This is a short post with a simple story. M and I were on holiday in Scotland and we had just had a beautiful stay at a site above the town of Arberlour on the Speyside Whisky Trail. The weather had been incredibly mild and with only the occasional speckles of thin rain the night before. Now the clouds seemed to be gathering as M drove us alongside the River Spey towards our morning destination – The Findhorn Community, situated between Elgin and Nairn.
We looked around as we drove. The rain was coming down now, harder and thicker with every mile. Having prepared her somewhat for the potential delight of the Findhorn gardens and homes we were a bit dejected at the idea of visiting such beauty on a dull, dismal day.
“Surely“, M said, “…you could do something about it?“
I wasn’t about to make any promises that I couldn’t keep, but it did occur to me that I could perhaps ask for the assistance of the elemental spirits of the area to co-operate in producing a clear area around Findhorn just for the duration of our visit. It seemed a little selfish, but we wanted dearly for the occasion to be as special as we hoped. Was it possible?
When I next got the chance to climb out of the cab of the motorhome at Elgin I stood in the town’s park in the drizzle and began to concoct a plea to the element of Findhorn. I directed my attention to that area, envisaging a hole in the cloud layer being formed by the co-operation of the air spirits and the fire spirits – the sun and sky working together to create a clear space. The plea was done from an emotion of love, joy and respect.
As we travelled close to Findhorn Bay the clouds were greyer and thicker than ever. Yet, at the exact moment that we parked our motorhome in the car park and got out I looked up at the skies above. Directly above us was a lighter cloud that was quickly clearing to reveal a shaft of sunlight. That sunlight was falling on Findhorn Bay! It was almost beyond belief.
We had a fantastic day at Findhorn, spending hours absorbing their ideas and ideals, and wishing we could be part of it. The sun shone the whole time, illuminating the Findhorn philosophy in our minds and making it a special day for us both.
As we emerged from their community shop (I bought a bell for my meditation session) then we felt the first flecks of light rain on our faces. By the time we had reached the main road to Inverness the rain was drizzling as it had done all day until our visit.
I spent a few minutes when we were parked up at the foot of Ben Nevis that evening in quiet contemplation of this event, and I offered my sincere thanks to the elementals who had combined to provide us with that special request. I don’t ask often, but clearly this was a worthy occasion!
