This commentary was previously published in One Earth Issue 1, Autumn 1990.

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I wonder if you can imagine the difficulty we have in applying the ‘right’ terms to describe who all our contributors are and what our various connections to the Findhorn Foundation are. In numerous places throughout this issue you will find terms such as: associate; associate member; member; staff member; Findhorn Foundation; Findhorn Community; planetary village. Quite a few mouthfuls to digest!

The Findhorn Foundation is an educational charity. Its members are those people who have completed at least a year’s stay and an orientation programme, and when they have a permanent position in one of the work departments of the Foundation, they become a staff member.

Over the years, the Findhorn Foundation has expanded to include associate members – people with a range of different relationships to the Foundation.The term Findhorn Community can then be applied to describe these people and members/staff members together.

The Community is growing, reflecting the growth in the recognition of spirit throughout the whole of humanity. I like to think that the Findhorn Community extends even beyond the boundaries of time and space to include people from all over the world who share a relationship with us, be it a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual relationship. This is part of my interpretation of the planetary village idea.

We have all in our own ways had a drink from a well of inspiration and transformation. We stop at the well for differing amounts of time, some of us staying for a while to tend the well, and others of us drinking what we need, saying ‘thank you’ and moving on.

As the numbers of individuals who have participated in the life and breath of the Findhorn Foundation have grown very large, so proportionately have the numbers of individual ways of being associated with the Foundation increased.

This dynamic has precipitated movement towards a more open and expansive structure for the Foundation, and has also brought with it some degree of stress for both Foundation members and associates. Associates have felt left out and unappreciated. Members have worried about the Foundation (and themselves) remaining a clearly definable entity, and about whether the dissolution of some of the present structures will mean the end of the Foundation altogether. Growing pains and changes are happening in a natural sequence of events, proving to me that the Foundation is very much alive and kicking!

We are each different, with different roles to play, and it is natural that each of us expresses our individuality in our relationship with the Foundation. The recognition and expression of our individuality can be a very complex issue and can bring us face to face with our insecurities/fears.

When One Earth was rescued in its distress by four associates (Alan Harfield, Lorna Normand, Ronald Morton and myself) and became an independent limited company with shares almost equally divided between associates and Foundation members, it was another clear example of the energy of the Foundation moving outwards and the outside moving inwards. One Earth is needed to be the voice and meeting point of the whole Community.

Partnerships such as this one allow a greater mix of talents, people, energies. The planetary village idea is actually taking shape in the local area of the Foundation. Lots of us have had to face ourselves as we try to discover what our particular roles are/will be, and many, including myself, are still in the process.

During a recent retreat week at the Foundation I began to see my own individuality more clearly and have begun dealing with my own personal fears which prevent me from expressing it. I feel that until I am fully expressing my individuality, I can never experience true partnership or unity with others. Otherwise, what would we be joining together? Two thirds of me and half of you? Is that unity? When I am myself, I can be one with everyone, everything. It makes me sigh to think of this wonderful paradox.

So, One Earth is about co-creating one Earth. It is the expression of our individuality and our unity. It is for you, me and us.
Happy reading!