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A postcard coming from a friend at the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park dramatically changed the life of young English schoolteacher and spiritual seeker John Willoner.
The message was cryptic and enticing: ‘I think you’ll find it interesting here.’
‘Coming as it did from Dennis, more than anybody else on the planet, I knew I needed to follow this up. He was a bit older than me but we’d developed a close friendship at university because we spoke the same language and were both searching for spirituality. I had no idea what was ahead but there was a knowing that I had to find this caravan park.’
That was in 1967. It was the same year the Beatles released their hit single All You Need Is Love and the fledgling spiritual community in the north- east of Scotland comprised only six permanent residents: co-founders Dorothy Maclean and Peter and Eileen Caddy and their three young boys.
John was soon to quit his teaching job down south and become a new long- term resident.
‘Within a couple of weeks of receiving the postcard I happened to be relatively nearby and I had a couple of hours to come up and look for the address. I have to say, it was not the easiest place to find.’
He was greeted by a cold, bleak wintry landscape devoid of flowers, birds and mature trees.
‘On that first visit I saw a rubbish dump and lots of dilapidated caravans. I was looking for site number 27, which was quite difficult to come by because it was out of sight in a hollow.
‘It was one of the least attractive caravan parks you could imagine. It was mostly transitory people living in caravans very close to a big Royal Air Force base. They knew they’d only be in caravans for a few weeks before moving to accommodation in the barracks, so there was very little care.
‘My friend Dennis had been there a few weeks and introduced me to Peter Caddy, an energetic older man with a military bearing. They were smashing rocks to create a base for a bungalow. I was given a sledgehammer and joined in.’
Although he stayed only a couple of hours he remembers a sense of coming home. This was what he’d been searching for. Something compelling was happening as seeds were sown for the birth of what evolved into a celebrated spiritual community, centre of learning and pioneering ecovillage.
‘It wasn’t very attractive on the outer physical level and yet something shone through the people and the small garden Peter had created around the caravan. It spoke to my soul. I wanted more of this. I think it was on my second visit that Peter and Dennis said: ‘Oh, we go down to the beach at lunchtime and have a swim.’ This was early March and the coldest time for the water. I joined them with a bit of trepidation and we ran over the dunes and had to crawl under barbed wire to get there. And yet it was such an invigorating experience.
‘I remember thinking: wow, I could do this more often.
‘The caravan site and environment have been a great joy ever since. It’s become my early morning spiritual practice to spend time on the beach and Findhorn continues to be my spiritual home.
‘It’s amazing to see what’s changed over half a century. The immediate surroundings were just sand dunes and they’ve been transformed. Now there are beautiful gardens, beautiful properties, beautiful people. Every time I wake up I feel blessed to know where I am. My connection with the people, the unseen beings and the environment fulfils me.’
John ran the Foundation’s Conference Office for 20 years and remains busy since his recent retirement.
His cheerful and unwavering commitment to service is legendary, whether it is leading community walking tours, tending a sick friend’s garden, assisting with building projects, or until recently paying daily visits to co-founder and friend Dorothy, who passed in 2020 at the age of 100.
‘With Lockdown we didn’t have any guests, although the community remained a magnet for me. I’ve made wonderful friends, many of whom have moved on to other parts of the world, but there is still that soul connection, even if I don’t see them for 20 or 30 years.
‘In the early days Eileen Caddy’s vision was of the creation of a city of light. Looking at the caravan site in 1967 it was hard to imagine and yet it has unfolded.’
Always the adventurer and seeker, he is excited by future possibilities.
‘I think we’re in an interesting period of metamorphosis where nobody knows exactly how it is going to unfold. But the founding principles of love in action, inner listening, and co-creation with the intelligence of nature continue to be relevant and I find that valuable and exciting for the future.’
John Willoner
Findhorn Pioneer from England
First Findhorn visit » 1967
Born in England, I joined the Caddy Family in 1967 (aged 22) and pioneered Community living here. Findhorn has been my spiritual home ever since.
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