A Taste of Life in an Eco Spiritual Community

by Jon Jelfs

I had the opportunity recently to spend almost a week in an eco-spiritual community.  I was attending the annual Convocation for Interfaith Ministers (one of my ‘hats’) which this year was held at the Findhorn Foundation Community Park in north east Scotland. My impression of the place was probably affected by the glorious weather, amazing sunsets and the spectacular sight of Ospreys hovering high in the sky and then plunging feet first to the water below to catch fish.  Even so, I was impressed with what I saw and experienced.

There did seem to be a genuine interpersonal warmth and sense of being together in community. Many things pointed to the heart of spirituality which can be described as ‘relational consciousness’ where people seek to live consciously in good relationship with each other, the species, the earth and the creative energy at its source (whether thought of religiously or not).

The site seemed well organised, safe, and with a lovely mixture of traditional and high-tech forms of housing and ecological practices - and also spiritual practices too. I was impressed with the village green at the heart of the community and every day there appeared to be activities going on there, such as dance or play events that one could be drawn into. Great fun and helping to create a sense of community. There is a really good shop and café on site with good food, fairly traded and locally source products as well as high quality art, pottery and other crafts from people on the site. Four wind turbines provide the majority of electricity for the site. I was amused to see two horses grazing the lawns of neighbouring houses from day to day, reducing the need for lawn mowers!

I was pretty fully occupied at the convocation but there appeared to be a huge range of activities going on in the community that visitors were welcome to participate in. There are regular workshops and conferences but also regular practices such as meditation and Taizé worship. Lots of opportunities to learn pottery, weaving and other crafts. I found myself singing Taizé, joining in a wonderful dance on the village green and leaping over fires in a remarkable Beltane ceremony, to mention just a few things!

At any one time there are about 400 people living on the site and there are more than 60 eco-houses, with more being built. It was fascinating to wander (or take a tour) around the site and take in the different house designs and their eco-features. Findhorn eco-village is a work in progress as each year more caravans are replaced with ecologically sound alternatives, from yurts to eco-mobile homes, to state of the art projects such as straw bale housing. The place is very beautiful with lots of wood and stone, very creative and artistic, helped by surrounding beautiful wooded areas and beach. Findhorn say that “The environment reflects experimentation, innovation, beauty and practicality, and looks as diverse as the population that inhabits it. There are 90 ecological structures including houses, workshop spaces, The Living Machine sewage treatment centre and electricity-generating wind turbines. The Park also features gardens, the Universal Hall arts centre, and is home to a variety of holistic businesses and initiatives. It is beautifully situated on a peninsula with Findhorn Bay on one side and the dunes and coast of the Moray Firth on the other, and the village of Findhorn at its tip. The community at The Park is an on-going experiment in conscious living. As well as featuring beautiful and innovative projects, we also have made – and will probably continue to make!- some mistakes. The community are host to many Findhorn Foundation workshops and events, providing a unique environment for experiential learning.”