AQUARIAN PARTY

In many ways winter offers a welcome respite at Findhorn, but it can be a gloomy time as well, with the weather driving everyone inside, no events pending, and less socialising. As my late January birthday approached, I instigated a survey in the Rainbow Bridge — how many members were Aquarians? I was stunned to find that 30 of the 150 members in 1984 had birthdays between January 20th and February 20th — all idealistic ‘waterbearers’ drawn to Findhorn. It seemed to me that this was no accident. Why not focalise an Aquarian party for everyone in the Community Centre in The Park hosted by the birthday group? YES, said everyone! A date was set in early February.

Unsurprisingly, this was a bigger undertaking than I thought at the outset — there were a zillion details to be worked out. Cooking and serving hot food for so many was relatively easy, as Findhornians serve large numbers daily, but not 150 in the Community Centre. Every folding chair in the community had to be commandeered; I remember tiredly hauling eight of them down from Pineridge at the last minute. I have an uncertain recollection of a couple of carpenters mocking up two or three extra plank tables on saw horses. Who would make a huge sheet cake? What about decorations? Balloons yes: but I forgot to assign time for inflating them and was frantically doing so as guests arrived. Many more nitty gritty problems needed sorting. However, Findhornians pitched in.

 

Twenty-eight years later, I have a fond video playing in my head of energetic Aquarians weaving their way through the tables, serving — I think — lasagna, salad, rolls, cake. All of us laughing, tablehopping, singing, popping balloons — celebrating togetherness, as only Findhorn can.

Sheila Madden