The Dove, Iona, and the Pleiades Seven Sisters Star Cluster

The Dream

Sometime between my 2015 and 2017 visits to Iona, I had a remarkable dream. The dream showed me the words “Return of the Dove”. And the dream impressed upon me the idea that the words were related to the book that I was writing at that time. (The planned book has become this website, instead.)

The dream inspired me to learn more about the Dove, and to explore its spiritual and historical representation through time. Explorations into the Dove took me on a beautiful journey to the heart of this iconic and beautiful symbol. I learned how universally beloved the symbol of the Dove is and how important it is within the dominant religions of the world.

I didn’t know the depths of the links that the Dove had and has to Iona, and to the Divine Feminine. The research I embarked upon was a fascinating journey into the Dove - the Dove as symbol and metaphor for the Divine Feminine, as well as the Dove’s universally recognized essence as a Messenger, a messenger of Peace and the Divine Holy Spirit as Divine Feminine. I am delighted to share some of that research with you here because it really helped me to weave together a better understanding of the relationship of the Divine Feminine to the Dove.

The more I read, the more I came to understand that the book was to be called, ‘Return of the Doves’. The title was to be the plural ‘doves’, not the singular ‘dove’. The use of the plural ‘Doves’ represents all of us, including you, the reader, of course. We are the global community of peacemakers, of dreamers, and visionaries. We are the Doves. It is all of us who seek peace, reconciliation, compassionate understanding, a world uplifted by the loving kindness of a heart-centred spirit. I feel strongly that we are the Doves we have been waiting for. We are the Doves of Peace and Loving Compassion and Kindness. And the expansive field of Peace where the Dove dwells is there for us to live in, engage in, and share with others.

The Dove and the Sacred Isle of Iona

The Dove is deeply associated with the Isle of Iona. One of the associations relates to pre-Christian times when the name Jonah in Hebrew meant Dove. Linguistic scholars have brought to our attention the extraordinary similarities between the ancient British languages and the Hebrew language. The linguistic links and other historical links indicate a strong Celtic relationship with the Holy Land. The Isle of Iona has a special relationship with the Dove. The peace that is present on the Island is a defining characteristic of the place. And the religious connections are ever-present.

There is Saint Columba himself. Columba arrived on Iona in 563 CE from Ireland with twelve family members and priests. They established what was to become a world renown seat of Celtic Christianity on the Holy Isle of Iona. Columba took the name of Colum (meaning Dove, in Old Irish), and later he was called ‘Saint Colm Cille’ or ‘Columcille’ or ‘Colmcille’ - all meaning: ‘Dove of the Church’.

In Christianity, the Dove is a deeply meaningful symbol for the Divine Spirit. It was a Dove that entered Jesus upon His baptism by John the Baptist, and it was a Dove that signalled the choice of Mary for the Divine Virgin birth of Jesus (The Annunciation). In both cases, the Spirit of God was manifest through the Dove. Doves are messengers and representations of the Divine Holy Spirit as Divine Feminine.

In Judaism, the Dove represents purity, peace, and God’s love. It was a Dove carrying an olive branch that returned to Noah’s Arc, signalling that the flood had receded, and bringing hope for future life after the deluge. Birds, particularly Doves, figure prominently in the religion of Islam, as well. It is said a Dove whispered in the ear of the Prophet Muhammad.

Doves have long been a symbol for the Divine Feminine and are commonly found associated with ancient Goddesses, including Sophia, Hathor, Isis, Venus, Aphrodite, and Ishtar, among many others.

The Dove represented purity and was associated with ancient temples of goddesses and priestesses. The same spiritual purity was associated with Vestal Virgins and Virgin Mothers of the sacred temple complexes of ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome. The Vestal Virgins were keepers of divine secrets related to life and procreation.

Archeologists on Iona have shown that there were women who gathered there as a group long before Columba arrived in 563 CE. Notice this quote taken from a sign at St. Ronan’s Chapel on the grounds of the Nunnery on Iona:

Archeological findings showed that the women buried there were wealthy and equal in status to the men. They were well-educated women. Findings of jewelry and other treasures showed that they represented elite clans of the Celts.

Similarly, there is a parish church built on the site of an older medieval church in the village of Kilninian on the west coast of Mull (overlooking the island of Ulva and the Loch Tuath). The site was once known as ‘The Chapel of the Nine Maidens’ or the Church of the Holy Maidens’, and it was connected to the Abbot of Iona.

The lives of these maidens and virgins, priestesses and nuns, all holy women, are an interesting study. There is so much to be uncovered and brought to light about these women, and their spiritual practices. 

Up until the 4th Century AD, the Vestal Virgins who inhabited a circular shrine temple in the centre of Rome were considered essential to the security and well-being of Rome. Temple priestesses had renowned oracular capacities that offered the Romans insight into future events, possibilities, and probabilities before they occurred. Similar to the Druidesses of the Celts, holy women of the Roman temple were allowed to own property, to engage in legal contracts, and they had freedom of mobility.

The Vestal Virgins of Rome tended to a sacred fire just as the Nine Virgins tended to the sacred fire of Brigid (Goddess of Fire and Water) in Kildare, Ireland. There are churches throughout Scotland that were dedicated to the Nine Maidens of Abernathy. There are also Wells that referenced them, such as the ‘Ninewells’. Interestingly, there is a connection to St. Columba, and therefore to Iona. 

The links among St. Columba, St. Bridget, and the Nine Maidens raises questions about the historic relationship of Columba to the Druidesses of his time. It is a hidden history, not yet fully brought to light. Yet, it was a time, an era, when the divine feminine nature and power of Druidesses, Holy Virgins, Holy Maidens, and Temple Goddesses had already reached its peak of influence throughout the ancient world (including Greece, Egypt, the British Isles, Gaul, and India).

The flowering of the world of the Divine Feminine occurred just before the re-directing of Christianity towards a more male-dominant story, and patriarchally-dominant societies. 

The Star System Pleiades, and the Priestesses of the Dove

A fascinating discovery that I made during my research about the Dove gave me a mind-opening new perspective on the concept of Divine Virgin Birth. I discovered a presentation given by Dr. Marguerite Rigoglioso to the Matriarchal Politics Conference, May 2011, in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The title of Rigoglioso’s presentation was, ‘Matriarchal Spirituality and Virgin Birth’.

The idea that ancient goddess cultures were well-developed in their knowledge of birth and procreation makes perfect sense, of course. Goddesses, women, were the primary knowledge bearers of divine conception and birthing processes. It also makes sense that the temples priestesses would be committed and devoted to being as pure of heart, mind, and body as possible to be sacred receptacles for Divine impregnation by Spirit.

There are many stories in ancient myths and legends about gods and goddesses that portray a divine holy child being born from the union of a god or goddess, or born from the union of a god with a mortal woman. The unions were entirely non-physical unions. One iconic example is the story of Isis and Osiris, and the birth of their son, Horus. Virgin births were common and celebrated as miraculous births heralding a child that would be a blessing to the world. The child would be a great leader bringing prosperity to the people, or a great spiritual leader raising the consciousness of humanity and an individual’s capacity for love and compassion.

The Virgin Mother and Child image is extremely ancient, and existed throughout the world long before Christianity.

Rigoglioso has written extensively about the oldest oracular site in Greece known as Dodona, and the culture of divine birth in ancient Greece. She writes about the concept of miraculous conception, as well as the lineage of Virgin Births and how they were a common feature of goddess cultures for thousands of years.

Rigoglioso has also written about the relationship of the Dodona temple of divine virgin priestesses to the Seven Sisters of the Star System Pleiades. The Seven Sisters known as the Pleiades were known also as ‘Doves’. They were the Seven Mothers of the World. The temple priestesses of Dodona were known as the ‘Priestesses of the Dove’.

Given the prevalence of the presence of the Dove throughout ancient Goddess cultures, as well as the creation myths and stories that spoke of the Gods and Goddesses coming in various forms from the stars, perhaps the culture of Divine Virgin Births and Priestesses of the Dove (connection to the Pleiades) was more common than we would think.

For example, perhaps the Complex of Dendera, in Qena, Egypt with the Goddess Hathor’s Temple and the Temple of the Birth of Isis and the Birth Houses was also part of the culture of Divine Virgin Births and the Priestesses of the Dove.

Egypt’s Hathor was a Sky Goddess and associated with fertility and female sexuality. Many goddesses are pictured with Doves or associated with Doves. 

The Dove is a symbol of parthenogenesis. The word ‘parthenogenesis’ refers to a form of reproduction in which an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by a sperm. The word ‘parthenogenesis’ derives from the Greek words for virgin birth. Bees are an example of an insect species that reproduces by parthenogenesis. Bees and honey were considered sacred in ancient worlds.

Last thoughts on the Divine Feminine, Dove, and Iona

The Divine Feminine typically refers to an aspect of Creator that is Love made manifest through the birthing, living, and transformational death experiences of life.

The Great Mother is the primary aspect of the Divine Feminine, represented in the oldest cultures and religions of the world, since the beginning of time. 

The most well-known historical representations of the Divine Feminine are, of course, The Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Saint Brigid, Quan Yin, The White Buffalo Woman, The Black Madonna, Isis, Asherah, Ishtar, Inanna, Shekinah, Sophia, Asherah, Fatimah, Gaia, Astarte, Aphrodite, and many, many more in all cultures.

The Divine Feminine is the Goddess in all traditions. The Divine Feminine is the Great Mother that births all of life, the Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is also the Virgin, meaning sacred Bride in the Sacred Marriage of esoteric traditions.

The Divine Feminine is the Elder One, the one who knows and embodies the mysteries and ceremonies of death and transition, transformation, and freedom of the Soul.

On Iona, the ancient roots of the Goddess were present through the Druidesses, Brighid, and the elementals who inhabited the land.

There is also the Isle of Women nestled between Iona and Mull, and the mysterious island of Staffa with its caves and natural hexagonal-shaped, temple cathedral walls. Staffa is visible from the top of Dun-I, beside the holy Well of Eternal Youth, looking out to the north.

The holy Well of Eternal Youth on Iona holds the essence of the purity of the divine feminine nature of Iona. The Pink Lady, guardian spirit, who resides there is willing to show you some of her secrets, knowledge and wisdom.