Niels setting the centre of the Astroshamanic Grid at Findhorn Foundation (FF) Cluny Hill, next to the Reception and in front of Porter’s Palace.

The event originally took place in the year 2000, whereas the photo is a celebratory simulation carried out in 2012.

It was a very significant event because it offered the direct response to my request for clarification in the setting of the Grid. For months I had been wondering what the central point of Cluny Hill could be, since this was the basic requirement for drawing the map. I had put forward several hypotheses, both visionary and rational, but none of them convinced me.

During one of my shifts at the Reception, I realised that I could not delay any longer and that I had to receive a clear vision about the central point. I resolutely asked internally for a clear answer, a sign as to where the center should be placed. After a few minutes, I heard someone making some noise near the Reception.

It was Niels, one of the most brilliant Cluny members, caretaker of Traigh Bhan, the FF retreat house on Iona, focaliser of Experience Weeks and most skilful maintenance worker. Niels has always been a source of abundant inspiration throughout my life in the Community, for his authenticity and ability to give precious teachings merely through his honest presence and actions. On that occasion he had climbed up a ladder and started painting, muttering something like “I’ve decided to do it and I’m doing it!”.

He was painting inside a small dome in the ceiling, at the intersection of the main corridor of the building, the hall and the main stairs. Niels was completely unaware of my work with the Grid, but at that moment he clearly provided the answer. He had wanted to paint that spot in blue for a long time, as if to indicate a window to the sky, but for various reasons he had put it off. That day he decided to take action …and the central point for the Grid was clearly defined.

The Astroshamanic Healing Grid at Cluny Hill College, the main workshop centre of the Findhorn Foundation in northern Scotland, is a network of invisible lines that divide Cluny Garden and its whole territory into 12 sectors. Each sector occupies a portion of 30 degrees and corresponds to an astrological sign.

The sectors move in a clockwise direction from Sector 1 (Aries), at the East point, and then downwards to Sector 2 (Taurus), Sector 3 (Gemini), Sector 4 (Cancer) and all the remaining signs.

Please click here to read more about the Astroshamanic Healing Grid at Cluny Hill College.

Franco Santoro Astroshamanic Map