Barry Taylor
20.8.27 -
20.8.27 -
Early Life
Barry Taylor lived the early part of his life in North London. He attended a number of private schools, the last one being King's College in Taunton. His adolescent years were spent during the second war and no thought was then given to eventual careers – the only thought being which service to enter. Barry volunteered for the Navy and in 1945 went on a Naval short course at Exeter College, Oxford.
After four years in the Navy he was demobilized in 1948. Appalled at the idea of taking an office job, he decided to go back to Oxford and was accepted by his old college. In due course he obtained an MA degree in Engineering.
Career
Once again loomed the spectre of an office job. In those days there seemed to be plenty of jobs for graduates and Barry was offered a number of engineering jobs – all of these involved time on the shop floor. He was eventually offered a job with a City of London firm – an unusual organization called a Confirming House that specialized in financing exports. He knew nothing about the firm’s business, but was intrigued that everybody interviewing him was well over sixty and there seemed to be no 45 or 50 year olds around, thinking that perhaps here was an opportunity for an up-and-coming lad !
During his 17 years with the company, he travelled widely visiting established offices and setting up new offices, particularly in Japan and Europe. Apart from the travelling, the business itself was useful experience in that its activities were the provision of finance to overseas importers - an essential part of this was assessing the financial viability of the client and the level of credit that was advisable with this client.
The company went through a period of major change. Most of its clients were importers of cars and other vehicles but this trade diminished as vehicles were assembled locally and banks began providing export credit. The company started to diversify, becoming involved in financing in Europe and in modest amounts of investment in companies. This lead to an increasing difference of opinion on future policy between the operating companies, one of which Barry was running, and the holding company. After a period of uncertainty, he left and started his own company.
In 1968, Barry joined London Marriage Guidance Council, now known as Relate, and was trained as a counsellor. He spent five years with them as counsellor and the last four years as treasurer.
Business Consultancy
In 1970, Barry became a management and financial consultant and an investor in small and medium-size companies. The timing was not ideal in that they were soon plunged into the ‘three-day week’ – part of the economic chaos of the 1970s. One of his companies thrived but two others were in difficulties and so Barry decided that the best thing was to sell the successful company and wind up the other two. After doing this, he found himself with no income and a family to support. With three sons at private schools and the costs of supporting a conventional professional person’s life style in South Kensington, this was a worrying time.
Barry had been employing several people in his consulting company but decided to continue on his own without any staff. This worked out surprisingly well and has traded as a sole consultant ever since.
But things with Barry were not as conventional as they seemed. During his extensive traveling, he experienced every type of sacred site and temple. He saw that each of these faiths believed themselves to be the one and only - but were in fact sincere and different ways of approaching the one Spirit. This led him to read widely, explore contemporary depth psychology and to read many of the mystics. The combination of his reading and counseling experience meant that Barry began to open to something new.
Coming to Glastonbury
This was sparked by a book by Ann Petrie - now better known as Tara Livingstone or Isis – ‘Your Psychic World A-Z’. Intrigued by his reading, in 1985 Barry arranged to meet Tara in Glastonbury. Barry knew nothing about the place but was interested in all he had learned about it and saw it as a potential way in which to move away from business activities and start to concentrate upon his spiritual interests. That was not to be. Tara told him that there was no shortage of spiritual healers and teachers locally, but asked if he know anything about business? Mentioning that he did indeed have knowledge of businesses, charities, and particularly projects going through difficult times, he was told that this was exactly what was needed.
Barry was introduced to Helene Koppejan who was having problems with the Glastonbury Experience complex of shops. They both found an instant rapport and discovered they had been born on the same day of the same year – a matter that Helene, as an astrologer, thought of particular significance. Continuing to live in London, Barry started to visit Glastonbury once a week to work with Helene and from then on continued living in London until 1995, when he relocated to reside in Glastonbury.
On an earlier visit, Barry had spent time in the Abbey grounds and had a strong feeling of being there in an earlier life. He received a very clear message that he was to work with others to help Glastonbury reach its full potential as a place of transformation and spiritual awareness – in effect to rebuild what had been the great Abbey of Glastonbury, but in a manner appropriate to the 21st century. Barry says; “This voice, or guidance, has been with me all my time in Glastonbury and I simply go and respond to what I appear to be being asked to do.”
Business Projects in Glastonbury
Since arrival, his role has emerged as a ‘Business Healer’ - business advisor - using his experience but with spiritually inspired projects and has been led to become involved in a number of projects including:
1989 - Initiating, with Helene Koppejan, Kathy Jones, Dawn Wilson-Singer, Chris Simpson and Lin Hennessey, The Library of Avalon
1991 –2000 – Director and co-founder The Isle of Avalon Foundation.
1991 – 1993 - Director and executive committee of The Assembly Rooms.
1992 – 2002 - Set up and director of The Glastonbury Courtyard, which now owns The Glastonbury Experience complex
1995 – 1999 - Trustee and Treasurer of The Chalice Well. Worked with three sets of Guardian/Managers – Willa Sleath and Leonard Sleath, Fred Rosado and Colleen Rosado, Michael Orchard and Lynn Orchard.
1999 – 2002 - Trustee and chair of The Glastonbury Trust. Set up with Helene Koppejan and Mike Jones
2000 – 2002 - Working with Richard Northcott on Glastonbury.co.uk and then with Hazel Pegg in setting up Glastonbury Online Ltd.
2003 – 2005 - Founder member and director of The Glastonbury Community Development Trust – which now runs the Op Shop.
2007 – 2012 - Working with Elisabeth Tham and Morgana West in setting up the Glastonbury Pilgrim Reception Centre
2012 - Setting up Glaston Centre to take over the Reception Centre and to start two new projects - The Research Project (2015) and Glastopedia (2015).
Barry Taylor lived the early part of his life in North London. He attended a number of private schools, the last one being King's College in Taunton. His adolescent years were spent during the second war and no thought was then given to eventual careers – the only thought being which service to enter. Barry volunteered for the Navy and in 1945 went on a Naval short course at Exeter College, Oxford.
After four years in the Navy he was demobilized in 1948. Appalled at the idea of taking an office job, he decided to go back to Oxford and was accepted by his old college. In due course he obtained an MA degree in Engineering.
Career
Once again loomed the spectre of an office job. In those days there seemed to be plenty of jobs for graduates and Barry was offered a number of engineering jobs – all of these involved time on the shop floor. He was eventually offered a job with a City of London firm – an unusual organization called a Confirming House that specialized in financing exports. He knew nothing about the firm’s business, but was intrigued that everybody interviewing him was well over sixty and there seemed to be no 45 or 50 year olds around, thinking that perhaps here was an opportunity for an up-and-coming lad !
During his 17 years with the company, he travelled widely visiting established offices and setting up new offices, particularly in Japan and Europe. Apart from the travelling, the business itself was useful experience in that its activities were the provision of finance to overseas importers - an essential part of this was assessing the financial viability of the client and the level of credit that was advisable with this client.
The company went through a period of major change. Most of its clients were importers of cars and other vehicles but this trade diminished as vehicles were assembled locally and banks began providing export credit. The company started to diversify, becoming involved in financing in Europe and in modest amounts of investment in companies. This lead to an increasing difference of opinion on future policy between the operating companies, one of which Barry was running, and the holding company. After a period of uncertainty, he left and started his own company.
In 1968, Barry joined London Marriage Guidance Council, now known as Relate, and was trained as a counsellor. He spent five years with them as counsellor and the last four years as treasurer.
Business Consultancy
In 1970, Barry became a management and financial consultant and an investor in small and medium-size companies. The timing was not ideal in that they were soon plunged into the ‘three-day week’ – part of the economic chaos of the 1970s. One of his companies thrived but two others were in difficulties and so Barry decided that the best thing was to sell the successful company and wind up the other two. After doing this, he found himself with no income and a family to support. With three sons at private schools and the costs of supporting a conventional professional person’s life style in South Kensington, this was a worrying time.
Barry had been employing several people in his consulting company but decided to continue on his own without any staff. This worked out surprisingly well and has traded as a sole consultant ever since.
But things with Barry were not as conventional as they seemed. During his extensive traveling, he experienced every type of sacred site and temple. He saw that each of these faiths believed themselves to be the one and only - but were in fact sincere and different ways of approaching the one Spirit. This led him to read widely, explore contemporary depth psychology and to read many of the mystics. The combination of his reading and counseling experience meant that Barry began to open to something new.
Coming to Glastonbury
This was sparked by a book by Ann Petrie - now better known as Tara Livingstone or Isis – ‘Your Psychic World A-Z’. Intrigued by his reading, in 1985 Barry arranged to meet Tara in Glastonbury. Barry knew nothing about the place but was interested in all he had learned about it and saw it as a potential way in which to move away from business activities and start to concentrate upon his spiritual interests. That was not to be. Tara told him that there was no shortage of spiritual healers and teachers locally, but asked if he know anything about business? Mentioning that he did indeed have knowledge of businesses, charities, and particularly projects going through difficult times, he was told that this was exactly what was needed.
Barry was introduced to Helene Koppejan who was having problems with the Glastonbury Experience complex of shops. They both found an instant rapport and discovered they had been born on the same day of the same year – a matter that Helene, as an astrologer, thought of particular significance. Continuing to live in London, Barry started to visit Glastonbury once a week to work with Helene and from then on continued living in London until 1995, when he relocated to reside in Glastonbury.
On an earlier visit, Barry had spent time in the Abbey grounds and had a strong feeling of being there in an earlier life. He received a very clear message that he was to work with others to help Glastonbury reach its full potential as a place of transformation and spiritual awareness – in effect to rebuild what had been the great Abbey of Glastonbury, but in a manner appropriate to the 21st century. Barry says; “This voice, or guidance, has been with me all my time in Glastonbury and I simply go and respond to what I appear to be being asked to do.”
Business Projects in Glastonbury
Since arrival, his role has emerged as a ‘Business Healer’ - business advisor - using his experience but with spiritually inspired projects and has been led to become involved in a number of projects including:
1989 - Initiating, with Helene Koppejan, Kathy Jones, Dawn Wilson-Singer, Chris Simpson and Lin Hennessey, The Library of Avalon
1991 –2000 – Director and co-founder The Isle of Avalon Foundation.
1991 – 1993 - Director and executive committee of The Assembly Rooms.
1992 – 2002 - Set up and director of The Glastonbury Courtyard, which now owns The Glastonbury Experience complex
1995 – 1999 - Trustee and Treasurer of The Chalice Well. Worked with three sets of Guardian/Managers – Willa Sleath and Leonard Sleath, Fred Rosado and Colleen Rosado, Michael Orchard and Lynn Orchard.
1999 – 2002 - Trustee and chair of The Glastonbury Trust. Set up with Helene Koppejan and Mike Jones
2000 – 2002 - Working with Richard Northcott on Glastonbury.co.uk and then with Hazel Pegg in setting up Glastonbury Online Ltd.
2003 – 2005 - Founder member and director of The Glastonbury Community Development Trust – which now runs the Op Shop.
2007 – 2012 - Working with Elisabeth Tham and Morgana West in setting up the Glastonbury Pilgrim Reception Centre
2012 - Setting up Glaston Centre to take over the Reception Centre and to start two new projects - The Research Project (2015) and Glastopedia (2015).
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