Large group of people gathered outdoors in a circle at Findhorn Foundation.

Findhorn Foundation and Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1962

What we do

The Findhorn Foundation is a spiritual community, ecovillage and an international centre for holistic learning, founded in 1962 in Morayshire, northeast Scotland. We run experiential workshops and events that offer profound and practical steps for personal and global transformation. Our work is based on the values of:
• connecting to your own inner wisdom
• co-creating with the intelligence of nature
• service to the world
Our aim is to actively create a positive and sustainable future for humanity and the planet. We recognise that achieving this aim can only be accomplished within the context of a new consciousness and changed worldview. We have no formal creed or doctrine, and honour all the world’s major religions as paths to inner wisdom.
The Findhorn Foundation and community offers many ways to visit, live, and work together. We present a range of leading edge events and workshops for residential guests every year, and welcome day visitors. More than 400 people live within or are locally connected to our community.
Findhorn Experience Weeks began in 1974 and provide a powerful, often heart-opening, introduction to our spiritual principles and their application in daily life, and have been attended by more than 30,000 people so far.
The development of our ecovillage is a continuation of our work with nature and is a tangible demonstration of the links between the environment and the social, economic, and spiritual aspects of life. It is a constantly evolving model.
The Findhorn Foundation is a founding member of Global Ecovillage Network and is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) associated with the UN Department of Public Information. We work in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise/Moray, Moray Council, universities, healthcare providers and others.

Our Mission

The Findhorn Foundation is a spiritual community, ecovillage and an international centre for holistic learning, helping to unfold a new human consciousness and create a positive and sustainable future.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers
  • Activities
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1962
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1962
  • Started living together

Video

  • 130 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
458

Basic expectations or agreements for members

By far the best way to visit is to take part in an Experience Week, which take place weekly thoughout the year.
Experience Week is a doorway into the essence of the community, giving an introduction to our spiritual principles such as inner listening, co-creation with nature and group work. After Experience Week a range of options are possible; ask for our guest programmes brochure or visit our website.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Decision-making process

  • Leadership Decides

A single person, couple, or small group makes most major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Founder/Leader-led

Primary authority rests with the community’s founder(s) or designated leader(s).

Conflict resolution approach

Focaliser of the management team which is a rotated position
Management team comprising the focalisers (heads) of departments
Decisions are made by gathering facts and information, creating a quiet space to attune with inner wisdom, and then taking a vote. If possible, unanimity is the preferred outcome of a vote. If a unanimous decision cannot be made, then those who are in the minority are asked if they can be a loyal minority, ie if they will support the decision of the whole. If a loyal minority is not possible, then votes are counted and a majority of 90% must be reached for a proposal to be accepted. If a majority cannot be reached, time is given for more information to be gathered and the proposal will be presented again in the future.

Economic model

  • Partial Income-Sharing

Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Labor: Yes
Staff of the Findhorn Foundation all receive the same income (with a few exceptions). But they are also able to generate extra income and maintain their own savings/capital.
Staff of the Foundation work a 35 hour week and do additional occasional rotas.
LEAP is our Living Essentials Apprentice programme, our staff intake programme, where you learn the ways in which we live together here at Findhorn. Experience Week plus three months of the Living in Community Guest Programme are prerequisite.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Hot tub or hot springs, Stage or Auditorium, Swingsets & play areas

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately all meals

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • Other

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

  • Wind
  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Biomass (from wood or other organic materials)

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Over 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    42 hectares

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Scotland, United Kingdom

Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 months ago

Community House in SE Portland Seeks Membership!

Ellis Street Community House is seeking kind, present, and engaged new housemates with experience in community living. We are currently 3 adults, one baby, and two cats living in a 6 bedroom, 3 bath house on ÂĽ acre of land near Powell Butte nature park and the Springwater Corridor bike trail. We expect to be joined by a shy and sweet 2 year old in the next few months. For us, living in community is a collaborative process, one that helps improve our quality of life. We’re able to eat great food, keep the place clean, maintain a garden, and hold a space large enough to host guests and events by working together. We have an extensive community library and art/craft material collection, as well as a great tea selection, stocked pantry, and functional kitchens ready for feast-making, canning, and fermentation dreams. We make kombucha, ginger beer, sauerkraut, bone broth, natto, and apple/pear butter on a rotating basis. With two fridges and two deep freezers we can save blueberries and blackberries we harvested from close by and get meat directly from farmers. We hold potlucks and other events like bonfires and game nights about once a month, and make a house dinner together weekly. We maintain a home free from artificial fragrances and voice-activated technology. The larger downstairs room is available for $740 per month. The smaller downstairs room will be available for $600 per month starting on September 1rst. The main kitchen is on the second floor. We also have private outdoor space for someone sleeping in their home on wheels available for $200-500 per month depending on the size of the vehicle. This would include membership in the community and use of the common spaces. Guest space is available for friends and relatives of residents – upstairs there is an office/guest room for longer visits, and the couches/pads in the common areas are available for shorter stays. The home has heating and cooling through an efficient heat pump, and we ju

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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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