BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//The Dragon Sanctuary - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Dragon Sanctuary
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/London
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20220327T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20221030T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20230326T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20231029T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20240331T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20241027T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231108T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231108T210000
DTSTAMP:20260426T031324
CREATED:20230811T125246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230811T125334Z
UID:10000347-1699471800-1699477200@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
SUMMARY:Singing Sanctuary
DESCRIPTION:With Leo and Sundara \nAccompanied by harmonium and guitar we’ll sing devotional songs in English. These original songs are based on prayers and sayings from spiritual traditions around the world. No prior experience is necessary. \nHere’s one of the songs we often sing: Love Flows Like a River \n \nAnd you can find another of our songs here: Divine Mother \nAbout these songs\nSundara and I have been leading singing events together since 2003\, beginning in the Findhorn community\, an eclectic spiritual community in the north of Scotland. We started with the songs of Taize\, an ecumenical Christian monastery in France. Although Findhorn is not a Christian community\, these simple and easy-to-learn songs were very popular there because they expressed a universal spirituality that many people could relate to. \nThese songs gave us a taste for the beauty of singing together in a devotional spirit. Devotional singing isn’t a new thing\, but it’s one of the many ancient-yet-essential things that we’ve lost in the modern world. \nWe also explored gospel songs and the Harmonic Temple songs of Nickomo Clarke\, which take sacred phrases from many traditions and set them to four-part harmony. We kept learning new songs and sharing our favourites. \nInspiration from India\nAnd then a few years ago\, Sundara started singing bhajans\, the devotional songs of India. She taught herself to play the harmonium and I joined her with the guitar\, and we found that the music could support people to drop into a devotional way of singing together without feeling self-conscious. We’ve been singing those songs ever since\, and have led many “Kirtan” evenings here at The Dragon Sanctuary. \nBut a niggle started to arise. What about songs in English? How could we write songs that were equally devotional but sung in our own language? We’d experienced that with the few Taize songs that we’d sing in English (they are mostly in Latin\, and other European languages)\, and with gospel songs and some of the English-language Harmonic Temple songs too. Sometimes singing in your own language can make the experience even more powerful. \nSo Sundara wrote some songs and we’ve found a few more from other song-composers that we love. Our repertoire keeps on growing… \nDevotional songs in English\nThere’s a fine line to be walked with these songs. Singing in one’s own language can be potent\, but it can also be fraught. No-one likes being told what to think or feel\, and for some of us the legacy of church hymns can make us wary of this sort of singing. And some “new age” songs can be a bit “cringey” (as our teenage kids would say). \nThe songs we’ve found are (we hope) devotional without being didactic\, heart-felt without being hammy. Just like the best devotional songs\, they help you get out of your mind and into your heart. Like the bhajans\, we sing them with the harmonium and guitar. We hope you will want to join us! As stated already\, no prior experience is necessary\, and there’s no need to book in advance. \n 
URL:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/event/singing-sanctuary-22/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Leo Sofer":MAILTO:info@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231111T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231111T210000
DTSTAMP:20260426T031324
CREATED:20230907T131226Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230916T114252Z
UID:10000351-1699731000-1699736400@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
SUMMARY:Kirtan Singing
DESCRIPTION:With Leo and Sundara. \nAccompanied by harmonium and guitar\, we will sing Indian devotional chants based on simple mantras. These “sung prayers” invoke the qualities of Indian deities like Shiva\, Krishna\, Durga\, Saraswati and Ganesha\, qualities such as love\, creativity\, courage and compassion that are all present within us and that can be brought more fully into our lives by singing together in this way. No prior experience is necessary. Arrive a little earlier if you like for a cup of tea and some time to connect before we begin. No need to book in advance\, but please bring a cushion of a backjack if you can. \nSundara and Leo Sofer have been leading singing events together since 2003. In recent years they have fallen in love with bhajans\, the devotional songs of India\, which are sung mostly in Sanskrit at gatherings known as kirtans. \nSundara plays the harmonium and Leo plays the guitar to accompany these songs. Having two instruments present enables people to sing freely and to relax into the experience\, supported by the music.
URL:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/event/kirtan-singing-copy-3/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/4.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Leo Sofer":MAILTO:info@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231119T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231119T210000
DTSTAMP:20260426T031324
CREATED:20230811T162055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230811T162130Z
UID:10000348-1700422200-1700427600@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
SUMMARY:Taize Singing
DESCRIPTION:The songs of Taize are easy to learn and uplifting to sing. \nTaize is a Christian monastery in the South of France famous for its beautiful songs. We’ll sing them in three or four part harmony\, in Latin as well as various European languages. We’ll have a time for silent prayer also. We’ll keep teaching to a minimum and sing for the pure enjoyment of the devotional atmosphere that these songs evoke. \nLeo and Sundara started leading Taize singing in 2003\, at the Findhorn Community in Scotland. These events are open to people of all faiths and none. \nDoors open at 7pm. Come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.
URL:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/event/taize-singing-14/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Taize-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Leo Sofer":MAILTO:info@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231123T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231123T210000
DTSTAMP:20260426T031324
CREATED:20230907T131223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230916T114300Z
UID:10000352-1700767800-1700773200@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
SUMMARY:Kirtan Singing
DESCRIPTION:With Leo and Sundara. \nAccompanied by harmonium and guitar\, we will sing Indian devotional chants based on simple mantras. These “sung prayers” invoke the qualities of Indian deities like Shiva\, Krishna\, Durga\, Saraswati and Ganesha\, qualities such as love\, creativity\, courage and compassion that are all present within us and that can be brought more fully into our lives by singing together in this way. No prior experience is necessary. Arrive a little earlier if you like for a cup of tea and some time to connect before we begin. No need to book in advance\, but please bring a cushion of a backjack if you can. \nSundara and Leo Sofer have been leading singing events together since 2003. In recent years they have fallen in love with bhajans\, the devotional songs of India\, which are sung mostly in Sanskrit at gatherings known as kirtans. \nSundara plays the harmonium and Leo plays the guitar to accompany these songs. Having two instruments present enables people to sing freely and to relax into the experience\, supported by the music.
URL:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/event/kirtan-singing-copy-2/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/6.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Leo Sofer":MAILTO:info@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231125T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231125T180000
DTSTAMP:20260426T031324
CREATED:20230809T132413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231116T182805Z
UID:10000344-1700931600-1700935200@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
SUMMARY:Listening to the Birds
DESCRIPTION:Leo and Sundara Sofer will be telling two stories for children\, with musical accompaniment. \nListening to the Birds is a story all about following intuition\, and it also has themes of nature awareness and the ecological challenges we face. By listening to the message a bird is trying to give her\, a girl saves her tribe from an erupting volcano. \nThe Beauty Book is about treasuring our most beautiful memories and sharing them with those we most love. It tells the story of a girl’s relationship with her grandfather over many years. \nBecause there are some scary scenes in Listening to the Birds (the volcano destroys the girl’s evacuated village)\, and The Beauty Book includes the theme of death (the grandfather dies) we recommend this performance for ages 6+. \nLeo Sofer has been telling stories since 1989. Sundara plays handpan\, flute and harmonium to accompany the telling. They have been setting stories to music together for over 20 years. For more information about their work see here. \nPerformance time is 60 minutes
URL:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/event/listening-to-the-birds/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Listening-to-the-birds-img.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Leo Sofer":MAILTO:info@dragonsanctuary.co.uk
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR