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MASAKO WATANABE probably has the distinction of being the one person in the world to have completed the most Experience Weeks – as the translator for more than 30 groups visiting Findhorn from Japan.
Like many people, Masako’s journey to the Findhorn Foundation came about through two seemingly chance meetings that lead her first to Scotland and then specifically to The Park. She’d never heard of Findhorn, and on her first visit she wandered around, wondering what people thought was so special.
Then she entered the Main Sanctuary.
‘What I saw was a light-filled space, serene beyond words. I have never forgotten this soul-awakening moment. I never imagined I’d come back to this special space many times, and meet and meditate with Eileen, Dorothy and the community members.’
The Angel of Findhorn stepped in again some time later, when she got two calls from different people in the same week, asking if she could translate for two separate groups going to Findhorn.
‘I couldn’t help but think I was somehow being called back to Scotland, specifically to Findhorn, whatever the reason might be. Since then I’ve visited the Foundation once or twice every year for the last 20 years. I consider myself very fortunate to have this long-lasting connection with Findhorn. It has always felt like coming back home. About two-thirds of the way from Aberdeen airport to Findhorn the road goes through a lovely stretch surrounded by tall trees. It feels as if you’re entering a heart space leading to the subtle energy field of Findhorn, and many of us often sense the shift of energy at this point. I call it a gateway to Findhorn. After many visits, I’ve come to realise there is indeed a subtle energy field there, holding some transformational magic.
‘I’ve been privileged to witness so many participants having transformational processes on Experience Week – what a beautifully made programme! Increasingly I’m learning to trust the Angel/Magic of Findhorn at work. Everyone seems to come to Findhorn at the perfect time in their lives, and each group almost always turns out to be a perfect match, no matter how awkward it seems at the beginning. They almost always blossom like a flower. Each at a different stage in their lives and their story, somehow having the courage to come all the way to Findhorn, perhaps having sensed the real reason deep inside, which may be quite different to the original reason they put on their introductory letter to the Foundation.
‘Dorothy visited Japan three times and I was her translator each time. What an honour and blessing it was to get to know her personally and to hear her messages first hand. She was so open minded and fun. Her visits and books, along with Eileen’s, enchanted many readers, helping them to appreciate Findhorn not as a never-never land with angels and fairies, or a dream place they’d like to visit someday, but rather in relation to their own spiritual experiences.’
Slowly Masako realised she wanted to introduce the essence of Findhorn to more Japanese people.
‘One day, I got an inspiration to invite Ian and Rosie Turnbull who were our focalisers a couple of times. I thought they were ideal Findhorn representatives. I was deeply impressed by how Ian had built the beautiful Nature Sanctuary with recycled materials so creatively, and warm- hearted Rosie reminded me of both Eileen and Dorothy! But who was I to ask them to come all the way to Japan? I was not even a professional organiser. But I took this as a test to see how much I had learned from Findhorn, specifically Peter Caddy’s principle of love in action. Although it literally felt like jumping off a cliff, I did ask them! And to my surprise, they looked delighted and said YES!’
Ian and Rosie ended up coming each year for the next four years, joining others who had visited Japan over the years, such as Barbara Swetina and Fabian Barouch, Judith Bone, Peter Vallance, Marion Leigh and Mary Inglis.
‘They all planted seeds in the soil here by touching the hearts of so many. I somehow didn’t want these seeds to die out. So, in 2007, I decided to hold a gathering for each season, where people could get together around a candle and flowers, to dance, sing and share their hearts in Findhorn style. It took courage to hold a circle, but being a translator for everyone, I’d had plenty of on-the-job training! So the question for me was: “Should I share all the wonderful things I’ve learnt from them?” The answer was yes, and it gave me such joy to be part of a circle with like-minded people in the spirit of Findhorn. This magic is at work each time we make a circle like this.
‘A little flame of Findhorn is continuing to be lit here in Tokyo. I also know that people are holding book readings of Eileen’s work in different parts of Japan. Though small in numbers, Findhorn-based Sacred Dance circles are being formed in different regions. The number of Game of Transformation facilitators is growing as well. Marion’s Findhorn Flower Essences are still distributed throughout Japan. So, the seeds that were planted have been steadily growing in the soil of Japan. I smile, thinking that the Angel of Findhorn is at work quietly but surely weaving an intriguing tapestry here away from its home base.’
Masako Watanabe
Interpreter + translator
from Japan
First Findhorn visit » 1990
An author, writer, and spiritual and ecological activist
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