A coming together of Camphill and the intentional communities movement: Communal Pathways to Sustainable Living

Andrew Plant, Milltown Community near Aberdeen, Scotland

I have lived in Camphill communities in north east Scotland for many years and over this time I have visited the world-famous Findhorn Community several times, but, despite my interest, I had never had the opportunity to take part in any of their many residential courses. Over this time I have also become increasingly fascinated by the history, development and modern manifestations of intentional communities, and especially interested in what light they can throw on the questions facing Camphill communities today.

Fortunately for me, these two interests came together this June 2013 when the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) held its conference at The Findhorn Foundation - a conference of over two hundred and fifty people, both community researchers and academics and also people living in intentional communities. A further element was that Jan Martin Bang, who has spent many years living in kibbutzim and in Camphill and is the author of several books about Camphill and about eco-villages, has been the Chair of the ICSA for the last three years. In this time he made it his mission to bring Camphill and the worldwide movement of intentional communities closer together, and this conference was very much where this happened.

The conference itself ran from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 June, but before this began I had signed up for the three day 'Taster of Findhorn' programme. There were about sixty of us, all of whom later took part in the conference. This was a chance to immerse oneself in the culture of Findhorn - to find out more about the history and development of the community, to meet and talk to community members, to sing, dance and play games and to bond and share with the others in several small groups, each led by two 'Focalisers'. Here also we were introduced to the Findhorn practice of attunement. Before each activity - whether it is washing up after a communal lunch, taking part in a work project, or a session of life-sharing-even before each session during the conference - the group would have a moment of peace. Somebody would guide the group to find an inner stillness and to create an inner mood of mindfulness; mindfulness of where we are, of what we are going to be doing, of the other people in the group and to bring to mind the significance of the moment and the active presence of all beings both visible and non-visible. In the same way activities often ended with a checking out, a moment of reflection to bring the activity to a close before moving on to the next thing. This practice is part of the legacy of the founders of Findhorn, especially Eileen and Dorothy. Eileen Caddy received guidance in her meditations from an inner source that she called 'the still small voice within' and Dorothy Maclean was able to intuitively contact the nature spirits that gave her instructions in how to work in harmony with nature in growing herbs, flowers and the legendary Findhorn vegetables. We had also an introduction to the Findhorn 'Game of Transformation' , a form of board game that that can lead to new insights in self-awareness and to a new understanding of key issues in a person's life.

Part of the taster experience was a tour of the two main campuses: Findhorn Park near the village of Findhorn and Cluny Hill in Forres. I was especially impressed by the two new co-housing developments at the Park that have been built over the last years. Not only are these a visible sign of the fact that Findhorn is expanding but also a sign that the Foundation is becoming yet more diverse and providing many different ways for people to find their relationship to the community.

The conference itself was a feast of presentations, papers, workshops and conversations during the day and dancing, singing and a film in the evenings. Both Jan Martin Bang and Michael Luxford made presentations about Camphill ('Spirituality in Camphill' and 'Camphill: Community and its Value' respectively). Vibeke Alfred came to give a poster presentation about Camphill and Social Pedagogy and, in addition, a number of Camphill people joined the ICSA Board, whose main task is to plan the next conference in three years' time.

Many of the presentations and workshops described inspiring stories of people around the world working together in community. Others described processes of change and possible renewal at work in communities. Some of the talks and discussions had something of a dystopian flavour to them in that it seems there is recognition that we have reached a tipping point in terms of our economy, our society and our use of resources; and the future prospect is one of imminent crisis and collapse. The only possible hope is that people wake up and make the necessary move to a more sustainable way of life based on co-operation and sharing rather than competition and egoism. Robert Gilman, who has helped to shape the direction of the Global Ecovillage Network, gave an opening presentation about the historical transition in global culture and consciousness from what he terms the 'tribal age' to the 'age of empire'. He went on to imagine the kind of cultural transformation that will be necessary in order to enable us to move from the empire consciousness that dominates our society today to the planetary consciousness of the future. This cultural transition that is already at work will be characterised by diversity, innovation and choice, more person-to-person communication through electronic multimedia and the growth of self-organising, consensual collaboration. He says that intentional communities - as centres of research, demonstration and training - will act as 'cultural midwives' to the new era of planetary consciousness. This became the central theme of the conference, this sense that a sustainable future is only going to be possible if we make a fundamental shift to a new social and cultural paradigm. Our future will not simply be assured through new technological breakthroughs but through a shift in consciousness, a cultural transformation that will lead to social renewal. These ideas have much resonance in Camphill circles. Rudolf Steiner spoke at great length about the successive phases of human development from group consciousness to the present phase of individualisation and how we must find our way forward to a new sense of universal consciousness. In this light community is seen as a preparation for the next era of human development.

I think that what I got most from experiencing Findhorn over these days was a re-affirmation of the need to be open to diversity, to validate individual initiative and to seek active engagement with others beyond the boundaries of the community. I was also able to experience a sense of spontaneity, fun and celebration along with a welcoming openness to the other person that I feel has retreated more to the background in my Camphill experience. I have a feeling that with all the responsibilities of providing a professional care service and with all the many challenges facing us in recent years something essential has receded into the background - our celebration of community. As we move forward into a more complex and diverse future we might do well to try and restore the balance between all the many aspects of community life in Camphill.