When I first heard the phrase “laboratory and beacon” applied to Ecovillage Findhorn, I knew it expressed something profound about the place we inhabit together. It is not simply a community to live in; it is a living system where experiments unfold and light is sent outward. We are both testing grounds and signal fires. This reflection is from an interview with Cambridge undergraduate Ruby Livingston, who invited me to articulate the Community’s journey in my own words. Out of that conversation, six themes emerged that reveal how Ecovillage Findhorn continues to evolve as a regenerative community, hospitable to people, place, and planet. (🌐 Click here to read the full 6-part series.)

Ecovillage_Findhorn_Beacon blog series

Listening to the Inner Voice. Our story begins with the whisper — the still, small voice that first called me to Findhorn. The same inner guidance that seeded our founding, shapes our lives. Responding to this voice is not always easy, but it is the wellspring of transformation.

Scaling Up Consciousness. The frameworks of Integral Theory and Spiral Dynamics have shown me how local practices resonate globally. Ecovillage Findhorn may be small, but it operates as a microcosmic fractal that reflects planetary patterns of growth and renewal.

Hospitable to the Soul. Alastair McIntosh once described Findhorn as “hospitable to the soul.” This phrase captures the ethos of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness that infuses our gardens, our homes, our relationships. Hospitality here means creating conditions where spirit, culture, and nature flourish together.

Gaia’s Reflective Organs. James Lovelock taught me to see humans as Gaia’s reflective organs. By extension, cities — and even small communities like ours — become reflective nodes in Earth’s living body. Ecovillage Findhorn is a node where Gaia sees herself through us.

Governance in Transition. Like every living system, our governance is evolving. The shift from centralised authority toward distributed responsibility has been challenging, even painful. Yet it is also a practice of tough love and collective care — a chance to embody governance that mirrors the wholeness of life itself.

From Eco-Village to Regenerative Learning Community. What began as an experiment in intentional living is maturing into a regenerative classroom for the world. Through innovations like the Living Machine, the Wind Park, Gaia Education, and Cullerne Gardens, the Community at Findhorn serves as both teacher and student — a microcosm of the city of the future.

Together these themes portray Ecovillage Findhorn as both laboratory and beacon: a place where experiments unfold in the soil of daily life, and where light radiates outward to inspire others. We are not perfect, but we are persistent. Our gift is not a finished model, but an invitation — to try, to learn, to adapt, to serve Gaia’s unfolding wholeness. As we live these questions, may our community continue to shine as a beacon for others, while remaining humble enough to be a laboratory of ongoing discovery.