Iona: Day 3 (Julie Nutter)

The Divine Flow and the Tears of Iona

St. Columba, the head of the original monastic community and founder of the abbey on Iona, had a rule for his monks’ prayer practice. He told them to “pray until the tears come.” The tears of Iona or St. Columba’s tears, are small, green, translucent marbles found on Iona’s beaches. The influx of pilgrims has caused the stones to be in short supply.

Iona Abbey

Much about Iona inspires tears of joy, tears of release, and tears of awe—in fact, some pilgrims burst into tears when they first step on the island. Iona with its ever-shifting sky and water—a blend of blues, greens, brown, and gray. As Scottish novelist Nan Shepherd writes, “Gray is the universal solvent, melting all colors into itself.”

To start our first full day on Iona, Ann led a yoga class in the community center, a recently-built, snug stone structure with beautiful hardwood floors. The calm interior was a stark contrast to the fierce wind and driving rain outside. Because the weather was so frightful, we postponed our island tour and instead journaled and created beautiful bracelets with Amy Brown’s expert help.

Our lives on the island are settling into a routine of activities, shared meals, and liturgy. Our compline this evening will focus on the divine flow – an understanding in Celtic Christianity that the Divine flows in all created things. In the next several days we will also settle our souls down by immersing ourselves in nature and rest in the presence of the Holy One.

–Julie Nutter