I arrived in Findhorn in 1981. The community as an entity differentiated from the Foundation didn’t exist at that point. My wife and I bought Bay Cottage and we were among the forerunners of people who wanted to come and live in the community but without seeking to be full members of the Foundation. We did do the same orientation programme that Foundation members did, but we were seeking to be Associate Members.

I experienced an attitude from the Foundation along the lines of, “We’re saving the world, doing important work. You might be ready to join us in time”, but I felt I was in fact doing valuable work using my woodwork skills. People in the Foundation thought that we weren’t contributing but just taking advantage of what was already there.

However, my focus on wanting to work with wood meant I needed to work independently from the Foundation. I was one of the first to set up an ‘independent business’ and felt I was demonstrating that it was possible to run a small business along spiritual lines. There were a few other people also living outside the Foundation but who were interested in supporting ‘independent businesses’ and we would meet up once a month for a pot luck supper and meditation.

Interestingly, I now find myself again living in a fledgling community in Bavaria, Germany, in a monastery which has been bought by a community living project.

Interviewed by Liz Wigglesworth