Editor’s Note: The following was compiled by Mike Scott when he worked with the Community archives late 1990s-2007.

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The first Experience Week actually lasted for two weeks: Weeks A & B of Experiencing Findhorn, beginning 1 June 1974. The programme was designed by Michael Lindfield & Karen Hogg to facilitate the increasing number of visitors to the Community.

The programme was similar to early Findhorn conferences such as Consciousness And Education (1973), with audio/visual presentations, lectures on tape, creative arts presentations and trips to Pluscarden Abbey & Randolph’s Leap.

The structure resembled today’s Experience Weeks with participants working in the mornings and group activities most afternoons and evenings. Differences were the inclusion of daily swimming, and the absence of group sharings and Group Discovery sessions, which were added in 1975. Sacred Dance followed in the later ’70s.

Participants in the first Experiencing Findhorn numbered a dozen, including Liza Hollingshead, who still lives in the Community, and Binka Popov who married focaliser Michael Lindfield. The participants stayed in caravans, though a few chose to live in their own tent.

Below is the schedule as it appeared in the first Guest pamphlet. Daily Programme gives the rhythm, Weekly Programme lists the changing activities scheduled for afternoons & evenings.

Note: The Lecture Room is in Park Building; the Theatre was behind what is now the bakery; the Dining Room was in the CC; ROC’s Audio-visual presentation was taped – he was not there in person.

Additional information about the subsequent history and development of Experience Week is given below the Programme details.

DAILY PROGRAMME

BREAKFAST Caravan or Bungalow
9.00am MEDITATION Sanctuary
9.20am MEETING FOR WORK ALLOCATION Lounge, Community Centre
9.30am WORK PROGRAMME
12.00 SWIMMING Assemble at Community Centre
12.30-1.15pm LUNCH Dining Room
2.00pm TOUR or WORK PROGRAMME or FREE AFTERNOON
4.15pm TEA Lounge
5.00pm LECTURE ON TAPE OR AUDIO/VISUAL PRESENTATION Lecture Room or Theatre
6.30pm MEDITATION Sanctuary
7.00pm DINNER Dining Room
8.30pm THEATRE PRESENTATION or MUSIC ON TAPE Theatre or Sanctuary

WEEKLY PROGRAMME

Week A: “Consciousness”
SATURDAY
2.00pm TOUR OF COMMUNITY Starting at the Community Centre
5.00pm THE NEW AGE Lecture Room (Park Building)
A lecture on tape by David Spangler, followed by discussion
6.15pm CHILDRENS’ THEATRE PERFORMANCE Theatre
8.30pm “HOMELAND” Part 1 Sanctuary
A tape of folk songs for the New Age by the New Troubadours

SUNDAY
2.00pm TOUR OF COMMUNITY or FREE AFTERNOON
5.00pm THE ELEMENTAL KINGDOMS Theatre
An audio-visual presentation by R. Ogilvie Crombie
8.30pm CINEMA Theatre

MONDAY
2.00pm A VISIT TO PLUSCARDEN ABBEY Assemble outside Community Centre
5.00pm INTRODUCTION TO FINDHORN Theatre
An audio-visual presentation by Peter Caddy
8.30pm DISCUSSION WITH PETER : questions and answers Lecture Room

TUESDAY
2.00pm WORK PROGRAMME or FREE AFTERNOON
5.00pm DEVA CONSCIOUSNESS Lecture Room A talk on tape by Dorothy Maclean
8.30pm TALK BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY Lecture Room

WEDNESDAY
2.00pm WORK PROGRAMME or FREE AFTERNOON
5.00pm AN AUDIO-VISUAL PRESENTATION Theatre
8.30pm “LOVE IS” Part 1: THE GREAT INVOCATION Sanctuary A tape expressing New Age concepts in narrative and song by the New Troubadours
9.15pm HOT DRINKS The Lounge

THURSDAY
2.00pm A VISIT TO RANDOLPH’S LEAP Assemble outside the Community Centre A place of natural beauty on the River Findhorn
5.00pm MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATURE KINGDOMS Lecture Room The Animal, Mineral and Vegetable Kingdoms : A talk on tape by R. Ogilvie Crombie
8.30pm THEATRE PERFORMANCE Theatre

FRIDAY
2.00pm FREE
5.00pm PURITY Lecture Room A tape by David Spangler followed by discussion.
8.30pm THEATRE PERFORMANCE Theatre

THIS PROGRAMME IS SUBJECT TO ALTERATION

Week B : “The New Age”
Week B was almost the same as Week A. The changes were :

Saturday afternoon’s talk on tape: THE NEW AGE: BIRTH III by David Spangler in place of The New Age
Saturday evening’s music tape: “HOMELAND” Part 2 by the New Troubadours, in place of “Homeland” Part 1

Tuesday afternoon’s talk on tape: WHOLENESS by David Spangler, in place of Deva Consciousness by Dorothy Maclean

Wednesday afternoon’s audio-visual: WHEN LOVE IS WHAT YOU ARE – The New Troubadours
Wednesday evening’s music tape: “LOVE IS” Part 2 : NEW WORLDS GROWING by the New Troubadours, in place of “Love Is” Part 1 : THE GREAT INVOCATION

Thursday afternoon’s talk on tape: ATTUNEMENT by David Spangler in place of Man’s Relationship With The Nature Kingdoms by R. Ogilvie Crombie

Friday afternoon’s talk on tape: THE POLITICS OF SYNERGY by David Spangler in place of Purity by David Spangler

For notes on the history of Experience week, please see below.

NOTES ON THE HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIENCE WEEK

In 1974 and 1975 the fortnight-long Experiencing Findhorn programme ran throughout the Summer season. In 1976 it began running throughout the year, and from 1976-80 comprised one week with optional second.

In 1980, it solidifed as a single week, with a series of follow-on programmes such as Departmental Guest (now Exploring Community Life) and Living in Community Guest (LCG), for participants who wished to stay longer.

In 1977 the name was changed to The Findhorn Experience.

In 1982 it became Findhorn Experience Week.

In 1986 it settled as Experience Week.

Foreign language versions, in French & German, were introduced in 1981. Since then Experience Weeks have been held in the following languages : German, Dutch, Portuguese, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.

The following variations of Experience Week have been introduced since the late 1980s :

* Family Experience Week
* Ecovillage Experience Week
* Youth Experience Week
* Business Experience Week
* Lesbians and Gay Experience Week

During 1989-90 an alternative introduction programme titled Living The Life We Choose was offered in addition to Experience Week.

Over 30,000 people have participated in Experience Week since 1974, including almost every current and former Community member to have arrived in Findhorn since that date.