Getting Unstuck: A Note From My Spiritual Journey
/Reflections from Rev. Jeanne Loveless
This past week in some Christian traditions was the celebration of Candlemas or “The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.” In traditional Gaelic cultures this was/is also called Imbolc, or St. Bridgit's (or the more ancient Goddess Brighid’s) Day. St. Bridgit’s day is held between the winter solstice and the spring equinox- and it marks the beginning of spring. This day as new buds pop out in my garden- I’m thinking of a “Note” from my own Spiritual Journey that I want to share with you.
I had the luxury of spending most of an afternoon by myself while I was visiting the Isle of Iona (Argyll, Scotland) in 2017. And I decided to climb to St. Bridget’s/Brighid's Well at the top of Dun i- the high point of Iona. St. Bridgit’s Well is also called “The Well of Eternal Life” and it has been a place of pilgrimage for seekers (especially women) for hundreds of years. It looks easily doable from a distance. And I didn't realize what a treacherous climb it was until I was over halfway up. And I lost the trail among the rocks and scree and found myself stuck.
I started to panic as I tried different ways of traverse and fell and scraped my knees. Blood was running down one of my legs making things worse. But I moved through my fear and tried not to look down. I found a discarded walking stick that helped me balance better, and (suddenly out of nowhere) as I carefully stepped and prayed, I was greeted from below by a fellow hiker- an 82 year old Dutch nun- Marta who had climbed to St. Bridget’s Well many times as pilgrimage. She was more prepared than me- and retrieved a first aid kit from her pack and helped me bandage my knee. She then invited me to get behind her and follow her lead on the faint trail she pointed out. She spoke English, and we chatted freely about our spiritual lives and traditions. She was a wonderful hiking companion and as I climbed in her footsteps, I realized that I was on liminal Holy Ground, walking inside a beautiful metaphor for my journey with the Divine Feminine. When I was challenged and struggling, Spirit showed up in very human form. I found what I needed, and as I prayed- help, guidance, and companionship came-as it often does- in a surprising way from an older pilgrim who spoke my language and helped me find the trail. As Sr. Marta and I made it to the top, my eyes filled with tears. It was her 18th summit and my first. And the experience of the cool water splashing on my face from the “Well of Eternal Life” as I looked down over the Abbey and Rèilig Odhrain back toward the Isle of Mull was well worth the struggle and the climb.
May clarity and guidance find you- as you climb around in unmarked, challenging places searching for streams and wells of living water. And may the Holy Spirit show up in all the ways you need as you embrace your Journey to the top of the mountain. Have a Blessed Imbolc week Beloved Community. Beannacht Brighid Leib. – Rev. Jeanne
