THE SILENCE
A gathering for those drawn to silence and stillness.
Opened on Sunday 1 January 2023, and held almost every Sunday ever since.
About The Silence
Arising from the simple intention to offer a hosted silent space online, The Silence is a space for shared silence, whether you are practicing silent sitting, meditation, contemplation, or prayer. We gather in silence together.
There is no fee for joining The Silence, but in order to support and enable me in offering this time and space, and to fund the resources needed to offer it, donations are invited and welcomed.
Schedule
Hosted in the UK, session times are scheduled for UK time — GMT/UTC, and from Sunday 31 March, the time zone changes to BST/UTC+1. You can check timings for your own timezone at timeanddate.com. See below for dates and times for the coming month.
Quiet ambient music will play during the arrival and settling in time, from fifteen minutes before the start of the meeting. The door to the gathering will be closed fifteen minutes after opening, just before the start of the silent sitting. You will hear a meditation bell sound once to begin our session, and three times to end it. Participants will be muted on entry, and during the gathering. Each sitting lasts for 25 minutes, not including arrival time.
Scroll down for Zoom link and passcode.
Dates for December 2024
Sunday 1 December
19:00 GMT/UTC * (London) *note time zone changed from British Summer Time to Greenwich Meantime at 02:00 on 27 October. So our time is UTC time, rather than UTC+1 as it has been through the summer months.
Opens at 18:45 / starts at 19:00 / ends at 19:25.
Sunday 8 December
19:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 18:45 / starts at 19:00 / ends at 19:25.
Sunday 15 December
19:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 18:45 / starts at 19:00 / ends at 19:25.
Sunday 22 December
19:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 18:45 / starts at 19:00 / ends at 19:25.
Tuesday 24 December (note: bonus sits and times for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
18:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 17:45 / starts at 18:00 / ends at 18:25.
Wednesday 25 December (note: bonus sits and times for Christmas Day)
09:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 08:45 / starts at 09:00 / ends at 09:25.
Wednesday 25 December (note: bonus sits and times for Christmas Day)
12:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 11:45 / starts at 12:00 / ends at 12:25.
Wednesday 25 December (note: bonus sits and times for Christmas Day)
18:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 17:45 / starts at 18:00 / ends at 18:25.
Sunday 28 December
19:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 18:45 / starts at 19:00 / ends at 19:25.
Wednesday 1 January (note: bonus sit to welcome the new year)
09:00 GMT/UTC (London)
Opens at 08:45 / starts at 09:00 / ends at 09:25.
Dates will be kept updated here on a monthly basis. I host sessions each Sunday. In 2025, I will also be offering online and in person one day silent retreats, weekend retreats, and longer retreats too. Check back here for updates and changes. Email me (Andō) at hello@ando.life with any queries, or subscribe to my mailing list to stay informed of forthcoming events and other news.
How to join
The space is hosted by myself, on Zoom. I will open the silent space 15 minutes prior to the start time, to allow you time to enter the space, and settle. Please enter muted, remain muted throughout, and keep your video on, to support the community of shared silence that this is. There will be no entry after the start time. If you become restless, or need to move about, please switch off your video, and if necessary, feel free to leave the gathering. See below for the Zoom link and passcode. This will remain the same for each gathering.
Zoom link and passcode
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84759210718
Passcode: silentium
Notes
Please note, we will not speak during these silent gatherings, and there will be no guided meditations in these sessions (although that is a possible offering). Chat will not be enabled. If you have any technical issues or other questions, please email me at hello@ando.life before or after the session, and I’ll do my best to help.
Donate
There is no fee for joining The Silence, but in order to support and enable me in offering this time and space, and to fund the resources needed to offer it, donations are invited and welcomed. You can easily and quickly donate using the donate button below, which will take you to a PayPal payment page. You do not need a PayPal account in order to make a donation.
Thank you for supporting this project, and my life’s work.
