Kathy and Neil

In 1972, I was hitchhiking around Europe on my own, and met Catherine Christensen in the beach parking lot at Biarritz, France. She was going to a Krishnamurti conference in Saanen, Switzerland, and the people I’d gotten a ride with were going to Switzerland, so she came with us. However, they were going to Zurich and dropped us off on the highway. We were unable to hitch a ride, so we took the train and had a great time, staying a month and then on to Paris. She decided to go to Amsterdam to meet someone, I stayed in Paris and would join them later. Hitchhiking out of Paris was nearly impossible, I stood on the side of the road for 24 hours with no ride. So I decided to go to another Krisnamurti conference happening in Brockwood, England. I didn’t know where Brockwood was, just somewhere near the Winchester Cathedral, but that was good enough in those days before internet, cell phones and Google Maps.

Hamish McKay, me, Hans Poulsen, Karen Hogg

Hamish McKay, me, Hans Poulsen, Karen Hogg

I crossed to the other fork in the road going to Lille and the ferry to Britain, got a ride within five minutes all the way to Brockwood, but was two days early. The only other people there were a couple that had just spent two weeks at Findhorn. Just the vibration of the name Findhorn resonated so strongly, I was interested, but the description of an older English couple and former RAF officer living in a trailer park in the north of Scotland didn’t sound too appealing. But then they played some of the New Troubadours music and my heart said “you have to go there.” Plus, it was near the Loch Ness monster!

Then the people I was going to see in Amsterdam all appeared at the conference, so if I would have continued to Amsterdam, they would not have been there. Divine guidance at work! So after the conference we decided to visit Findhorn. Catherine left for the US on the way, but ended up coming to Findhorn a year or two later.

I remember very clearly Roger Collis taking us on a tour around the Park and telling the history of the community, about 150 strong at that point. I was impressed with how people were relating to each other – the way I always felt it should be. We went by the Sanctuary and the New Troubadours were rehearsing, and they let me come in and listen. Then I knew I wanted to stay and live there. I had not been looking for a spiritual community, nor even knew of any. I had bought ski boots in Chamonix and thought I’d be returning to live and work at a ski resort in the US.

On Iona, Richard Stern, Tory Mudd, Liza Stern, Kathy

In those days, the guest department consisted of working in a department in the morning, John Hilton taking any guests around to Randolph’s Leap, Plusgarden Abbey, etc., then having tea in the Universal Bungalow listening to a David Spangler tape.

When we were at Randolph’s Leap, it was really hot, and being such a water person, I asked John if I could skinny dip in the water. He said OK, he’d keep watch to make sure nobody came round. (William Irwin Thompson was the only other guest that week)!

In order to live in the community, one had to ask Peter and he would decide. I was apprehensive, so John Hilton said he’d ask Peter for me. After the skinny dip experience, I wasn’t sure what he would say to Peter, but I got the thumbs up and stayed for a total of seven years, doing photography, slide shows, publicity materials, performing arts and books .

Kathleen Thormod Carr