The Great Dance

Scotland: Lauriston Hall. Having spent 2 days here, Lauriston Hall seems to be a most fine example of sustainable community. The 30 or so residents appear to have found a healthy balance between living in community and respecting autonomy / space for pursuing individual interests, between living out in nature and staying connected with society; between self sufficiency and reliance on products and services from “outside” - the Middle Way seems to be a daily experience here. Lauriston Hall also finds itself in the most exquisite of natural surroundings. A walk through the mostly native forest adjacent can only be described as magical and enchanting: bright red and white-spotted faerie mushrooms, orange and yellow lichen, sparkling raindrops suspended from sun-showered trees like a fantastical web of light, velvet moss cushioning most tree bark, torrents of water gushing down on its way to the rippled expanse of loch - these images will enrich me for some time to come. As for me, I feel my ecological awareness, sensitivity and appreciation expanding daily, as is the circle of caring people which I am meeting. It would seem that the Great Dance, like the ceilidh last night, is just beginning to build momentum.