practicing pilgrimage at home and abroad
Perhaps they were recounting inspirational sites visited on a recent pilgrimage or sharing about how journeying out into creation always draws them closer to the Divine. They might not have even been talking about a place at all, but instead a Sacred moment spurred on by spiritual practice or a deep conversation that pierces the soul.
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Eco-theologian and pilgrimage guide Mary DeJong of Waymarkers answers this question in today’s new episode of Pilgrim Podcast and offers inspiration and suggestions for how we, too, can begin to journey with nature through her practice of Rewilding.
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And what better season to explore Celtic spirituality, really, than in Eastertide? The Christian stream of this ancient way of encountering the Divine highlights the life-giving themes of Easter through its emphasis on experiencing God through creation (the living example of death and renewal) and prepares us for the season of Ordinary Time to come by focusing on the sacredness of everyday life.
If you’d like to learn more about Celtic spirituality, here are 7 books to get you started from my very own bookshelf:
Bishop’s House and Iona Abbey image source
So throw some necessities into your proverbial pilgrim pack, say your goodbyes to those you hold dear, and come with me to the isle of Iona—a thin place well-suited for our imaginary day trip.
Since Maria Von Trapp always insisted that the beginning is “a very good place to start,” let’s dive into our first full day on the isle of Iona, when we will draw from the wisdom of the earth, the season of winter, and the dark hours of the day as we explore where every transformation begins: the moment of inspiration.
Apart from the frighteningly accurate and revealing analysis that he tends to offer during office hours (“I wonder what it is within you that longs to wander, Lacy? What are you wandering from?”) I remember him mentioning Iona as a site of pilgrimage.
Of course I nodded, implying complete understanding without having any idea what he was talking about (I swear to you that I am not the first to do this in his presence). The truth is, however, that I had never once heard of Iona, but the way Dan said the word made me feel as if the place carried quite the sense of mystique (oh how I wish you could hear the way Dan Allender speaks–I have a feeling all that have are smiling at this moment and thinking “Dan talks as if everything has a sense of mystique,” but that is beside the point).
As I left his office (thinking, “ugh–caught in the act”), Dan suggested I speak with Tom Cashman about pilgrimage, as many others had been suggesting. As I learned more about this place, often described as being at “the edge of the earth,” and thus a ready place for spiritual encounter, I became more and more intrigued and realized I, too, needed to journey to Iona.
When I finally made it to Iona on a whirlwind trip in 2012 (note to self: Iona requires more from you than a whirlwind trip), I consulted Tom as I made plans. Who better to prepare me for my journey than the one who implanted the ideas of both Celtic Spirituality and pilgrimage to Iona within me?
This interview with Tom first appeared in the first few months of A Sacred Journey’s existence over three years ago (feels like forever), but since I’ll be visiting Iona again in the spring (hopefully with you?), I thought it was time to dust it off and use it as a primer once more. Read on…