Melting snow | music to rest in by Andō | 4 mins 15 secs | listen in 🎧

More music to bathe in — for rest, relaxation, meditation, contemplation, and prayer.

_{in the mountain village,
melting snow drips
even from the stars.}

_{— Shugyō Takaha.}

Slow down, come to rest, indoors or out. Nature would be a beautiful frame for this piece. But so also is silence. Come to it from there, or pause, and allow the music to take you to that silence, rest, and deep healing.

But most important of all, rest.

This is what happens when silence becomes music.

All sketches and tracks shared here form a part of my journey towards sharing music for ambient sound bathing, for rest, relaxation, meditation, contemplation, and prayer.

The primary movement in these pieces I share here is one of a naturally arising process of personal healing.

As one of my greatest musical inspirations, Ryuichi Sakamoto said when asked why he played music — I play to be showered in sound.

This piece of quiet music revealed itself to me this morning. It was crafted spontaneously during the one hour intimate weekly gathering of Naviar Records Quiet Music Session, in the haiku of the week challenge, Naviar Haiku #657. Find out more about the Naviar Haiku project over at Naviar Records.

Thank you for listening, to support my work here and elsewhere, please consider subscribing or making a donation. For moments of stillness, visit, Silentium.

Seed of a deeper stillness | music to rest in by Andō | 14 mins 41 secs | listen in 🎧Music to bathe in today, for rest, relaxation, meditation, contemplation, and prayer.

Come to rest on a favourite chair, or step, perhaps a shady spot under a tree. Put on your headphones, and immerse yourself in this. If you wish, light a candle, and place a slow burning stick of Japanese smokeless incense alongside it, as I have today.

But most important of all, rest.

This piece of lower case music arose and revealed itself this afternoon. Crafted during one of my ambient sketch sessions, which form of musical diary or sketchbook. This one arose out of deep exhaustion, from so many hours spent in hospitals this week, and seeking shade from the extreme heat that has heated my home to 29ºC on a daily basis. The waiting for biopsy results, and scan results, blood tests, and all with so little rest, not from those things, but from the heat. Today the heat eased a little, and a cool breeze arose. Rather than rush around taking advantage of it, I surrendered to this exhaustion instead, until this piece spontaneously arose. Such pieces often arise so swiftly. Why? Because my mind is not in the equation. Rather, my actions are in service to the blessings that arose to flow through me, becoming the music.

I’m sharing it with you directly, that the energy within it may continue to flow forth, as a spring trickles down a fresh mountain side, spanning wider and wider, that all on its path may drink of it.

All sketches form a part of my journey towards sharing music for ambient sound bathing, for rest, relaxation, meditation, contemplation, and prayer.

My primary motive in these creative acts is one of personal healing. As one of my greatest inspirations, Ryuichi Sakamoto said — I play to be showered in sound.

Thank you for listening, to support my work here and elsewhere, please consider subscribing or making a donation. For moments of stillness, visit, Silentium.

A Quiet Garden is my meditative ambient and neoclassical music project.

During this time of illness, diagnosis, and hopefully, healing, A Quiet Garden is a place of refuge, rest, and communion with sounds from the edge of silence.

I’ve focused most of my energy since last autumn here on Silentium, but I want you to know that as a part of my movement towards healing, I have identified the need and benefit of creating and experiencing ambient sound baths.

Through a quiet time of discernment, I know in my heart that if anything has to go from the work I share in the world, A Quiet Garden is staying put.

In fact, I anticipate more posts here at A Quiet Garden over the coming weeks, as I sink more deeply into this healing work, both for myself, and others.

Please consider subscribing or supporting this work in some way, or through the GoFundMe that is operating to support Willow and I in what continues to be a year of decline without reversal so far. I’ll explain more about that in another post and a GoFundMe page update, which is now live at the link above.

—

Words and image by Andō.
For moments of silence and stillness, visit Silentium.

Thank you for listening, to support my work here and elsewhere, please consider subscribing or making a donation. Visit ando.life or my other Substack, Silentium.

—
Words, image, and audio by Andō.

Thank you for listening, to support my work here and elsewhere, please consider subscribing or making a donation. Visit ando.life or my other Substack, Silentium.

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This afternoon, I’m working in Photoshop on some new lock screens to add to the one I shared last week, to create my first collection.

They will be available free of charge to all paid subscribers of Silentium, and the they will also be available for purchase via my website.

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A composer …

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