The Wild Geese led the regular Sunday service at St Marks on 12th May. The service included a lovely talk from Pete Smith. If you missed it you can enjoy the talk now or read a transcript below.
Mother Earth as the Bodhisattva Gaia – a Morning of Mindfulness Saturday 1st June 2019
A morning of mindfulness focusing on Thich Nhat Hanh’s Intimate Conversations with Mother Earth facilitated by Bill.
The morning will include readings from Thay’s Intimate Conversations with Mother Earth. The ceremony of Touching the Earth. Quiet reflection and meditation on our connection with all things and especially this wonderful blue planet.
When: Saturday 1st June 2019 – 9:30am to 1:00pm (Please try to arrive a little earlier so that we can start at 09:30)
Where: St. Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace
Booking: Just turn up.
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share if that is easy.
Cost: By donation – to cover the cost of hiring the venue etc. Suggested: £10 (£5).
Morning Walks in George Square 2019
We are starting morning walks for all you early birds. From 8.25am to 9am on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting in May and continue probably till the festival starts but possibly forever. Please come along and join us. It is free.
Whether or not you can make it you can help to spread the word by mentioning the walks to your friends in person or on social media. If you can think of somewhere to put up a poster that would be doubly helpful.
Save the Dates – Mornings of Mindfulness in June and July
We have been planning our summer schedule and have the opportunity to run two Mornings of Mindfulness in June and July.
- Saturday 1st June 2019 a Morning of Mindfulness facilitated by Bill on the theme of Mother Earth.
- Saturday 6th July 2019 a Morning of Mindfulness facilitated by Gill – theme TBC
Save those dates in your diary for rest and recharge at St Marks.
If you aren’t on our mailing list please fill in the contact us form and we will add you. You’ll then receive notification of these events are they come up.
News – April 2019
Just a quick update of what’s coming up in the near future – there’s a lot about to happen!
- Our friends at the Touching the Earth Sangha in Banchory are organising a retreat at The Burn, Edzell, Angus (pictured) in the third weekend in September. For more information download the booking form: Mindfulness Retreat Invitation and Booking Form 2019 copy.
- Jon, Pete and Sally will be leading the Sunday service at St Marks Unitarian Church on 12th May.
- Our Friday morning sit is looking to expand as Sitting@Dawn. Watch this space for a further announcements.
- A group of us are going to start regular mindfulness walks from the labyrinth in George Square. These will be at 8:30am for half an hour and begin after Easter. Details to follow.
- We will now be finishing by 9pm each Monday at Santosa rather than 9:30pm. Earlier to bed.
- I (Roger) am running contemplative walking workshops called Two Feet, One Mind at the botanics on three Tuesday evenings in May. This is not an officially Wild Geese event but part of the Royal Botanics Garden Edinburgh education programme. It is based on Thay’s teachings though 🙂
- Anything missing? Let us know through the contact form.
Breathing: Our Way to Freedom – The Poems
Pete shared some poems and mentioned a talk by Thay during Saturday’s Morning of Mindfulness.
Here is the talk with Thay saying “Impermanence is a kind of key that can unlock the door of reality and it is also a concentration, a practice….”:
Pete read one of his own poems, Fresh:
FreshSo how can I meetthese familiar facesin this familiar placeday after dayas freshlyas though this were the first timewe had metand as tenderlyas though this really could bethe last timei see youalive?
We finished with Mary Frye’s 1932 poem “Do not stand at my grave and weep“
15th Annual Mindful Peace Walk @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
For the 15th successive year we are happy to be able to facilitate a mindful peace walk at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Peace and Spirituality EICSP.
NB: A slightly later start time than previous years.
Venue: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.
Date: Sunday 24 March 2019
Time: 10am for 10.15am ends by 11.15am. Meet at West Gate entrance to the John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place. Introduction to mindful walking at 10.00am. Walk begins at 10.15am.
Cost: Admission Free. Just come along on the day.
This silent walking meditation is an open event. It will be led by the lay members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing, who follow the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. The walk begins at the John Hope Gateway of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as meditation practice. This is not a protest or a campaigning event, so please do not use any banners. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults. Please remember to wrap up warmly – last year it was snowy!
You may be interested in a mindfulness morning at St Mark’s on the Saturday following the walk.
‘We walk just for walking. We walk with freedom and solidity, no longer in a hurry. Let us enjoy every step we make.’
Thich Nhat Hanh.
