Woodwork

I moved to the community in 1981 and left in 2012. On my second visit to Findhorn, I participated in a hidden talents workshop and identified that I wanted to work with wood, making beautiful things in wood to touch people’s hearts.

Angel Boxes

My wife Diana and I bought Bay Cottage and I saw that there was an opportunity to put in a little workshop in the garden. One of my main production items was wooden boxes for Angel Cards. People wanted to buy them to take their Angel Cards home in and then at home they could hold the box and connect to the Findhorn energy, so I felt this was a valuable contribution.

Over time, I began to deeply connect with the wood and see it with more than just what I would call my engineering brain, or right brain, and to tune in to how the wood wanted to be held or shaped. I spent the first few years developing this more artistic side, as well as training in furniture making. I always felt I was running the business with spiritual principles in mind. I believed in putting good vibrations into the pieces as I was working the wood. I would always remind myself that these boxes could touch someone’s heart, so I tried to avoid, for example, thinking negative thoughts while carving. I estimate I made 2,500-3,000 Angel Card boxes and people have taken them to their homes all over the world, disseminating the good vibrations and energies of Findhorn. I have also made benches for the Park, as well as furniture and sculptures.

creative wooden desk

I had a crisis a few years after starting and found myself unable to continue, but then I had a channelled reading which told me, “You are a spiritual artist, we want you to work from the God within as a gift to the God in the other”, the recipient.

In terms of my process, every morning when I went into the workshop, I would have a little attunement with myself and with the spirit of the wood, the spirit of the workshop and the tools and the equipment, so I would align myself and put good vibrations into the workshop. People would comment on how good it felt in there. I saw it as being very much a spiritual journey, a spiritual gift. I would decide what I’m going to make, and it might be some Angel Card boxes, or it might be a table, or a group of tables or something, and then start looking through the wood to see what shows up. I was very inspired by George Nakashima who writes about the soul of the wood and how each board has its ideal final place and use.