The Dragon Sanctuary

11/06/2026

**Kirtan this Sunday evening at The Dragon Sanctuary**

This Sunday we’ll be gathering for Kirtan: simple devotional singing in a warm and welcoming space.

You don’t need to read music, know the chants beforehand, or be a confident singer. The songs are easy to join, with repeated melodies and words that gradually become familiar as we sing together.

It’s a lovely way to end the weekend — peaceful, uplifting, and open to everyone.

**Sunday evening**
**The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh**
**Doors 7pm / Singing 7.30–9pm**
**£7**

All voices welcome.

We'll be singing Indian devotional chants, accompanied by harmonium and guitar. Based on ancient phrases, these mantras evoke qualities such as love, compassion, strength and devotion.

08/06/2026

The King Who Became a Dog — storytelling and music at The Dragon Sanctuary
Sunday 21 June · 7-9pm
The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh
There are only 15 tickets left for this - so if you’ve been meaning to come, this is a good time to book.
The show features two stories. The King Who Became a Dog is about humility and the courage to surrender to a larger truth. The Pigeon Whisperer is about following inner guidance, wherever it leads you.
These are stories for anyone drawn to the deeper currents of life — the places where myth, spirituality and lived experience meet.
Tickets and full details here:
https://dragonsanctuary.co.uk/event/the-king-who-became-a-dog/

08/06/2026

**Kirtan this Sunday at The Dragon Sanctuary**

This Sunday evening we’ll be gathering for kirtan at The Dragon Sanctuary.

Kirtan is a simple, heart-opening form of devotional singing. The chants are easy to join, with repeated melodies and words that gradually become familiar as we sing them together. You don’t need to read music, and you don’t need to be a confident singer. You can sing strongly, sing quietly, or simply listen and let the sound carry you.

There’s something very steadying about singing in this way. The repetition gives the mind a chance to soften, the breath to deepen, and the heart to settle into the shared sound of the room.

It’s not a performance. It’s not about being a “good singer”. It’s a chance to come together, sing simple sacred chants, and be part of a warm and welcoming circle.

All voices are welcome.

**Sunday evening**
**The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh**
**Doors 7pm / Singing 7.30–9pm**
**£7**

Come as you are.

We'll be singing Indian devotional chants, accompanied by harmonium and guitar. Based on ancient phrases, these mantras evoke qualities such as love, compassion, strength and devotion.

07/06/2026

Singing Sanctuary tonight at The Dragon Sanctuary

Tonight we’ll be gathering for Singing Sanctuary — an evening of simple, beautiful songs, chants and harmonies, sung together in a gentle and welcoming space.

You don’t need to be an experienced singer, and you don’t need to read music. Everything is taught by ear, and the focus is on the shared experience of singing together rather than performance.

It’s a lovely way to end the weekend: peaceful, uplifting, and nourishing.

Tonight, 7.30–9pm
Doors open 7pm
The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh
£7

All voices welcome.

04/06/2026

The King Who Became a Dog is coming up on Sunday 21st June, you can find out more and book tickets here. It’s a storytelling show for adults that features two stories. In the second half of the show I’ll be telling the story of The Pigeon Whisperer.

Gifted from childhood, she can hear the language of the birds. She comes from a long line of pigeon handlers, and soon her gift is spotted by the King’s son and she finds herself working at the royal court. But that is when her troubles really begin.

The story explores what it takes to listen deeply to the whispers of the spirit within (birds have often been a symbol of our spiritual nature), and where that listening can lead.

This story sprang from a process of deep inner listening in me. All my life I’ve been drawn to the life of the spirit, but (I have belatedly realised) only on my own terms. Only in brief flashes would I glimpse the truth - being in charge is not an option.

Joseph Campbell, the great 20th century mythologist, wrote a seminal book based on his deep research of the world’s myths, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”. In it he outlines the archetypal “Hero’s journey” that is recounted in countless myths the world over.

The first stage of this is “The Call to Adventure”: the pull to the inward journey, which can be so alluring.

Second is “The Refusal of the Call”, where the hero (or heroine) realises what such a journey will demand of them.

I can now see that I was stuck between the first and second stages of this journey for a long time. Hearing the call, refusing to relinquish personal control of my life.

What I’ve come to see is that deeply listening to our inner guidance and following it faithfully leads to a very different view of ourselves - no longer defined by our society’s definition of what a human being is, we start to define ourselves by the experiences that the spiritual journey brings us.

This can be properly scary, because it involves letting go of “being a good person” and “doing the right thing” and all the other social ways that we try to fit in and create an identity for ourselves.

The story shows how far the process of inner listening can go, and how it can redefine who we think we are, and what we think is possible.

The King Who Became a Dog is happening on Sunday 21st June. You can find out more and book tickets here.

An evening of storytelling and music with Leo and Sundara Sofer, featuring two original stories about following your heart, turning away from your inner truth, and the slow, patient work of remembering it again.

01/06/2026

The King Who Became a Dog
Storytelling for the Spiritual Journey
Sunday 21st June, 7–9pm
The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh

Details and booking here:

An evening of storytelling and music with Leo and Sundara Sofer, featuring two original stories about following your heart, turning away from your inner truth, and the slow, patient work of remembering it again.

31/05/2026

Harmonic Temple singing tonight at The Dragon Sanctuary

Tonight we’ll be gathering for one of our favourite singing events: Harmonic Temple songs by Nickomo Clarke.

These are simple, beautiful chants in 3- or 4-part harmony, learned by ear and sung unaccompanied. We sing in a circle, letting the harmonies settle and deepen until the sound creates a shared atmosphere — peaceful, uplifting, and powerful.

The Dragon Sanctuary Choir will be supporting the evening, so there will be strong voices in each part and everyone will be able to hear and learn their line easily.

All voices welcome. You don’t need to read music, and you don’t need to have sung these songs before.

Tonight, Sunday
7.30–9pm
Doors open 7pm
The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh
£7

Come and join us.

We'll be singing songs in four part harmony composed by Nickomo Clarke and based on spiritual traditions from around the world.

28/05/2026

We’re now just over three weeks away from The King Who Became a Dog at The Dragon Sanctuary.

For the last thirty years, I have been walking the path of Intuitive Storytelling - a way of receiving mythological stories in response to life’s questions.

In this show I’ll be sharing personal stories from this journey as well as telling two intuitive stories that bring the themes to life.

The King Who Became a Dog is about humility and the courage to surrender to a larger truth. The Pigeon Whisperer is about following inner guidance, wherever it leads you.

Sundara will be playing music to accompany the stories. The show lasts just under 2 hours, with an interval. Places are limited and online booking is recommended.

Feedback from our last show:
Leo is both a magnificent teller and writer of stories, and with Sundara providing a delicious musical backdrop, Weaving Gold from Starlight was an absolute treat. It was so lovely to be presented with a tale that held layers of deeper meaning, and like a good movie it was alive in me for a long time afterwards.
Eddie Campbell-Thomas

You can find out more and book tickets here:

An evening of storytelling and music with Leo and Sundara Sofer, featuring two original stories about following your heart, turning away from your inner truth, and the slow, patient work of remembering it again.

26/05/2026

Harmonic Temple singing this Sunday at The Dragon Sanctuary

This Sunday we’ll be gathering for one of our most beautiful singing events: Harmonic Temple songs by Nickomo Clarke.

These are simple, beautiful chants in 3- or 4-part harmony, inspired by spiritual traditions from around the world. They are learned by ear, and sung unaccompanied, so that the harmonies have time to settle and deepen.

What makes Harmonic Temple singing so special is the way we sing in a circle, for ourselves and for each other, allowing the sound to build into a shared atmosphere — a kind of sacred space created by the harmony itself. Then, once everyone is confident in their part, we move around the room and experience the harmonies from different places in the space. It can be deeply peaceful, uplifting, and powerful.

The Dragon Sanctuary Choir will be supporting the event, so there will be strong voices in each part and everyone will be able to hear and learn their line easily.

Leo and Sundara first began leading Harmonic Temple songs in 2003 while living at the Findhorn Community in Scotland, and these songs have stayed close to our hearts ever since.

All voices welcome. You don’t need to read music — everything is taught by ear.

Harmonic Temple
Sunday 31st May
7.30pm
The Dragon Sanctuary, Buckfastleigh

More details here:

We'll be singing songs in four part harmony composed by Nickomo Clarke and based on spiritual traditions from around the world.

24/05/2026

An evening of storytelling and music at The Dragon Sanctuary

Sunday 21 June

with Leo and Sundara Sofer

There are moments in life when something opens up — a sense of beauty, presence, possibility, or a glimpse of what really matters.

And then, somehow, we lose touch with it.

This evening explores that territory through two original stories: one about a king who loses something essential and must find his way back to it; and one about a young woman who can hear the language of birds, and finds herself drawn into unexpected consequences.

The stories move through themes of following your heart, turning away from it, and the slow work of remembering what you most deeply value.

There will also be music from Sundara Sofer woven into the evening.

Spaces are limited, so booking in advance is recommended.

An evening of storytelling and music with Leo and Sundara Sofer, featuring two original stories about following your heart, turning away from your inner truth, and the slow, patient work of remembering it again.