Finding Triskele in the wild

A mystical global scavenger hunt

My visit to Crete, Greece was guided by a dream.  In the dream, I was standing on the coast and looking out at sea.  Not far in front of me was a deserted island.  When I awoke from the dream, I connected with the idea of this being a spirited travel.  All signs pointed to yes and within 48 hours, I spent $350 for roundtrip, direct airfare 3 weeks later.  When determining where to stay, I looked at the map for a quiet, off-the-beaten path destination by the sea.  My lodging requirements were a seaview and a terrace.  When looking at the east coast of Crete, the village of Mochlos kept calling to me.  It was a full body yes.  When looking at airbnb reviews, “peaceful”, “remote” and “relaxing” were the affirmations I needed to book my seaview room.

What I did not realize was that there was an uninhabited island covered in ruins very close to the shore, just like in the dream.  I would later learn it was an Ancient Minoan port that became detached from the land with the expansion of sea overtime.  Apparently there was an escavation on this island which surfaced some incredible artifacts from ruling elite families.  Of course, learning this, I was bound and determined to get to this island.  There were one of two ways: swimming or the luck of a fishing boat being available that day.  The swim was only 100 meters, but I dare not test the waters.  Fortunately, the weather was mild and temperate which permitted a fishing boat to take individuals and small groups out at a time.

When I was out to breakfast one morning, I overheard the owner of the cafe speaking with a tourist asking whether or not the man with the boat was a fisherman.  When he explained he ferried people out to the island, I paid my check and immediately departed.  It was docked at the restaurant where I had eaten the night prior and the waiter I had had was there.  I spoke with him, telling him I was interested in going to the island.  He talked in Greek with the boat owner and told me to come back at 1pm.  I was out standing on my terrace at 12:48pm (yes I remember) and the man was boarding the watercraft.  I bolted down, the waiter called to the man for me and I was on it.  Alone.  I had a whole hour on this incredible, chilling, silent, mysterious land heaped with ruins, stones and endless curiosities.  All to myself.  

I somehow learned that the artifacts withdrawn from these ruins were located in the Heraklion Archaeological museum.  I decided to stop on my way back from Crete to Athens.  Heraklion is the airport where I would fly out of that night.  It was noon when I dropped off my rental car.  I had plenty of time to explore.  The museum itself is a wonder.  I walked through room after room of indescribable treasure until finally I arrived in the wings where the items escavated in Mochlos were located.  They were interspersed among objects found other places, so you had to look at each plaquard to see from where it was found.  My eyes rested on a black urn with a satisfyingly rustic variation of the triskele, unbeknownst to me a symbol from Greece as well.  It was from the excavation on the island of Mochlos.  

After finishing at the museum, I decided to sit in the courtyard to collect myself.  It dawned on me to have this tattooed.  I had always wanted a spiral tattoo of some sort that did not feel cliche or obvious.  This one was of a spiral within a spiral.  It was mysterious magic.  It was this trip personified.  When landing upon a tattoo shop, I dropped in.  The woman who ran it was about to leave but very kindly stayed and drew up the spiral for me.  It is totally perfect.  It even has the feeling of the pisces fish flowing within it.

Fast forward to a friend reaching out to me about selling a gong… with the spiral within a spiral as the heart of it, just like in my tattoo, and rainbows just like in each of my solo travels to Ireland and Greece with naturally stumblings-upon of triskelions.

There are elements of our journeys that feel connected with our soul or like a meaningful return to somewhere very familiar yet deeply forgotten.  I am learning more and more as I flow through this existence that the Triskelion is an Ancient Human symbol for connecting with the cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth; mind, body and soul; land, sky and sea; and so many intrinsic parts to the human experience.  May we remember how it is to simply be in that understanding.