Pilgrimage to Iona
April 28-May 7, 2023
You are invited to a pilgrimage to the isle of Iona, Scotland to consider...
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"Life as a Mystical Pilgrimage"
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As I review the second half of my life, I have drawn from three major streams of wisdom that have fed my soul and guided my personal and professional life: Carl Jung’s Analytical Psychology, Celtic Spirituality, and the Practice of Pilgrimage to sacred sites around the world. Each of these has shaped my worldview, nourished my soul, created an extended spiritual community, and contributed to my experience of life as a mystical path.
On this pilgrimage, we will draw from these deep springs of wisdom as we consider our own sacred stories – past, present, and future. In this challenging, confusing, liminal time, I consider the following question to be particularly urgent for our species and our planet. The question comes from the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, and begs our personal contemplation, our shared wisdom, and our individual and collective responsibility:
What wants to enter the world through me now?
Considering this vital question, our days on Iona will include group gatherings for teaching, sharing dreams, poetry, music, stories, and insights and wonderings that emerge from our individual and collective pilgrimage experience. There will be ample time daily for personal reflection and exploration of the beautiful island and its beaches famous for their colorful stones. A boat trip to the unique island of Staffa with its famous Fingal’s Cave will be available. The Iona Abbey offers morning and evening prayers, and is available throughout the day for meditation. The island itself is a natural sanctuary that nourishes body and soul.
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I have invited my friend and colleague, Dr. Sheri Kling, to assist me on this pilgrimage with her considerable gifts, her teaching skills, and her music (see her photo and bio below) and to bring her unique perspective on depth psychology and the mystical path.
Over the past twenty years, Iona has been a regular pilgrimage destination for me and many others, and I always delight to return to her simple, sacred shores. If the archetype of pilgrimage is calling to you, please join me! Pilgrimage costs, a Registration Form, and contact information are below.
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Blessings,
Jerry R. Wright
Sheri D. Kling, Ph.D., is the director of Process and Faith with the Center for Process Studies at the Claremont School of Theology and director of the John Cobb Legacy Fund. She is also a writer, teacher, and coach who draws from wisdom and mystical traditions, relational worldviews, depth psychology, and the intersection of spirituality and science to help people find wholeness. She is the creator of Deeper Rhythm and Transforming Women as well as a faculty member of the Haden Institute. She can be found online at www.sherikling.com.
A Pilgrimage Perspective
Pilgrimage has a long, rich history among those seeking to live a conscious spiritual life. To be a pilgrim, a soul traveler, means to follow in the footsteps of people across all continents and centuries, people who travel with spiritual intent and attention. Different from a travel tour, traveling with a “pilgrimage attitude” encourages psychological/spiritual experience and insight. Such an attitude will be emphasized before and during our Iona adventure.
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From a Jungian psychological perspective, pilgrimage may be framed as an intentional desire and practice to expand consciousness in general and religious/spiritual consciousness in particular. These pilgrimage goals may also be considered the twin goals of the lifelong individuation process described by Jung.
Pilgrimage Fee and Registration Details
The cost of the pilgrimage is $3500.00 -- plus airfare. The pilgrimage will be limited to 30 participants.
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Participants are responsible for their own airfares and air reservations that must be coordinated with the pilgrimage itinerary. Plan to arrive at the Glasgow, Scotland International Airport on Friday, April 28, 2023 and depart from Glasgow on May 7, 2023. Early morning returns are possible since our last night hotel will be at the Holiday Inn immediately next to the airport. Please remember that departure from the USA will be Thursday, April 27, 2023 for the overnight flight to arrive Friday, April 28.
The Holiday Inn is immediately across the street from the airport. Hotel reservations for the first night (April 28) and the last night (May 6) are included in the pilgrimage fee. Our initial gathering will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, April 28 in the hotel. We will depart by bus for Iona the next day, Saturday, at 9 AM from the hotel lobby.
The $3500 Fee Includes:
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All rooms, twin occupancy. Single rooms require a $500 supplement.
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All hearty Breakfasts and delicious Dinners (Lunches on your own at several island locations to provide flexibility and more personal time).
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Bus and ferry fees, Admission to all sites, All Gratuities.
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Pilgrimage preparation materials.
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Payment Schedule:
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$500.00 – Due with registration (Refundable until January 1, 2023)
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Balance Due – February 1, 2023 (Final deposit refundable only if place can be filled)
Learn More
Click on the button below to download and print the Iona Pilgrimage 2023 flyer with registration form. Then mail your completed registration form with deposit to:
Dr. Jerry R. Wright, LLC
322 Sycamore Dr., Flat Rock, NC 28731
