Co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation and Community, Peter Caddy is often described as a man ahead of his time. Peter acted energetically on his intuition and others’ guidance to help manifest this unique community. He was a profound, vibrant, energetic and inspirational figure within the community who, between 1962 and 1979, established a keynote for the hundreds and thousands of people who eventually would either live, or be touched by the Findhorn experience.
Peter lived a life steeped in esoteric spiritual teachings, including the work of Helena Blavatsky and the Rosicrucian Order. Peter had many spiritual teachers during his lifetime, his first being Dr Sullivan, also known as Aureolis.
Born in 1917 in Ruislip, London, Peter went on to a military career during the outbreak of the second world war in 1940, when he was commissioned into the RAF as a catering officer and soon after, met his second wife and spiritual companion, Sheena Govan, whose spiritual practices led Peter to Dororthy Maclean and later, his third wife Eileen Caddy.
After a fruitful career, Peter applied for the position of Manager at the then, rundown Cluny Hill Hotel in Forres, Scotland and with success, moved there with wife Eileen, their three children and friend, Dorothy Maclean in March 1957.
Peter acted without hesitation on Eileen’s Guidance and because of this and their commitment to high standards, they were able to turn Cluny Hill into a remarkable four-star hotel.
“Basically, manifestation involves having a consciousness of abundance, not of lack, and in that way you draw to yourself all that you need. What is manifested must be for the whole and not just for the self, of course.
The expression of gratitude is also important. This is a very fundamental thing and it applies to every area – expressing thanks to the Beloved, the giver of all gifts, to the person from whom it came, the lives or consciousnesses who helped create it, and so forth. Both the nature spirits and the devas have stressed the importance of expressing gratitude. Gratitude opens the door to further giving.”
This success was replicated years later when, due to unfortunate circumstances, Peter, Eileen, their three children and Dorothy found themselves jobless and living in a caravan in the nearby seaside village of Findhorn. Despite the inhospitable piece of land they were living on, Peter decided to start growing vegetables to feed the family and did so with great success by translating the guidance of the plant Devas that Dorothy received into physical action.
He practised work as ‘Love in Action’, making sure to consciously dig love and light into the earth with each movement of his spade. This allowed them to create a vibrant, thriving, abundant vegetable, fruit and flower garden. The success of the ‘miraculous’ garden, where 40 pound cabbages grew in sandy soil, attracted visitors, like-minded people and publicity.
Through acting on the guidance of both Eileen and Dorothy, the Findhorn Foundation was born and the power of Peter’s positive mindset and manifestations allowed the community to flourish.
Despite leaving the community in 1979, Peter returned regularly until his death in Germany in 1994.
You can read more about Peter Caddy in his Autobiography ‘In Perfect Timing’, which was published after his death in 1997.
“It was vital that we maintained a balance of Light, Love and Wisdom … When Love opens the doors to all comers without the discrimination of Light, communities fail. When Light is not tempered by Love it can become hard and sometimes ruthless, lacking the latter’s attracting and unifying power. Wisdom – sound judgement – negotiates between the two, but if left unchecked it can stifle boldness of action and more vision in intellectual debate.
Thus in our early years at Findhorn we were each tested on our particular qualities and our ability to blend them into a balanced whole.”