An inner calling as well as the magic and myth of the Findhorn garden brought me to the community. During a training in counselling and psychotherapy I experienced unexpectedly a powerful spiritual opening/ kundalini experience which resulted in me beginning to meditate regularly. In other senses I was lost though as spirituality at that time wasn’t officially recognised in the mainstream counselling world. A brochure advertising an essentials course in Psychosynthesis at Newbold House arrived in the post one day. I remember feeling bathed in light as I read it. I followed the calling , signed up for the course, and drove north from Edinburgh to Forres – it felt like a very long drive but it was a choice which set me on a new path in my life. During the week I made a visit to the community and after parking my car on the runway walked in the direction of the Universal Hall. In the foyer there was an exhibition of photographs of the community as well as information for visitors. I found myself standing directly in front of a photograph of Sir George Trevelyan. He was literally staring me in the face!

Sir George Trevelyan, Portrait in the foyer of the Universal Hall

I had wanted to contact George Trevelyan after my spiritual opening. At the time I received a polite letter back from Diana Whitmore, who had known him well, saying that sadly he had died two months previously. I had a clear sense at that moment that if what he had spoken and written about was true, that I would meet him in other ways. This has in its own way also been a magical journey – but the first intimation of this was finding myself standing in front of his photograph in the Universal Hall foyer.

I then thought that perhaps I could get a deeper understanding of him through meeting people who had known him. The person who came to mind was Eileen Caddy. At that time Eileen was on a pedestal for me because of her iconic role as one of the founders of the Findhorn community. I spoke with my friend Robin Alfred who was also participating in the Psychosynthesis course and he suggested writing to Eileen requesting a meeting. I did this and was touched to receive a handwritten reply from her suggesting that I meet with her after early morning meditation. The early morning meditation was at 6.30 – earlier than I was used to beginning the day, but I didn’t want to miss this opportunity!

I drove across to the Park from Newbold in the early morning – enjoying the dawn light as it rose in the sky. I entered the sanctuary and sat on one of the golden velvet covered chairs. The meditation began with Eileen striking the singing bowl – the deep base resonance took me into into a blissfully expansive inner space of light, love and peace. I felt safe, I felt supported. I felt as though I’d come home.

After the meditation Eileen, immaculately dressed in the early morning, smiled warmly and welcomed me into her Cornerstone home. Sitting down she offered me tea, and toast – toast with butter and honey! As we sat speaking she shared about the friendship which she and Peter had had with George, she also shared about some of the very painful experiences which she’d had in her life when Peter left her. She would intersperse these recollections with moments of sharing about her inner connection with God which was when she would seem to be suddenly filled with light. She had a very warm grounded presence, a grandmotherly feel about her, but she combined this with being very evolved spiritually. She had a deeply embodied capacity to love. This first early morning meeting was the first of many which I was privileged to have over the years which continued up until she died in 2006. She embraced not only me with her warmth and friendship, but included my husband, Jimmy Boyle, and children as well. I had met Jimmy who was a life sentence prisoner when he was an inmate in the Special Unit in Barlinnie Prison. I had bought his book A Sense of Freedom after I made a short day visit to Findhorn at the end of the seventies. His life was so different from anything that Eileen might have encountered but I was touched by the depth of empathy and compassion which she showed towards him.

My friendship with Eileen was not unique, as she had friendships with many of the thousands of people who visited the community, wrote to her, and sought her guidance over the years. Her friendship was very special to me though – she became a close friend, someone who ‘saw’ me with a clarity which was sometimes challenging, and who gave me enduring support and encouragement through what became for me a very difficult time of separation and divorce.

Following my spiritual calling and path resulted in my marriage ending – this is a challenge others have faced as well, but the transformation has led me into a new life. Findhorn, the deep friendships, the singing, dancing, attuning with nature, the astonishing range of activities, gifts and talents revealed and shared here in this community have been a beacon of light, love, and inspiration for me over the years of my continuing visits. Despite the recent challenges of covid and the fires, the redundancies of respected co-worker friends, has continued to be my spiritual home. I am a committed member of the NFA/ open community – I share the light and the love which radiates from this centre with all who I engage with. The spiritual impulse here continues to be very much alive – now we sit outdoors in the early morning without the sheltering of the sanctuary – but plans are in place to build the new. Along with everyone here – I am experiencing transformation happening in a very tangible and visible way…the old giving rise to the new. It’s a big work being part of this global family, engaged in birthing a new more sustainable loving and creative world. We are not alone, we are part of an extraordinary living network of light and love.

Sara Trevelyan