“Self actualising people must be what they can be.”
Abraham Maslow
As mentioned already, one of Peter and Eileen’s guiding inspirations was St Germain, a significant and benevolent “Being” from a past epoch. From what I have gathered, a sort of learn’ed ‘Gandalf’ archetype who was something of a culture vulture, his influence well thought of across the courts of Europe several hundred years ago. According to occult accounts, his benign influence is still at work in the nonphysical realms, overlighting and seeking to influence Western civilisation as a force for good.
In the early ’70s Peter once said, that despite appearances and the legacy of the past, Britain and the United States were leading the way in achieving benevolent outcomes for society concerning the implementation of social justice, education, government support for the arts and sciences, and the dawning knowledge of environmental neglect creating the birth of the environmental movement; as well as philanthropy – the alleviation of poverty and disease in the developing nations, the provision of aid in times of emergency to any country in need; the reality of social inclusion, seeking an egalitarian and democratic approach in all things, the sharing of skills and technology in global collaborations.
He spoke of the work of the United Nations and the National Health Service, the Social safety nets that were put in place after the Second World War – to protect our Society from the many ills that still plague the lives of those living in countries less benignly governed; how democracy continues to develop in Europe and the U.S.A. whilst so much of the world still ‘festers’ under tyranny, corruption, fear and violence, it’s by no means ideal but it’s all we have to work with.
Peter saw the community as a microcosm of a new civilisation grounded in love and co-operation and he often used the catchphrase “unity in diversity”, stressing how we were together to demonstrate a new order between different nationalities and faiths; the important elements were understanding and goodwill and in my experience of the daily working of people shoulder to shoulder – so to speak – comes something new and magical, certainly a lot of joy and ease in getting the work done. Can the answer to all the world’s problems be so simple? to listen to our hearts and be guided by love?
Peter turned to me one day in a challenging situation – it was my thirtieth birthday and someone was hosting a party for me in the village, it had turned into a bit of a ‘do’ and some locals had gate-crashed one of them, a big drinker, was heckling Peter who had dropped in after a sauna to wish me a Happy Birthday. Of course, I was hugely indignant with the heckler and got into a bit of a rant with him which didn’t help, after he left Peter said “putting up resistance in the face of difficulty only makes it worse, let it be, accept it, and no matter how hard, the key to changing it – is to love – that’s all you need. By our own power we can do nothing but be a channel, its love that loves through us; to put aside the ego, the small self (that always seeks retaliation) is to be a channel for love”. (Or words to that effect). Thinking on this, years later and the ardour we shared to turn around the societal context that was so entirely based on material values, the me and mine mindset – I wonder if, when all the ideals of a healthy society are put in place, is there a greater potential for ‘enlightened’ individuals and collective mindfulness? As Abraham Maslow suggested in his ‘credo’ about self actualisation, expecting a person who is crippled with poverty and ill health to be concerned with altruism or how to actualise their talents is just not realistic until those basic needs are met, though a sudden awakening can never be ruled out.
Increasingly, the direction our societies have taken is money driven, creating a culture that fosters greed, isolation, psychosis and the unsustainable plunder of the natural world and its finite resources; in our shameless ignorance and rapaciousness we thought it limitless, recklessly causing immense damage to exquisitely complex and delicate eco-systems, biodiversity that’s taken millions of years to evolve, from the rain forests to our ocean floors, – after a point the damage becoming irreversible. We can destroy life but can we replace it, renew it?
Daily we move closer to ‘runaway climate change’ – also irreversible and chilling in its implications, placing all of us on the planet in jeopardy with the relentless creation each day of millions of tons of greenhouse gasses; carbon dioxide, the potent ‘greenhouse gas’ that is warming our atmosphere at a terrific rate.
In 1948 the year I was born the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was around three hundred parts per million – meaning three hundred molecules of carbon dioxide to every million molecules of air; the recent reading is around three hundred and ninety five parts per million – the rise is so large that it can’t be explained by natural causes and increasing exponentially every year; naturally it’s emerging fastest in the northern hemisphere, the industrial heartlands of Europe, China and America, powering our billions of vehicles, our multitude of power stations, coal, gas, oil-melting the ice caps that maintain the stability of our benevolent planetary weather systems. (Information on carbon dioxide: David Shukman “Reporting from Sciences New Frontlines” (Profile Books) from “The recent reading to Europe China and America”). More recent global average (May 2022) shows PPM at a record high of 417.06 (Climate.Gov).
These massive global issues can be addressed, there is, I believe, still time, it would have to involve most every nation and all the urgency of preventing a potential third world war – except this would be a world reparation. It would mean everyone laying down their weapons, wars and grievances, greed, anger, fear and sectarianism – the perpetual ‘smokescreens’ that prevent us from collectively seeing the real threat. It would mean working together in co-operation to create healing on all levels, pooling resources and knowledge, perhaps, getting out of our cars more often whilst alternative energy sources are truly pioneered without the obstacles created by corporations and governments; anything is possible where love, co-operation and co-creation with nature is involved; in other words, it would take a miracle, a new consciousness a collective awakening.
What would St Germain say about the situation we find ourselves in, that often appears, on a daily basis, a step closer to annihilation? Collectively speaking. Perhaps he’d say that we have become ahead of ourselves and we need to actualise the values of our hearts; compassion, empathy, connection, love, the feminine virtues – making us good stewards of our world.
What would Peter say? “If you’re going to make a mistake, it may as well be a ‘big one’! one you never forget!” Perhaps he would also say the Old-World order is running down on its own momentum, poisons are rising to the surface so they can be cleansed and transmuted as we enter the genesis of a “golden age”.
And Eileen? Perhaps she would advise us to let go of fear. . . love and fear cannot co-exist, to have faith in life as a force for good, for God and remember always that when we put ‘first things first’ and we love and reverence all life, life will love us … “as above, so below”. We all have an important part to play, we are after all – all one.
The values that we sought to pioneer in the community during the ’70s are, in fact, becoming more mainstream here and now. Coming across a Scottish National Health brochure recently I read, “five simple steps to wellbeing” (and they read as follows) “There are five evidence-based ways to help you improve your mental wellbeing. Try to integrate them into your daily life – think of them as your ‘five a day’ of mental wellbeing.
- Connect with the people around you, with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Make new friends, rediscover old acquaintances. Join that club. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
- Be active. Physical activity and exercise makes you feel good. Go for a walk or run. Step outside (connect with nature). Play a game, garden, dance. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy that suits your level of fitness and mobility.
- Take notice. Be curious, remark on the unusual, notice the changing seasons. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Savour the moment. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
- Keep learning. Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Read a book. Take a risk, see a new show, art exhibition or a movie. Learning new things is fun and will make you feel more confident.
- Give. It feels good to give. Doing good, does you good. Do something nice for someone and improve your health and wellbeing at the same time. Volunteer your time, join a community group, conduct a (random) act of kindness today and every day.
Taken from the brochure for “The Moray Feelgood Festival, Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival brochure.” (2014). Reading this, I thought, at last there’s a chance that mainstream policies can get on the right track and that’s pretty marvellous; St Germain would approve.
Zabbo and Rosie comedy sketch Michael and Simone with chorus
Returning to the late ’70s and in retrospect, where we so often ponder the enigmas of our lives, seeing more clearly from a place of distance. I realise that moving from the Park, the heart of the community, to the Findhorn village was energy wise, a step toward greater autonomy and should have alerted me to the fact that everything would change, and rapidly. No doubt I was dependent on all the good things that had been provided – not least of which was the sense of security I found in like-minded companions, friends, the sense of extended family in such abundance; I could probably have become happily institutionalised in my complacency except life was to pull the rug from under my feet – as life does at such times.
Michael Simone in Michael’s modern fable
The community continued to grow as people arrived from all over the world. A few from Hawaii, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Iceland, Australia, Canada but mostly Europe and the U.S.A. some remained to put down roots for a while, buying new caravans and mobile homes (bungalows), this expansion taking place in the Pineridge area. At some point there were over three hundred residents, but this was a blip and the numbers settled a bit lower. We were often in the media spotlight at that time and with film crews arriving and having movie cameras directed at us as we went about our daily business, couldn’t help but lend a sense of glamour to the often mundane events of our lives. It was hard not to feel a sense of self-importance; we were – after all – pioneers, breaking away from the ‘norm’ the status quo, openly acknowledging and seeking to work with the ‘invisible realms’ pooling our human resources, our skills and goodwill in loving co-operation, self-congratulation often felt in order. It was in many ways a wonderful decade in what was then known as the Findhorn Trust and at that time, ‘trust’ is what we did well.
At some point amid all this sense of fullness, Peter and Eileen’s marriage began to break down. Peter was changing; from being a stern but loving leader he began to release the reins of authority, delegating many of the responsibilities and management to those people he trusted, putting together a more cohesive ‘Core Group’, long term members to take on the overall running of things; they with Peter, would meet each day to ‘attune’ and consider the many issues involved in the successful functioning of community affairs, gradually freeing Peter to find new directions in his life rather than the constant 24/7 identification with everything that had made the place what it was, and Peter – as well as Eileen, had given everything.
Peter spoke openly to us all about the changes taking place in his life – he was becoming vulnerable, saying how he was being called ‘to develop and uncover his feminine side’. It was hard for many to accept these changes and the consequences – we all loved our charismatic dynamic leader – just the way he was which is perhaps why Peter had to travel at this point being much in demand on the ‘New Age’ lecture circuit, particularly in the U.S.A. I had no problem with any of this, I loved Peter, he was my mentor and wise friend, I admired his flexibility, here in his sixties allowing himself to soften and mellow inspired me.
Eileen became a greater authority in the community, her presence constantly sought for advice and inspiration. Despite the difficulties she must have been facing, Eileen shone. As already mentioned, Eileen had ceased receiving guidance for the community some years before, she continued to spend many hours at night in the sanctuary, in silent communion; sometimes sharing what had been received the following morning and her personal guidance often focused on issues many of us were struggling with, it was always relevant. Even now I can read from the book of Eileen’s guidance and find it inspiring; always centred in Eileen’s down to earth wisdom. These two people were my spiritual Mother and Father in many respects and I’m forever grateful for their ‘presence’ in my life; their faith, clarity, wisdom and vision, as well as their vulnerability and humanness have inspired and uplifted me, in even my darkest moments.
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About the photos: Many individuals were involved in the performing arts during the 1970s at Findhorn. Much of the work was well documented by seriously talented photographers. As I only have access to my own album of the ’70s, many of the images above are of a more personal nature, and sadly I don’t know whom to credit for the photos.
A big Thank You to my grandson Ziggy for enhancing the appearance of many of my somewhat battered and ancient photos from the’70s.
I live very simply in this land I love. On returning to the area with my daughter Jade, I found joy in volunteering in the life of the Community; until Covid, then everything changed.
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