12 Jul Mission to the Holy Island of Arran

In June 2006, Isabel Soria Garcia, member of the Delos Initiative, visited the Holy Island of Arran in Scotland. There she stayed in the Centre for World Peace and Health, one of the two centres of the Island, which is the place for interfaith work and retreat.

She interviewed a series of people of several backgrounds; various stakeholders –such as representatives of the Scottish Natural Heritage and the Council of Arran–, religious leaders, persons in charge of the management of the Island, environmentalists, landscapers, volunteers, visitors etc. In addition, she interviewed the participants of the various activities she had the chance to get involved with (such as an initiation to meditation activity, gardening and forestry). This enabled her to gain a deeper view to the relation of sacred issues with the environment. The sharing of firsthand experience and the exchange of knowledge became easier for her.

The first impressions from this mission were that people are quite positive to an initiative like Delos, which concerns sacred sites in technologically developed countries; they were friendly and ready to provide information. The place emanates a sense of deep spirituality.

Her mission became possible with the support of the University of Edinburgh, her supervisor Mr Alastair McIntosh, while WWF International provided the financial assistance for the project: The spirituality of urban and rural regeneration in Scotland.