Spirit of the Future

We’re pleased to present an electronic edition of the Findhorn Foundation Community 50th Birthday book, ‘Spirit of the Future’, published in 2012 and produced by a team focalised by the late Adriana Sjan Bijman.

In 2011, Adriana brought together a community team to document the Community’s history for its 50th Birthday. Their efforts resulted in a beautiful book entitled Spirit of the Future. Sadly Adriana died in 2017. We are pleased to build on her work, and are making this extensive and comprehensive piece of art ‘evergreen’ by incorporating it into our website. We are most grateful to Adriana’s family and everyone else holding copyright for the book for their permission to do so.

Filled with the spirit of Findhorn, this book was created a decade ago with beautiful images, inspiring interviews and stories as well as previously unpublished archive material from the early years. It’s a community book, to celebrate 50 years and the Spirit of the Future.

The book begins by identifying three ‘foundations’ of the community, as the threads of the book:

  • Spirituality / Be still and listen (Eileen’s line)
  • Work is Love in Action (Peter’s line)
  • Co-creation with the Intelligence of Nature (Dorothy’s line)

From these foundations follow a series of themes: Gardens, Arrivals & Outreach, Education, Arts, Dance & Music, The People and The Future. The work includes a book and periodical list, as well as a timeline from 1962 to 2012. The content gives an interesting insight into the Findhorn Foundation Community, from the start in 1962 into the future; reflecting the Community’s growth in those 50 years from family-group-community towards village-town-city. It includes wonderful contributions, historical and personal, in text and in image.

This is a self-published community book, with contributions from many community members, past and present. It’s available here to read online in a format that attempts to give the feeling of browsing through a traditional book.

In addition, here is a link to the individual 50th Birthday stories presented in the book.