Recalling the original Magic of Findhorn

Post date: Aug 2, 2017 9:54:13 AM

Mountain man John Willower where he is most at home ...

‘The essence of this community is to bring heaven down to Earth, to learn to do everything with love’

Eileen Caddy, Findhorn community co-founder

If you were to rewind half a century, you’d see a young English schoolteacher called John Willoner arriving at what is now the celebrated Findhorn Foundation community, unaware that his life was about to transform radically.

Always the adventurer and seeker, John’s curiosity was aroused by a postcard sent from a friend at the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park that contained the cryptic message: “I think you’ll find it interesting here.”

That was in 1967 - the same year the Beatles released their hit single All You Need is Love and the fledgling spiritual community in the northeast of Scotland comprised only six permanent residents – co-founders Dorothy Maclean, Peter and Eileen Caddy and their three young boys Christopher, Jonathan and David.

John soon became the seventh, although it was to take a number of visits over a six-month period before he quit his teaching post down south and followed his inner prompts to join what was later described in a best-selling book as The Magic of Findhorn.

John wearing a tie in the background and Peter and Eileen Caddy in the foreground

“The magic is still alive for me, when I am open to it,” he confided recently in an interview at his compact and inviting wooden Eco home in The Park’s Field of Dreams. He shares this beautiful space with his South African partner Sylvia Black.

“The original essence is still present and the openness and trust among people continues to be strong,” he says. “What keeps me here is the feeling that I can continue to serve and contribute to the community.”

Looking back 50 years he recalls a somewhat bleak dunescape that was devoid of flowers, birdsong and mature trees.

“On that first visit I saw a rubbish dump and lots of dilapidated caravans and I was looking for site number 27 which was quite difficult to come by because it was out of sight in a hollow.”

His friend Dennis who’d sent the postcard had been been there a few weeks and introduced John to an energetic older man with a military bearing called Peter Caddy. “They were smashing rocks to create a base for a bungalow. I was given a sledgehammer and joined in.”

Outside the Original Caravan with Dorothy Maclean and Jonathan Caddy who was born in the caravan

Although he only stayed a couple of hours on that occasion he remembers that something compelling was happening as seeds were sewn for the birth of what evolved into a pioneering spiritual community, Ecovillage and centre of learning.

“In the early days we worked seven days a week from getting up to going to sleep. Peter was very clear that he expected people to work and to work hard physically. There were no programmes then and it was just physical activity like gardening, with Peter leading by example.

“I really enjoyed the company of the three founders. There was some sort of magnetism that’s difficult to pinpoint. I enjoyed being in this place that was gradually growing around the first caravan and I had no wish to be anywhere else. So I gave in my notice not really knowing what was ahead.

“Peter taught, not in a lecturing way, but while digging alongside him there were pearls of wisdom.”

Fast-forward to 2017 and 73-year-old John surveys The Park with deep satisfaction. “It makes me believe that the desert can bloom and today it’s like a Garden of Eden compared to what it was.

Celebrating his 70th birthday with a cycle ride with Jonathan Caddy and Geoff Dalglish

“In the early days we were focusing on the garden and building foundations and it wasn’t until the early 1970s that the time was right for growing people, which was the start of our holistic education programmes.

“I feel a great passion for Findhorn and love to share it with others – especially the area around the Original Garden and seven bungalows where I first worked.”

His admiration for the founders also continues to inspire him. “Dorothy demonstrated selfless sevice to the whole and could turn her hand to anything. Eileen was a very loving and down to Earth person who was practical and always available for her boys. Peter was very focused and taught by doing. It was a privilege to dig alongside him.”

Although soft-spoken and unassuming, John’s love of mountains and the outdoors is legendary and there’s a steely determination that has seen him stand on the summit of all of the 282 Munros that are the highest peaks in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, highpoints of many holidays include mountain hikes and interacting enthusiastically with everyone he meets.

Although he still occasionaly works relief shifts as a local school teacher, his main role in recent years has been serving in Findhorn’s busy Conference office. This has facilitated enduring friendships with many spiritual teachers who have visited Findhorn, some staying in his hexagonal home which is called Honeypot in recognition of his love of beekeeping.

Celebrating with Jonathan, Dorothy and Craig Gibsone, who arrived a year after John in 1968