The Gift of Stillness (Book)

The main activity for pilgrims on Iona has traditionally been the seven-mile pilgrimage around the island, but many people have been physically unable to undertake this journey.
This book is for pilgrims to Iona who wish to slow down, either because of physical limitations, or because of their usual hectic pace of life. The contents of the book will be of interest to all who come to the island, but the focus is on the gift of being still, to allow an image, or a scene, or words to open to the listener or viewer.
The writing is based on both personal reflection, expressed mainly through poetry, and historical research, by an author who has been physically disabled for many years.
The first section of reflections, on the interpretation of some of the medieval carvings and buildings of Iona, and of prayers associated with the island, can be undertaken alone and at the individual’s own pace.
The second section, a walk around the cloisters and its modern carvings, can be done alone or with a handful of others, and focuses on the natural world.
The final section, a group pilgrimage around the island by boat, covers nearly all the stopping-places visited by walkers, and a few more as well.
Coming to Iona opens people up because it is a place where people have prayed deeply and left an imprint on the atmosphere. Pilgrimage is a state of mind, and of heart. The urge to explore, while passing through places of beauty, is an ancient route to the heart of things. 

Rosemary Power is a member of the Iona Community, who writes both academically and for the general reader. She is the author of several books, including Image & Vision: Reflecting with the Book of Kells, and The Story of Iona: Columban and Medieval Sites and Spirituality.