Mandala on North Beach of Iona

The first activity we did as a group during our week was to walk to the North Beach of Iona. This is a place of great beauty and tremendous sorrow. On this white beach sixty-eight Celtic monks were martyred by Vikings in 793. The sand was red with their blood. It gives you pause on a sunny Monday afternoon.

John Philip Newell was not our only guide for the week. His wife, Ali lead us in many spiritual practices. Making a mandala in the sand was our first task together. Each of us was to find several rocks on the beach. Not just any rocks. These were the ones that called to us and represented several things. First a rock of an intention for ourselves, second a wish for our community, and finally a desire for the world.

There was time for small groups sharing. Three or four folks together discussing the meaning of the rocks we’d gathered. Then we surrounded the circle Ali had drawn in the sand. Each quadrant of the circle represented an element: fire, earth, air, and water. We each placed our rocks where they best fit. Next we gathered other bits and pieces to fill in community intensions and love.

Finally we chanted a song about earth calling to us. All of this made an impression on me. When I got back to the hotel I pulled out my art supplies and drew my impression of the afternoon: our beach mandala and a second one filled at the center with earth, and moving out through fire, water and air.

You will also see on the drawing I asked both John Philip and Ali to sign the page. I wanted their marks in my book as a remembrance.