Our second day on Iona began with worship at the Abbey with all those who have traveled to the island on pilgrimage of their own. Worship was led by the staff who rare in residence at the community. As worship happens every day at 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. there is a rhythm that begins to form your day, even after only a short while. That rhythm is one that is not hurried but has intention. After breakfast,there is worship which grounds you for the work or play of the day. After dinner, there is worship for giving thanks for the day and setting the pace of your heart and mind for rest. It was amazing how quickly most of us fell into this pattern, this practice.
The main event of our day was the pilgrimage around the island, stopping at points of interest, places where important act happened. Where St. Columba first landed with his band of refugee monks. The Hill of Angels where a man was said to be visited by angels. St. Columba beach where the particular green stones known to Iona can be found.Martyrs Bay, where 68 monks were slaughtered by Norse invaders. The pilgrimage walk took us over paved roads, farm fields, a golf course. Up rocky hills that still had blooming purple heather on them, through muddy, boggy fields and finally onto the beach covered by stones of an enormous variety of colors. It was a stone seeker’s heaven. This terrain was not for the faint of heart but our guide, Jana McCellan, had reminded us that on pilgrimage you travel at the pace of your slowest companion. This was a good reminder for all of us as a wise way to walk in the world. I believe we all found great gifts and challenges on this trek.
One of the true gifts of this experience was that our guide, Jana, had created meditative stops along the way for us to reflect, not only on the history of the places our feet trod, but on what standing in these places might mean for our life, here, now.As we stood at the only crossroads that exists on the island, she asked us to consider the crossroads we might be experiencing or see others experiencing. It was a powerful moment, a powerful thing to consider.
Those who had chosen to do other things during the nearly six hours we hiked, created their own pilgrimage around the island, moving at their own pace, creating then solitude and alone time in this place of peace and quiet. When we came together in the evening, we told of our travels, of what we had encountered, not only in the landscape, but in the soil of our own souls.
Worship at the Abbey last night was a contemplative service. Long periods of silence were held together by the sung response: Be still and know that I am God…….As we sat in the candlelight, the stones and warmth of the hospitality that has been present here for centuries, created a nest of safety for all we had experienced. Outside,the winds which seem to be ever present, whistled and whirled seeming to make a circle around the building. We could not feel its chill but we knew its presence. Many of us wore the windburned look of the day on our faces. It seemed a fitting metaphor for the walk with the Spirit. As I looked around there was an amazing look of peace and contentment on all the faces we have come to know as fellow pilgrims.
A short aside, the weather has been absolutely fantastic. Our guide, Bill, said yesterdays that his wife is not going to believe that he got sunburned on Iona! Many are crediting us with bringing the weather.
Given that most Minnesotans are often said to bring weather no one wants, we’ll take it!