I've just returned from co-hosting an epic 16 day pilgrimage around the power portals of Scotland, Her Highlands and islands with a group of magnificent women - we were 14 in total plus our very witty driver (more on him at the end!).

We enjoyed the exuberance of getting stoned on stones, metaphorically, through their immense presence and power; their frequency and energies combined with our circle of 14. Recharging like never before! These standing stones of Scotland will bring out the best in you AND will also bring up anything that is hiding in the shadows ready to be seen, witnessed and healed. They mean business, seeing through the murk into our most vulnerable parts that are crying out for healing, when we are ready to turn towards those parts within our self.

At the Calanais I stone circle on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, I was drawn to sit with one particular standing stone in the inner circle of 13, as Jocelyn played her crystal bowl and as our group also followed their callings to sit with other stones. This particular stone reminded me, as stones often do, to have fun! To laugh, giggle, sing and tone - which of course I and others did! To be at one and at peace with the environment. That these stones helped me remember that they are part of a (very old) stone collective that has remained standing tall in order to support the harmonising of earth and all who walk upon her.

I sometimes find spirituality far too serious for my liking. I love when the stones remind us of the lighter side of spirituality, in such a serious rooted way! It is a gift of permission to set your inner child free to be once again.

At the Stones of Stenness on Orkney, I felt drawn to linger a while as the group walked on along the pilgrimage path to the Ring of Brodgar. Two other women felt drawn to stay too, even as the wind whipped up and the promise of more rain loomed in the distance over the majestic Hoy hills. We sat in the centre, marked by a square with pebbles inside. This is the hearth of the stones. The place to connect to our own hearts. There we began to weave with the wisdom of these stones. Light language and movement (from the two women) as the codes are released and received. I feel the urge to sing. To sound in resonance with the huge stones as it reverberates throughout the circle.

We realise all three of us are of Celtic Blood held within our DNA. The power of three.

"Welcome home. Remember who you are. Birth the new from the ancient. Remember who you are."

These sacred places remind us that we truly know how to be and what to do at these sites in order to activate the codes of remembrance within and out with. We remember when we allow ourselves to let go of expectations. When we allow ourselves to be guided moment to moment in organic ways. Trusting.

I feel contractions moving through me. I breathe and blow out. Breathe and blow out, releasing. Feeling lighter. Salty tears releasing as the wild Orcadian wind dries them. The Cailleach Witch is certainly present here at Stenness and on these Scottish islands! But where was Queen Scotia? When would she reveal her true self to us?

And then there was HOY. The high island that is part of the Orkney archipelago. Hoy is reached by a short ferry from mainland Orkney (even though Orkney too is an island off the north coast of Scotland!). We do a day trip to Hoy at the half way point of our pilgrimage. Across the Scapa Flow we go. The Scapa Flow being the second largest deep water natural harbour in the world, second to Sydney Harbour.

This half way point becomes a threshold. A Rubicon. A turning point. Hoy feels to me like a place where the veil is thin. A place to feel the aliveness of life. Of nature. Of earth and cosmos. It's the dramatic scenery and the pure energy of the island that appeals to me. Relatively untouched despite its World War I and II legacy.

Hiking to The Old Man of Hoy from remote Rackwick - at 137 metres, he's one of the tallest sea stacks in the UK. The wind is so strong, it causes waterfalls to flow upwards with a spray that we think is smoke from a fire at first! This reminds me of our strength and power as eternal and human beings. And also we can flow any way we wish!

We sound in the Dwarfie Stane - a hollowed out red sandstone rock positioned dramatically in a bog and surrounded by Hoy's high mountains. Dated at 4,000 years old, it's definitely a sounding chamber. Healing. A place to retreat into the darkness and emerge, reborn, into the light. There are six of us inside. Sounding. Weaving our frequencies as one.

I write in my diary that night:

"Wonderful Hoy. Magical. Atmospheric. Wild. Raw. Beautiful. Stunning scenery. Huge cliffs. Roaring ocean. Remote corner of Orkney. Excavating truths. Hidden treasures. Invigorating. Lively and fun!"

Our pilgrimage starts and finishes with The Witches of Edinburgh. Guiding the circle through my witch awakening on the very cobbled streets where we stood was beyond profound - epically healing for people. Paying homage and returning to the places of The Witches after two weeks of pilgrimage felt renewing, healing, strengthening and enlivening.

I feel so much gratitude for having the ability to co-create such moments here in Scotland. Scotland is where I chose to lay my roots for the past 26 years. I walk in honour and respect of these lands, the stones, the sacred sites, the stories, my stories alongside your stories and those of us who choose to walk this path which feels more and more mystical every day.

Back to the witty driver that I mentioned at the start of this story. He drove us around Scotland in our executive minibus, as we drove him MAD with our delightful appetite for stones!!! So he took it upon himself to create a sign for the minibus by rebranding our pilgrimage to:

STONED ON STONES

I've laughed so much on this tour. It was so much craic and serious fun. This rebranded sign was the icing on the cake and did gift us some lovely attention, connections and smiles from strangers!

I hope you enjoyed my insights from the Scotland 2026 Pilgrimage - into the power of pilgrimage upon these sacred lands. We are all still integrating this trip and I invite you to re-read these words as often as you wish in order for the messages to land and integrate within you, as sacred stony ancient new transmissions. There's so much more to share.

And to the unanswered question of where was Queen Scotia? When would she reveal her true self to us? I will reveal more in time!

Le grá / with love,

Eimear x

Eimear Stassin

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