realizing Harmony
In times of trouble
Welcome, as we bring Silence Singing to the Appalachian Mountains in Black Mountain, North Carolina, at the Light Center Lodge. This Memorial Day weekend, we will explore the movement of song and the stillness of meditation with guest teacher Joel Karabo Elliott and Silence Singing founder and facilitator, Thomas Walker. This will be a weekend of connecting to our innermost spirit of creativity, while learning to be in harmonious communion with one another. We welcome musicians and meditators, as well as those new to these practice, to enter into a time of cultivating deep silence, as well as joyful creativity.
In our time together, we will familiarize ourselves with the indestructible nature of our being— that source through which inspiration, love, and creativity are born. Through meditation and music, we will deepen this knowing within our own selves and in community in order to realize harmony within whatever arises.
All levels of experience are welcome. Read on, or register below.
A
the light center lodge
Black Mountain, North Carolina
May 22-25, 2026
Now with options for one-day attendance!
“Silence Singing is a deeply playful space for artists and meditators to realize that we are all singing in the same glorious silence. It is medicine for creatives wanting to dip into deeper presence, meditators to play, and for all humans to connect and be who they are.”
—Dr. Kent Drever
Guides + Land
This retreat will be led by Thomas Walker, founder of Silence Singing, with special guest facilitator, JoEl Karabo Elliott.
Joel Karabo Elliott is an American:Mosotho composer, singer:songwriter and multi:instrumentalist whose music sings the song-stories of his journey from the towns of America to the rivers and villages of the Limpopo. He is the curator and co:founder of the renowned Roots Grown Deep world music and creative education ensemble, which has branches in Southern Africa and North America and continues the work of Musical Ecology.
joEL is an educator, school design consultant and trainer of teachers rooted in Consciousness-based education. He believes that nature, community and freedom are all integrated through the healing power of sound and manifested or realized through music. He has played an integral role in the establishment of several rural community based projects, including the Sedikong sa Lerato Moringa Cooperative and Bjatladi Youth Development. He is also a musical death doula with the Center for Conscious Living and Dying.
Thomas Walker is a hospice chaplain and facilitator of music and meditation experiences. From Northern California, and now living in Brooklyn, NY, by way of Oregon, he brings together his love for inner transformation through silence together with devotion through sound and song. Thomas holds a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, where he studies Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement, particularly studying transformation through sound and ritual. In 2025, he began to bring these passions together through these retreats as Silence Singing.
This retreat will be hosted at the Light Center Lodge, in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Most rooms are shared, and meals will be communal. All is included in registration.
Our lodging will be just a five minute walk from the Light Center, “created as a secluded place where people could come to pray, meditate, and rejuvenate in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is dedicated to prayer for individual and societal change.”
We are grateful to be able to be converge at this wonderful location, with a creek and walking trails nearby. The Light Center itself will only be accessible during retreats at its regular operating hours.
Please join us in enjoying the Light
“This retreat was a beautiful experience. I felt so much love, care, and intention in the way it was held. The blend of silence, song, and meditation, the small, intimate group size, the simple nourishing food, and the generosity of spirit from all who gathered contributed to a unique and deep heartfelt retreat.” — Kelsey
Retreat Structure and schedule
Arrive on Friday evening by 7 PM.
Departure on Monday at noon.
Sample daily schedule:
6:00 Wake up
6:30 AM Meditation and Group Song Service
9 AM Breakfast
10 AM Vocal Exploration and Community Workshops
1 PM Lunch
Open, Rest
5 PM Musical Exploration or Meditation
6 PM Dinner
7 PM Meditation and Evening Program
9:30 Retire
Our retreats are based on the structure of meditation retreats. The basic container which we rely on is “spirited silence.” That is, outside of our time together in activities, we ask that participants stay in touch with their inner silence and deep listening, while also making space for creative inspiration to arise.
Because speech and sound can stir up the mind, we consider this practice of “spirited silence” to be somewhat of an advanced, and more integrated, way of practicing with meditation and silence. In this, we are learning to listen deeply to our experience, rather than manipulate it. And, we are all learning together.
Our retreat schedule utilizes spaciousness in order to provide for creativity, rest, meditation, and togetherness. We aim to honor the needs, gifts, and abilities of all.
“Silence Singing was a safe place for me to exist as I was in that moment without needing to change. With a true foundation of safety, many beautiful gifts came from it into my life. It opened doors to creativity that I didn't know even existed.” — Aruna
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is for participants with all levels of experience in meditation and music, including:
Musicians and lovers of sound who want to find a deeper connection to the silence.
It is very different to play a nice sounding melody than to offer a melody that comes as a medicine, a teaching, or a celebration from the depths of your inner silence. Great music comes from beyond ourselves, and we contact this “something beyond” in the practice of stillness and silence.
Meditators who want support giving create expression to the truths they find in the silence.
It is one thing to find the meditative space of silence, and another to let it sing through you. Since we will express ourselves in this life, it is important that we learn to express ourselves fully and wholeheartedly, without self-criticism and reservation. This is how we can find our truest expression and healing potential.
Those who have a story they are “not creative” or “not musical”, or creatives who feel stuck.
Come join us and challenge this limiting, false belief and open to the creative connection that is the birthright of every human being.
Those new to meditation who would like an introduction that is filled with fun, lightness, and loving community.