lei·sure =
1)
use of free time for enjoyment
2)
opportunity afforded by free time to do something
/ˈlēZHər/
Iona Abbey
When
planning the itinerary for our Scotland trip months and months ago, we
purposely scheduled the retreat on Iona after the touring/busy portion of the
trip. We figured this would be a good time for a slower pace.
When the Scottish travel agent sent out the detailed itinerary, it was marvelously detailed except for the Iona portion. For each day of the Iona retreat, she simply put, “a
day at leisure” .
I thought about that word, "leisure", looked it up and decided that it captured what I envision and desire for those traveling and retreating with Celtic Soul Pilgrimage. What if
the “something” we are afforded by our freed up schedule was enjoyable
rejuvenation for shalom-wholeness?
With that in mind, I finalized a draft of our retreat schedule. I know "finalized draft" sounds like a paradox, but one can't stuff the spirit in a box and expect it to conform. I told the participants that the plan was subject to change based on input, the
weather, new information, etc. And more importantly, anyone who has been in any of my groups knows that I encourage people to go the way
of their heart though it may differ from the group. Wholeness requires listening
to what you need and we will have time to listen.
As we are staying in what Amercians call a rental, but the Scots call a "self-caterer", our little group will be cooking for each other, so before arriving on Iona, we will decide who
will help on the different evenings with cooking and cleanup for dinners. A dinner at a restaurant in the village is an option too . Breakfasts and lunches will be an individual affair
Iona Retreat Itinerary:
Day 1 - Thursday pm: arrive
3:00-ish.
Vehicle transport of our luggage and those
needing a ride while the rest of us are encouraged to walk the ½ mile from
ferry to Ardbeg, our ‘self-catering’ accommodation. Check out the welcoming
website: http://www.ardbegselfcatering.co.uk/
Free time to settle/explore. Iona is said
to be a mile wide and about 3½ miles wide. See map below and on the
following link: http://www.ionahistory.org.uk/map-english.pdf
At the ferry landing there is a small village with hotel, restaurant, some
shops and not far is the Iona Abbey and more.
Dinner 6:30
Evening possibilities: hot tub / 8:00 service in Abbey
Day 2 - Friday:
8:00-8:30
Group Silent Prayer (Quaker Meditation Style)
8:30-9:30
Breakfast
10:00-2:30
Options:
1)Hikers:
Explore North Beach 4 mile round trip (with sack lunch?)
2) Walkers:
Beach combing, Village, Abbey, Heritage Center, meandering
3)
Resters: hot tub/reading/napping
3:00-5:00
Gather for Guided Reflection – bring journaling material
5:00-6:30
Free time or dinner preparation
6:30
Dinner
8:00-10:00 Service
in Abbey or hot tub or…
Day 3 - Saturday:
8:00-8:30
Group Silent Prayer (Quaker Meditation Style)
8:30-9:30
Breakfast
10:00-2:30
Options:
1)Hikers: Go
South to St. Columbas Bay/Marble Quarry 5-6 mile round trip (with sack lunch?)
2) Walkers:
Beach combing, Village, Abbey, Heritage Center
3)
Resters: hot tub/reading/napping/moodeling
3:00-5:00
Gather for Guided Reflection – bring journaling material
5:00-6:30
Free time or dinner preparation
6:30
Dinner
8:00pm-
Service in Abbey or hot tub or…
10:00
Day 4 - Sunday:
8:00-8:30
Begin day of silence and solitude (optional)
8:30-9:30
Breakfast
10:00-3:00 I’m currently
researching times/availability of church services
3:00-5:00 Gather to break
our fast from words and community: bring journaling material
5:00-6:30
Free time or dinner preparation
6:30
Dinner
8:00-10:00 Service
in Abbey or hot tub or…
Day 5 - Monday:
7:30
am Leave Ardbeg to check
in at ferry terminal by 8:30
***
A friend who has been to Iona several times told me of one of her favorite memories. She said that they went to a healing service in the Iona Abbey one evening. She came to Scotland feeling raggedy as she had just finished treatment for breast cancer and just lost a best friend to breast cancer. She was in need of reintegration, wholeness, relief...that embracing healing we all need from time to time.
The service was lovely, but it was what happened afterwards that she looks back and now sees as what was central to her healing. Someone in the group suggested they stop on the way back to the hotel at a pub for a pint. She didn't drink a pint figuring with her small stature, she'd float away. She had a mug. And though she loved the comaraderie, she ended up walking back by herself. She said that it was one of those evenings filled with stars and sky brightness, light enough to see and she felt the gift, the magic, the presence of all those sacred power-houses, Christian and the pre-Christian seekers before her and knew she was indeed in a thin-place, a term the Celts use to describe a spot where the distance between heaven and earth is thin. She came home glowing and years later, as I watched her tell this story, her face lit the room. This is why creating an itinerary is pretty easy. What happens on Iona is not up to me. Here, things happen through and beyond the planning.
