The Dandelion Daily

Recent gatherings have brought people together for music, conversation and shared support. In Totnes, SONIC RITUAL: All Hallows drew listeners to St Mary's Church on the High Street for an evening of live performance. Those attending appreciated the freedom to sit, lie down or dance, as well as the warm, candlelit setting. A few felt the performance ran overly long, with some discordant passages, and suggested asking audiences to put mobile phones away or bringing extra cushions.

Online, Buddhist Wisdom for Turbulent Times: Navigating groundless states in meditation, psychedelics & life offered a talk exploring meditation and training. Attendees praised the engaging presentation, though some were disappointed that the speaker did not address psychedelic integration as expected. Meanwhile, in Restell Close, A Space to be heard: Free Weekly Women's Circle in Greenwich welcomed women to a supportive circle praised for its restorative, unpressured atmosphere.

A host of new community gatherings have appeared on Dandelion, offering quiet spaces to unwind and connect. In London, Kathi leads Rest & Recharge: a mindful walk in Greenwich Park, meeting by the wooden picnic tables near the King William Walk entrance. Designed for anyone wanting to slow down, this gentle, mostly silent stroll moves over natural ground, using simple breathing techniques and pauses beneath the ancient sweet chestnuts. Across town in Hackney, ArtSect Gallery hosts the Alchemy of the Mythic Sunday Gallery, welcoming visitors to view paintings, sculptures and photographs, share tea and tarot cards, and browse a marketplace.

In Sheffield, Amy runs the December Women's Circle in the Soul Studio at Soul Fire Yoga Studio on Edgedale Road. Intended for women seeking an intimate gathering, the evening includes herbal tea, a grounding meditation, oracle cards and a sharing circle where attendees listen to one another without offering comment or advice. Meanwhile, Bristol singers confident with vocal improvisation can apply for Vocal Playground - Advanced Workshop in St Werburgh's, an invite-only session exploring collective music-making.

High above Buckfastleigh, the Brown Bread Choir will stage BABY, a folk opera performed in an old ruin. Seventy singers will gather for old songs, an ancient apple-smashing ritual, and a story featuring a giant marrow baby and a sizable monster, offering an offbeat spectacle for anyone willing to enter the site at their own risk.

Along the coast in Hove, the Church of Saint Michael hosts IMMERSION : SAMHAIN - A Live Sound & Movement Journey & Installation Experience. This drug- and alcohol-free evening invites people to dance, rest and pray amidst live improvised music, visual projections, altars and sculptures by Eve Shepherd. Children are welcome, though organisers note it is a quiet, non-verbal space. Further east, SAMHAIN PROCESSION & RITUAL calls witches, wizards and the curious to a secret Margate spot for smoke cleansing, followed by a torchlit walk to Cliftonville Beach for drumming, singing and ancestor remembrance.