ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

You Are Not Going
Without Me

In 1980 we had found The Findhorn Garden in our local bookshop and read it with fascination. Now Richard was proposing to visit Findhorn, so we all came. We booked in for Experience Week followed by a family workshop at Newbold House, the first of its kind. Our three children, nine, seven and one, were looked after during sessions but we were responsible the rest of the time. Stephen (the baby) was awake a lot at night and I was exhausted.

At Cluny one day I clearly ‘heard’(no voice): You are going to come and live here. The following year Richard did a workshop, phoned home and said, “We are going to come and live here.” “I know.” “And I have seen a house….” A couple of weeks later I said I thought we should get details of the house; he thought we should sell ours first. For once I was very clear we should go ahead NOW. On Tuesday we received information about the property with a covering letter saying, please note that offers have to be in by midday Friday. On Friday evening we learnt that we were the proud owners of two homes! Richard had seen the outside of the house; I only had the estate agent’s blurb to go on.

We came in May to see the house and to do a DG (Departmental Guest) week. We had an interview with Personnel who asked if we wanted to join the Foundation, or “There is this new thing called Associate Membership,” which is the way we went. We moved up in July, paid a monthly fee and joined in work and play as we felt inclined. When we ate in the CC we kept our own account of the meals we ate (50p per adult meal) and paid later.

A small group of us met twice a month. One meeting was a meditation in the sanctuary in the Park Building, followed by discussion. The other was a pot luck supper which included our children. This was usually well-balanced, but once we all took a dish based on beetroot!

In August I joined the seven-to-eight-week Orientation group designed for new members, the only one not intending to join the Foundation. Richard did the next one where nearly half were intending to be Associate Members.

It has been fascinating to watch the huge changes as more and more people have come to be associated with the Foundation, and the development into today’s diverse community. The village of light of which Eileen foretold is very present.

Diana Brockbank