A week on the sacred island of Iona, the cradle of Scotland
Iona Abbey
Home to one of the Findhorn Foundation’s retreat weeks, the sacred isle of Iona, a three mile long and a 1.5 mile wide island located just off the west coast of Scotland, is steeped in history and considered to be the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland and a place of spiritual pilgrimage for thousands of years.
This beautiful isle and retreat week gives you space to focus on your inner life in a supportive environment of natural beauty, inspiration and peace. With plenty of opportunities for quiet contemplation, the wild and spectacular coastal scenery will tempt you outside to rest in healing contact with nature’s beauty.
Marilisa Patini, a participant of the Findhorn Foundation’s Iona retreat week, documented her experiences in her travel diary titled ‘A veranda towards infinity’. Below are some of the places she visited during her retreat at Traigh Bhan, the Foundation’s retreat house on the island.
Traigh Bhan
Traigh Bhan was originally owned by woman named Jessica Ferreira, Jessica was known for her beautiful sanctuary at Traigh Bhan and later gifted it to the Findhorn Foundation thanks to Findhorn Fellows, Katherine and Roger Collis.
The journey to Traigh Bhan is a pilgrimage in itself, with many different routes to the Isle, Marilisa traveled across the North of Scotland, from East to West, boarding two ferries along the way.
It was at the port where Marilisa was greeted by the retreat leader and met her retreat group for the first time all whilst bonding over spicy ginger tea in giant terracotta cups accompanied by scones and saucers of raspberry and blueberry jams.
Iona Abbey
No visit to Iona is complete without a tour of the Abbey, considered as one of the most important religious centres in Western Europe, the Abbey is said to date back to 563AD when St Columba first came to Iona from Ireland with his twelve companions, and founded a monastery.
Despite being attacked by the Vikings in 795AD and struck again during World War II, the Abbey is still standing, thanks to renovations carried out by the ecumenical community located on the island.
“In front of the abbey, there are some stone crosses, which bear embossed drawings and inscriptions, and in the centre, they have a circle that resembles a mandala which represents the cosmos. Celts are known for their beliefs in the spirits of nature.”
The ancient cemetery, Reilig Odhrain
This cemetery, also known as St Oran’s Graveyard, predates the Abbey and has been in use for many centuries. Archaeological accounts suggest the Isle’s primary purpose was that of a burial spot and Celtic traditions considered such places as gateways into the other world. Even to this day, it is said that on Iona “the veils between the worlds are thin.”
With that in mind, it is no surprise that according to onsite records this is the burial place of 48 Scottish kings, eight Norwegian Kings and four Irish Kings as well as King of the Scots and Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
There is still a well-marked path you can follow which marks the final journey of the kings, across the Sound of Iona, onto the harbour and along the cobbled Sràid nam Marbh (the Street of the Dead) and finally, to Reilig Odhráin.
The aquamarine water of Traigh Bhan Nam Manach
A short walk from Traigh Bhan, surrounded by aquamarine coloured waters and views over to Mull and Erraid, is Traigh Bhan Nam Manachis beach and is the perfect place to take a walk, meditate, bathe or connect with your fellow travellers.
It was here that Marilisa took a stroll on a sunny morning with her new friend who had travelled from California to take part in the retreat week.
“We lie down and become one with the beach, which reminds me of the Caribbean, for the expanse and the almost white sand. I never expected to see such a seascape in northern Europe. Our eyes are filled with the intense turquoise of the sea. We remain laying there for almost an hour in the silence and bliss of this Eden.”
The village of Baile Mòr and the Iona Nunnery
Baile More, the only village on Iona and described by Marilisa as a “small village consisting of modest and tidy houses, with well-kept gardens, full of colourful flowers, is home to less than 200 inhabitants”.
Within the village are the remains of the Iona Nunnery, which was once home to an Augustinian convent of nuns dating back to 1203 and here, it was said that women kept silent vigil for the world for 300 years.
“I sat inside the cloister and the garden, where the grass is tall, and you enjoy the silence and tranquillity that enter the soul. I closed my eyes and imagined the life of a group of lonely women, who in mediaeval times, prayed and meditated.”
Since her journey to the Isle of Iona, Marilisa has frequently travelled back to the community of Findhorn and Scotland.
“Iona, despite being a very small island, a kind of atoll, is considered by historians to be the heart of Scotland. It is home to Scotland’s most illustrious characters who are buried there. The week I spent on this island brought me into contact with its deepest and thinnest essence: with Celtic culture, of which I feel I am a part, where my roots are.”