In Summer 1982 they met: Bernadette, the free spirit, and Christoph, a single dad of a 4 year old son. They met during an exploration of ‘alternative living’ projects in Switzerland and decided to set up a land-based communal living project, which ended up being the first Swiss eco-project. During that time they visited Findhorn for the first time. They did their Experience Week just before the Community’s 21st Birthday in November 1983.

In 1986 they got married – and their vows already showed traces of the motto that would become their guiding star.

They chose ‘love always wins’ as their email address, and indeed held to that motto in so many ways, through thick and thin.

In all the many years of me using their email address, I didn’t get the significance of it. That insight only dropped in during a conversation just an hour after their death. Their email address was even more profound than we had realised: Love Always Wins – It’s the LAW. I am sure Christoph had chosen it deliberately for that reason, as he had an acute intellect and a strong interest in comparative religious studies. This found expression in so many ways, including a new translation of the Gospel of Thomas.

Apart from raising Christoph’s son, they did lots of things to earn a living and to further their spiritual development. One of the most endearing stories I heard from them was that they offered their entertainment services at fairs and markets, singing traditional songs accompanied by their barrel organ or hurdy-gurdy.

With the barrel organ

They both faced significant health challenges: Bernadette needed a kidney transplant in her mid 50s, and Christoph developed some issues which later were diagnosed as Parkinsons. So they retired, and in 2007 they fulfilled a long-held dream and moved to Findhorn.

They chose to live in The Park, and ended up in the upstairs flat in Meadow, built by Barbara Swetina and Fabien Barouch, for the 7 years that they lived here.

During that time they were actively involved in many different aspects of the Community:

Christoph stood for NFA council and took on responsibility for the finances. He was a passionate participant in Sacred Dance. They even chose their holiday destinations in Greece for him to be able to take part in traditional dancing there for as long as possible until the worsening Parkinson symptoms finally put a stop to that.

Bernadette joined the Caring Community Circle as a volunteer, and became the focaliser for the Elders Meditation.

Both were very engaged with, what we called at the time, the Curriculum for the 4th Age, learning the skills for graceful ageing. As part of that we set up a Buddy system, and the three of us were buddies. This mainly meant that we came together to share meals, and to play games – having fun being a crucial part of s-ageing :-).

They were dedicated members of the ‘A Course in Miracles’ study group which took place on a Sunday evening in Clarepoint, the home of Frances and George Ripley. One of the other members of that group remarked: “Somehow they always just got it, while I just felt I was fumbling around with the concepts.”

They also made space to explore their creativity Bernadette took up painting and Christoph woodworking which they continued to enjoy once they moved back to Switzerland.

In 2014 they decided that their health problems were becoming too severe and they needed to return to Switzerland full time. They continued to travel to Greece for the warmth and for the dancing for Christoph. In 2019 they came for an extended visit to Findhorn and stayed in the Friends House in East Whins.

Bernadette, Cornelia and Sylvia on the Niesen, Swiss Alps photo Cornelia Featherstone

In 2021 Sylvia and I visited them in Gerzensee, Kanton Bern. Bernadette was still up for taking the cog-railway up to the Niesen, a very iconic (oddly symmetrical) mountain seen in the expansive view from their flat. And Christoph was certainly up for a competitive game of Trionimos!

By Winter 2022/23 it became very apparent that their health issues were increasingly impacting their life quality. Already many years ago, Christoph had signed up as a member of Exit, a service which will help a member to die peacefully through legalised physician-assisted dying. He had shared about this freely during our Curriculum for the 4th Age sessions, and his resolve only increased as he got older. And in the end they chose to go together, in the spirit of their marriage vows. It took half a year to put all their affairs in order and on 7th October 2023, with the help of Exit professionals they died in their own home.

The view from their window – the last photo Bernadette sent on the evening before their death.

Here at Findhorn a group of friends met to join with them in a heart space of presence to accompany Bernadette and Christoph on their last journey, sharing some of the texts and photos they had sent. It was after that meditation when we met over a cuppa to share stories that some of us connected with the deep truth of their motto – Love Always Wins – It’s the LAW.

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The following are offered as an inspiration and a glimpse of Bernadette and Christoph’s perspective on life.  Click the arrow to the right to see the expanded text.

This video tells their life in pictures – photographs chosen by Bernadette and Christoph for their friends and family to remember them.

During the unbearable heatwave in the Summer 2023 Christoph and Bernadette spent time in Zermatt. From their room they looked out on the Matterhorn. Bernadette had a very strong connection to the majestic mountains, the Matterhorn symbolised for her the physical power supporting the human body.

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Photos by Bernadette Greiner unless stated otherwise.

Cornelia Featherstone

Originally German, I came to Findhorn in the search of ‘It’. I found ‘It’ in our way of sharing our spirituality in our daily lives, privileged to work with my focus on Healing in the widest sense.