Findhorn

Tara on Tour

Leaving Skye on Thursday, Emma and I planned to spend the night in Glen Affric, but a road accident blocked the road between Fort Augustus and our destination so we were obliged to drive up the eastern side of Loch Ness and head straight into Inverness. Loch Ness lies along what looks like a geological fault line cutting across the north-west of Scotland - it's an eerie loch, there's no doubt. The depth of the waters give it a dark, slightly sinister appearance and its sheer size means that the waters get really quite choppy when the wind stirs.

Our journey was heading to Findhorn anyway, so we decided to bring it forward - and arrived late afternoon in what felt like the midst of a heatwave. Back to camping - and an altogether different experiece this time!

Findhorn is a fascinating place and very much somewhere to take notice of when it comes to ways in which our future might be safeguarded on this planet. It began some 40 years ago whe 3 people - Eileen and Peter Caddy and Dorothy Maclean - were guided to come and live in this part of the world. For 6 years they shared a caravan and committed themselves to a simple, spiritually-focussed life where their daily meditations would give clear and specific instructions towards realising their vision. This vision led to what is now an international community, world-renowned, and ever-innovative in ways of developing practical and ecological ways of grounding spiritual ideals in the everyday way in which we live. Thousands of volunteers have lent skills and time over the years, in particular towards the building projects -- and the buildings that are here today are astounding in their integration of ecological design and aesthetic beauty. There are straw-bale homes, homes built from huge whisky barrels, chalets with turf rooves - in the Field of Dreams, all the homes are built to a particular standard where insulation is ultra-efficient, solar panels are the norm and water systems feed into the community sewerage system which uses plants and natural filtration for decomposition and purification. All the electricity for the community is provided by 3 wind turbines.

It's an inspiring place - all the more so because it is one of the first of its kind. Ecovillages are springing up all over the world now and together with their emphasis on social/cultural harmony, spiritual practice, ethical business incentives and ecological design are fast becoming the "way of the future". They offer us a sustainable way of living on the earth, and with each other, and really do seem to offer a way of life that is peaceful, harmonious, creative and enriching.