Who We Are

In the spirit of interebeing we acknowledge the many hundreds of people who have contributed in one way or another over the years to MorningSun. Although only a few folks are highlighted here, MorningSun belongs to all who walk the path of a mindful life and strive to bring understanding, compassion and healing into the world. This is your home. We hope to see you soon!

Co-Founders

The vision of MorningSun is carried by Fern Dorresteyn and Michael Ciborski. It has grown out of their collective training in mindfulness practice and experience in intentional communities. This experience includes living and studying in several healing arts and yoga communities in the US. They also lived for a short time as co-workers in two Camphill Communities where they were deeply inspired by a simple life of service, hand crafts, and caring for the Earth alongside developmentally disabled people.

Their most significant community experience comes from the nine years they lived in Plum Village, France, the monastery and practice center of Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. They trained in the meditative arts as monk and nun for seven of those years and were fortunate to live and work intimately with Thich Nhat Hanh and the monastic community to organize, support, and offer meditation retreats around the world. While living in Plum Village they became Dharma teachers in Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition.

In 2003, each of them departed Plum Village and, when they encountered each other, returned to lay life. Now they are married and have a son, Laurian, and a daughter, Seriena.

Read about Michael, Fern and MorningSun on Shambhala Sun's SunSpace Blog.

Michael Ciborski

Upon leaving the monastic life, there was the possibility to go anywhere and do anything, a completely clean slate. I thought about South America, about New Zealand. But when I sat in stillness and looked deeply into my heart, I saw my family, I saw my people in the United States and I saw the Earth. I saw the struggles and suffering of my family, my people and the Earth as my own and I did not want to run away. I chose to return to the US and offer whatever I could.

As a musician, an artist, a social worker, a monk, I have thrived in situations that call me to feeling, to the heart, to gentleness and clarity. As a father, humbled and opened inwardly, on a daily basis, by the unstoppable love for my children, I find myself ever growing. As a teacher of mindfulness, challenged to embody and actually manifest true presence and living understanding with students, I find myself ever learning. But in community building, all of this comes together in the most difficult, nourishing and unexpected ways. I love it!

Looking back at my life, it might seem as though MorningSun is a continuation of all that I have ever done, a natural next thing to work on, to manifest. But with all this lovely learning and "not knowing", I'm beginning to wonder if, as if it were some university I attend, Morningsun has been there all along, guiding me, shaping me, helping me onwards down this marvelous path.

Fern Dorresteyn

Fern's write-up is coming soon.

Candace Licari

Candace's write up is coming soon.

John Young

I came to MorningSun after spending a bit less than a year (2007/08) in Plum Village, the Zen monastery and practice centre in France established by Thich Nhat Hanh.

After fifteen years of professional activism (advising national and provincial political leaders in Canada; serving as Executive Director of two social justice nonprofits; and a host of other political, public policy, organizational and advocacy work), I encountered the teaching and practice of Thich Nhat Hanh five years ago. The timing for this encounter could not have been more auspicious given how various aspects of my life were unfolding. Without knowing it at the time, I was wending my way toward a spiritual opening; a journey that would connect me deeply and joyfully with life while continuing to engage suffering in its many forms - both in me and in the world around me.

I attended my first retreat in Plum Village in 2006. And everything changed. I knew that my former life of bruising partisan politics and driving aggressively for social change was over. But I didn't know what came next. I left everything behind; my home, career, possessions. I began walking wholeheartedly (though at times visited mightily by doubt, fear, self-judgment etc.) down a spiritual path.

One of the, to me, surprising discoveries is that community is critical if one is to live in a profoundly different way than most of our society lives. The daily support of others seeking to live lives of simplicity, loving kindness and service is vital. Or so I have found. It is that discovery which led me Plum Village, where awareness of its importance grew ten thousand-fold. It is that discovery which led me here to MorningSun, where I feel so incredibly fortunate to live with wonderful wise people - learning so much together every day.

Sara Ciborski

Sara's write up is coming soon.