Membership

There are many ways to be on Erraid.
– You can come as a Retreat or Love in Action guest for a week or two.
– You can come as a Long-term Love in Action guest,( after two weeks here) for up to 12 weeks.
– You can usually come as a Work Exchange volunteer for up to 3 months. Please have a look at our ad on HelpX if you are interested to join us as a volunteer.

Or you can become a member

Membership means living and working on Erraid full-time. It means enjoying the rich gifts of this beautiful island, as well as being responsible for the island’s infrastructure and people.

In the first instance, come as a Love in Action guest for two weeks to see whether our lifestyle is for you.  If you are interested in starting the membership process after this, you will be invited to speak with each of the current members individually, followed by the First Attunement, which ascertains whether the existing members invite you to commence your membership process.

This is decided using a process called Sociocracy. Please do research how this process operates for decision making within a group for the benefit of the whole. 

If you are invited to commence membership, you stay as a Long term guest in the community, partaking in the same activities as all other guests, for eight weeks.

Then there is a Second Attunement to ascertain whether you are invited to continue in the process for a further twelve weeks. This is termed Trial membership. During this period of time you will be given certain community areas of responsibility, with help as you need it.

During this period of time, you will be invited to partake in the member’s sharing meetings and then the business meetings where community matters and decisions are made using Sociocracy.

After this period of time, there will be a Third Attunement, when it is decided if you are ready to become a full member of the community.

During each period of time there is a decreasing cost, as you gradually take on more responsibility.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 1-29_11zon_11zon_11zon-1024x683.jpgAs a member of the Erraid community, your home is a beautiful and rugged Scottish island. Your days are filled with Love in Action responsibilities needed to look after our land, people, animals and infrastructure. There is time for meditation, for rest, for singing, for sharing and for enjoying nature. You live cooperatively with other members, and meet interesting guests. Your children have a wholesome lifestyle, relatively unmaterialistic and with unusual opportunities for freedom and connection with nature. With the other members, you make all of the decisions regarding daily life on Erraid.

In many ways, life on Erraid is idyllic. However, it does present challenges. Over the years, we have learned what qualities it helps to possess.

The qualities we look for in potential members:

  • Open hearts
  • Open minds
  • Practical skills in building and vehicle maintenance, gardening, electrical, plumbing, cooking, bookkeeping, bookings, animal care, childcare, first aid, boat and tractor driving
  • Emotional and physical health and strength, (you don’t have to be superhuman or super-fit, but island life can be challenging on all levels)
  • Willingness to grow
  • Willingness to embrace the principles of the Findhorn Foundation

What Erraid is and what it is not

If you are considering applying for membership, it is important that you know what Erraid is and what it is not.

The Isle of Erraid is owned by a Dutch family, the Van der Sluis. The Findhorn Foundation, via the Erraid Community, have been caretakers of the island for 11 months each year since 1978. The community’s purpose is (1) to look after the island, its buildings and its gardens, (2) to enjoy these, and (3) importantly, to share the island and its gifts with others. We carry out these aims using the principles of the Findhorn Foundation, of which we are a part. Please check out the Findhorn Foundation website for more information.

Briefly, as reflected in life on Erraid, these principles include

  • Honouring the earth and each other
  • Having a spiritual practice. The exact form of spiritual practice is not specified.
  • Being conscious of ourselves, each other, nature and our interactions.
  • Being committed to truth, kindness, love, and growth in these interactions.

Welcoming guests to share our lifestyle is an important part of life on Erraid. The Dutch owners generously wish to share Erraid and its magic with other people.  We seek to share the inspiration and transformative qualities of this special island.  It is also true that the community’s income comes from Love in Action, Retreat Week, Long-term Guests and Trial Members.

Although a part of the Findhorn Foundation, the Erraid Community is financially independent. Our principal income is from guests and we cover all the day to day running expenses, including food, garden supplies, maintenance, animal care, utility bills and small allowances for community members. Large capital expenditures, such as the refurbishment of the roofs, are the responsibility of the Dutch owners.

Erraid is NOT an eco-village or an eco-croft although one of our common values is to honour the environment. We do our best to minimise energy use, garden organically, etc., but are limited by being caretakers rather than owners of the island. We are also limited by climate and latitude, money and skills. We do not argue about these limitations; we merely accept that these conditions exist and are very unlikely to change, for reasons beyond our control. In effect, we demonstrate an aspiration to be as sustainable as possible.

Erraid is NOT a meditation retreat centre and members are responsible for the running of the community.   Our guests can choose to be on retreat here for up to two weeks and meditation is an important part of our daily rhythm, however as a member you will be quite busy cooking, gardening, maintaining, transporting, doing the accounts and bookings, etc in a conscious way.

The Erraid Community is a group of people dedicated to creating new and healthier ways of living lightly on the earth and with each other. Many of us have chosen to leave the ‘rat race’ for a simpler lifestyle, but Erraid is not an escape from the ‘outside world.’ We often find that dynamics in the ‘outside world’ are reflected within the community, and we try to recognise them, accept them, and work with them lovingly and creatively.

Erraid is unique. Its purpose, location and guiding principles will appeal greatly to some people, and not to others. We invite you to consider whether Erraid’s particular qualities inspire and call you. If they do, we look forward to meeting you.

Please follow this link for more details of membership.