The following is a collection of articles published in July and August 2020 in the Rainbow Bridge, our weekly NFA Community Newsletter. They describe the progress of our ‘lockdown project’ to complete another aspect of the Universal Hall: the terrace in front of the café. I have added some photographs here – my thanks to Hugo Klip and Amanda Haworth for their permission to use their images.

As the person in charge of the completion of the Universal Hall in 1983, I have carried the awareness of a few incomplete projects for those 40 years – the terrace being one.

1. The Terrace Project outside the Café

Work area of the Phoenix mosaic

You may have noticed, even been annoyed by the fact that there is no way through to the Whins beside the Hall at the moment. You will need to go around the Hall either side, (and not through Cornelia’s garden either!)

Work has now started laying the sandstone crazy paving and the Original Findhorn Pottery is making and glazing wonderous tiles for the ceramic decorative Phoenix, which is being designed by Lesley Downie.

Lesley Downie the designer of the mosaic

We are endeavouring to finish the part by the Terrace entrance to the café so that David Hammond can open again as soon as Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, tells us all, that he can and what the Covid conditions are. Each week I will be writing a little bit about the Hall, how it came into being and with stories from some of the original Hall Builders. Watch this space there are some beauties that most people will not have heard.

Firstly though the original impulse to build the Hall came through ROC and Eileen, and I quote from Richard Valeriano (who was one of the originals):

‘I never heard the word ‘hall’ out loud before December 23, 1973. That night the Performing Arts group presented a ‘logos mass’ with 30 singers and dancers crowded into the dining room (CC which was about a third of the size it is now.) At the end ROC said ‘This is the future performing arts in this community and these performances cannot go on like this in the dining room. We need a proper performing arts hall with proper lighting and a proper stage’.’

On Christmas Eve Elixir (Eileen) received in guidance: ‘You need that community hall before next season, it will be used for many creative activities, so it needs to be planned with great care and insight as well as inspiration. You will find that the plans for it evolve with great speed as everybody concerned with it gets together and finds unity. You need a building that has plenty of room and gets erected quickly. You need space to allow all the creative activities of the community to grow and expand. They have only just begun, There is so much waiting to be called forth. Go ahead in complete faith.’

That is what we are doing with the Terrace, going ahead in complete faith that it will act as an inspiration for our fundraising at this time, this time of transformation of feeling into the new directions and expressions that the Foundation needs to move into, on its spiritual service to our Planet.
I include a lovely picture taken by Peter Vallance and the story attached at this extraordinary Solstice.

From Peter Vallance 19th June 2020
These pictures were taken last night, as sunset approached. There is an alignment with the Solstice setting sun at the side door of the Universal Hall. The stone is inspired by the entrance stone at Newgrange in Ireland. The stone was carved by Michael Davidson who wrote a few years ago “I knew the wall got the midsummer setting sun but had no idea the window lantern would illuminate the stone and its sacred entrance. Such an honour to be a part of that. Places like the Hall are so needed today. They have a spiritual and a cosmic connection to both earth and universe to amplify and send out the beauty of our potential to create both healing and peace. May we seek that now. with heart – Michael” Even people who have lived here a long time have never noticed this lintel stone as you enter. One of the many mysteries of the Hall.

Love you all and if you feel inspired give freely to this exciting project, pounds and pounds of love! Caroline Shaw.

2. Update on the Hall Terrace and stories

Those of you who have been drawn to see how the Terrace is progressing will find that in the six days that Stuart and Sebastian have been working, an amazing amount of stone laying has been done and to a very high quality.

You will see some bird boxes attached to the safety fence, if you feel moved to help the Phoenix to lay it’s egg and hatch please put some financial support in the nesting box! The Pottery is working away and will soon be ready to start work on the tail of the Phoenix on the ground.

Angus Marland wrote in September 1974:- A project has been started that is the physical manifestation of a great change taking place in the community. Together we realise that we are entering a new spiral of growth and expression – the expression of a deeper wholeness, a greater attunement to God and his will, and of our growth into a University of Light.
Before we examine the actual course of events leading up to the start of the building, let us examine what a new age structure is. Findhorn is a centre for the demonstration of the new Agee, and it is indeed a wonderful challenge to be asked to create a brand new Hall, with our own architects and with a free hand,
There is a lot of recently published literature that deals with new concepts in building. Domes of all sizes using geodesic architecture and geometry and the tremendous potentiality of modern technology are featured in this. There is a rebirth of the ancient art of sacred geometry and architecture, producing forms that are harmonious with the Earth’s etheric web of life, and which are alive within themselves. All these are to a certain extent contained within the University Hall, but they alone do not make a new age structure.
A new consciousness is moving through humanity now. We hear of a new world; a world of clarity and order, of love and light, of joy and harmony being reflected and drawn out from the hearts of humanity and all life that is the hallmark of the new age, and so, as we move to create new forms, the wholeness will be reflected through them.

I think that this is happening again now, in my opinion this time is a great opportunity for the souls living here to create our own new forms and understanding of what is required of this Light Centre now. I was going to add a fun story of how the lintel stone got quarried but maybe next week!
Love to everyone and everything, Caroline (Shaw)

3. The progress of the terrace

This is coming on very well, despite some difficult weather conditions. The ceramics team is now using not only the Pottery, but the Art Studio and now part of Hexiad (a bungalow) to lay out their various designs and get the colours just right for the tail of the Phoenix. They will soon move onto the wings or body. The stone masons are also doing a wonderful job,

Stuart Voder hurt his back (on his own site) and I manifested a young builder a few hours later through Sylvia Black’s hairdresser! This young man knew the Café and the Hall, and I offered to show him the terrace. Twenty minuets later he joined the team as a volunteer, and it turns out he is also a capable stone mason. This helped us enormously for a few days whilst Stuart recovered.

Do come to the Café, and see the small amount of the Phoenix’ tail that is exposed and the beautiful stone work done by Stuart and Sebastian.

4. Progress on the Terrace Project at the Hall

Phoenix tail

Many of you have I’m sure been up to the Phoenix Café since it has reopened for ‘Take aways’. If you haven’t you should go, not only is the Café food as good as ever, but you will be able to see a small part of the stone work and the ceramic work of the tail of the Phoenix.

Just the very end, this bird is huge, a wonderful inspiration for us all to remind ourselves to use these curious times to lay our own internal egg, and start the fire of regeneration into our next phase of evolution as individuals, as a community and as a species. What a wonderful opportunity!

We are about half way through the stone work, and maybe just less than half of the ceramics. The ceramicists have to work behind the Stone masons, who create the spaces for the ceramic decoration to be inserted.