This post is a combination of the material which has been published in two parts in the Rainbow Bridge, our weekly Community Newsletter, and in my personal blog. These were published in preparation for the three Community participation events which I describe in two other posts Post Partum Reflections on Purpose and From Purpose Quest to Exploring Aims.

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As a human settlement Park Ecovillage Findhorn (PEF) has had a statement of Whole Community Purpose that served it as the Community has evolved in its relationship with the Findhorn Foundation (FF) and the world:

As a conscious community we strive to demonstrate a practical spirituality in harmony with Nature and play our part to positively transform humanity and the earth.

FF has had its own purpose which has also evolved over time. As the founding organisation of the Park Ecovillage Findhorn, FF has survived, in the last 3 years, a series of polycrises (from Brexit, to Covid, to Lockdown, to arson of Sanctuary and Community Centre, to global financial challenges, to energy cost increases, to global market disruptions). So in order to survive FF has changed almost everything about itself. But FF has continued to affirm its allegiance to its 3 founding principles:

• Work is Love in Action
• Deep Inner Listening
• Co-creating with the Intelligences of Nature

And FF has chosen to focus its Purpose on Spiritual Education. For that reason FF has also chosen to divest itself of land and amenities that are not needed to serve that purpose.

The Community of the Park Ecovillage Findhorn (PEF) that has grown up around FF and become a thriving human settlement (aka human hive) has responded by negotiating a 3-stage agreement to buy significant lands and amenities from FF. By stepping into these decisions, the Community is attuning to a Purpose that resonates with and serves Planet, Place, People and Person.

Through all of our organisational emergence and community explorations PEF has called forth Leaders, Residents, Contributors, Policy Setters, Neighbours, Fellows, Friends – and a community Purpose has been implicit in all our actions. It is now time to renew our community Purpose and to make what has been implicit, now explicit. It’s time to revive, renew and reframe a Purpose that reflects not just expanded but coherent responsibilities of PEF. Let’s seek to create a Community Purpose that is cohesive and purposeful, inclusive and inspiring, spiritual and caring. Let’s anchor our renewed Purpose into our Local Place Plan and regenerate our Caring Capacities for all our spiritual, ecological, artistic and Nature/Subtle Realm relationships.

Let’s start the Purpose Process by personally remembering: What has called us to Park Ecovillage Findhorn? How does PEF create a container for our Personal Purpose? Our Organisation Purposes? How are we all in service to the Highest Good of all Life – even to Gaia herself?

Part 2

Park Ecovillage Findhorn (PEF) is being invited to update and articulate the Purpose that is strongly flowing through our spiritual intentional community. Purpose is the DNA guiding our living organism.

What is the essence of human Purpose? James Lovelock said, “Humans are Gaia’s Reflective Organs.” I say, human settlements (cities/towns/villages) are the Organs, Organisations are like organelles and Individuals are like Cells in the Organs.

Integral-City-Maps-3-Colur-Spiral-DONUT

Park Ecovillage Findhorn (PEF) has a Purpose in service to Gaia. Purpose flows through our Mind, Spirit, Heart, Body. Purpose is fractal – turning up in repeated patterns at different scales. Purpose is holographic – expressing both Unity and Diversity. Purpose is holonic and social holonic –unique to individuals and interconnecting PEF as I/We/World.

As FF changes have impacted PEF in the last few years we have formed many groups to build new capacities – including:

  • Commons Inquiry – a subgroup of Collaboration Circle to identify and explore how to common well.
  • Governance Working Group – a self-organising informal group exploring how governance can best serve PEF.
  • Conflict Resilience Group – an informal group that enables the resolution of conflicts amongst individuals and/or organisations.
  • Local Place Plan Group – a community participative body to develop a Local Plan to submit to Moray Council in September/December 2024.

PEF’s many constituted organisations have responded as well:

During the last year and half other manifestations have called forth coherence and purpose in PEF.

  • Designing and funding the New Sanctuary through a co-creative charrette process
  • Just Transitions Feasibility Studies: explored ecovillage infrastructure for energy, heating, housing, food.
  • Community Mandala 61 Birthday photo Cornelia Featherstone

    Community Mandala created during day of silence 17th Nov 2023 photo Cornelia Featherstone

    Call for Ideas: the Community contributed nearly 20 Ideas to Moray Council in preparation for our Local Place Plan.

  • Day of Silence – November 17, 2023
  • What Next? Process (from Game of Transformation) – January 2024
  • Community Game of Transformation – March 2024
  • Education Circle – awakening Community-based education in PEF
  • EF-FF BuyIn Proposal – April/May 2024
  • NFA/EF/LPP May Visioning with Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Dimensions

Affirming our Community Purpose at events on June 2nd, 3rd, and 9th 2024 will align intentions, guide planning and inspire new potentials for individuals and organisations alike.

Purpose can be revealed in many ways, but we can all start the Personal Purpose Process by remembering: What has called us to Park Ecovillage Findhorn? How does PEF create a container for our Personal Purpose? Our Organisation Purposes? How are we all in service to the Highest Good of all Life – even to Gaia herself?