Click here for the eBook

“I dreamed a dream a long time ago about people who know how to live, their words and their deeds were simple and true and their love they most willingly give.”
Words: Patti Lightstone, for the New Troubadours.

Dad saw us off at the station at Margate and he shed a few tears; we had become friends and he was fond of Michael and would miss us. Ruby, being the good traveller that she was enjoyed the long hours from Kings Cross to Inverness on the “Highlander” and we were astonished at the miles of golden yellow gorse in full flower that greeted us on our approach to Findhorn in Joanie’s car, and the air full of its coconut fragrance.

Ruby and friend, Findhorn Garden

Spring had arrived early that year and we were set to work the day after arriving. One of Michael’s many jobs was the lighting of the fires in the guest caravans and my main task was to keep a number of hoses moving, watering the newly planted gardens, as there was no rainfall that droughty spring, as well as assisting in the kitchen. I was huge with Amber who was due in a matter of weeks.

We were both amazed to find ourselves living with such exalted company, these inspiring people, epitomes of modesty, were the bedrock of the community. No religious fervour here, but a quiet spirituality; rooted in the wisdom and humility of living each day in as prayerful a way as possible.

David Spangler was in residence with his friend and mentor Myrtle Glines, both of whom were educators and lecturers on spiritual matters in the U.S.A and both American citizens. Peter and Eileen were delighted when they decided to take up residence and help to create an “educational” aspect to the life of the community, concentrating on the more metaphysical area of human consciousness. These were warm affable people who enjoyed a good chuckle and a glass of wine – or in David’s case – a chocolate chip cookie!

We were invited to have dinner with them and were served steaks. Myrtle said she hadn’t asked if we were strict vegetarians and apologised, but felt we needed to be grounded with some good red meat; I think I was a bit shocked but we enjoyed our supper.

Dorothy Maclean was still working closely with the devic realm, sometimes sharing the ‘messages’ received, helping us to be more aware of nature as a living loving presence all around us. There was also a sense of deep gratitude in the kitchen in the way the vegetables were prepared and cooked. I began to realise that regarding the ingredients for a meal in this way made perfect sense – turning the mundane into the sacred. Dorothy was very approachable, full of enthusiasm and joy, a Catherine Hepburn look about her; we had one or two tea parties in her submarine style caravan, listening with rapt attention as she spoke of her work and experiences with the nature Kingdom. She stressed the need for humanity to begin to comprehend the non-physical realm, the vast and sublime intelligence that overlights nature, the designers and architects creating and directing colour, and form the vibrant aliveness of the natural world; we so often ‘sense’ this magnitude, not realising that it’s possible to work with these Angelic presences by simply acknowledging them and inviting them into our lives – Dorothy made it clear that they are aching to work with us to enrich our Earth and the way we live.

More people were arriving every day, often to stay and play a part and the place was fairly humming. So many of them were of our generation and seemed familiar, becoming instant friends so that it really was like returning to some lost tribe or incredible family. We delighted in one another’s stories, we all had them, some more dramatic than others, often involving travel to faraway places, India being paramount, Gurus, hardship and adventure. One thing was clear; we had all been involved in a quest and nourished by similar forms of spiritual sustenance, the arrival of eastern philosophy on our shores and all the razzmatazz that heralded the newly emerging culture of our generation.

There was now a company of gardeners, some still arriving, all of them from Blackpool and with broad Northern accents. One of the company, first to arrive, had been Ian Campbell and been “blown away” by his visit, as he put it. Chiefly by Dorothy and ROC’s (Robert Ogilvie Crombie) insights and explorations into the unseen dimensions of nature. Impressed too, with the practical work of the emerging gardens he went home and told his friends, fellow municipal gardeners all working in the parks of Blackpool and within a short time they all gravitated to Findhorn to live and work in the community gardens, some with wives, Carol and Sheila, some with children, Gwendy and Gareth. These delightful characters were deeply touched by the acknowledgement of the ‘dimension’ of the devic realm to their work and they themselves all had a very ‘gnomic’ look about them, bearded, long haired and sporting pointy woollen hats, Ian, Mathew, Adam and John.

Almost every day, people would knock on our caravan door at a strange hour, asking the whereabouts of reception, our caravan being in the most central spot, and as I said, on each occasion it was like greeting an old friend. News was spreading on the spiritual grapevine, or the ‘hippy trails’ and strangely, or opportunely, these people from so many different cultures and countries, these diverse and lovely people of all ages had skills and know how of a practical nature that were sorely needed at that time. The law of attraction was very much at work as the community grew, becoming more magnetic, both in its ability to radiate love and goodwill into the world – which we sought to do together in our times of meditation – and attracting what was needed for the next step, rather like iron filings to a magnet.

Our own roles were not so clear but Peter and Eileen were encouraging, saying, over time, they would unfold.

Lark, Craig and young friends

Living in a caravan would have been easy for Michael and I, we were outside working a lot, it was hard for Ruby who was a little live wire needing lots of space. She went with Michael at times, to the small office and did things with paper while he learned how to use the printer and helped collate the publications. She spent time in the big kitchen with me, helping with salad prep and we were probably cooking for up to eighty and sometimes a hundred already; then there were the gardens and being outside. Some lovely girls took her for walks so I could put my feet up for a while in the afternoons, she was very much a people person and enjoying all the stimulation that living in community was offering.

Children could come to lunch at the community centre but they had to be well behaved, have good eating habits and no running around. They were not allowed at the evening meal and there was an etiquette of dressing for this occasion, no work clothes, nothing scruffy. I was OK with this and Michael too respected Peter and Eileen’s rather ‘old world’ upper class ethos about being civilised. They both felt that children should be seen and not heard – too much – and their three boys, Christopher, David and Jonathan all seemed to be happy, well adjusted young men.

Peter sometimes spoke of St Germain as an ‘overlighting’ presence – referring to him as “the Lord of civilisation” – and how the community was not only a place that demonstrated how people could live together in harmony and co-operation but also dedicated to the very best of Western civilisation. In simple, terms, dressing for dinner, engaging in good conversation, music recitals – the baby grand in the Sanctuary, the piano in the CC – as well as fostering and encouraging a love for the arts, literature and education, all this was seen as equally important. Every day, this regard was demonstrated by Peter, Eileen and this august company of older Members in the way they related, with a certain dignity and formality, always with respect and consideration. There were no raised voices, undue haste, loss of patience, even in difficult situations, it was all very civilised.

It would be a good few years before I became acquainted with the Scottish psyche, meanwhile there were a few Scots in the community, two ladies in their late eighties and some of my generation. They were earthy and quirky individuals, usually with a ready wit, in any situation. The local shopkeepers in our nearby town of Forres were warm and friendly and on several occasions when buying clothes for Ruby, I was encouraged to take things home for her to try, without paying for them, which amazed me. The days continued to grow unseasonably hotter and I grew ever larger and couldn’t do so much except hose duty. Michael was signing on so had to be prepared to work outside of the community. Meanwhile Peter was our mentor and guide, helping us to shape up in many respects. If Michael came in from working early in the day and took a bath with his morning coffee, Peter would inevitably come knocking at the door, there could be no slacking; “Funny time to take a bath” Peter would say, “can’t it wait till the evening?”. That’s all he would say, there was no judgement, simply an observation, he was like this with every one of us youngsters, “on their cases”, as some people put it and “cracking the whip”, but I never saw it that way. Peter knew the value of self discipline and the practical application of spiritual laws.

Peter began a series of talks for new members entitled “The Foundations of Findhorn”, sharing the principles that he, Eileen and Dorothy had implemented over the previous decade and beyond, their planting of the seeds and growing of the roots of this place, under duress and with great inner discipline and faith. These were the foundations we needed to build upon beginning with an understanding of positive thinking and affirmation.

Such knowledge was new to many at that time – later it would become mainstream in our culture, the knowledge plentiful and diverse, available to any seeker.

Michael and I had been fortunate over the previous year with the many helpful books on practical mysticism that came our way at such a crucial time and without wishing to appear rigid or ‘brain washed’ on the subject, thinking in ways that are positive and affirming creates a viable means to a sustainable mental (psychological) sense of wellbeing, a growing sense of personal empowerment, healing old negative patterns picked up from our birth families and environmental conditioning.

Peter would tolerate no negativity, whenever a conversation over a meal at the C.C. became embroiled in any of the current ills of the world and Peter was present, he’d say (more or less) “We’re here to help build ‘the new’, through our attunement to Spirit (to Love to Light). The old world order is running down on its own momentum, poisons are rising to the surface to be transmuted and cleansed but they are not our concerns. Our concern is to create new blueprints by working in ‘Co-creation’ with all beings and the unseen kingdoms, so as to demonstrate Heaven can be brought to Earth, no longer acting as a fragmented, ego driven humanity, seeking to dominate all of nature, but as wise custodians and grateful Co-creators; this is what this place is about and what we are here to explore and for this work – we have to be positive”. In his series of talks, Peter spoke of his spiritual background and the early years of Findhorn’s conception as a community; Peter was a terrific speaker, a born raconteur, peppering the more conceptual principles with personal anecdotes, often highly amusing, sometimes extraordinary in his quest to follow spirits directions and promptings to the letter always with modesty and free of egocentricity. His audiences always captivated. In the talks I attended before the new routines set in of incorporating the needs of a new baby into our little family. Peter outlined the approach he used concerning the power of positive thinking, (at that time Peter was a self confessed ‘Will’ person, maintaining that Eileen represented the ‘Love’ aspect in their work. This polarisation was to change over time). Peter spoke a lot about The Will, how we were ineffective without it. Of using thought and the will in skilful ways to awaken our latent divinity, our inner power for good. He shared a number of affirmations that had apparently served him well, that help create mental muscles and self esteem always he would stress, in the service of good, of ‘God’.

“I am power, that power manifests in me, is directed by my thoughts, to nothing but good.”

“All power and intelligence that I can use is already mine.”

“That which a person believes to be true moulds their destiny.”

“Life is infinite and I have all I desire.”

“I create every mental condition and that condition reflects in my environment. Therefore, I create my life. I create it as I think it. All I have to do is watch my mental state and allow nothing that I do not wish to realise, in my objective life.”

“All is peace, I never contend, I never argue, truth is mighty and I trust it.”

Many years later, after Peter’s autobiography had been written by both Peter and friend and writer Jeremy Slocombe, some additional and important information concerning Peter’s background and training were made available, what follows is taken from an Essay written by Jeremy.

“Peter Caddy, the Rosicrucians and the Foundations of the Findhorn Community”

“Peter was taught the following Rosicrucian charges:
1. Think well of everybody.
2. Provoke Nobody.
3. Swear or curse nobody.
4. Render good deeds (in any small way) to anybody.
5. Remember, thoughts and deeds (both good and bad) are long lasting.

In those areas of his studies that overlapped with Freemasonry, he learnt that, symbolically, the ‘gavel’ is a tool of ‘the will’, which is first used upon the self, to knock off all those obstructions that stop the stones of ones being fitting perfectly together, or those of a group. Then there are the three sets of chisels to be employed under the force of that ‘gavel’, three to use upon ourselves, three to use for others, and three of universal use.

The first three (to use on ourselves) are energy, perseverance and endurance. They are large and heavy chisels, they make our arms ache, they make our backs ache, they make our hearts ache, but we cannot do the work without them. The three chisels for our work on others are exquisitely fine and delicate, tact, sympathy and good will. The final set, of universal use, are a sense of humour, a sense of proportion and a sense of beauty.” (Thank you Jeremy).

Peter was a living embodiment of these teachings, using “the tools” with great skill; he brought out the best in everyone, helping us all to actualise our latent gifts and talents.

Whatever Peter and Eileen’s spiritual background had been, they wanted the community to be free of any religious overtones or affiliations and yet, open to all. There were many people over the years who wanted to gift all kinds of religious and esoteric symbols to the community Sanctuary, icons, Buddhas, crystals, stars, crosses etcetera, but their only concession to adornment for this space was the ‘sunburst panel’, a beautiful woven rainbow tapestry in threads of silk that was gifted by the Pitlochry weavers and seen as the radiance of soul light.

A few days before Amber’s birth David knocked on our caravan door; he told us he’d been shaving when the being who was incarnating as Amber asked him to give me a blessing of protection. I was drinking milky morning coffee with Michael and some new (old!) friends, Catherine and Roger and we were surprised and touched by this request, especially me, of course, (since the pregnancy I had the ability to occasionally see colours, bright and startling in some cases around certain people, moving blue lights in the gardens after dark, spheres of light around the head of people giving talks, these abilities faded after Amber’s birth, much to my disappointment). David asked them to encircle me and hold hands while he gave me a blessing. As well as being a profound sensitive David was also ordained and carried a strong energy of devotional reverence.

Community dancing. Bernhard Wosien Spiral Dance at Randolph’s Leap

The day after receiving the blessing Peter knocked on the door at teatime and asked us to get married! saying how it was important for the community to be seen as living within the law and did we have any reason not to? We didn’t, we just hadn’t managed to get around to it. We set the date with the Forres registrar for the earliest time and Eileen lent us her wedding ring for the occasion, which didn’t hold huge significance to either of us, at that time, but was simply a formality.

I’d had the idea of a home birth, since my previous hospital experience had been so traumatic, but Eileen thought this impractical in a small caravan and she kindly accompanied me to visit her Doctor and to ‘book into’ hospital.

Now I was in the most beautiful little hospital I had ever encountered, with marble floors and baths big enough to swim in, almost. It’s on Cluny Hill in Forres, a magical place surrounded by acres of woodland and lovely gardens. The nurses were kindly Scots and the birth was trouble free and natural. Michael was beside me for much of the time and Amber weighed in at a hearty ten and a half pounds. That night as I lay still wakeful in the silent darkened ward, I became aware of a column of light, growing, beside the foot of my bed, it spiralled up into the ceiling, building in intensity, filling me with awe as well as some trepidation. This presence was indeed holy and something I hadn’t ever experienced before. I tried turning away from the intensity and suddenly received an almighty ‘thank you’, it irradiated my whole being like microwaves, then it gradually faded and was gone.

In our culture there is little room for the transcendent and such experiences are regarded as suspect. How sad that we have moved such a distance from our innate divinity where encounters with the sublime are seldom acknowledged. I felt fortunate to be living among people who thought otherwise. I don’t know if this was Amber’s Higher Self or Guardian Angel; Myrtle said that this ‘being’ came from a long way out. When I’d explained about how much weight I’d put on, she said I needed the extra weight in order to ground myself and the incoming soul and more incoming souls were of a finer frequency, coming into incarnation to help lift the density of human consciousness through their radiance and love. This in turn would help us to move into a New and blessed age where our planet too – would be lifted and held as sacred – by us all.

Ruby and Findhorn Garden

It was a bit of a squash in the caravan even though it was a residential one, lucky we had few possessions and it was June of an unusually hot summer so we could be outside a lot. Amber slept in her Moses basket, on the kitchen table, at night; Ruby had her cot at the foot of our bed, so there was no room to walk around in the bedroom, but we were very happy and felt fortunate, there was much love in our lives and all around us, so we didn’t ‘sweat the small stuff’, also, Amber slept nine hours a night, a bit worrying at first, but it did make life easier.

***

About 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.

Anniese Worth Giuntini

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.