Keitha went to the Taize singing and I met her later at the Sanctuary which is a meditation space in the centre of the community. This is special place where the accumulated ‘energy’ of years of meditation by countless individuals has left an indescribable imprint. A bit like the sense of the holy in a church, but also not quite like that. There is a morning and afternoon guided meditation daily, and the space is always open for personal meditation .

My knee was swollen this morning. Not too painful, but that and the chilly weather led us to take it easy for the morning. We are cosy in the caravan and we caught up on final planning, washing, etc.

We drove in to the village of Findhorn…a shorter distance than either of us remembered, and chose a place for lunch. It was on the wild (today, anyway) waterfront and we both ordered soup. K’s was lentil and bacon, mine was cullen skink…a smoked fish soup. Warmed us up nicely, with views of another amazing sky

By this time it was well after two, and we wanted to stroll around the Findhorn Community before it got dark sometime not long after four.

It was great to reconnect with places and spaces we had enjoyed, separately, ten years ago. Much has changed and much has stayed the same. The values held by this community remain the same, and there has been huge residential growth, all eco building. I am unsure of the tie up between the building and the Findhorn Foundation (the organisational arm of the community) but there is a clear synergy there. Obviously, things are in good heart, and that felt encouraging…a wee island where experience of other aspects of being is explored in the midst of what sometimes seems to be a chaotic world.

There is still a touch of hippie about the place as people express themslves, for example, in gates and doors

A building which was getting started ten years ago is still a work in progress….it will be a space for the use of voice and looks rather impressive in its uniqueness. No pics as there are construction safety fence all round it

The Nature Sanctuary, a special place for people who come here remains unchanged

And the Quiet Garden surrounding it is still the refreshing place it was designed to be.

The woodlands at the back of the community are also pleasant places

They have inspired a community initiative to enhance the forest areas of Scotland and a separate company to achieve this operates from here.

This is such a special place. It might be easy to dismiss it as a commune left over from the sixties (which it sort of is) however, it is also a centre of spiritual exploration and development of values which have meaning and real impact in today’s world.

Google it, its fascinating….I lack the skills to include a link.