Returning to Iona
The Four Seasons of Life: Art and Poetry in Dialogue
Sunrise over Fionnphort, Mull.
More than twenty years ago, Helen and I visited Iona for the first time. Nestled off the west coast of Scotland, Iona is a tiny island with a rich spiritual heritage. For centuries, it has been a place of pilgrimage, known for its ancient abbey and tranquil landscapes—a sacred haven, a “thin place” for reflection and renewal.
Recently, we had the opportunity to return, this time with our friend Sarah. The anticipation was palpable; Iona is not just a beautiful destination, but a place of deep meaning for all who seek quiet and connection. This time, our journey focused less on photography and more on personal exploration and renewal. We joined a week-long retreat, ‘The Four Seasons of Life – art and poetry in dialogue’, guided by Dr Mark S. Burrows, Dr Deborah Lewer, and Dr Pat Bennett, each bringing wisdom, passion, and creative energy.
I don’t recall reading poetry in my childhood or hearing it. Maybe I did or maybe there was some poetry studied at school – I don’t know. It was in 2003 that I encountered poetry, as I recall. It was spiritual poetry as I was going through a time of spiritual ‘expansion’, from my narrow fundamentalist Christian past to something more open, curious, exploratory and confident. Still spiritual, even Christ-centred, but no longer closed to the insight and wisdom flowing through many sources, philosophical, scientific or religious. Or indeed poetry, art and music as sources of inspiration, insight and opening.
It was the Sufi poets first, poems like this simple one by Rabia:
Love is
the perfect stillness
and the greatest excitement
and most profound act,
and the word almost as complete
as His name
After the Sufi poets I began to discover other poets, including living poets. Try this one from Fron Henard:
Do something strange today…
love someone no one else can loveand watch them open like a flower
that you might dance together
in the sun.
Rip off the clothes of your enculturation
and let your soul run naked
in the garden
as Eve before the fall.
You’re not required to wear a label
to be limited to only this or that,
but tasting all things freely
keep only what is good.
God does not put you in a box…
He does not build for you a cage
and lock the door.
Come nestle in his arms
knowing you are his
and know that you are home
just as yourself
and you are loved.
Heaven is all around you…
can you see it?
God has made a door for you…
can you step through and enter in?
I discovered the poetry of Mary Oliver, Robert Frost and so many more and would occasionally dip into them as sources of encouragement, resilience, inspiration and imagination.
What about art. Art was always my best subject at school, at least in the first two years of grammar school, until that day when I had to make a choice between art and sciences. I chose the latter, and no regrets there. Except, yes – art is important to me. I love going to art galleries and I love practicing the art of photography, as well as the improvisation of piano which I see as art too.
And so a trip to Iona to a Poetry and Art retreat. And what a treat! To be immersed in the mystery, imagination and meaning of poetry and art, with music and photography too. Among friends, old and new.
The poetry and art explorations were exhilarating. My approach to poetry and art galleries will never be the same! Insights were shared with gentle passion, nurturing the soul. We explored themes such as artistic imagination, living an artistic life, the meaning of eros, disruptive grace, seeing subversively, lingering, wondering, pondering, living with astonishment, embracing risk and change, letting be, serenity, ripening, growing deeper, transformation, the expansion of the self, and attentive looking.
It’s difficult to convey the richness of our time together. The poetry and art presented were wonderful, and we also had the opportunity to join the Iona Community’s worship at the abbey—especially powerful on the first evening.
Although the focus was on art and poetry, we did take our cameras. The journey took us through the quiet waters of Loch Lomond, past the harbour at Oban, and across the wild expanse of Mull—about 500 miles and two ferries before arriving on Iona. The weather and light changed constantly, with sunshine, gales, and heavy rain. One morning, we witnessed a sunrise so vivid it seemed to set the sea ablaze—gold, pink, and deep violet streaked across the sky.
Looking back, the week on Iona was nothing short of transformative. The combination of art, poetry, and fellowship, set against breath-taking scenery, created a memorable experience—a powerful encouragement to live a life open to the artistic, creative, and divine energy that surges through the earth, to be expressed in lives of goodness, beauty, and truth.
