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YVONNE CUNEO DESCRIBES her Experience Week in 1992 as pivotal.

‘It changed my life and showed me that there is hope for humanity. It was one week, 20 people, 14 different nationalities, deep connection, acceptance and exploration. I realised the power of a group, especially in Sacred Dance, through the clasped hands, the eye contact, and also the energy rising up from the earth through the floor.

‘By the end of just one week there was a sense of oneness and power and stillness. I left knowing the possibility of love between people, of the acceptance of self and others, of forgiveness of self and others, and of the interbeing of all life.

‘Having come from an extremely difficult childhood resulting in hostility, defiance, violence and only feeling safe with my familiar reckless, chaotic and desperate behaviour, this was a revelation to me… and all in one week!’

She remembers being so touched by people’s stories and then experiencing contraction and fear. She was challenged by the openness and love and felt resistance to the possibility of the inner peace which she so desperately needed.

‘Drawing the angel card of peace brought me face to face with my fear of peace and my desire to let go of my crazy ripping and tearing of life that I thought defined me. Who would Yvonne be without this frenetic activity? What would an Yvonne at peace look like? This sense of an essential me beyond my ego began with Experience Week.

Yvonne Cuneo director of programmes from Australia first findhorn visit » 1992‘I have lived here for 20 years because Findhorn is a place where people visit from all over the world, participating with the resident community in building a new way of being in relationship with self, others, nature and the cosmos. A research and development centre for the future of the world? What could be more meaningful than to support this place that provides a safe environment for people to unfold, open their hearts and recognise they are spiritual beings having an earthly experience?’

She recalls: ‘I had become dissatisfied with endless travel, the indulgence of expat life and a sense of my untapped potential. Long story short… I went to Findhorn in October 2000 to decide between two men in my life. There I listened to a tape by Findhorn co- founder Eileen Caddy.

‘When Eileen talked about a plant whose roots were too big for its pot, it was like a lightning bolt went through my solar plexus. I didn’t hear a voice but had an instant and irrefutable gnosis – this download stated that it wasn’t about the men, it was about me and I needed to live at Findhorn, and that I’d be here for a long time. This message was so clear that I returned two months later with two suitcases and have been here ever since.’

Today Yvonne is the co-director of Programmes for the Findhorn International Centre for Sustainability, which offers programmes for the business world as part of the Foundation, and says everyone would benefit from a Findhorn programme or workshop.

‘It’s a place where people can slow down and connect with themselves. And all this takes place in an aspiring ecovillage demonstrating a way of life that regenerates people and planet.’

When it comes to the need for change, she maintains that nobody says it better than the ‘still, small voice’ Eileen Caddy heard in her meditations.

‘Do you want to do something to help the world situation? Then look within. As you change your consciousness to love, peace, harmony and unity, the consciousness of the whole world will change.

‘The world talks about sustainability, but it is far more than ecohouses, organic vegetables and wind turbines. It begins with each person’s own sustainability. Are you stressed, anxious, have an unhealthy work/life balance, have unresolved personal issues? Social sustainability is also very important – how you relate to others, how conflicts are resolved and decisions made, sharing work, and care for each other. Then there is the environment – our relationship with the Earth, our home, and living in partnership with all of life so that we regenerate the natural systems on which we rely for life itself. The fourth element of sustainability is economics. This is challenging for all charities and also for spiritual communities that sometimes see money as a bad thing, whereas it is simply energy which needs to move.

“At Findhorn we see each person’s life journey in the global context of the evolution of the human species. As people realise their own potential they contribute to the greater whole. So I continue to celebrate life in all its vibrancy and diversity, welcoming people from all over the world and continuing my journey of coming home to myself as my contribution to a world of peace and harmony.’

Yvonne Cuneo
Director of programmes
from Australia
First Findhorn visit » 1992