I wrote this article for the Rainbow Bridge to encourage the sharing of stories about Jill’s community involvement to generate positive memories. I was pleased to be asked by the COIF team to add it to the collective autobiography.
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Jill celebrated her 89th Birthday, May 3rd 2024 at her home Beolan, Forres surrounded by friends.
During the last 4 years my brother Mark and I relocated to Forres to look after mum. Since 2021 Jill has needed 24/7 care due to her developing vascular dementia. It’s taken the best part of this time to gather a dedicated team of carers to support Jill with all her care needs. We are very grateful to her wonderful carers, to all her friends and family who offer their heart centred care and concern and to all those who continue to visit.
Jill loved this community and, during her inspired life here, developed her own
sanctuary and creative environment at her home in Forres next to Sanquhar Woods, creating a healing sanctuary called Light Space in her attic dedicated to sound and light healing, an art studio and sound chamber in the Garden.
Jill was deeply committed to the founding principles of Findhorn as expressed by Dorothy and Eileen and drew many to her.
One such chance meeting was with Laura Newbury who describes meeting Jill in her book, Earth’s Voices: Messages for Our Times from Nature’s Guardians. Chapter 23, Enchantment of Sounds and Places.
“We arrive at the doorstep of our accommodation. There is a small statue of a Buddha and some white gravel paths carefully laid between the plants. A set of bells chime and an elderly woman comes to the door.
She is beautiful and poised and it is hard to guess her exact age. She welcomes us inside and it is like stepping over a magic circle. Surrounding us all round the hall are artefacts, photographs of nature, weavings, and crystals. A large notice board displays posters of events happening at Findhorn Park. After only a few minutes, she mentions that she is a sound healer, and I tell her of my writing about the subject of sound this very day, up on the hill at Clava.”
Through their developing friendship, Jill supported Laura by offering her to work in Light Space at Beolan, organising over 8 workshops for the community between 2015 and 2019. Due to the success of these workshops and the developing connections Laura made she returned to Findhorn in December 2024.
We would love to continue to meet and speak with some of Mum’s friends about their journey with her. Mum supported so many to land in the community and so responds to connection and community. In sharing the stories I hope to bring some positive memories to the foreground.
Audicia Lynne Morley, RSMT & RSME, FwSS Creative director of State Theta Galleries, Programme Director for Tamalpa UK with 30 years experience in the fields of performing arts, somatic’s and health.
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