The 2024 Waymarkers Pilgrimage is FULL.

July 8-15, 2024

Are you feeling called to trace ancient steps to discover, and remember, your wild and precious life? Do you desire a deeper connection with the divine through our wild and wondrous world? Perhaps you desire a way to mark a transition in your life, a threshold, with meaning and memory. 

Make a transformative journey to the wild edges of sea and sky, where the powerful presence of female companionship, revelatory elements, and ancient, spirited stories will awaken in you deep memories and divine inspiration to live forward renewed and reconnected to the primeval sacred text of creation. Our world and earth community needs people more than ever who understand our interconnection, that our soul-life is coupled with the health of the soil and salmon, seasons and sea. This pilgrimage provides an immersive rites of passage experience that will invite this deep wisdom and eco-spiritual awakening. It is a journey that is soul-centric in nature, inviting a posture of profound listening to your inner-journey while you navigate the wild lands of Iona around you. This isn’t a vacation or whimsy trip; this pilgrimage journey is one that will transform you as you are invited into a deep conversation with your soul and the souls of others around you. It will call forth tears and the tender places within that are quietly requesting your attention, your perception, your wonder. This is a journey that will ultimately bring you home.

Join your guides— ecotheologian and spiritual ecologist Mary DeJong, and certified yoga instructor, poet, psychotherapist Sarah Steinke—in pursuing themes related to the archetypal stages of this ancient pilgrimage practice; the recovery of the rich heritage of Celtic spirituality; remembering sacred rewilding practices as engagement with the wild text of creation; and discovering ecospirituality as a way of reading scripture anew. Through these traditions, praxis and lens, you will be invited into a restored communion with the natural world, and a remembered sense that our planet is home to the holy. You will be provided ample time to relentlessly seek and wander through the island's holy history and explore its wildest nooks and crannies while being guided to explore your own wild interior. Here you will rediscover a land of enchantment where wonder, reverence and delight are experienced in a place through the medium of your attentive presence. Here you will be inspired to return home transformed by the prayerful pace of this holy place.

This journey is for the seeker, the questioner, the yearner. It is for those with faith and those with doubts. It is for those who are ready to respond and return to, and be in relationship with, the wild and sacred source of life. While rooted in the Celtic Christian tradition, this pilgrimage is ecumenical by nature and accessible to all who are curious about the Creator; all are welcome to seek the sacred together in our shared cathedral of creation. 

Pilgrimage cost includes: communal lodging at a gold-rated Green Tourism facility, plentiful vegetarian meals, unique and historical island tours and hikes, daily beach-front yoga offerings, and transformational, intimate group sessions held in the power of the female circle (this is a women’s only offering). Daily rhythms are created with care and from experience, and include the Iona Abbey's morning and evening prayer times. 

What's Included in the Price?

• 7 nights/8 days of communal lodging at The Green Shed, formally known as the Iona Hostel, Iona's gold-rated Green Tourism facility, which is situated on the northern turquoise shores of the island surrounded by beautiful, black Hebedrian sheep. Participants are lodged together in comfortable bunk-bed rooms that boast of breathtaking vistas of the Iona Sea!

• Plentiful and delicious, vegetarian meals created together! This includes daily breakfast, six lunches, and six dinners. In order to keep the costs of this pilgrimage as low as possible, we will cook our evening meals together with a pre-planned menu based on the island's food availability. Buffet style lunch and breakfast will be available daily. Participants are invited to work together on a rotating basis to prep meals and clear dishes as a testament to the pilgrim-community! One evening towards the end of our pilgrimage, we will dine out at a favorite local restaurant as a celebration of our collective and individual journeys. This meal will be a personal expense.

• Unique tours that will deepen our sense of place and connection to this sacred, storied landscape. We will tour the Iona Abbey, Staffa Island, receive expert teaching on the island's geography, meet with local artisans, and discover the wildest nooks of the island! While considered a priceless value to the journey, all tours and walks are optional; however, do note that not all are ADA accessible and require a moderately active fitness level.

• Rewilding Wonder Yoga Sessions Daily beach-front yoga sessions led by certified yoga instructor Sarah Steinke that will invite an embodied practice to your pilgrimage journey. Previous experience with a yoga practice is not necessary or required.

• Daily Circle Sessions facilitated by Mary DeJong where together we will explore the archetypal themes of pilgrimage through the Heroine's Journey; rediscover the rich heritage of Celtic spirituality; recover wisdom and a flourishing imagination through eco-spirituality; and remember our belonging through rewilding prayers, practices, rites and rituals. These sessions will be held in various places including the sacred space of The Byre, roofed walls containing stories, dreams, and laughter; the teal-tinted north beach; St. Oran's chapel; and other powerful places throughout the island. Ceremony and sacred space will be held and engaged together daily to engage the the work of the holy descent that is requisite within the pilgrimage journey.

• Personal Time will be held and honored every day, ensuring that your soul can be nourished by silence and the sacred presence of the sea.

• Guided Hikes will be offered on most days to assist in getting you off the common trails and to some of the most stunning coves and beaches on the island.

• Reflections and resources to guide your pilgrimage planning and integration both before you leave home and upon your return. Upon securing your spot with your nonrefundable deposit, you will communications that provide in-depth information on how best to travel to Iona as well as thoughtful writings and resources on the various stages of the pilgrimage journey.

DESCRIPTIONS & INTENTIONS

The Green Shed

The Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage is not necessarily a relaxing retreat or luxurious vacation. A pilgrimage is a soulful journey that demands a purposeful rigor, a posture that is curious, compassionate, and courteous to oneself and others. The decision to lodge at the Green Shed, previously known as the Iona Hostel, is intentional and has been the primary location of the Waymarkers Pilgrimages since 2004. In this place on the far north end of the island, where other pilgrims from all over the world also take shelter, we are invited into a primary posture of the pilgrim: to see the stranger as a sacred guide. Here we must walk to return to our island-home passing many a stranger on the only road on Iona. At the Green Shed we engage the ancient practice of hospitality and discover more about ourselves in the company of the other. 

We reserve the whole Green Shed facility, which is configured into two rooms that sleep four, and two rooms that sleeps two. It is set up as a self-catering facility and as a group we manage the collective energy and upkeep of the place. The facilities are full of care and conscientious creativity. There are plenty of places to pick up a book, gaze out at the sea, and lose yourself in the enchantment of being on the North End of Iona. The Green Shed’s fully appointed kitchen is a joy in which to cook communally, which we do as a Celtic/Benedictine practice of communal and collective care, as well as a way to keep rising costs down. The comfortable restroom facilities provide both poetry and prose to cultivate an ecological mindset. This location fully deserves its Green Tourism Gold award!

Our group of pilgrims daily retreats to the Byre for our morning and evening circle times. Here we have the sacred space to learn, journey, and weep together. The daily circle we create in this salty and storied stable holds ceremony, courage, and a profound and precious kindness that is created when wild women come together as a sacred sisterhood. Meditation materials, art-response supplies, and provocative writings related to the categories of pilgrimage, the Heroine's Journey, rewilding and sacred ecology are provided in this space. 

The Green Shed is a working croft that tends a wild and wooly flock of black Hebedrian sheep. Our group has been invited into the exhilarating work of helping with herding the sheep for shearing day, a meaningful experience that resonates with pilgrimage participants in a powerful way. The land of Lagondorian is also an example of an ecological rewilding project, another fantastic reason to stay at this site as our group works at the wild edges of our stories and understanding of the Sacred. 

It will be your personal responsibility to acquire airfare to Scotland (flying into Glasgow or Edinburgh); book ground transportation (train to Oban; ferry to Craignure; bus through Mull; ferry to Iona); and book overnight lodging in Oban the night prior to the start of our program on July 8th. We will expect you on the early afternoon ferry to Iona where we will arrange for a car to pick up your luggage so we can walk as a group to the Green Shed.

Unique and Soulful Tours & Adventures

The Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage aims to create unique space for you to engage Iona's wild and enchanting elements through its rich history as a place of worship, residence of ancient and contemporary creativity, and its particular location within the Hebedrian Isles. Over the course of our week together, not only do we seek after the Holy within the walls of the Iona Abbey, but we expand our search amongst the ancient stones guided by a resident expert of Iona geology; we take to the sea to feel the enormity of the swells and to experience the awe and wonder of Staffa Island and its resident puffins; we experience the sacred and storied landscape through a deeply meaningful island pilgrimage; and meet with local artists whose ancestry and heritage link them deeply and directly to the creative pulse that thrums within this place. Time is set apart each day for personal solitude with one full day devoted to silence and contemplation. Together these excursions and the lessons from this sacred land weave together a wonderful tapestry of the themes of Celtic spirituality, pilgrimage, ecospirituality and sacred rewilding we engage together on this pilgrimage to become a journey of sacred eco-awakening. 

Rewilding Wonder Yoga Sessions

As a way to integrate the pilgrimage journey into the body, the Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage offers daily yoga expressions with poet, psychotherapist, and certified yoga instructor Sarah Steinke. Our yoga sessions are an elemental experience on the North Beach, the location of the legendary white sands and turquoise waters of Iona. With the tidal rhythms of the sea and the whispers of the wind, we move our bodies in response to our sacred journey. Morning Yoga Matins are offered as a way to move our body in prayerful positions, bringing ourselves into an embodied form of the Celtic encircling prayer, a seven-directional prayer that acknowledges the imminence of the divine with-out and within our physical bodies. Afternoon sessions provide an opportunity to go deeper into the griefs and joys of the day, bringing our body, heart and soul into attunement and alignment with wonder and awe. No previous yoga experience or special equipment is necessary for these gentle and restorative offerings. 

Praise for the Iona Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage Fee & Registration Requirements

Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage
July 8-15, 2024

Regular Rate $2800.00 per person
Early Bird Rate $2600.00 per person
*Early Bird Rate applies to confirmed registrations before December 31, 2023.

The Fine Print

You reserve your spot on the 2024 Waymarkers Iona Pilrgrimage by registering with your $500 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit. By registering before December 31, 2023, you will secure the Early Bird rate of $2,600.00 and the payment balance of $2,100.00 will be due by March 1, 2024. If you register with your $500 nonrefundable deposit after December 31, 2023, you will secure the Regular registration rate of $2,800.00 and you will owe the payment balance of $2,300.00 by April 1, 2024. Trip balances will be paid by CHECK and sent by post to Waymarkers, LLC | 2809 S. Alaska Place | Seattle, Washington (US) | 98108. If you choose to pay electronically you will be expected to cover the additional electronic processing fees. Your nonrefundable/non-transferable deposit secures your spot on the Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage and communicates your desire and willing participation in the personal and collective community-oriented journey of the soul-centric program experience. Any cancellation must be notified in writing by the person who made the booking. If you cancel your pilgrimage: More than 120 days prior to the start of the pilgrimage, you will only be charged your deposit; Between 120-90 days, you will be charged 50% of the pilgrimage payment balance in addition to the non-refundable deposit; *90 days or less before the start of the pilgrimage, or on or after the commencement of the pilgrimage, you are responsible for paying the full pilgrimage price. We appreciate that wholly unforeseen events may result in Waymarkers cancelling the program. In this case, Waymarkers reserves the rights to the non-refundable deposit, which covers the un-recoupable costs related to administrative costs, program fees, and site-related deposits. We therefore strongly advise you to take out travel insurance to protect yourself from losing money if you have to cancel, or if the trip is cancelled due to unforeseen events and circumstances beyond our control. You will be advised of the exact amount of any cancellation charge prior to the cancellation being finalised. 

When you register for the Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage, you are committing to the following requirements:

• You are a minimum age of 18 years.

• You will need a passport to travel to Scotland. U.S. citizens can visit for up to six months on an automatic travel visa.  EU citizens can enter visa-free.  You are responsible for checking with your local Scottish embassy for requirements.

• You are committing to abide by the World Health Organization and local Scottish authorities recommendations for how to travel safely and well as we emerge from the Covid pandemic. This may include mask wearing, physical distancing, hand washing, and vaccines.

• While there is one taxi on the island of Iona, walking is our primary mode of transportation. We will be walking to/from the Iona Hostel for most of our excursions and experiences. This pilgrimage will also require some hiking and walking over rough and muddy ground.  You will need to be able to walk 3-4 miles comfortably over very uneven terrain and be able to climb stairs and over things. The day of the Iona Island Pilgrimage will require being able to walk eight miles over the course of the day. The Green Shed and much of our programming is not ADA accessible due to the nature of the island.

• While there is intentional programming and effort to ensure that everyone has independent time and reflective solitude, much of this journey is taken within the company of others. Please be ready to graciously share sleeping quarters, meals (including prep and cleanup), and one another's hearts and stories. 

• This journey invites a profound presencing and self-awareness, both of which are invited into growth as we engage the pilgrimage circuit. Your registration indicates that you are of sound mind and body, able to engage in both physical activity and soulful circle times that support the collective of our group experience.

Your Guides

Mary DeJong

Influenced by the lives of Celtic saints, the mythic journey, and the emerging field of ecopyschology, Mary facilitates retreats and pilgrimages in the Pacific Northwest and in Iona, Scotland, that strengthen the unique and mystical interconnection of participants, the sacred, and the natural world. She has studied and practiced within the Celtic Christian spiritual tradition, her own maternal line heritage, for over twenty years, receiving mentoring and vocational guidance from Vivienne Hull, co-founder of the Chinook Learning center and the Whidbey Institute and the director of the Iona Retreat Programs. Mary is a graduated scholar of the School of Celtic Consciousness, a learning program founded and taught by John Philip Newell. She has been leading groups to Iona, Scotland since 2004, delighting in the pilgrimage process of recovering the sacred within, and throughout the cosmos and creation.

With a Masters in Theology & Culture and a focus in eco-theology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology; post-graduate certificates in Ecology & Religion from Yale University, and ecopsychology and Applied Mythology from Pacifica Graduate Institute; and intensive trainings with Animas Valley Institute, Mary competently guides conversations and connections towards a renewed communion with the natural world. Her theories around a Theology of Place have found practice through her own restoration work within a local neighborhood wood, where she regularly leads community restoration events and hosts groups desiring to make faithful interconnections with the greater community of life. Mary's book, Waymarkers (2011), is heralded by pilgrims globally who long to journey to Iona with intention and purpose

Sarah Steinke

Pilgrimage is an external embodiment of an inner journey. Daily yoga offerings are intended to invite our female form to show up in soft strength, remembering that our skin is what we are meant to be in. 

Wonder resides in places of quickening, those moments where new life is first felt, and where words often fall short. And wonder, for Sarah, is what compels her to stay and listen. And then to enter more fully, senses alert. As a somatic psychotherapist, yoga instructor and poet, she finds these are all practices of quickening. She believes the longer we tolerate this place beyond words, the more deft we become to movement, the more able we are at traversing the terrain of the soul—allowing what needs to drop to the ground to drop, and allowing shape to what needs to take shape. Sarah’s yoga and writing practices reflect her commitment to the poetry of the ordinary, and she invites others to awareness and connection, the places of quickening in their own lives.

Sarah’s teaching has had the benefit of much practice—over twenty years of writing and editing experience, and ten years of yoga practice. She is a RYT 200 certified yoga instructor who received her MFA in poetry from UW, and Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. She currently teaches yoga classes in a local studio in Silverdale and corporate sessions in Seattle. Sarah also has a private practice in Bremerton, Washington. Her work has appeared in the Laurel Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Crab Creek Review, the Other Journal, the Southern California Review, and elsewhere. Her chapbook, Words Could Not Make It More True, was published in 2014 by Finishing Line Press. Find out more about Sarah HERE.

Fireside Chat with co-guides Mary and Sarah

Enjoy listening in to this casual conversation where Mary and Sarah lean into the particularities of the Waymarkers Iona Pilgrimage journey!

The Pilgrimage Process

Severance | Threshold | Return

Gallery