My Life on Erraid
"I feel like I've grown in the past 15 months and friends back home have commented that I'm more confident, self assured, and happier."
Elizabeth Montgomery shares about her life in a small spiritual community on the remote Isle of Erraid; a tidal island of only one square mile on the west coast of Scotland opposite the sacred Isle of Iona. The simple life on Erraid in harmony with nature and Spirit has been attracting guests for over 45 years to come and visit.
For most weeks of the year guests stay for a week or more to join the community’s daily rhythms, rituals, and routines which embody the Findhorn Foundation’s three core practices of Inner Listening, Co-Creation with Nature, and Love in Action. We are looking forward to expanding our educational offers on Erraid soon and start welcoming guests for Experience Weeks towards the later part of 2024.
We hope that you will enjoy reading about Elizabeth’s life on Erraid.
I first heard about the Findhorn Foundation when I was travelling through Central America in 2007. When people found out I was from Scotland they asked me if I knew about it and were surprised when I said no. I decided when I got back I would save some money and go and see what it was all about.
First I did Experience Week, then over the years I did a meditation retreat on Iona, visited when nearby, and then I did Spiritual Week with Clay in 2018, which is where I met Leen from Belgium, who was living on Erraid.
Elizabeth on Erraid
“The biggest feeling on Erraid was of freedom”
Leen spoke so highly of the place that I endeavoured to visit her and the island but she had moved to nearby Mull by the time I came. I chose to attend a ten-day New Year retreat in 2022/23. The retreat was really special, with 23 people from all over and I got to visit Leen afterwards too.
The biggest feeling on Erraid was of freedom, I was able to sing freely, swim freely, and I didn't use any of my coping mechanisms I used back home in Edinburgh. I felt so good, it was a feeling I had to follow. I couldn't ignore how my life in Edinburgh just wasn't making me happy.
For a start my morals didn't align working as a Cost Analyst for a capitalist corporation. Seven years I'd dedicated to it and I had learnt a lot with the money I earned: Yoga, sound healing, silversmithing, and shamanism to name a few. It was also the end of a seven-year cycle for my age. It took me four months to gain the courage and clarity to pack my life up and go to Erraid a second time, hoping this might be the place I stay for some time.
“Relationships are our biggest teachers”
I really enjoy how close to nature we are here, literally living inside the granite which is from this island. It's a stone of transformation and this is also an aspect of why I chose to live here. I've been affected by anxiety and depression most of my life and am working hard to heal myself. I always wanted to do a long term programme with the Findhorn Foundation and Erraid is a small satellite community. I thought it would be better to really get to know myself through the relationships here, as it's more intimate, and relationships are our biggest teachers.
Community and spirituality are at the heart of life on the Isle of Erraid
Covid showed me it wasn't ideal living by myself so I wanted to live in community. I was looking at a vegan community but one person wasn't very aware of herself and it became clear a spiritual community was more important. It can be challenging working through my triggers and learning how to better communicate my needs and accepting and meeting everyone where they are at. I feel like I've grown in the past 15 months and friends back home have commented that I'm more confident, self assured, and happier. I've managed to cultivate more joy and peace, although I do still sometimes feel anxious or depressed but I don't get stuck in those states for quite as long as I used to.
“There’s magic all around us”
There's magic all around us and I think the guided walk we do on a Sunday is a real highlight. Such beauty to behold from the views, to the wishing stone, and Balfour Bay is like a gem in the landscape – glistening turquoise sea and white sand. I also enjoy our day off on Wednesdays where I often go to Iona, or some remote place on Mull or Erraid for a walk, swim, and picnic. The wildlife and geology here is spectacular. I've seen eagles, hen harriers, dolphins, wild goats, deer, otters, caves, stone circles, rock carvings, waterfalls, arches, crystals, etc.
View from Elizabeth’s front door
“We’re planting trees and growing our own organic food”
My favourite Love in Action task is splitting logs; it feels very powerful pulling the levers and hearing the cracking of the wood. I also like that we're planting trees and growing our own organic food. There's an established woodland, thanks to people 20+ years ago; it takes about 15 minutes to walk around it, so we're growing it for future Erraidians, and all those who visit.
September and October are my favourite months as I love harvesting and making jams. I also like looking after our tuck shop, choosing what goodies to buy and refilling the shelves! I also would like to make candles as I enjoy crafts. Member numbers have been low since Covid so there hasn't been time but I'm hopeful more people will come and join as members in the next months, and then we can resurrect this important part of the community, being the light bearers and the connection to the lighthouse keepers.
Snow on the Erraid lighthouse keeper cottages in winter
The one thing which is unusual about the place is sharing the cottage I live in with guests. You never know who will arrive but some of the best times have been sitting by the fire or in the garden with guests talking about all kinds of things.
It can be a challenge being available 24/7 to answer guests’ questions so this is a boundary setting practice for me as I like to help people but need down time. I really enjoy hearing about people's lives, telling stories about mine, talking about all things spiritual, philosophical, human design, and travelling, etc.
Creating a mandala with guests on the beach at Traigh Ghael (Balfour’s Bay) on Erraid
I'm really looking forward to having Experience Weeks start here. What we currently offer is pretty awesome and will continue. Many people tell us how transformative their weeks are here. But I think Experience Week will be an even deeper opportunity to shed our skin, shine our light, and remember who we are.
If you're thinking about visiting then I'd say just do it. Erraid has a way of calling people here and she'll let you know when it's time to leave too!
