About the Community’s Name

Findhorn is a Scottish village located on the Moray Firth. The spiritual community which was born in 1962 on a caravan site in Findhorn is often referred to, erroneously, by the same name, and “Findhorn” has also become the name of the concept of community culture embodied in the Community. Quite understandably, this aggrieves our local neighbours in the village of Findhorn, and as a result we have been spending considerable effort to come up with a name that satisfies all stakeholders.

Currently, as what might be described as a “working title”, we use the phrase “Ecovillage Findhorn Community” (or sometimes “Park Ecovillage Findhorn Community”) – but even this doesn’t fully reflect the reality of some community members who have settled in the local area and relate mainly through the New Findhorn Association, our community association. Meanwhile, many global Community members still refer to the “Findhorn Foundation” when they are in fact referring to community activities, rather than activities of the charitable educational trust which is the Foundation. Discussions continue to find a name that everyone can feel comfortable with.

The History of our Changing Names

Our collective autobiography covers over six decades and therefore reflects changing naming conventions. Initially the term “Findhorn Community” was used, and we apologise to our local neighbours for the upset this appropriation of their name has caused. “Findhorn” was also used to describe the concept and culture this Community stands for.

In 2003 an NFA process regarding the entrance sign came to the following conclusion:

The name for the settlement: The Park
The name for the Community: Findhorn Foundation and Community

In 2012 for the 50th Community Birthday we celebrated the newly agreed joint Common Ground statement and the name Findhorn Foundation Community.

In 2023 the name for the settlement was agreed with representatives of the village of Findhorn and Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council as Park Ecovillage Findhorn, or Ecovillage Findhorn.

In 2024, with the withdrawal of the Findhorn Foundation from the Park Ecovillage Findhorn, we agreed to use Ecovillage Findhorn Community as the Community name. We acknowledge that this does not easily reflect the residential community members living locally, nor the global Community – but this is the best we can do at the moment.

One Incredible Family

Hans Poulsen 1974 photo by Kathy Thormod

The phrase “One Incredible Family” itself is the title of a song written by noted Australian musician, the late Hans Poulsen in the early 1970s during his time living in the Ecovillage Findhorn Community. It was often sung by him and Lynn Whyte (Zidanic) in the Community Centre, on picnics and at other events and over the years has become a kind of anthem for the Community.

Through a community consultation process, we settled on the name “Celebrating One Incredible Family” for this website, referring to the entirety of Our Community as One Incredible Family as this can include all Community members past and present, local and global.

Our logo, a mosaic rainbow circle, symbolizes the great global Network of Light of which we are a part: and in addition, each coloured mosaic segment represents one of the several themes, or facets, of the many stories about the history of the Community that we are collecting as the central intent of this website.