Happy 100th Dorothy Maclean
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
The last surviving founder of the Findhorn Foundation – has reached her century today.
Friends and admirers will be calling in to congratulate Dorothy Maclean throughout the day.
A lantern procession featuring children has also been organised which is scheduled to stop outside her home in the spiritual community.
This is in addition to a special celebration that was held at the Universal Hall on Sunday.
Here, an audience of about 300, including Dorothy herself, were given a display of music, theatre and dance, and listened to readings from some of her ten published books.
Speaking to the Northern Scot this week and looking years younger than somebody born in 1920, Dorothy said: "I've been very lucky. I've travelled the world and met many interesting people."
Nowadays the foundation is world famous and has more than 600 associates living in Moray.
It's all a very far cry from November 1962 when Dorothy Maclean came to live at Findhorn.
She came with the foundation's two other founders Eileen and Peter Caddy.
All three had just been dismissed with four hours notice from a hotel in Perthshire.
They, along with the Caddy's three young children, took up residence in Findhorn inside a cramped caravan.
Because they had no money they planted vegetables in the sandy soil.
Against all expectations these thrived.
The reason for this success has been put down, in part, to the trio's spiritual approach.
Gradually, throughout the decade, the word spread. Visitors began coming in ever-increasing numbers. Some stayed.
By the time Dorothy left the community in 1973, it had well in advance of a hundred members.
Born and raised in Canada, she spent many of the following years travelling the world and teaching.
Her final working trip was in 2007 when, at the age of 87, she five weeks in Brazil.
Although she visited Moray on numerous occasions during the intervening years, she returned to live in Findhorn full-time in 2009.
She now lives just yards from where the caravan still stands.
Her home also overlooks the vegetable patch which continues to go strong.
