A letter of thanks from Terence Gilbey, CEO

Last month I shared with you that change is happening at the Findhorn Foundation and that I will be transitioning out of my role as Chief Executive at the end of June. I want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with positive support and well wishes for me – your feedback has been wonderful. In return, I want to thank all of You, our global community, for your steadfast support and encouragement over the past few years as we have navigated so many big changes together. The fledgling Findhorn Foundation SCIO would not have been able to develop and launch our popular Spirit of Iona retreats, revitalise Experience Week for delivery in the Western Isles at Erraid, and offer months of free, daily online meditations without your help. Thank you for believing in our vision, having the courage to re-imagine what is possible, honouring the past while embracing the future, and nurturing the Network of Light out in the world. It has been a privilege to work with you.

Some of you have reached out to ask for an update, so I’d like to share what is happening now, and what will be coming next for the SCIO.

Due to the timing of my own resignation, and the resignation of our Director of Education, Andrew, the Findhorn Foundation SCIO will pause delivery of facilitated programmes until there is a clearer plan of what will happen next and who will shepherd it. As a result, all remaining 2025 Spirit of Iona and Erraid Experience Week programmes have been canceled. It is disappointing that we were not able to deliver more of our redesigned Erraid Experience Week. The success of our inaugural cohort in May showed just how well the programme can flourish in the rustic setting of the island community and meet the needs of today’s spiritual seekers.

Although we will not be offering the Experience Week curriculum, the Erraid community is still welcoming guests for week-long retreats. You can find out more here.

For those of you who have been joining us in meditation, the SCIO Board and volunteers will continue to hold our daily online meditations and send out our weekly inspiration emails each Friday.  Please join our daily meditations here and sign up to the weekly inspiration mailing list here.

Unfortunately, with the stop in programming, and the pause in programme revenues, we are no longer able to support the core team. Consequently, at the end of May we completed a staff consultation and have entered into a redundancy process for the remaining SCIO staff. I want to personally thank Andrew, Ash, Britta, Elizabeth and Sara for their outstanding dedication to the SCIO and their bravery in learning new skills, forging new paths, and trusting the divine unfolding as we joined together in this daring venture for the past year. Each one of you truly embodied work-as-love-in action and should take pride in all we accomplished, against stiff odds. Thank you for bringing your full capacities and open hearts to the organisation and the people we served.

Going forward. The Trustees of the Findhorn Foundation SCIO are in active discussion with the core working group of Findhorn Park Ecovillage’s Education Circle about whether the SCIO might be the right container for future education activities within the Park itself. The Park Ecovillage, just outside Findhorn, Scotland, is the origin-point of the Findhorn Foundation and remains an active and diversified community today. You can see what is happening there by going to visitecovillagefindhorn.uk. We are hopeful that there will be clarity on the SCIO moving to its next phase within the Park Ecovillage in the next month or two and I expect there will be updates as this emerges.

In a related matter, the legacy Findhorn Foundation Trust (the original 1970’s organisation from which the SCIO spun-off) continues its wind-down process of assets and infrastructure in coordination with the Findhorn Park Ecovillage. It is intended that the bulk of that process will be completed by the end of this financial year (i.e., end of March 2026), though that timeframe depends on many factors and will likely continue to evolve.

Please visit our FAQ page for answers to some of the questions we have received from our global community with regard to the changes within the Findhorn Foundation SCIO. Be sure to check-back to this page in the days ahead, as we will continue to update the FAQ when more information becomes available

As I sign-off of this newsletter, I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the Findhorn Foundation during this time of such rampant global, local and personal change. I believe deeply in the transformative capacities of living attuned to the principles of inner listening, co-creation with nature and work-as-love-in-action. Therefore, it is fitting to close with one of Eileen Caddy’s teachings about change – may it be a reminder to all of us about the power of embracing the possibilities of change in our own lives.

All my best,

Terry

“Embrace change and see it as an opportunity for growth and transformation – You cannot hope to grow spiritually unless you are prepared to change…Sometimes it needs a complete upheaval to bring about a whole new way of life. But it is amazing how soon you can get used to change as long as you have the courage and conviction that the changes which are taking place are all for the very best.

Let perfection always be your aim. Keep stretching. Keep reaching up to the seemingly impossible. Keep growing in wisdom and understanding, and never at any time be content to remain static. There is always something more to be learnt. There is always something new and wonderful to discover in this life, so expand your consciousness and your imagination to make room for it. Keep open and receptive so that you miss nothing.”

~ Eileen Caddy