Eileen Caddy

Eileen Caddy – Life, Spiritual Work & Memorable Quotes

Explore the life and spiritual legacy of Eileen Caddy (1917–2006), co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation. Read her biography, teachings, and timeless quotes on inner guidance, peace, and transformation.

Introduction

Eileen Caddy was a British spiritual teacher, New Age writer, and co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation, an internationally known spiritual community in Scotland. She is best known for her emphasis on inner guidance, “listening to the quiet still voice within,” and her daily writings which have inspired generations of seekers. Her life journey—from early loss to founding a spiritual ecovillage—reflects an evolution of faith, community, and mystical trust.

Early Life and Family

Eileen Marion Jessop was born on 26 August 1917 in Alexandria, Egypt. Her father was Albert Jessop, an Irishman and director at Barclays Bank, and her mother Muriel Jessop, English. At age six she was sent to school in Ireland, lodging with an aunt, and during school holidays returned to Egypt. When she was about 16, her father died of peritonitis. Two years later her mother died of meningitis. After these losses, she and her siblings moved back to England. She was educated at a domestic college. Later, with her brother, she bought and ran a pub at an RAF base in Oxfordshire for about four years.

Spiritual Awakening & Early Adulthood

In 1939 she married Andrew Combe, a Royal Air Force officer. They moved through London, America, and Iraq, and had a son and four daughters together. Andrew Combe was a follower of Moral Rearmament (MRA), and he required that Eileen follow certain spiritual practices including regular “quiet times” in which one would listen for divine guidance. Though she found this practice restrictive at first, she later considered it foundational to her spiritual life. While living in Iraq, Eileen encountered an inner voice during meditation, which told her, “Be still and know that I am God.” She at first questioned if it was breakdown, but later embraced it as an intimate spiritual guiding force. After some time, she separated from Combe and eventually married Peter Caddy in 1957, with whom she would later cofound the spiritual community at Findhorn.

Founding the Findhorn Community

In 1962, Eileen, Peter Caddy, and Dorothy Maclean moved to a caravan park near the village of Findhorn, in northeast Scotland. They and a few others began cultivating a garden as a means of sustenance and spiritual practice. The garden became famous because of its unusual success despite poor soils and challenging conditions — supporters believed this was due to spiritual cooperation, communication with plant intelligences or devas, and attentive inner listening. A community gradually grew around their practices; over time, the Findhorn Foundation was established, integrating spiritual development, ecology, cooperative living, and global outreach. Eileen served as a spiritual guide, speaker, and writer. She compiled and published messages she received into books and daily guidance materials. In 2004, she was honored with an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for her services to spiritual inquiry.

Later Years & Death

In her later years, Eileen reduced her speaking tours and public work, following guidance she felt from her inner voice. She died on 13 December 2006 in Findhorn, Scotland. She apparently left instructions that her death “be a cause for thanksgiving, rather than mourning.” At the time of her death, the Findhorn community was often called by the press “the Vatican of the New Age.”

Teachings, Philosophy & Themes

Eileen Caddy’s spiritual approach centers on inner listening, trust, alignment with divine guidance, and practical mysticism.

• She emphasized the “still small voice within” as the source of direction.

• Her messages often focus on peace, love, gratitude, surrender, and living in the present moment.

• She believed in abundance — that one’s every need can be met when one aligns with spiritual laws.

• She held that spiritual growth involves releasing old patterns, letting go, and allowing newness to flow.

• She also taught a balance: “Live and work but do not forget to play,” reminding seekers that joy and playfulness are integral to spiritual life.

Her body of written works includes God Spoke to Me, Opening Doors Within, Footprints on the Path, The Spirit of Findhorn, among others.

Memorable Quotes by Eileen Caddy

Here are some of her most resonant quotes that reflect her spiritual voice:

“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” “Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good.” “Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be Revelation.” “Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it.” “It is important from time to time to slow down, to go away by yourself, and simply be.” “Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time.” “You are never asked to do more than you are able without being given the strength and ability to do it.” “All that you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within and you will surely find it.”

These quotes capture her teachings on trust, surrender, inner strength, and living in harmony with spiritual principles.

Lessons & Legacy

• Inner listening matters. Eileen’s life demonstrates that radical trust in one’s inner guidance can lead to transformation and communal impact.

• Spiritual practice with grounded life. She showed that seeking the divine need not be removed from daily work, gardening, community, or relationships.

• Letting go and allowing flow. Her frequent guidance to surrender mental control and allow life’s unfolding remains deeply relevant.

• Vision & community. What began with a small garden grew into a globally known spiritual ecovillage. Her work shows that vision aligned with spirit can birth new social models.

• Legacy lives on. The Findhorn Foundation continues to operate, offer workshops, ecological initiatives, and spiritual programming. Her writings remain in print and widely used in spiritual circles.