The Dragon Sanctuary

Singing Sanctuary
2023-10-28 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-11-08 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London)
With Leo and Sundara
Accompanied 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.
Here’s one of the songs we often sing: Love Flows Like a River

And you can find another of our songs here: Divine Mother
About these songs
Sundara 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.
These 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.
We 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.
Inspiration from India
And 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.
But 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.
So Sundara wrote some songs and we’ve found a few more from other song-composers that we love. Our repertoire keeps on growing…
Devotional songs in English
There’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).
The 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.

Kirtan Singing
2023-11-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-11-23 19:30 - 21:00
With Leo and Sundara.
Accompanied 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.
Sundara 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.
Sundara 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.

Taize Singing
2023-11-19 19:30 - 21:00
The songs of Taize are easy to learn and uplifting to sing.
Taize 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.
Leo 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.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.

Listening to the Birds
2023-11-25 17:00 - 18:00
Leo and Sundara Sofer will be telling two stories for children, with musical accompaniment.
Listening 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.
The 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.
Because 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+.
Leo 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.
Performance time is 60 minutes

Singing Sanctuary
2023-12-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-01-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-02-24 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-03-21 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-05-02 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-06-13 19:30 - 21:00
With Leo and Sundara
Accompanied 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.
Leo and Sundara have been leading singing events together since 2003. Sundara 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.
No prior experience is necessary. For more information about these Singing Sanctuary evenings, see this page.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like. No need to book in advance.

Christmas Carols and Taize Singing
2023-12-16 19:30 - 21:00
We’ll sing some of our favourite Christmas Carols, in 3 part harmony. We’ll also sing some winter-themed Taize songs (Taize is a Christian monastery in the South of France famous for its beautiful songs.)
We’ll have a time for silent prayer also. We hope to celebrate the spirit of Christmas without dogma. For more about our Taize events, see this page.
Leo and Sundara started leading singing events in 2003, at the Findhorn Community in Scotland. These events are open to people of all faiths and none.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.

Kirtan Singing
2023-12-21 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-01-27 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-02-08 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-03-07 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-03-30 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-05-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-06-20 19:30 - 21:00
With Leo and Sundara
Accompanied by harmonium and guitar, we will sing Indian devotional chants based on simple mantras. These “sung prayers” invoke the qualities of Indian deities such as love, creativity, courage and wisdom. These qualities are all present within us and can be brought more fully into our lives by singing together in this way.
Leo and Sundara have been leading singing events together since 2003. Sundara 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.
No prior experience is necessary. For more information about these Kirtan evenings, see this page.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like. No need to book in advance.

Film Screening - Sounds into Silence
2024-01-06 19:00 - 21:30
Leo and Sundara Sofer will be offering a special screening of the feature length documentary “Mantra – Sounds into Silence”.
Leo and Sundara lead a monthly Kirtan (Indian mantra singing) at the Dragon Sanctuary, and this film charts the history and growth of Kirtans in the West. It focuses on the everyday people who are finding healing and inner peace by singing mantras together, and also features the musicians who are the focus of this new music-based movement. It’s a film about spirituality not religion, about people reconnecting with their true selves and finding meaning in their lives through singing together. ​
Online booking advised. Doors open at 6.30pm, come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.
After the film, Leo and Sundara will lead a couple of songs.
All profits from this event will go to British Red Cross.

Taizé Singing
2024-02-18 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-03-17 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-04-21 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-06-30 19:30 - 21:00
The songs of Taizé are easy to learn and uplifting to sing.
Taizé 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.
Leo and Sundara started leading Taizé singing in 2003, at the Findhorn Community in Scotland. These events are open to people of all faiths and none. No prior experience is necessary. For more information about these Taizé evenings, see this page.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.

True Storytelling
2024-03-02 19:00 - 21:00
An evening of participatory storytelling!
Do you have an amazing story to tell?

Something miraculous that left you in awe
A story that reminded you of what really matters in life
The challenges you faced, and the lessons you learned

We’ll sit in a circle and tell our stories. True Storytelling is not about performance, it’s about sharing our stories in community, for inspiration, healing and mutual understanding. It’s also fine to just sit and listen!
“It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be able to listen, really listen, to other people telling about precious moments in their lives. And to have the chance to tell about your own experiences and memories (only if you want to), with others listening to you too. It’s inspiring and entertaining and humbling, all at once.” Previous participant.
The evening will be led by Leo Sofer, an experienced storyteller, who has also run many of these evenings. Leo will begin the evening with a true story of his own and then open the circle for more. We’ll aim to keep each story to 10 minutes, and there will be a short period for reflections and questions after each story. We’ll have a tea break also.
Doors open at 6.30pm, come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.

Molly's Treasure Hunt
2024-03-23 17:00 - 18:00
Leo and Sundara Sofer will be telling two stories for children, with musical accompaniment.
Molly’s Treasure Hunt is the story of a little girl who, just by being herself, reminds everyone around her of what really matters in life.
Sadie and the Monster is all about a girl who starts her life being very loud but slowly becomes quieter and quieter, until she barely speaks at all. But one night a monster comes and reminds her of how important it is to speak up!
Performance time is 45 minutes. Suitable for children aged 5 to 9. Attendees will also receive audio recordings of both stories by email, after the performance.
Leo 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.
Their work can be found on Palace of Stories, where you can buy over 100 audio stories for children, as well as learn to tell your own Intuitive Stories for the children in your life.
See this page to listen to some of the stories they’ve told recently at The Dragon Sanctuary.

True Storytelling
2024-05-04 19:00 - 21:30
An evening of participatory storytelling!
Do you have an amazing story to tell?

Something miraculous that left you in awe
A story that reminded you of what really matters in life
The challenges you faced, and the lessons you learned

We’ll sit in a circle and tell our stories. True Storytelling is not about performance, it’s about sharing our stories in community, for inspiration, healing and mutual understanding. It’s also fine to just sit and listen!
“It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be able to listen, really listen, to other people telling about precious moments in their lives. And to have the chance to tell about your own experiences and memories (only if you want to), with others listening to you too. It’s inspiring and entertaining and humbling, all at once.” Previous participant.
The evening will be led by Leo Sofer, an experienced storyteller, who has also run many of these evenings. Leo will begin the evening with a true story of his own and then open the circle for more. We’ll aim to keep each story to 10 minutes, and there will be a short period for reflections and questions after each story. We’ll have a tea break also. For more information about these True Storytelling events see this page.
Doors open at 6.30pm, come early for a cup of tea and a chat if you like.

Harmonic Temple
2024-05-19 19:30 - 21:00
The Harmonic Temple songs, created by Nickomo Clarke, are sung in 3 or 4 part harmony and are based on prayers and sayings from spiritual traditions around the world.
Nickomo was inspired by the songs of Taize and wanted to create songs that were similarly easy to learn and uplifting to sing but drawn from all faiths. Some of his compositions are awe-inspiringly beautiful.
The songs are learned by ear (no sheet music) and then, when we are confident of our part, we can move around the room, experiencing the harmonies all around us, literally creating a Harmonic Temple with our voices.
Leo and Sundara began leading Harmonic Temple songs in 2003, while living at the Findhorn Community in Scotland. For more about the Harmonic Temple, see this page.
No prior experience is required. Come early for a cup of tea if you like, doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Weaving Gold from Starlight
2024-06-29 19:30 - 21:30
*** This event has now sold out.***If you would like to join the waiting list please email leo@sofer.com or text 07508 639216.There is another performance of this show on Saturday 6th July in Plymouth. See here for more details.
Stories of the Journey Home presentsStorytelling for the Spiritual Journey
Weaving Gold from Starlight features a farmer who discovers treasure beyond price buried in one of his fields; an old man who finds a chest of gold coins, only to find that his head is on each one; and a wealthy heiress who leaves everything behind to marry for love, only to find a deeper love calling her into the wild and stormy night.
Storytelling has the power to draw us into deep soul-enquiry. Using symbol and metaphor it encourages us to dream big. This story will explore the theme of love.
Who is the lover here?Whenever we feel empty of love, we are probably asking the wrong question. Love is our essence, and at core we are loved unconditionally. But this truth is usually covered over by all the strategies that we have for “getting love”.
Love is not everything we think it isLove is not only to be found “out there”. The deepest love is within, and is a wellspring that never ends. Accessing this love, and finding out how to share it with the world is one of the main themes of this story.
Feedback from recent performancesI was blown away by the story, it was magical. I was spellbound, and feel myself in this moment completely transformed by it. The words and music wove in so beautifully together, and I was transported somewhere else…. and it was very healing. I left feeling so inspired and uplifted. The evening reconnected me with that impulse to surrender and let spirit carry me.Neesa Copple
Leo Sofer has been telling stories since 1989. Sundara plays handpan to accompany the story. They have been setting stories to music together for over 20 years. For more information about their work, see here.
This show is intended for an adult audience.
There will be another performance of this show on Saturday 6th July in Plymouth. See here for info and to book tickets.
