LET’S DANCE, SING AND PERFORM TOGETHER

Artists Coming to Findhorn

Music in the teabreaks

In January 1969 I began my first teaching job in Sunderland and was invited by the head of the art department to socialise with him and his circle of friends, also artists. They were already absorbed in an experiment with the ouija or planchette and getting extraordinary results. They invited me to join them. There followed a fascinating year of what amounted to spiritual mentoring by an entity calling himself Alpha, who demanded we give ourselves to God: Give yourselves to God absolutely, who loves you absolutely, and prepare to become a community of artists who create an arts and crafts centre in Scotland. When we asked where or how exactly this would be possible the answer was always: Wait and see.

The weekly sessions covered subjects such as the ancient history of lost but very advanced civilisations, and UFOs and the science behind them including a general description of a fusion generator. However, the main topic was always brought back to spiritual enlightenment and the need to prepare for the New Age.

Shortly after the moon landing which we all stayed up to watch, one of our group arrived with a copy of the News of The World. He had found an article about a group in Scotland who lived by guidance, were preparing for a New Age, had dealings with space brothers and produced extraordinary vegetables with the help of Nature Spirits.

It was meant to be funny. The effect on us was electric. We immediately asked Alpha what it meant: They are as you. Write. So write we did and by return mail received a letter from Peter Caddy who told us that in a vision Eileen was shown an arts and crafts centre to be built in Pineridge and they had been fundraising for a year to create it. When they had asked who the artists would be they were told, They will make themselves known when the time is right. So Peter invited us to come and see for ourselves, thinking we would be at least the first wave of many.

So it proved to be. By July 1970 all but two of the original group of seven were installed in caravans at the newly opened Pineridge where we were put to work digging drains and putting in a septic tank. I had the honour of being the first person to actually live in a caravan there.

By the beginning of 1971 many more artists had arrived and we were all busy working on the foundations for the three studios, with the pottery being finished in late July. I headed a small team to begin learning the potter’s craft.

Brian Nobbs