άβατον
àvaton
A 3-month Dream Incubation Course
Starting Jauary 2026
entering the dreamer’s space
a space you enter cleansed
a space you enter with intention
a space you have prayed for
a space you are in need of
a space you have created space for
Àvaton: The name of the inner chamber in the Sanctuary of Asklepios where seekers would ritualistically be guided into sleeping and dream incubation.
To enter the àvaton and reach the stage of dream incubation, seekers would follow a process of cleansing and preparation of body, mind, and soul.
This preparation included praying, diet, herbs, bathing, exercise and the arts, among others.
These steps were essential to open up the inner space of the seeker, so dreaming could become a portal of healing in communication with the divine guidance of Asklepios.
Then, a bridge between conscious intention-action and unconscious processing was created.
Dream incubation is an ancient ritual practice present in many cultures across the world.
In modern psychology dreamwork practices have many purposes but, similar to ancient dream incubation, their approach seeks to bring us into contact with our unconscious, “our under/lower world”. The main difference is that traditional dreaming rituals and therapeutic processes, however, occur in relation to divine guidance (“the upper-higher worlds”) rather than mere scientific rigor.
In this course, we will follow the threads of Hellenic dreaming incubation practices as written and spoken about in historical texts and scientific accounts (e.g. from ancient texts to modern archaeological and psychotherapy studies). We will explore what can be seen and felt in the spaces of the temples, in the etymology of the words, in myths, dreams and meditations.
This course draws upon the philosophy and rituals of these ancient spaces and practices breaking them down into practical workshops and practicing dream analysis individually and in sharing circles.
This way, we hope to bring the context of this ancient knowledge and tradition into the present by learning and growing together as a cohort. Ultimately, we want everyone to get a sense of what the wisdom of preparing to enter the avaton for sleeping within can mean for our therapeutic journeys today.
our foundation
This course is based in Asclepian dream incubation and Jungian dreamwork as well as herbal and folk medicine.
The Asclepian tradition of dream incubation is part of the greater complex of temple medicine that emerged in Greece and Southern Italy (Magna Graecia) as well as the greater Mediterranean.
Jungian dreamwork is based in the psychology of Carl Jung and uses dream symbols and metaphors to understand the nature of the psyche and the unconscious as well as to access the "imaginal" realm.
this is for anyone who:
would like to begin or expand a dream practice
would like to learn more about the practice of Dream Incubation
is interested in ancient Greek history and myth
already have a dream practice and want to learn some new skills
already have a dream practice but want to practice in community
want to learn about plants and how they can aid and support dream recall
want to learn about plants that can aid and support sleep and sleep hygiene
“Dream Incubation remained central to western medicine from about 600 BC until about 500 AD when the church ended it because they wanted to have the franchise on revelation.”
~Peter Kingsley
PRoGRAM DETAILS
Each month there will be 3 live meetings:
A 2-hour lecture style teaching session that will include discussion and Q and A
a 1.5 hour workshop
a 1.5 hour dream share circle
All calls will be held on zoom and recorded for you to access in our classroom.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
January
Lecture: Tuesday, January 13 @ 2pm EST
Workshop: Tuesday, January 20 @ 2pm EST
Dream share: Saturday, January 31 @ 7pm EST
February
Lecture: Tuesday, February 10 @ 2pm EST
Workshop: Tuesday, February 17 @ 2pm EST
Dreamshare: Saturday, February 28 @ 7pm EST
March
Lecture: Tuesday, March 3 @ 2pm EST
Workshop: Tuesday, March 10 @ 2pm EST
Dreamshare: Saturday, March 28 @ 7pm EST
You’ll also receive access to our Discord group and PDF handouts.
curriculum
Mythology & Symbols
Asclepius: God of Healing
The snake and other animal symbols
The 5 Elements of Hygeia
The 4 Winds
The Orphics
Pythagoras
Parmenides
Philosophy & History
Dream Temple locations, structure and organisation
Healing Sanctuaries and Other therapies at dream temples
Archeology
Dreaming as a part of healing therapy
The Iatromantis/Physician Seers of the ancient world
Practices & Rituals
Starting a dream practice
Interpreting dream symbols and scenes
Dreaming in the context of healing/therapy
Sleep hygiene
Herbs for sleep and dreaming
Herbs for stress relief
Steps to dream incubation
Astrological connections: Natural cycles and dreaming
early bird pricing
3 months-1 lecture per month, 1 workshop per month, 1 dream share per month
Pay in Full
$750 $625
Three Payments
$250/month $218/month
Six Payments
$135/month $114/month
your teachers:
lisa fazio
My work is multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and emergent from many systems including
Traditional Western Herbalism : Italian Folk Magic : Astrology : Plant Spirit Medicine : Benedicaria
My lineage:
I am the descendant of Irish and Italian immigrants and live and work where all of my people first settled Turtle Island among the foothills of the Adirondacks in what is now known as New York State.
I am a folkloric witch as a granddaughter of the city of Benevento, Italy, La Città Delle Streghe, the city of witches where my Nonna was born, and of the ancient village of my Nonno; Feroleto Antico in Calabria. I grew up in the Italian enclave of Utica, NY immersed in Italian American culture.
My principal training is in Traditional Western Herbalism, Western Astrology, and the folk ways of my Italian immigrant family. I have also learned directly from observation and interaction with place, landscape, and the seasonal cycles as well as informal mentorship with elders where I learned tracking, foraging, gardening, and small-scale sustainable farming. My work is primarily grounded in an animistic view of nature and reality and emphasizes direct encounters with plants, the ecosystem, the ancestors, and the divine. I have an academic background in Psychology and Ethnobotany as well as years of study and practice in the traditions of Trika Shaivism, Folk Catholicism, Witchcraft, and Plant Spirit Medicine.
Above all I am a mystic mother who has raised 4 children. In my community I am known as an herbal practitioner, social justice and ecological activist, organizer. I am devoted to working to connect people with the magic of plants, nature, and their own innate healing potential.
dafni mangalousi
Dafni always had a knowledge and wisdom driven approach to life which resulted in a PhD. It was at that time that the constraints of the modern scientific method and the ‘persona’ of the academic became limitations to their wisdom-seeking journey and a change of pathway became a health and wellbeing requirement.
As part of their own self-gnosis journey, Dafni slowly became a sound and nature practitioner-therapist. Dafni recognises that none of this would have been possible without the dream practices and healing they were guided to from within. Delving into and connecting with the hellenic tradition and ancestral dream philosophy as well as researching and exploring different dream practices and traditions have been pivotal to their growth as a person-practitioner-therapist.
Dr. Dafni Mangalousi holds the following complementary therapist qualifications: Foundations of Buddhist Psychology (Tariki Trust, UK), Ecotherapy in practice (Tariki Trust, UK), Sound Healing Therapy (Kathmandu Healing Centre, Nepal), Yin Yoga (Himalayan Yogini, Nepal).
Their online and on-site sessions vary from pure sound therapy sessions to mixed approach sessions including walk and talk sessions, body movement and postures and guided meditations.
Dafni invites those who reach out to set therapeutic intentions and allow the therapeutic journey to unfold under a holistic approach to guidance that considers the relationship to nature, life, spirit or their expression in sound as the lead guide.
On Social Media: @echofysis