Mindful Morning – Flowers in the common ground

Flowers in the common ground – a morning with Rainbow siblings

Rainbow siblings from Rainbow Sangha UK invite you to join us for a Mindful Morning.

This will be a panel discussion with Angie facilitating and Kate, Anthony, Karen and Thor sharing their experiences of practising and we’ll invite questions to help further insight and understanding.

Our sibling Olly-Grace will offer a song to share and enjoy together.

Karen Pounds – Peaceful Stillness of the Source

Pronouns: she/her

I’m 64, gay and live with my wife and partner of 20 years in Oxfordshire, where I teach Tai Chi and Qigong.

I was dismissed from the Army in 1981 for being gay, my family virtually disowned me, and for years I carried a sense of shame, felt like an outsider, that I needed to hide, and I never really felt safe.

My first spiritual ‘family’ was with the Quakers; where for many years I found a sense of belonging and acceptance. However, in 2020 I was in crisis, struggling with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and I was very fortunate to find a therapist, who just happened to be a Buddhist!

With her guidance and ‘holding’ during some very dark times, I started my healing journey. I found the Oxford Sangha and started to learn more about Thay and his wonderful teachings.

With the friendship and support of Sangha (Oxford, Sunflower and Rainbow) I’m now learning to feel more comfortable with the words:

May I learn to look at myself with eyes of understanding and love.

Kate MacKenzie – Compassionate Heart of the Source

Pronouns: she/her

Kate MacKenzie is a long time seeker of meaning in the world. She is learning to thank the tragic mis-incarnation of her gender for being the catalyst for looking deeply.

Coming to zen practice through a history of punk rock, anarchist politics and recovery from alcohol abuse, she has found family and true sangha both locally in Birmingham and globally with Rainbow Sangha.

Kate has been part of PV practice since 2018 and took 5MT in 2022 receiving the name Compassionate Heart of the Source.

Kate is an aspirant to The Order of Interbeing. She can often be found facilitating Rainbow sangha online or attending Leaves of One Tree in person. She has deep love for both. A regular attendee at retreats, Kate values connection with sangha siblings. Sometimes eye catching. Sometimes ducking the radar. Always she/her

Anthony Leete – True Gentle Oak

Pronouns: he/him

From a young age Anthony had been curious about the different ways people search for truths about our common humanity and looking for a path that had meaning for him.

Ultimately, in 2005, his journey led to the Heart of London Sangha (then based in the bell tower of St James’s Piccadilly) and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn.

It was love at first sight (or breath) – Anthony knew that he had found his true spiritual home. Another of Anthony’s ‘homes’ is the LGBTQI+ community.

Although his queer identity did not play a big part of his journey on this path until recently, he is full of gratitude for those who have built the Rainbow sangha into the thriving, diverse and forward thinking community it is now and is really pleased to be ‘settling in’ and making it yet another home.

Thor Aldan Rain – Skilful Refuge of the Source

Pronouns: they/them

Thor’s commitment to the practice in each moment has deepened steadily since finding their way to Thay’s teachings and the Cambridge sangha in 2003. They made a deep personal commitment to the Five Mindfulness Trainings in 2006 and established a Right Livelihood practice in 2010.

Thor received the transmission of the Five Mindfulness Training in 2022.

Thor is queer in gender, sexuality and relationships. The three jewels have been the teacher and refuge on Thor’s path, supporting recovery from illness, trauma and suffering.

The practice continues to support them to cultivate deeper alignment with the day, self and interbeing. Thor moved to the UK in 1999 from Iceland bringing Viking ancestry to their practice.

Angie Searle – True Solid Practice

Angie was ordained as a lay Dharma teacher in 2017. Angie comes from a nursing background in Australia and returned to the UK to take care of her elderly parents.

Finding working for the NHS to be bad for her own health, she retrained as a gardener, at the same time being introduced to Thay’s practice by a friend.

She has been a student of Thay’s for around 20 years, 14 of which as an order member and was ordained as a lay Dharma teacher in 2017.

Angie’s Initiation Gatha

From desperation to inspiration,
From one rain drop a gentle river flows,
Conscious breathing is my Anchor.

Response Gatha

Solid are the footsteps that caress the earth.
Cultivating our mind is the practice.
Taking care of this ancestral body
We honour four objects of gratitude.

Every first Sunday of the month, Plum Village UK offers a Morning of Mindfulness led by UK Lay Dharma Teachers, Members of the Order of Interbeing, Monastic Dharma Teachers and special guests.

The morning will typically include a guided meditation, followed by a talk or panel. After a short break, there will be an opportunity for Dharma sharing in groups.

Main image by Simon Berger on Unsplash