Meditation, Sanctuary & Spiritual Practice

There’s often a heightened sense of coherence, of extraordinarily refined presence, in the closing minutes of a group meditation in the sanctuaries at The Park and at Cluny. All the mental chatter has quietened, physical bodies are relaxed and poised, feelings are settled and at peace, as the group shares the great mystery of soul infusion.

This is not planned or expected, but it is a graceful bonus, and one that is most often experienced through group meditation. For me, it is the hallmark and essence of our meditations at Findhorn. I’m sure many group and individual meditations around the world experience this infusion, and each will have its own signature and essence.

What I find fascinating about the Findhorn Foundation Community is the distinct sense that it was planned on the inner realms years before the 17th of November, 1962, probably by graduate humans and representatives of the angelic realms. Eileen’s guidance is filled with references to the future, to the unfolding of the plan, and to the need to follow instructions to the letter.

My experience of the Angel of Findhorn is that it is a group consciousness, anchored strongly in the soul of humanity, fully focused on the work of this centre of light, and accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. It is this group consciousness and its component souls, which holds the plan for our work. It is in full attunement with the Landscape Angel, with Gaia, the soul of Earth, and with Pan, the unifying life of the elemental realms.

Our work as the ‘ground crew’ is to harmonise our awareness with this soul life, to enter into the stillness in group meditation, and to co-create the magnetic light which attracts people from all over the world. This attraction works in the intuitive dimensions, in which time and space do not hinder the sending or receiving of heart and soul communications. It is all a matter of timing, and when it is a soul’s time to participate in this work, to unfold into the light, then, by hook or by crook, that soul is drawn here.

And so the work continues, day by day, just as it has for the last 50 years, and through the years it has grown in complexity and diversity. We still have the three community meditations at 6.30 am for an hour, and for 20 minutes at 8.35 and 5.40, both at The Park and at Cluny. Now, alongside these, are other spiritual practices and meditations which add to the potency of our work and ensure that we never become sectarian.

Sometimes we have a series of Common Practice meditations which bring together the various spiritual practice groups, in which we affirm both our diversity and the common unity which lies at the heart of each particular spiritual path. We have also been holding quarterly ‘deepenings’ called Opening Doors Within which create an opportunity for people consciously to attend all three daily meditations for a week.

During the early years, when everyone was expected to attend sanctuary every day, late arrivals to the full sanctuary had to pick their way through a sea of legs. These days we are not so demanding, and many people choose to meditate at home or to create their own spiritual practices. Nonetheless, the sanctuary is well attended for the 8.35 meditation, and the 6.30 early meditation often has more than 10 people. Fifty years on, we still have that important critical mass of people holding this quality of presence and maintaining a dynamic relationship with the Angel of Findhorn.

Angus Marland