My first sense of the Findhorn magic goes way back to the 1980s. First of all, there was a rather remarkable connection that I had with another Touch For Health practitioner, Lori Forsyth. John Buck, soon to be my husband, and I were intrigued with the inspired enthusiasm Lori showed for A Course In Miracles (ACIM), her helpful connection with a couple of psychic healers in Orkney, and her dedication to the Findhorn Foundation and especially to Joy‘s and Kathy’s Game of Life.

John and I eagerly absorbed the teachings of ACIM … following this with the best part of a couple of winters spent up on Sanday, one of the northern Orkney islands. We sought out Joy and Mary, Lori’s wonderful healers, and became very absorbed in their sharings.

John Buck, had discovered The Magic of Findhorn story in a charity shop in Oregon in the mid 1970s and had passed it on to his son to read. Roger, at the tender age of 12, lapped it up and, when his father was called back to the UK in 1980 to look after his own dad, Roger’s desire to seek out this strange place called Findhorn was soon to be realised!

Of course, much later I read John’s copy and with Lori’s deep love of the place and the fascinating account of ROC’s relationship with the Nature Kingdom … well, I knew I would find something very special in this rare corner of northern Scotland.

Roger and his Dad came up to take part in an Experience Week and they both received so much from it all. So much so, that Roger’s mind was made up, he wanted to live in the Findhorn Foundation as soon as his schooling was finished. And that’s exactly what he did. During that time John came up to attend various guest programmes. He recalled how, one day when he was doing KP in the Community Centre, Eileen appeared, came up to greet him and kissed him on his forehead.

My first box game (1987 or 88)

My introduction was around 1987/8 when a friend and I joined Lori, her mother Sheila, and Joy to experience the new box game, The Game of Transformation. It was very exciting stuff and I later took the Focaliser’s two week training … delving deep into the subtle and overt significance of this powerful transformation tool.

In 1989 Roger married Manuela Andolina, another co-worker, in the original sanctuary in the Park, with their friend, William Bloom, officiating. So there were several opportunities for me to visit. John, being employed in a secondary school, used to spend his summer holidays attending different workshops in the Foundation.

I have always been drawn to the essential ‘flavour of Findhorn’, both Cluny and The Park, and especially to Nature’s very special energy thereabouts. However there were so many seemingly very ‘together’ young folk from all over and I remember feeling quite overwhelmed and definitely out of my comfort zone!

Romany and John

John and I married and our lives took a different turn. Roger and Manuela had a strong ‘vision’ that they needed to come south and start a Findhorn-esque centre in the City of Cambridge where John and I were living. William Bloom and Sabrina, his wife, were very keen for there to be a spiritual centre where New Age philosophy and spiritual practice would be available for university students who were ‘losing’ their way amidst the academic environment.

For the first two or three years Rog and Manuela took over a regular group known as The University of Cambridge Mystical Society (UCMS). Every Wednesday evening a motley crowd of off-beat, unusual students and others (including John and myself) would gather in an upstairs room. Remarkably this was located above the room where the The University Debating Society met for some intensely political evenings, with guest speakers like Maggie Thatcher, challenging and being challenged! Meanwhile, upstairs our UCMS circle would gather, focalised usually by Manuela.
She would introduce a Findhorn style sharing, very new to some of us, with a talking stone and some gentle New Age music. Various ’trust’ exercises would follow with folk gradually relaxing and, over the weeks, forming deepening friendships.

With Roger Buck and his daughter Mary in Cambridge Centre days

This was a precursor and inspiration for what was then to be known as The Cambridge Centre, where students and townspeople could come, be welcomed by Rog and Manuela, and learn about heart-opening and beautiful opportunities for development and healing.

Its Sanctuary was modelled on the familiar ones at Findhorn, of course. There was also a comprehensive library and relaxing space where folk could meet and share. A local Unitarian church agreed to host speakers once a term and, in the course of the Centre’s life, wonderful wise souls like Sir George Trevelyan, David Lorimer, William Bloom and many others would come to speak.

I lived for 10 years in Spain in an off-grid strawbale house with John. After his death in 2009 I came back to the UK, trained as an Interfaith Minister, and came up to look after a good friend in Dumfries and Galloway. Once she’d died I discovered the Céile Dé and joined them. I found out that there was a group in Forres run by Gelda McGregor. My cousin Jenny Smith (of Jenny’s Bothy fame) lived in Findhorn at the time, so I thought it was a good plan for me to move to Forres. Through various miracles another cousin invested in buying the lovely flat where I still live today.

Romany Buck

Born & bred near Fort William. In physio practice when kinesiology revolutionised my work. Lived off-grid in Spain with husband John. Interfaith Minister. Joined Céile Dé group in Forres.