The Haven
First shown on Channel 4 in May 2005
Channel 4's three-part documentary, The Haven, documents life in the Findhorn community, a long-established spiritual and holistic centre, in the north of Scotland.
The programmes follow the experiences of people living in or visiting the community. They range from a school leaver who feels she is learning more at Findhorn than she would at university to an Indian guru who offers himself as the community's new leader and wants to build a temple in the garden. A poignant backdrop to the series is the growing frailty of one of Findhorn’s founders, 87-year-old Eileen Caddy, and the preparations, both practical and psychological, that community members are making for her death.
Origins in the soil
In 1957 Eileen and Peter Caddy with their three young sons and their friend Dorothy McLean came to Forres in north east Scotland to manage the rundown Cluny Hill Hotel. Their management methods were unconventional, deriving from the guidance which Eileen believed she received from a divine source.
The hotel flourished but in 1962 their employment there ended, and they moved to a caravan park at nearby Findhorn Bay. Here, in the poor, sandy soil, a remarkable garden began to flourish. The small group believed that this was the result of Dorothy McLean’s ability to contact the ‘devas’ or plant spirits that instructed her on how the garden should be tended. There were accounts of extraordinary flower and vegetable crops, including the now legendary 40lb cabbages.
During the 1960s others joined the original group, and a small community developed, committed to God’s will and to expanding the garden in harmony with nature. The formation of the Findhorn Press during this period was important in spreading knowledge of the community through such publications as In Search of the Magic of Findhorn and The Findhorn Garden.
Spiritual values
Another significant development was the arrival in 1970 of David Spangler, a young American spiritual teacher, who was instrumental in establishing and to some extent systematising the spiritual education process which has become central to the operation (and the income) of the Findhorn Foundation.
The spiritual values and beliefs at the heart of personal and organisational life in the community are hard to pin down. Members neither adhere to nor reject any specific creed or doctrine; nor do they invest spiritual authority in any external figures. There is a belief in the internal ‘divinity’ of each person, and much of the spiritual activity turns on individuals ‘attuning’ to this quality in themselves. Meditation, deep listening, games and discussion are used to achieve 'attunement' – a key concept that is creatively applied to every aspect of daily life from resolving personal conflicts to allocating work placements and housing.
Connected and equally central values concern the relationship with and respect for the natural world, and the importance of service to the planet. These values have remained constant throughout the 40-year history of the community, shaping the work and life of the organisation and its members while allowing the individual and organisational freedom essential for creative growth and development.
Adaptable organisation
The eclectic and adaptable nature of Findhorn's value system is reflected in the way the community has developed, and the nature of the organisation is similarly difficult to define precisely. The Findhorn Foundation (the educational charity registered in 1972) is the original and largest organisation within the overall community. It currently has 122 members (including 26 non-residents) most of whom, apart from the 11 children and 6 elders, work within the Foundation. In addition there are a number of people attending long-term educational programmes. Members earn their board and lodging plus £200 a month through their work in one of nine departments. Work at Findhorn is valued for its own sake, and is defined as ‘love in action’ for what it contributes to individual and collective life.
For most members, Findhorn appears to be a phase in their lives, and the average length of stay in the community is five years. But whether they stay or move on, for many people this is a lifelong relationship and a lifelong influence.
Thriving venture
The Foundation is economically thriving, with 90% of its income generated by a multitude of educational and training programmes, courses and events. Each year over 3,000 residential workshop participants attend its training sessions and conferences, and some 9,000 people make day visits.
A wider community has developed informally around the Findhorn Foundation which is impossible to quantify and is a constant state of flux. In 1999 an umbrella organisation, The New Findhorn Association, was created to introduce some cohesion. It currently has 32 member organisations (as well as the Findhorn Foundation itself) including a range of local businesses and charities.
The ecovillage project started at the end of the 1980s. An ecovillage is defined as an economically, culturally and spiritually sustainable community – and it’s easy to see the fit between this concept and Findhorn’s origins in its thriving garden. The ecovillage project now includes energy-producing wind generators, 40 practical and beautiful ecobuildings (including a number of private houses), and The Living Machine, a biological sewage treatment plant. Findhorn is part of a growing worldwide ecovillage network and is widely used as a teaching resource.
The Findhorn community is an example of how it is possible to live simply, sustainably and responsibly. There is something both ancient and extremely modern in its spiritual and organisational adaptability which contains significant lessons for the rest of the world.
