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As a result of the controversies surrounding the acquisition of property and the distortion of glamour, a number of members left the Community. We entered a phase of caution and uncertainty, like a child who has been disciplined. Strict accounting became the watchword, and the attempt to take responsibility for our debts and reduce them a primary goal. Instead of a warm welcome for anyone who claimed paranormal abilities, the Community became very cautious about psychics.

When I arrived at the Findhorn Foundation in 1983, my practice of what I then called ‘psychic healing’ and clairvoyance was regarded with considerable caution, and I was advised to give it up for a few years while I adjusted to the Community. In 1984 when I started an intensive organic vegetable garden at Cullerne, I noticed a beautiful rose quartz crystal in an out-of-the-way corner of the Park, and thought it would be a lovely decoration for the centre of the garden. Not knowing about the ‘crystal incident’, I was taken aback by the hornets’ nest this proposal stirred up, and had to release the idea. We were still in reaction against crystals, which are in themselves harmless enough things. But when the rose quartz crystal was finally put in one of the Cullerne gardens a couple of years later, guests started doing rituals around it and it had to be removed once more.

When Peter left, he handed on the focalisation of the Community to François Duquesne. It was a critical time. François’s cautious and rational approach to finance and organisation was essential for this period of retrenchment. The Community needed to reconnect with a coherent vision. Francois deeply felt the need for the ‘village’ of Eileen’s guidance to be made into a reality. He strongly supported expansion beyond the Educational Foundation of the Trust Deed into a spiritually based Community, embracing business activity.

The great opportunity in this direction was the purchase of the Caravan Park, which François negotiated. The Park, where the Community was founded, came up for sale in 1983. It was obvious that we should become custodians of this land. Furthermore, the maintenance of the commercial side of the business for some years could give us a source of income, which we sorely needed in our indebted state. The owner, knowing that we were the only likely customer, drove a hard bargain. A sustained campaign was launched, in which each member took responsibility for manifesting funds for the cost of a particular area of the Park. This gave individuals a direct stake in fund-raising. Appeals were sent to previous Community members and visitors; auctions and fund-raising events followed each other in quick succession. We were able to raise what we considered an appropriate price for the land but the owner held out for another £80,000. We had to go further into debt, with the affirmation that we would pay this new debt off within a year, which we did. The Park was purchased in November 1983, the high point of François’s time as focaliser (1).

Current Trends

The purchase of the Caravan Park marked a positive turning point. A programme for steady debt reduction was in place, the membership was smaller and its average age began to go up. Members stayed longer. Some independent businesses started to form. People began to come here to live their lives with and around us without being members of the Foundation. For the first time a real distinction between the Community and Foundation emerged. There has been a move towards the decentralisation of responsibility, which means that individual members become less dependent on a centralised leadership.
In 1988, Foundation members were involved in a long period of collective and individual attunement to create a new spiritual Core Group. This process represents the most determined attempt yet to move towards a spiritual democracy, based not merely on simple voting, but on contact with inner vision.

Although our financial crisis is by no means over, within very limited means the Foundation is beginning to build permanent accommodation for members.

Finally, a Community of people is growing who want their lives to have a spiritual centre and who find support in the Findhorn Foundation ambience.

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Extracts from The Findhorn Community: Creating A Human Identity for the 21st Century, Carol Riddell, FPress, 1991/1997

 

(1) 1983 was a genuine annus mirabilis in comparison to the previous years of struggle and difficulty. That year saw an all-out community effort to secure four key objectives. These were:
*the purchase of the caravan park
*the completion of the Universal Hall, which had lain semi-finished since the mid-70s. The construction and decoration of the foyer and café were completed hours before the commencement of the 3rd World Wilderness Congress in October.
*a re-invigorating life at the Park, which had become very moribund due to the general decline in membership and the particularly harsh winterin1981/2 which had sent many single people scampering for the relative warmth of Cluny. In early 1983 the Wednesday evening KP crew consisted of a single individual who enterprisingly usually left a note in the hatch asking the five or so souls who were likely to eat there to wash their own plates.
*the successful implementation of a balanced budget.

In no subsequent year have such clear objectives been identified and fulfilled.

Carol Riddell

The Kingdom Within compiled and edited by Alex Walker – extract of a chapter written by Carol Riddell (p68-70). Published in 1994