Celtic Spirituality

Iona Pilgrimages

With John Philip Newell

Iona Pilgrimages with John Philip Newell

Each day begins and ends with prayer and meditation, either at the Abbey or elsewhere together on the island. In the mornings John Philip teaches on themes related to Celtic Spirituality and the sacredness of the Earth. The afternoons are then given to hiking, conversation, and rest. In the early evenings, before our shared meal, we gather again in the 11th-century Chapel of St Oran for chanting and simple rituals of healing and awareness. On a number of evenings there is the option of joining the Iona Community for night prayer at the Abbey. Half way through the week we walk the seven-mile island pilgrimage route together (optional), reflecting on the journey of our lives and world, and pray for peace. The Columba Hotel’s organic gardens, eco-friendly policies, and welcoming staff are an important part of our community life together.

John Philip Newell is one of the most prominent Christian teachers of spirituality in the Western world. Formerly Warden of Iona Abbey he now divides his time between Edinburgh, where he does most of his writing, and travelling and teaching internationally. In 2016 he established the School of Celtic Consciousness, now the School of Earth and Soul, in his belief that Celtic wisdom is needed at this moment in time, urgently. It is a spiritual tradition in the Christian household that can nurture vision of mind, strength of soul, and compassion of action. In 2011 he received the first-ever Contemplative Voices Award from the Shalem Institute in Washington DC in recognition of his work in the field of spirituality and peacemaking. His PhD is from the University of Edinburgh and he has authored over 15 books, including ‘The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings’ and his newly published title ‘Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul’.