This is a picture of St Dunstan who was one of the first Christians in the Western Isles and who started a monastery on Eigg. Today Bindu went to the site of the old monastery while I went to the nearby beach where I saw the above picture, almost an icon, in the nearby RC church.
The church is dedicated to St Dunstan although a priest only comes once a month and on the other weeks there is a lay service. The church also had some very interesting old carvings which were originally probably grave stones and standing stones which were very old indeed - eighth century. They consisted of a Celtic cross and a carving of dogs, although the latter was very faint.
It then struck me that although Eigg has wonderful credentials when it comes to community involvement and renewable energy, it doesn't have a spiritual focus of any kind. As far as I can see there is no mediation or other spiritual practice apart from the RC church which doesn't see to be very active. Yet obviously at one point many years ago it was a thriving spiritual centre.
Maybe that spiritual focus needs to be re-ignited somehow.
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