My enduring impression of Mainly Magnus is the level of respect Magnus Magnusson and the BBC producers showed our community.

At the time I had no idea who Magnus Magnusson was, nor that the programme would be seen nationwide. I couldn’t have dreamt of the impact the film would have on so many over the years.

What I remember most about the community at the time is a sense of innocence, no, more naiveté, a freshness and sense of freedom.

When Magnus addressed me directly saying “You have been on the commune circuit … going round various communities. What do you find here at Findhorn which you didn’t find elsewhere?” I found myself suddenly shy and all I could think to say was “The greatest thing, I think, is the freedom here, the freedom of self-expression … All the other communities I’ve been to, they’ve been very structured, but here it doesn’t work that way.”

This shyness was quite unlike me as I had been comfortable performing for several years. When I was in London, I was part of a progressive arts project in Soho, with a theatre and an art gallery. A self-portrait of the time for me reflects that sense of confidence.

I was pleased to be asked to create a dance performance as part of the TV programme. At the time we were creating performances both for the community in the Community Centre and also in the Sanctuary. We also did shows for the holiday makers on the caravan park in the back of the Lollipop Shop.
Peter Caddy strongly supported the arts performances as well as what we called ‘fun nights’ as a way of expressing the new culture we were creating.

For the show I worked with Lark Batteau. I had been dancing with her frequently as her background in classical dance and my modern dance approach gave a lot of scope for improvisation. The piece was recorded in the Sanctuary as we had a turntable there and was then shown as part of the programme.

Gee, what I mostly remember is the excitement of the event which gave a chance for the community to dress up “in its Sunday best” and present a coherent and lovely picture to the world of what we were about. I remember struggling to sum up the work and importance of Findhorn in a few words for Magnus. Saying anything in a few words has never been my forte, especially back when I was in my twenties! The image of the dance came to mind and thank heavens it did, as it did sum up the essence of what I wanted to say*).

I remember feeling that trying to describe what the community was doing in words easily ended up in clichés, but actually seeing what we were accomplishing conveyed the truth and spirit of what it was about. The wonderful thing about the show is that the BBC crew did give a comprehensive picture of our work and life back then and the creativity that the community was embodying.

I remember Peter orchestrating things as much as he could so that the community was presented in the best light possible, creating the inspiring and uplifting story that was so close to Peter’s heart. He saw the community’s gift to the world was to offer a positive vision of the future—and of the present—and he took full advantage of the BBC show to do that.

Blessings,
David

*) transcript from the film:

MM: I’ve read many tracts which you’ve published and I havn’t understood a single word of any of them. They’re all way above my head, but can you sum it up for me? What do you think is the importance of what Findhorn is doing?

DS: Peter Tompkins mentioned that if man could learn to communicate with plants, you could turn the planet back into a Garden of Eden. I believe that this Eden state was originally a state of Oneness when man was part of a wholeness within himself and with his world. To me, the importance of Findhorn is demonstrating for man, that Oneness hasn’t been lost, that the rest of the world, the rest of creation is waiting for man to come back, come home and reawaken that. In a fashion I see Findhorn as a place where people can learn to dance. In a dance you’re with your partner and you blend your movement with your partner’s and you create something but man has forgotten how to dance with the world in which he lives. He is only creating chaos and is stepping on the toes of nature. I feel here man is learning how to dance again, how to be himself, which is joy, life and creativity, the love that comes that comes in wholeness.

I was in the audience with my wife Janet. The photo above shows us singing along with the New Troubadours performing one of our favourite community songs “Coming Together”. At the time we already had a family and I don’t recall how we managed to be in the Community Centre that evening in January 1973 without the child.

I wasn’t involved in organising the event as I was working at the time in the local primary school as deputy headteacher, but I remember the excitement surrounding the day. Especially as the show was actually filmed live in the community rather than in the studio as so many other episodes of Mainly Magnus were. A mobile unit with a very tall mast sent the signal to the Burghead radio mast and it was broadcast live nationwide from there.

The show had been prepared with the producer, Magnus had a list of members in the audience, he addressed his questions to. The programme is the best historical record of the community from that time. Over the years I have often shown it to guests and for many it was a real highlight of their time here. In a very short time and concise fashion Magnus Magnusson managed to draw out many stories which demonstrated unique perspectives and gave an overall sense of what the community was about.

We must thank Mike Scott for the fact that we have a copy of the film. When he worked with the community archive, he went to the BBC Archives where he came across a 16mm copy. He had that copy digitised at his own expense and so enabled us to have the film available still today, on our collective autobiography website. We are grateful to the BBC and all other rights holders for their generous permission.

The music of the New Troubadours showcased in the programme was very important at the time and still represents a powerful way to transmit the message of what the community was about (and in many ways still is about today.)

After the BBC had decided to do a programme on Findhorn in the Mainly Magnus series they invited us to travel to Glasgow to do the main part of the programme from the studio. I could not agree to this, and it was realised that the programme would need an outside broadcasting unit which required between sixty and eighty men to operate it, and that, moreover, it would have to be booked up about a year in advance. However, greatly to their surprise a unit became available just at the time we needed it. This was so unusual that the people concerned with the programme could not understand how it could have happened. Such programmes are usually presented in a controversial form, and the question was where they were going to find experts to present the opposing point of view. However, to our surprise and delight it was decided to give us the fifty minute programme entirely to ourselves. The programme began with colour slides of the garden followed by a song by the New Troubadours. The dining room had been converted into a studio with about a hundred members of the community present under the chairmanship of Magnus Magnusson.

Peter Tompkins, the joint author of the article, Love Amongst the Cabbages in the November 1972 issue of Harpers Magazine was flown over from the U.S.A. especially to open the programme with an account of the scientific experiments being conducted in America on the sensitivity of plants. This was followed by ROC telling the story of his first meeting with the faun and with Pan. Sir George Trevelyan then spoke on the world significance of the work that was being done at Findhorn. After Eileen (Elixir) and I had spoken, Magnus Magnusson brought in other members of the community. During this time filmed shots of different community activities such as pottery, weaving and printing were shown and the programme closed with another song by the New Troubadours. We felt that the whole presentation had been a great success.

The outside broadcast transmitter being erected to relay Magnus Magnusson from our dining room.

It brought in a flood of congratulatory letters from which these are a few extracts:

“The sincerity of your group as shown on the television is to be admired, and you do appear to have eliminated the economic profit motives of our present society. I wish your experiment every success—it reads to me like the building of the Ark.”

R.M.

“My husband, two boys and myself were greatly interested in the recent T.V. programme, and wonder if your community holds the answer for the peaceful, happy life which we all seek.”

M.L.

“l was most impressed by your T.V. programme this evening and would dearly like to know more about your community. I have read accounts of the Devas and the Kingdom of Nature Spirits, but have not found anyone with experience of them. To me, and I am sure to many hundreds—or even thousands—of others, your work and affirmations come as a most exhilarating vindication of our feelings and beliefs.

D.W.

“The programme was WONDERFUL. It held me spellbound and I could hardly believe it was 50 minutes. Surely it must open the eyes of so many people—I do hope so. I know you will have many letters but I felt so full of love for you all and all that Findhorn has given to me that I felt I must write a note to you now—before I go to bed. Bless you and thank you all.”

M.

“After watching your programme on T.V. I have thought about you all the week. I have never seen so many beautifully composed serene faces in one room before in my life—not even in church. I am taking much more interest in my plants and bulbs since watching your programme, and I am certain that others are also.”

M.E.

“l thought the camera men did a wonderful job—the place looks entrancing; the faces wonderfully alert yet serene, with such compellingly bright eyes. That seemed an extraordinary thing to be so conscious of just on the box, but it made a powerful impression not only on me but on several other people I’ve talked to. A more attractive, interesting, better adjusted, articulate lot would be hard to find—I do hope very much to meet some of them one day. I had a positively fellow feeling with Eileen over having to retire to the loos for peace and solitude—I know that one only too well round here! The dancing and music seemed especially lovely to me; but then I’ve always been biased in favour of the idea of that being what worship truly is for some.”

Extracts from the programme were repeated twice on “Pick of the Week” and broadcast throughout the British Isles and other parts of the world.