A Blessing of Earth, Sea, and Sky
Port Beul Mor, Iona, Scotland
Dear Soul Friends,
Once I had the opportunity to walk between two massive outcroppings of three billion year old Lewisian Gneiss. It was unexpected. We tried to hike the trail a few times before, but the tide was too high. Water blocked the way. Walking down the steep pastures toward the rocky beach, we hoped this time would be different. Sometimes the full moon pulls the tide low enough to open the trail between the outcroppings leading to the top of the southwestern corner of Iona. We were eager to explore this part of the Isle.
Ancient Celtic Christians experienced creation as a revelation of The Holy. Their prayers are filled with imagery of earth, sea, and sky. As I walked between the two massive outcroppings on that bitter cold spring morning, I felt like one of them. The sound of the crashing waves below me filled the air along with the crunching sound my feet made as I walked across millions of ancient pebbles. It was as though the path was drawing me into eternity.
A few years before, I led a pilgrimage to Iona with a group of seniors from my church. One day we hiked to the north end of the Isle where similar outcroppings of Lewisian Gneiss stand at the edge of the ocean. It is a flatter terrain and more conducive to exploration with older souls. After listening to a Celtic storyteller, people spread out looking for pebbles and exploring the beach. I noticed that the oldest member of my group had walked across the boulders and was standing at the edge staring out at the North Atlantic being battered by the vicious wind. He was a hearty soul, a rugged old New Englander, but was filled with grief from the recent death of his wife. After a while he came to find me. With tears in his eyes, he said: “Susan, I just realized something. Eternity is real.”
As the days get shorter and the nights get longer the earth turns away from the light toward the vastness of the cosmos. When I walk my dog in the evening, the moon and stars become my guiding light. Once again, I am reminded that our small planet has a much larger story than the events of each day. We are invited to rest in its mystery.
May the blessing of earth, sea, and sky encircle you today.
Deep peace to you,
Susan
