Quimera Priestess Training

A Yearlong Initiation into Ritual Dance,
Self-Development, Leadership, & Community

Do you hear the call ?

Do you long to experience movement not just as art, but as medicine and prayer?

Do you feel there is a deeper, wiser, more powerful version of yourself ready to be embodied?

Are you drawn to ritual, mythology, intuition, or communion with the unseen – even if you don’t yet know why?

Do you long to be witnessed as your most authentic self in a community of women from many walks of life?

Do you hear the call of the Priestess path?

Welcome to the Iseum of Quimera: A community of diverse women devoted to studying and becoming Priestesses, drawing upon what we understand of ancient Egypt. It is also a lineage of dance-as-healing and ritual performance, as well as a training in leadership, self-discovery, and lasting personal transformation.

Dates: A year and a day, beginning October 2026

Location: Bay Area, California + Select Online Gatherings

What is the Priestess Path?

Becoming a priestess is not about becoming someone else.

It is a journey of becoming more fully yourself.

Through ritual dance, community, ceremony, and the ancient mysteries of Egypt, we listen deeply to intuition, express authentically, and develop the skills to serve others through ritual and leadership.

The Priestess Path invites us into a deeper relationship with ourselves, our communities, and the sacred dimensions of life.

This training is for you if you…

Feel called to explore dance as a form of ritual and a healing path
Want to deepen your relationship with intuition and ceremony, or are curious about the teachings of Ancient Egypt
Long for meaningful community and authentic connection
Feel drawn to the Priestess in any of her forms: archetypal, ceremonial, clergical
Desire personal growth, leadership skills, and spiritual development
Want to travel the world or perform onstage as part of a dance company composed of Priestesses wielding the medicine of movement
Want to become certified to lead Quimera Ritual Dance ceremonies and/or pursue ordination to become a legal Reverend

You do not need to…

Have prior dance experience
Identify with any particular religion
Consider yourself “spiritual”
Already know what it means to be a Priestess
Be a performer
Look, move, or express yourself in a particular way

Women of all ages, body types, life experiences, cultural backgrounds, and levels of dance experience are welcome.

You belong here even if you are unfamiliar with this world.

- YOUR INVITATION -

You are invited into a life-altering initiation:

This is more than a certification program, it is an opportunity to live life fully as a Priestess for a year and a day (and beyond, if you so choose). This initiation has the power to change your life: to connect more deeply to yourself and the unseen realms, to heal on a cellular level, to integrate the shadow and the light, and to be part of a lifelong sisterhood of women devoted to the positive growth of humanity and our planet.

What you will experience:

A year of ceremonies:

Your initiation will be a year and a day, taking place across 13 lunar cycles

Monthly Ceremonies
4 Weekend Temple Immersions
2 Week-Long Temple Retreats at The Isis Oasis Sanctuary
Monthly Quimera Ritual Dance Teacher Training
Monthly Support Calls
Teachings and Retreats featuring lessons by creator of Quimera Method: Rev. Priestess Anandha Ray
Performance Opportunities (local & international!)
*International Pilgrimages and/or performances are an additional fee

This year of Initiation is a deep-dive into the profound work of Quimera Ritual Dance. It is conducted mostly in person in the Bay Area, CA with monthly zoom calls for additional support (see schedule below). You will be welcomed in as life-long community with the dancing priestesses of this tradition.

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The Pillars of the Priestess Path:

People come to this path for many reasons…

Some resonate with the Priestess archetype; others are called to deepen their relationship with dance and performance; some are drawn to leadership, ordination, and certification; while others join to heal themselves or be part of a lifelong community. Whatever your reason, we welcome All that you are.

Dance & Performance

Ritual Dance Ceremonies:

Experience dance as a ritual for healing and connection with unseen realms. Learn tools and techniques to expand your abilities as a dancer in movement patterns unique to you. Become certified to lead ritual dance ceremonies and share the medicine of movement out in the world.

Performance:

In Quimera, performance is a moving act of prayer, connecting deeply to your emotions and putting the full human experience on stage. You do not need experience as a dancer, as you will have a ritual performance journey created just for your group, with opportunities to perform locally and even travel abroad! (*additional fee for travel abroad)

Leadership

Empowered Leadership:

This is more than a leadership training, it enables you to hold yourself as a priestess when leading and in your daily life. You will be provided with tools, guidance, and certification to lead group ceremonies and workshops, as well as techniques to hold space in interpersonal dynamics.

Become Legally Ordained:

After living life fully as a Priestess for one year, you will be ordained as a Priestess and Ceremonialist with legal rights to preside over: weddings, naming ceremonies, funerary services, birth rites & death rites, provide spiritual counsel, make hospital and prison visitations, and all duties of clergy.

Kindred Community

Quimera Sisterhood:

Have life-changing experiences and build meaningful relationships within your committed cohort and with the priestesses of Quimera, a community of diverse women who your soul will recognize from previous lifetimes.

The Temple and Beyond:

When you are ordained as a Priestess, you become a lifetime member of the Temple at the Isis Oasis, as well as the international Fellowship of Isis.

Self-Development

Wisdom Teachings:

Receive teachings written by our elder teacher and founder, Anandha Ray, that are only available to members of Quimera. Anandha’s wisdom teachings, compiled in The Book of Illuminated Shadows, are a fusion of channeled teachings, life experience, and scientific research.

Healing & Self-Growth:

Our Oath: “I dedicate myself to consciously do the work everyday to face my fears, to really see myself and to be the pure vessel for the positive growth of humanity and our planet. I take this oath to face the darkness and my personal fears, seeing the value of this as equal to the value of the light. Furthermore, I take an oath to do so everyday for the rest of my life, with an intention to surround myself with others who seek the same goals.”

Ceremonies & Journeywork

Ceremony and Ritual:

Gatherings in Quimera are not simply trainings or retreats, they are ceremonies. Over the course of the year, you will participate in and learn to offer ceremonies and rituals that are unique to Quimera.

Spiritual Practice & Ceremonial Tools:

Develop or dive deeper into a relationship with the unseen realms (guides, deities, elementals, ancestors, etc). Learn how to use sacred tools in ceremony and create your own (smudge fans, smoke purification bundles, athame, crown, medicine bags, and more).

Shamanic Journeying:

Experience guided shamanic journeys to connect with ancient Egyptian deities, travel through your subconscious in Waking Dreams visualizations, and experience profound spiritual journeys on your own and with other Priestesses.

And so much more...

Wisdom & Movement Lineage:

It’s hard to explain exactly what we do here. The Iseum of Quimera is an initiatory, lineage-based tradition that teaches inner wisdom and spiritual transformation through sacred rituals.

Knowledge is unlocked through ritual and embodiment as the initiate progresses along the path and becomes ready to internalize it. Quimera is A Living Tradition with an unbroken chain of teachers and traditional lineages, which safeguards the energy and passes the current to those who embrace this path fully for a year and a day. Quimera is so much more than a “mystery school”, it is a lifelong initiation into a kindred community of souls who recognize each other from lifetimes past.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the schedule for the year?

Important Note:

This is the proposed meeting schedule for the initiate year beginning in October 2026. Certain dates are set in stone (Blessing of the Way, Quarterly Quimera Zoom Calls, and Convocation) but others may be adaptable depending on the needs of the group. For example, monthly gatherings are planned to take place on the first Saturday of the month (excepting holiday weekends), but we may decide as a group that a different day of the week is better.

Blessing of the Way (In-person or virtual)

(Optional) October 11, 2026: At the Isis Oasis in Geyserville, CA or virtual (~1-3pm). You are invited to come witness the Ordination of current Initiates and receive your Blessing-of-the-Way as an Initiate! This is the graduation to becoming a Priestess that you will have in Oct 2027. Optional to attend but highly encouraged (will be done by attunement if you aren’t there live).

*If you attend the Convocation weekend, there is a fee payable to Isis Oasis but attending only the Blessing of the Way is free.

Meetings: 2x/month

Daylong Trainings – Saturdays 11:00am-5:00 pm PST (Oakland)

Dates: Oct 17, Jan 9, March 6, July 10, Sept 11

11:00am-5:00pm with your Guide, Rev. Priestess Naia (featuring special trainings with the founder, Rev. Priestess Anandha Ray and other local Quimera Priestesses)
- Location: The Abundance Collective (376 40th Street, Oakland CA 94609)

Quarterly First Thursdays (Zoom/Bay Area)

Dates: Nov 5, Feb 4, May 6, Aug 5

Nov 5 & Feb 4: We will meet only via Zoom for the virtual ceremony; 5:45-7:30 pm PST.
- Quarterly First Thursday Call with all Priestesses (5:45-7:30 pm PST). This is the monthly zoom gathering of all Quimera priestesses who are able to attend. The link will be provided for you.
- *Feb 4: We will gather together in-person in the Bay Area by 5pm as this will be the start of our Weekend Immersion (Feb 4-7, 2027)
May 6 and Aug 5: In-Person Training + Zoom Call (Walnut Creek)
- 1:30pm-5:30 pm with your Guide, Rev. Priestess Naia and featuring special trainings with the founder, Rev. Priestess Anandha Ray!
- 5:45-7:30 pm Quarterly Quimera Ceremony with all Priestesses (held on Zoom)
  - We will remain in-person and sign on to the zoom call together.

Third Tuesdays 4:30-6:30 pm PST (Virtual)

Dates: Nov 17, Dec 15, Jan 19, Feb 16, March 16, April 6*, May 18, June 15, July 20, Sept 21, Oct 19

4:30-6:30 pm with your Guide, Rev. Priestess Naia and Rev. Priestess Chaya Kornreich (featuring special teachings by other Priestesses of Quimera)

3 day Immersions: Anticipated Dates

December 4-6, 2026 (confirmed dates): At the Isis Oasis in Geyserville, CA.

Feb 4-7, 2027: Private home in the Bay Area (includes First Thursday Zoom Call; arrival by 5pm on Thursday)

June 4-6, 2027: Private home in Los Angeles or the Bay Area

August 5-8, 2026 (confirmed dates): We will be meeting at Anandha’s house in Walnut Creek for a special daylong training on Thursday Aug 5. We will caravan from there to the Isis Oasis in Geyserville, CA (~90-120 minutes drive).

This immersion typically involves inviting the public to the Way of the Priestess workshop/performance, which is co-led by the Initiates.

Weeklong Intensives

Sacred SOURCE-ery: Updated Dates: April 25-May 1, 2027

This is the annual gathering for any Quimera Priestesses who wish to join and is required for Initiates. Featuring in-depth trainings, wisdom teachings, medicine ceremony, rehearsals, performance, etc.
*Option to arrive early and/or stay until Sunday for additional fee of $45/night

Convocation (confirmed dates): October 4-11, 2027 at Isis Oasis

This is our weeklong intensive leading up to Ordination, which is part of the Isis Oasis’s yearly Convocation weekend. Quimera Priestesses usually arrive Monday (optional arrival Sunday for additional fee) for our private retreat through Thursday. Then, we stay to attend the public Convocation event Thursday afternoon-Monday midday. The Ordination, which is your culmination/graduation, is on Sunday.

Noonrite:

Required 1x/month: Noonrite is available to attend Mon-Fri every week at 12:00pm for ~15-20 minutes

Anyone in Quimera is invited to gather on zoom for the Noonrite ritual. You can come every day or once a week- as often or infrequently as works for your schedule. We ask that you attend at least once per moon cycle. You will learn more about what this is and why we attend when we begin the training.

Reminder: For all meetings we expect you to arrive by 15 mins early (this means if start time is at 4:30, arrive by no later than 4:15!!). Dates above are mandatory to attend to complete the training, in particular the Immersions and Intensives. If 1 or maybe 2 of the other meetings need to be missed due to illness, or other circumstance, we will address it on a case-by-case basis. If you know now that you have to miss a date, please get in contact immediately. We understand that we are all human and life happens, but we ask that you commit to this schedule with unbending intention. There is a lot to cover and missing any meetings means someone may fall behind in the training. Thank you for your understanding.

Is this training for women only?

While this training is rooted in the priestess tradition, we welcome women (cis and trans) and nonbinary people who feel called to this work. We welcome people of all ages, body types, cultural backgrounds, spiritual traditions, and levels of dance experience. Women come to this work from many different cultures, professions, belief systems, and life experiences. You are welcome exactly as you are.

Do I need dance experience to join?

No previous dance experience is required. What matters most is a genuine willingness to show up, participate fully, and step beyond your usual comfort zone.

Where are the in-person meetings?

Monthly in person gatherings are hosted in Oakland or Walnut Creek, CA. The Weeklong Retreats and Weekend Temple Immersions are hosted at the Isis Oasis Sanctuary in Geyserville, CA. Some Weekend Immersions may be hosted at a private home in the Bay Area or Los Angeles.

How much does it cost?

While a training of this nature typically costs upwards of $15,000, we try to keep our costs very low, to make our work more accessible. So…

The total cost for the training is $10,000, which can be paid as a lump sum or as monthly payments.

A deposit of $1,000 is to be paid in September 2026, ideally by September 15. $9,000 will be paid over the course of 12 months (Oct 2026-Sept 2027). This is $750 per month, to be paid on the 1st or 15th of the month. If you prefer 2 payments per month, it will be $375 on the 1st and $375 on the 15th.

What does this include?

Lodging and catered meals for Immersions and Intensive Retreats
Your lodging, food and attendance to the Convocation weekend at Isis Oasis
Your participation in Quimera for the year (future years are free to participate, except for minimal costs to attend immersions, retreats, and/or performance opportunities that all Priestesses pay for)
The supplies for training-related materials (examples: priestess books, crafting supplies, and sacred medicine)

What is not included?

Dance clothing and performance clothing/jewelry (you are not required to be extravagant with this spending but will need to acquire on your own)
Ingredient contributions to Tribal Soup at Immersions and Intensives (example: a vegetable or broth). Also your personal simple breakfast and snacks for these gatherings.

What if I really want to do this training but can't afford it?

A training of this nature typically would cost over $15,000 and we keep costs low to make it more accessible. Your payment of $10,000 over 12 months goes toward:

Room cost for in-person retreats
Countless hours of facilitator training and certification in Quimera Method Ritual Dance
Teacher fees (Anandha, Naia, any guest teachers when applicable)
Wisdom Teachings composed by Anandha Ray that will change your outlook on life
A lifelong community of supportive, diverse women who your soul will recognize from previous lifetimes

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer scholarships for the Priestess Training because we already have created the program to minimize costs as much as possible. What may seem expensive now is an investment for your future that is worth making.

It is crucial that your payments be made on time to ensure your continued participation as an Initiate of Quimera and to uphold the standards of integrity we hold in this community.

What if I can't make one of the meetings?

One of the things we learn as we go through the initiate year is how to hold our commitments with unbending intention. While we understand that life happens, we make it a priority to hold our commitments with unbending intention… meaning that we prioritize the dates that are on the calendar when we sign up and guarantee that unless there is a life-altering circumstance, we will uphold our commitments.

Thus, it is important that you put all dates on your calendar for the year so that you can commit with unbending intention to this training.

Where does Quimera perform?

The work that we do is often done in public performances. While we also meet in ceremony, Quimera Ritual Dance goes out into the world and offers ritual dances in performances both locally and internationally. We frequently perform at the Isis Oasis and have also had performed at numerous concerts and festivals (Desert Dwellers, Illuminertia, Goopsteppa & Clozee, How Weird Street Faire SF, San Francisco Movement Arts Festival, and many more).

In recent years we have enjoyed pilgrimages and performances in Mexico, Egypt, Scotland, and England.

Featured on ABC 7 News, EIN News, Localish!

Meet the Founder

Rev. Priestess Anandha Ray

Director of Quimera Ritual Dance and Founder of the Iseum of Quimera

Rev. Priestess Anandha Ray, MA, MA, DTR has spent her life exploring the mysteries and magic of dance—first in her professional life as a dancer, choreographer and artistic director for over 30 years, then as a ritual ceremonialist since 2011.

With a master’s degree in dance therapy, another in choreography and kinesiology, and three decades of experience working with dancers across disciplines—from concert performances to private ceremonies—she has developed a completely unique way to use dance as a shamanic instrument.

Her form, Quimera Method—named after a mythological creature made of the parts of many animals that can only be tamed by its own reflection in the waters of life—helps people tap into and embody their authentic voice and learn how dance communicates with an audience while healing trauma.

She will reveal to you ANCIENT SECRETS: bits of knowledge that will change your dancing right away and profoundly! Her greatest joy is seeing how these forms of dance offered as ceremony and ritual can change people’s lives.

Anandha served as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Embassy on international tours and was the Chairperson of a university dance program in addition to directing an internationally touring dance company for three decades before retiring from the professional world of dance to become a full-time ceremonialist in Quimera Method, a shamanic form of dance training and performance.

The Priestess Path:

The journey of initiation spans one year and demands commitment, as it may present challenges along the way. To become a legally ordained Priestess of Isis in Quimera, you must devote your best efforts to the training, embracing its transformative nature. Together, we form an intentional community, striving to evolve into the best versions of ourselves. Each day, we pursue our shared goal while drawing upon the collective skills we have intentionally cultivated.

Within our community, we are trained as ceremonialists in transformational ritual performances of Quimera. Our dedication to continual growth and improvement in these sacred practices unites us. As we navigate life’s intricate paths together, we rely on these well-honed skills, working harmoniously as a collective.

If these aspects resonate with your inner being and ignite a sense of excitement within you, then you have arrived at the right place.

Contact Naia to request an informational zoom or phone call.

You can reach Naia by text at (818) 585-9076 or email quimeraritual@gmail.com

Meet Your Guide

Hosted by Rev. Priestess Naia Riley following the teachings of Rev. Priestess Anandha Ray

Reverend Priestess Naia Riley is a legally ordained Priestess of Isis who has been leading ceremonies and workshops for over 15 years and has been devoted to the Quimera lineage for nearly a decade. She empowers people to discover their inner voice and reclaim their innate capacity for healing through therapeutic movement, trauma-informed practices, and ceremony. As an international teacher and performance artist, Naia uses dance as a transformative ritual, guiding individuals into deeper connection with themselves, their bodies, and the wisdom they carry within.

As a Priestess and Ceremonialist, Naia has spent the past nine years training and teaching in Quimera Method—a ritual dance technique and performance art form that facilitates healing through the medicine of movement. Her teachings weave together ancient priestess traditions with modern understandings of trauma, creating ceremonial experiences that are both deeply embodied and accessible.

*Is your soul longing for something and you can’t quite put words to it?

*Do you seek more magic and ritual in your daily life?

*Are you ready to step into the fullness of who you came to this world to be, surrounded and supported by a community of kinfolk?

Beyond her ceremonial work, Naia is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in trauma-informed care for eating disorders and body healing. She has trained extensively in the field of trauma recovery and helped develop an intensive outpatient program for individuals recovering from PTSD at The Luminous Healing Center. Whether working in ceremony or in clinical practice, she integrates movement, neuroscience, and compassionate guidance to help people restore trust in themselves and their bodies.

Naia brings her own journey of healing into her work with authenticity, empathy, and humor. Her approach honors both ancient wisdom and evidence-based practice, inviting others to remember that healing is not something we receive from another, it is something we awaken within ourselves.

QUIMERA OATH OF TRUTH

This oath is the foundation upon which the members and wisdom keepers of Quimera build our community. We take this oath and promise to do the inner work necessary to be strong in word and of ear, and to bow to the wisdom of each other in grace.

In August 2023, Quimera Ritual Dance traveled to Scotland to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This is the largest performing arts event in the world, hosting 2,500+ shows daily for an entire month. Quimera was invited to share our ritual dance offering on stage, where we were able to impact people from all over the world.

Sacred to the Memory was filmed after our performance in a historical cemetery, where we called upon the energies of those who passed and offered them blessings in the form of dance.