Breaking Down Barriers
Written by Terence Gilbey
In the July 2024 newsletter I wrote about the power of presence, not place. In that article, I explored the idea that transformational experiences may be less about a specific geographic location and more about how we show up in it. The gist of this being that spirituality is not something that comes from outside of ourselves, it comes from within. We choose how we see and react to the world, ourselves and each other. Rather than being dependent on travelling the world or sitting at the knee of a guru, the process of personal and spiritual growth is an inner journey of exploring and sharing our essence through the perspectives we adopt, beliefs we hold and actions we take. This is very exciting, because it creates the potential for each one of us to find the meaning and deeper connection we seek, regardless of our life circumstances.
Waves crashing over the rocks on the Isle of Iona
A few days after the ‘Power of presence, not place’ article, I received an email from someone in the global Findhorn Foundation community, from the USA. They wrote:
“I find the idea of Findhorn being more about the belief in and practice of harnessing spiritual energy (wherever your feet are planted) very compelling – rather than focusing on a place. So much truth to that … and love … My heart is in Scotland, but I do feel empowered to connect to that spiritual energy wherever I may be.”
As this person writes, finding spiritual energy wherever we are is empowering. The transformational power of presence means that we can access the untapped potential and spiritual capacities of our lives from anywhere, at any time. Just as the new-age adage reminds us, Wherever you go, there you are, it is ultimately the exploration of our inner landscape and taking responsibility for ourselves and our impact on others and the world that truly matters.
“The transformational power of presence means that we can access the untapped potential and spiritual capacities of our lives from anywhere, at any time. ”
For many people, personal and spiritual growth is hard. Integral theorist and author Ken Wilber teaches that when we spiritually, ‘wake up, grow up, clean up and show up’ we can embody a purpose- and values-driven life that is overflowing with aliveness, love and energy. This sounds amazing and, admittedly, in practice is easier to write and quite another to fully live into.
Early morning in the garden at Traigh Bhan
If you’ve felt the vulnerability of sharing your feelings at a workshop, struggled with feedback during therapy, or simply wanted to leap up from the cushion and run out of a silent meditation circle, then you may have personally experienced how transformation often comes with pain, mistakes, humility, and discomfort. Just as Course of Miracles teacher Marianne Williamson identified in the early 1990’s, transformation almost always requires facing our fears – our fears of inadequacy and our fears of our own power. It certainly requires courage, grit, and resilience. All of which is particularly challenging in today’s increasingly secular and distracted world. In last month’s newsletter we challenged you to explore the power of quieting the noise in your outer world so you might hear the whispering voice of Spirit within. At face value this might sound simple unless you, like me, know first-hand the temptation to binge on the endless scroll of social media rather than be still and open to the existential questions and wisdom of identity, spirit, and meaning.
Although personal transformation and spiritual growth may be difficult, at the Findhorn Foundation, we believe it is worth doing because we know just how life-changing, fulfilling, and energising it can be to live a life of integrity, spiritual alignment, and purpose. We agree with the counsel of author and leadership expert, Stephen Covey who wrote:
“Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s Holy ground. There’s no greater investment.”
But what can we do to help those who are seeking this ‘Holy ground’ in their lives when things often get in the way? A quick search of the internet reveals a long list of common psychological barriers that impede personal growth such as indecision, procrastination, lack of direction, lack of drive, fear of failure, social pressure, lack of support, being stuck in a cycle of blame, discouragement ,and feeling disconnected. Isn’t it sobering how we ourselves are often the greatest barrier to our own happiness?
An open window at our sanctuary on Iona
Even more sobering is the truth that for those able to overcome the internal obstacles to personal growth, there are often very real logistical and systemic barriers blocking their progress. Barriers that may feel out of their control. For years we have focused most on the financial barriers to personal and spiritual growth, but in today’s complex environment, it is really so much more – what I think of as the ‘4 Barriers’ – Cost, Compression, Carbon, and Culture. For someone yearning and ready to make a change, to find belonging and to explore new ways of thinking and being, these compounding obstacles can be quite disheartening and can act to stifle forward momentum. They might even weaken the fortitude and courage required for change, becoming just another disempowering excuse that is keeping someone from stepping into their full potential and vitality.
“We seek to help people better understand themselves by having the mirror of community, nature, and Spirit reflect back to them who they truly are.”
At the Findhorn Foundation SCIO, we want to be a resource for people who are seeking a different way of living. Our mission is to provide educational experiences that allow participants to embody the Findhorn spiritual impulse so that they might find meaning and Spirit in their own lives and in so doing, impact the lives of the people and planet around them. We believe our core principles and essential practices of inner listening, co-creation with nature, and work as love-in-action are antidotes to the malaise and ‘dis-ease’ rampant in today’s world. By creating immersive, transformational experiences, we seek to help people better understand themselves by having the mirror of community, nature, and Spirit reflect back to them who they truly are. Ultimately, we want to help people, all people, develop themselves to understand the purpose and spiritual nature of life and feel greater connection with themselves, each other, nature and Spirit.
Traditionally, the Findhorn Foundation has been very ‘place-based’ with a more centralised model, where people travelled to Scotland to participate. This supported the cultivation of a localised, intentional community that embodied the Foundation’s teachings and provided a tangible example of living life connected to Spirit, in cooperation with nature. During an era when international travel was more fluid, immigration policies less stringent, living costs lower, and concerns about climate change, colonial patterns, racial exclusivity, and cultural appropriation less developed, it made sense to focus on a nexus in Scotland. Today, however, the culture and environment is radically different and the very aspects that supported the birth of the community in the 1970s are now the obstacles keeping new people from taking part. The world has changed and, in that, there is a wonderful opportunity for the Findhorn Foundation SCIO to rebuild its educational design in a way that is most relevant for the needs of today and the future.
The Findhorn Foundation Community in the 1970s
Our challenge, then, becomes one of connecting our impact to those who are drawn to it, and working to overcome the physical obstacles that are in the way to do that. We may not be able to counter the psychological barriers within someone, but we can certainly work to ease the physical way forward for those who are ready to lean in. To do that, we are actively rethinking our assumptions, redesigning our programs and considering new ways (and places!) to deliver our message and engage with the world so that we might shift the narrative about Cost, Compression, Carbon and Culture.
If you have been following us the past year, you have already witnessed some of the changes taking place as we attune to what is possible. To experiment with a more accessible, sustainable experience model, we built and launched our Spirit of Iona experience on the island of Iona – a programme that incorporates the timeless learnings of the Findhorn Foundation, delivered in a contemporary way. In the spring we will be launching an updated Experience Week program at our community on the island of Erraid. We hope this, too, will attract both new participants and those who are wanting to (re)experience the Findhorn Foundation in a new way. Quite a few of our Spirit of Iona attendees have been saying that they have had no previous experience with the Findhorn Foundation, which means we are actively expanding and growing the Findhorn Foundation’s presence in the world.
Terrace houses on the Isle of Erraid
“We want people to experience how they can live the Findhorn Foundation’s spiritual impulse and principles wherever they are.”
In order to show that our teachings can be a part of everyday life, we want people to experience how they can live the Findhorn Foundation’s spiritual impulse and principles wherever they are. So our planning for 2025 will explore how we might actively extend our message outward. We see great potential in mobilising members of our global community to help us to deliver pop-ups in new countries, cultures and languages, as well as growing our footprint online.
In her meditations, our founder Eileen Caddy often received spiritual guidance emphasising the importance of embracing change with an attitude of openness, flexibility and trust. For us, this means cherishing and sharing the spiritual impulse of the Findhorn Foundation, while being open to what is emerging. By actively removing the barriers between us and the people we serve, we will expand the network of Light and fulfil our mission of a better world.
Cost, Compression, Carbon and Culture: Cost to represent the financial costs of pursuing personal growth and the increasing price of education, travel and development; Compression to represent the pressure we may feel due to time restrictions, overflowing schedules, family commitments and job constraints; Carbon to represent increasing concerns about climate impact and social responsibility; and Culture to represent obstacles rooted in language, relevance, accessibility, sensitivity and inclusiveness.
