Origins, Essence and Evolution

During the Virtual Gathering in May 2020, various threads emerged encouraging each center to explore their origins and focus on their essence, as a guiding pathway to evolution. Inspirational speakers included voices from different centers and perspectives;

• The role of our centers hasn’t changed. How we fulfil our missions is in question – Terry Gilbey, CEO, Esalen
• We must look back at our origins as we look towards the future – Barbara Vacarr, CEO, Kripalu
• Focus on the essential – Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, Author, Radical Dharma
• Who are we serving? – Mike Rowlands, Chair, Hollyhock

These threads then wove together into one of the final sessions of the month long event; Origins, Essence and Evolution: Findhorn Foundation (FF) as a Case Study, as each center responds to this time of crisis and opportunity. This nine minute video offers a taste of the conversation as the FF looks towards its sixth decade and each center asks how can we emerge stronger? Pivoting to online offerings and exploring hybrid models – in person and virtual events – is key, as we deepen into our role, relevance and service to the world.

Yvonne Cuneo has lived and worked at the Findhorn Foundation for 20 years and co-hosted the webinar with Michael Lindfield who was closely involved in the early years of the community. “Although I’m representing the FF and have gathered input for this presentation, I don’t claim that the inspirations and challenges I see would be agreed by everyone here,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud to be part of this organisation and can also tear my hair sometimes. As we try to model a new paradigm for the world we are amazing…and not perfect…and it’s important to be transparent about both.”

How are we answering the questions posed from the Gathering?

The Virtual Gathering stimulated engagement within the FF about the organisation pre and post the pandemic, the challenges present, and the opportunities to evolve. “I noticed that personally and collectively these issues were the most confronting,” said Yvonne. “Plan that we will die as an organisation in our present form and be willing to disrupt our own enterprise and not just tweak.” The following questions are alive in the field and are perhaps similar to the journey your center has been navigating these few months;

• What am I/we attached to – wants to go back to how it was before?
• What am I/are we mourning the loss of? What do I/we need to let go of?
• Where is my/our resistance to change?
• Who are we here to serve? How can I best serve?
• How essential/relevant are we?
• The FF has an inspiring founding story…and are we limited by our history?
• Can we transcend our story? Preserve and yet transcend the form
• What part of my/our life cycle am I/are we in?
• Who gets to decide this new future of our organisation?
• And between stimulus and response there is a space – how do we hold/facilitate that?

Roots of Tomorrow

For over 57 years the Findhorn Foundation has been holding programmes and events at Findhorn in the far north of Scotland. Between 23-27 July, and inspired by the HCN Virtual Gathering, the FF will be hosting their first global online event – enabling more people to engage with the essence and beauty of the center than before. The offering is an inspiring response to the question posed by Michael Lindfield, “Can we apply the principles and still have them work?”

Join interactive sessions focused on the Findhorn Foundation’s three core principles, discussions from past and present community members, and Findhorn style sharing circles. This is an opportunity to reconnect if you have visited before as well as for those of you who want to experience the community for the first time. A call to radical change is upon us and we are being invited, individually and collectively, to transform.

How can the Findhorn Foundation’s three root principles of Work is Love in Action, Inner Listening and Co-creation with the Intelligence of Nature support this? Can we, by embodying these principles, transform our consciousness, change our reality, and accept the invitation to create a new tomorrow? With feet rooted in fertile soil, tools in hand, together we can explore, experience, and transform. Book your place here.