Tributes to Iona: Messsages and Poems
Once Upon Her Time ….
In an ancient land of the Druids and Druidesses, where faeries, magic and enchantment flourished, there lived a Beautiful Goddess Spirit. She was the guardian Angel of the Holy Well of Dùn-Ì, the Well of Eternal Youth, on the sacred Isle of Iona, Scotland.
The waters of the well and the surrounding seas were her purview. She protected the waters and the land, being part of the network of unseen beings, the Mother Goddesses, the Sacred Feminine, the Mary Principle. She was part of our ancestral memory of the Mother-Father God Light.
She represented all that was good and pure in the aspects of Abundance, Love, Creation, Birth, Passion, and Compassion –
the ever-present feminine aspects of God, our Mother-Father God.
Her home was the ‘Rock of Ages’, the ancient Iona rock of Dùn-Ì, where she guarded the space and holy water of the Well of Eternal Youth. She embodied the energies of the Great Mother of us all.
Shining her Light of Love, mingling with the wind and the sea, the sacred waters and sacred land, she is at once Brigid, Bride of the Beloved, and Mary the Magdalene. She is the Virgin and the Moon, bringing Life through Light and Love. She is the sound in the waves, and the music in the wind. She holds Blessings and Love for all that she sees.
So it is that the Pink Lady of Dùn-Ì lived forever in the rock, by the Well of Eternal Youth. She is the Guardian Angel of Iona, that Sacred Isle by the sea.
“SHE LIVES THERE NOW. I HAVE SEEN HER.
And she wishes us to learn the magic of the waters of Inspiration and Love.
And she wishes us to remember that Angels are real, very real.
And that they hold a special bond between us and Nature, one that is open now for all to see.
First, we must listen to the music of the wind, and dance softly on our own good Earth, with joy and appreciation for the land, the water, the sky, and the sun. ”
For magic is on the wind
and it calls us to enter deeply
into the mystery, and into the possibilities of Life.
The Pink Lady of Dùn-Ì, the Angel of Iona, Guardian of the Well of Eternal Youth, ancient Goddess of the Isle of Druids, the Mother Sidhe, seeks to share her presence with those who have the eyes to see, and ears to hear. The Pink Lady of Dùn-Ì, at the Well of Eternal Life on Iona, the Place of Magic and Miracles, Deep Peace, and Eternal Love wishes us to know her, so that we may:
“Honour the Divine Feminine
Honour her Story, her Grace, her Love, Her Beauty.
Honour her Truth, her Service, her Brethren - the Sidhe, her Peace.
Honour her Blessings, her Presence, her Home, her Language.
Honour her Sound, her Life, her Gifts, her Wisdom. Honour her Ways, her Traditions, her Culture,
her Music with the Wind.
Honour her Dance with the Stars, her Healing Waters, her Protection of the Waters,
her Gift of Oneness with the life-giving and transcendental qualities of Water.
Honour her.”
In honouring The Pink Lady of Iona, we honour ourselves, and we grow in understanding of our deep and sacred connection to the Earth. When we honour the Pink Lady, we express the wonder and joy of simply being alive. And we bless the water, as the water blesses us.
The Divine Feminine is everywhere. In the Rocks. In the sea.
In the very breath of our life.
About the poem: Ode to Iona:
The Island of Iona in Scotland is an ancient sacred isle, beloved by all. In this poem I try to capture that essence of Iona that embodies the energies, wisdom and love of the Great Mother of us all. A song of gratitude to her, to life, is this Ode to Iona.
“ODE TO IONA
O Great Mother of us All,
You are alive!
You are the Wind, and the Breath of my Spirit
You are the Fire in my Heart
O Great Mother of us All,
I feel you all around
O Great Mother of us All,
You are alive!
You are the Earth in my Bones
You are the Water of my Blood
O Great Mother of us All,
I feel you all around
O Great Mother of us All,
You are alive!
You are the song of the sweet birds, and the Angels
You are the deep primordial sound of silence, the starlight of my soul
O Great Mother of us All,
I hear you all around
O Great Mother of us All,
You are alive!
You are the ancient speaking of the dolphins
You are the steadfast humming of the bees
O Great Mother of us All,
I hear you all around
O Great Mother of us All,
You are alive!
You are the Sun and the Moon and the bright Milky Way
You are the oceans, the seas, the lakes, the rivers, the streams, the brooks, the falls, the wells
O Great Mother of us All,
I see you all around
O Great Mother of us All,
You are alive!
You are the colour and fragrance of flowers, divine Beauty and Joy
You are the pebbles on the sand
O Great Mother,
You are alive!
I see you all around
O Great Mother,
You are alive!
I feel you all around
O Great Mother,
You are alive!
I hear you all around
O Great Mother,
You are alive!
I see you all around
O Iona. O Great Mother of us All. You are the love in my heart for life.
You are the heart of love in life. You are the life of love in my heart.
I love you. I thank you.”
Saturday, October 4, 2014
I walked back around to the front opening of the Well, and carefully stepped down into its sacred space, dipping my hand into the water and washing my whole face with it. I gave thanks for its purity and life. I gave thanks for my life. I told the water how much I appreciated it, and how beautiful it was. I hope that I always remember the exhilarating feel of that cold water on my face.
As I savoured the moment, a song came to me thus:
“Come to the Well, my darling
Come to the Well in Peace
Come to the Well, my darling
Come to the Well with me
I’ll wait for you there
By the Water of Life
And we’ll speak of the bright shining sea
Oh, Come to the Well, my darling
It’s a beautiful place to be
We’ll sit for awhile
Beneath a sunny great sky
And we’ll tarry awhile, you and me.”
JOY!
Sunday, September 28th, 2014
The Pink Lady showed herself to me today. She was glowing in a golden pink radiance, at the centre of which was her heart. The Golden Pink Light of Heart Love was like a deep vortex in the centre of her Being. As a great beacon of Light, the radiance emanating from her Pink Rosy Heart encompassed all of Iona and the surrounding area. Her Light filled and enfolded me.
Later in the day, I took a walk from Greenbank to the village. As I took my first few steps on the road, I suddenly became aware that I was walking in the Presence of the Divine Feminine. As soon as I arrived at the village, I sat down in the restaurant and wrote about my experience:
“OH! JOY!
I found the Heart of the Divine Feminine today!
Today! … as I walked from Greenbank to the wee village
Today! … the day that The Pink Lady revealed the radiance of her Rosy Pink Gold Heart to me.
Today! … I found the Divine Feminine in the Air, and in the Lightness under my feet.”
I found Joy in the smiling faces of the young and old people I passed on the way – all of them buoyed and uplifted by the Spirit that is Iona, a Spirit that is neither male nor female but a wholeness of Spirit, complete unto Itself.
I found it in the sweet air, which was filled with the countless prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving expressed by the hundreds of thousands of souls that have walked a path on Iona.
I found it in the whispers of the joyous songs of the Angels, songs of celebration and rapture.
I found it in the laughter and innocence of the children as they played in freedom.
I found it in the breathtaking beauty of the pod of jumping dolphins that played in the sun-sparkled Sound of Iona.
And I found it on the joy-filled faces of the women who gathered to watch them at the restaurant.
There was JOY – Everywhere Today!
Today, I found the Divine Feminine. I found her in Joy, in Freedom, in Beauty,
in Laughter, in Play, in Gratitude, in Song.
She is Spirit recognizing Herself in the Joy of Life.
“Joy is the gift that the Divine Feminine gives back to Creator. ”
“Great Mother of Us All
She comes in the morning on the rays of the Sun
She brings peace and laughter and Love to every one.
She rides on the morning Light to bring Love in our midst.
She begins with a song, singing Love on her lips.
All day long her presence lingers, bringing Beauty and Love.
‘Peace be with you’, she says, bringing Joy from above.
Remember that she has a he within her, too.
And that equal we are, he and she, like the dew.
And nestled within the great Love of the Mother
is the joy and the bliss of nurturing the life of another.
Giving birth to what is holy is a gift from the Father.
Praise the Love that births Love for now and forever.
We are One in this Love. There is no separation.
Out of One came the Two and both are blessed creations.
God is Love, as is the Goddess.
Father, Mother, God, you are Truth.
”
“IONA
We are the Doves
Glimpses of the Eternal
Resting in places, here and there
We are the Doves
Cooing in our gentle and peaceful ways,
Singing to life, to love
We bring a remembering of the Divine Holy Spirit as Mother
The Mother, Dove, Holy Spirit
Comes in Her whiteness, soft purity,
Indescribable inner beauty of the soul of Oneness.”
PEACE
Peace.
Peace.
Peace to the world, my darling.
Peace between you and me.
If ever there was love in your heart,
Now is the time for it to Be.
Peace.
Peace.
Peace at the Well of the Water of Life,
Peace in the bright, shining sea.
Peace in the morning, and all the night, too.
Peace is calling to you.
Bring the
Peace of my Love
Bring it
on, bring it on!
Shine the
Peace from deep within.
Peace, oh Peace,
Your time is here.
Peace, I know you are near.
Received at the Holy Well of Eternal Youth, on Dùn-Ì,
Sacred Isle of Iona, Scotland, May 2017, Sandra Stewart
“SPIRIT OF IONA
I walk the Path
The Path of Peace
Of Love Eternal
And the Holy Seas
O Iona
O Child of Light
You sing me onwards
And make me right
Forever near me
You light the Way
Eternal Wonder
Day by day
And so it is
Bright Light Forever
O Iona
You keep me strong
The wind it whispers
Of the Ones before us
Who walked this path
Of Eternal Love
I walk the Path
The path of Peace
Of love Eternal
And the Holy Seas”
If you have made it this far on the page, I thank you. You, too, must be a person who loves Iona as much as I do! I welcome you to share any tributes you may have for Iona, here on this site. Poems, artwork, songs. I look forward to celebrating Iona with you!
On January 21, 2024, I received a lovely e-mail from Cheryl Anne Maris, a kindred spirit who has experienced and written songs and poems about her deep connection with Iona. I am pleased to share her e-mail and tributes here with you.
Dear Sandy,
It is with tears of joy streaming down my face that I write to you. I am deeply thankful to have found your beautiful website. Though it has been a very long time since I stood upon Her Blessed Shores, Lady Iona has stayed with me; to the point that I sometimes ache with a sort of homesickness for Her. Reading your experiences of the Pink Lady struck such joy in me, as I have had my own "Pink Lady" experiences over the last 25 years or so; having come to know that pink shimmer as the calling card, so to speak, of Holy Mother. My whole Iona story is probably too long to share via this message, but I would like to share a short poem I wrote that was inspired by my experience, as a token of my gratitude for your generosity in sharing your experiences and wisdom in such a lovely way. Deep Peace and Gentlest Blessings to you!
She came to me
bold, unbidden
Took me by
my heart and hand
Her eyes glistening
with mischief
Inviting me
to play and dance
As I walked
She swirled around me
Her laughter
tousling my hair
As I sat
Her joy jostled me
from shackles
of seriousness and despair
She floated above
the weight of history
Massacres, monks,
graves of kings
She burrowed deep
in Ancient Mystery
The Song
the banished sisters sing
She flew with tern
and splashed with otter
Yet still took time
to walk with me
She came to me
Lady Iona
Spirit of Earth,
Sky, and Sea.
~Cheryl Anne Maris
~ ~ ~
I come to you,
not in binding, but in stone.
I come to you,
not wet with ink, but with sea.
I come to you,
not in thoughts of men, but in the very earth of which they were made.
I come to you,
not in the words of elders, but in the ways of the wing’d,
the root’d, the Wise Eternal.
I come to you
in the poem that is your own pumping blood.
I come to you~
The Shepherdess Who will lead you home.
~Cheryl Anne Maris
~ ~ ~
She's in the wind
She's in the water
She's in my heart
She's in my feet
She makes me dance
Her joyful daughter
And share Her Love
With all I meet
~Cheryl Anne Maris
~ ~ ~
An Invocation on Brigid’s Feast
~Cheryl Anne Maris
Brigid of the Christ Light;
Keeper of the Eternal Flame;
Mother, Muse, Melder
of Home and Hearth.
Fair Bride, Fierce Bride;
Bright Sun, Mysterious Moon;
Star-clad, Sky-cloaked
Woman of Peace and Power!
In this most pure and potent Hour,
and in All Moments, surrounding;
Be my lifting, be my grounding;
Be my gifting; my soul’s true sounding;
That I may shine forth
Your hospitality and grace;
That I may embody
Your warm embrace;
That I may with strength
the weak protect,
and with Your Light;
despair deflect.
That I may with
Your Dear Hands heal,
and forge connections
strong and real;
That I may drink worthily
from Your Well,
and with my life Your Legends tell.
Flaming Arrow
of the Mother’s Love;
May I be below
as You Are Above.