met on her first vacation day in Ibiza and Anna was busy working. I had not rented a car and was not keen on navigating the sometimes rocky and ill-marked roads of Ibiza by myself in search of a site that was only vaguely described as located in the hills above Sant Vicent. But as it turned out, the young man who had become the lover of Anna’s friend, happened to be intrigued as well with the prospect of seeking out Tanit and offered to be my guide.
And so on my next to the last day in Ibiza, Daniel, his friend Justin, who was visiting from Vancouver, and I went in search of Tanit. How delicious to be on a journey to find the sacred site of the precursor to Aphrodite with two young, handsome men. Although older than my two Adonis’ by at least two decades, my adventurous spirit matched their enthusiasm, and we were instantly compatible seekers on a mission.
All we had to go on was a short mention in my guidebook that said one of the most important sanctuaries to Tanit in Ibiza was Es Cuieram, located in the mountains overlooking the town of Cala Sant Vincent. Since it was lunch time, we decided to eat first at a seaside café located there. As is customary on any Mediterranean island, meals are languid affairs, so even though we were excited about our adventure, we took our time in the hot–and getting hotter–Spanish sun.
After we had finished eating, I asked the waiter in my rudimentary tourist Spanish if he knew of the sanctuary to Tanit known as Es Cuieram. He replied in rapid, barely comprehensible Spanish but still managed to convey that he thought we were nutty Norte Americanos. He didn’t know exactly where it was, and he assured us that finding it involved a long and steep climb up a mountain that would be foolhardy in this heat and not worth the effort because over the years the vandals had stolen whatever artifacts were there. But we were a determined trio. Or rather, I was the determined one; the guys were definitely going along for the ride.
We got back in the car and started driving up the long, winding, picturesque mountain road between Sant Juan and Sant Vicente. Daniel had an idea that the site was located on the other side of the mountain where his Canadian parents had a home when they first lived on Ibiza, 20 years before. He was cruising up the mountain road at a good clip, the pine trees zipping by. Suddenly, I had an urge to fondle the carved bone Tanit amulet around my neck, asking Tanit to reveal herself if I was meant to see the site.
In the next moment, Justin yelled, “Stop! I think I see something!” Daniel slowed the car and started to back down the mountain. Sure enough, recessed far back from the road, almost hidden by the thick pine trees, was a small, white, barely visible sign. Daniel parked the car off the road amid a grove of pine trees, and we got out to inspect what turned out to be a marker with the words “Es Cuieram.” We had found the beginning of what looked to be a trail leading straight up the mountain.
We were giddy with excitement from what appeared to be sheer luck on finding such an obscurely placed and marked sign. Again, I was aware that Spirit had answered in short order my call for assistance. And we began our long, hot assent up a steep mountain path. We all wore tennis shoes, which provided little traction for the climb, but we were determined to continue the adventure. After about 25 minutes, we finally reached a plateau near the summit, where we found two caves, the entrances of which were blocked by iron bars. We had found Tanit’s sacred site.
A posted sign explained that the caves were blocked because the ceilings were perilously close to collapsing and it was extremely dangerous to enter the caves. One of the cave’s bars had been bent back enough to allow an average-size adult to pass through, evidence that Tanit’s followers were still continuing to worship at her shrine. We decided against entering, enjoying instead the incredible views of the Mediterranean below us.
Daniel and Justin went exploring further up the rocky mountain face and I sat down and meditated on the sea’s deep blue beauty. I had never been on a quest for anything in my life and I mused on the synchronicities that I encountered, viewing them as messages and guidance that led me to this spot despite the odds of finding it.
Beyond experiencing the exhilaration of an adventure and learning what can unfold when all the tumblers line up, I wondered what else might have prompted me to take up this particular quest. It wasn’t until later when, back home, I connected a dot of what (unconsciously) motivated me. I acknowledged to myself how emotionally shut down I had been after my divorce and that being nudged by spirit to reconnect with goddess energy was a big step forward in my personal transformation as a newly single woman.