My relationship with Findhorn began in 1975, when I was a committed hippy, living in a commune in Escondido Canyon Retreat, Malibu, California.

I received a letter from my Scottish aunt, inviting me to work with her in the Loch Achray Hotel in the Trossachs. (Little did I know, this was across from the Trossach hotel where Eileen and Peter Caddy worked). When I told some fellow hippie travellers that I was going to Scotland they told me about this amazing place called Findhorn—they had just met some people from there and encouraged me to visit.

I moved to Scotland and, based in the Trossachs for 2 years, became a frequent visitor to the Findhorn Community.

Arriving for my first Experience Week, in the autumn of 1975, I was welcomed by the huge smile of Loren Stewart. He told me that they had been waiting for me! I enjoyed the Friday night sharing, especially the delicious meals that were prepared and served by Community members, often dressed as fancy waiters, who had a unique way of taking your order. Diners were always given the choice of, ‘small or medium?’, regardless of what was on the menu that day. Towards the end of the meal came the dramatic invitation – often in the form of a chorus – to join the Kitchen Party (KP) where sometimes more than twenty people would sing and dance the communal clean-up!

During my time there, I also had the honour of spending an evening in the company of Eileen and Peter; I was struck by how welcoming and unpretentious they were. My experiences of meeting David Spangler was just as warm and down-to-earth.

I visited Findhorn several times between 1975 and 1977, participating in different workshops and as a Departmental Guest (DG). DG’s were volunteer guests who would ‘attune’ to a department, be it maintenance, gardening, housekeeping, depending on where their skills lay.

During these 2 years I also lived at the Camp Hill Newtondee Steiner Community in Aberdeenshire, which housed adults with a range of physical and/or mental disabilities. While trying to arrange a visit to the Findhorn Community with some of the residents of Newtondee, I was told that the energy at Findhorn was, ‘too high’, and it would be impossible for such a visit!

Towards the end of my stay in Scotland, while in meditation at Cluny, I had a powerful spiritual experience and inner prompting. The message was very clear – to return home to California and study forestry, which I did.

Although not an official Resource Person (RP) for the Community, I took parts of Findhorn home with me. While studying Forestry at Columbia College in the Sierra Nevada, I became a self-declared promoter of their ways, including creating a student house based on Findhorn principles.

I visited Scotland again in 1981, when I was living as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Sahara Desert in Niger, Africa. It was quite a culture-shock – living with nomads in the desert and owning a camel compared to the dynamics of Cluny. They were magical times. With my age and the high sexual energy and open heartedness of the Community, it was a safe haven for falling in love. Which I did, head over heels. After 2 weeks I returned back to Africa to complete my Peace Corps Service.

Heading back to Scotland again, to attend the Essence Program, I was waylaid enroute and ended up in another Findhorn inspired community in Tunisia. Although I missed the Program, I did eventually make it back to Findhorn in the spring of 1982 and another amazing experience. And of course, unsurprisingly, I fell in love again.

I officially became a Resource Person in 1982 – a volunteer representative for the Findhorn Foundation. After making contact with Elena Longsworth (another RP), in Santa Cruz, California, together we co-focalised a small Findhorn inspired community. It started in a three bedroom house, with eventually 9 or 10 of us living there. We held weekly ‘Findhorn evenings’ that included cooking a meal together, meditation and sharing, followed by a presentation/speaker or dance etc. We built a small sanctuary in the garage and the event became so popular that we had up to 40 people attending, which was quite a full garage!

In 1984 we moved into a larger Victorian house, which we christened the Blue Zoo. With 10 bedrooms and 15-18 people living there, plus guests, we continued holding Findhorn evenings on a regular basis.
It was an exciting time in Northern California including sponsored events by Alexandra McNamara, a regional Resource Person gathering and various Findhorn travellers and sponsored events.

Under the wonderful guidance of Angie Stephens, I attended my first Transformation Game along with other Community members.

The same year we participated in a weekend at Kaylynn Sherman’s home in Sacramento which was attended by Peter Caddy and his new partner from Mount Shasta. I had seen Peter many times around the Community but never had the opportunity to get to know him until we ended up doing KP together at this event. I was delighted to discover how kind and unpretentious he was.

During this event Stephan Brown proposed we create a Findhorn inspired community and Retreat Centre. This was the start of ‘Shenoa’, in Phylo, California. I was part of the original board. None of us had any money. Nine out of ten members were born under the sign of Aries and I have never been on such a dynamic board before or since! (Poor David MacNamara was the only ‘non-Aries’). Together we dreamed the vision of Shenoa which resulted in a 2 million Dollar project that continued for 10 years. Other promotional events during this time included a weekend long Findhorn Experience Workshop at the Mt. Madonna Center near Santa Cruz which was focalized by ex-member Stephen Gross (now known as Merlin).

My work as an RP has taken various twists and turns and, because of my work as a National Park Ranger, covered many locations. In a sense, I am a nomadic RP.

After leaving Santa Cruz I lived in Washington State where I connected with the Chinook Institute and occasionally with David Spangler and the Lorians on Whidby Island. Most of this time my RP work was with individuals.

My next move was to Tumacacori National Historical Park where I lived for 15 years. We held many special events, promoting Findhorn in the community of Tubac and the surrounding area. We also hosted Fabian Barouch and Barbara Swetina to facilitate various workshops, including ‘Song & Dance in Tucson’. This inspired me to co-focalise monthly Sacred Circle Dancing with Raphael Bradley at a local community centre in Tucson for over 2 years. In addition to sponsored workshops, I hosted various travellers and special Findhorn events.

My next RP location was the Oregon coast where I lived for 12 years. I was, by now, raising a family, so focused on more individual contacts and some evening functions. We also ran an AirB&B, ‘Kitties and Nature near Newport’, where we used Findhorn principles with all our guests. Visitors really loved it and we became ‘Superhosts’ on AirB&B, with 300 5-star ratings!

Upon retiring from the Park Service in 2014, my work as an RP has been mostly on an individual basis.

During the pandemic, I was a regular attendee at Barbara Swetina’s Sacred Song zoom from Hawaii. I really appreciated the many online offerings from the Findhorn Community during this time. In a sense I felt closer and more connected to the Community than in many years prior.

Due to life events and big changes, I returned to live at Findhorn permanently during the 60th anniversary celebration in 2022. I have since become a British citizen and now have a home, ‘Mi Casita del Cielo’, in the Field of Dreams. I am so grateful to be back in my spiritual, as well as musical, home! Now living as part of the Community, I continue to work closely with the RP network. Along with being a Taizé leader, I am as committed, as ever, to promoting and participating in community activities and actively welcoming people, old and new, to the Community. My work as an RP continues…