Posts

Showing posts from December, 2015

Kundalini or the Gong: Which Came First?

Image
The Kundalini Connection The Gong as a healing and meditative instrument has become extremely popular over the past few years. In fact, there's been a literal explosion of people playing Gongs. It's clear that for many, Yogi Bhajan and Kundalini Yoga have been their introduction to the Gong. Many others have been introduced to it by Don Conreaux, who was a student of Yogi Bhajan at one time. This has lead to many interesting conversations on FaceBook and elsewhere as to the origins of the Gong Bath™/Gong Meditation/etc. Yes, Yogi Bhajan did a lot to introduce the USA to the Gong as a meditative device, but he is not the only one, or the only path. I have played Gongs for over 40 years, and up until a few years ago, my only knowledge of Yogi Bhajan was as the smiling face on my box of tea. I had no knowledge of his use of the Gong. And even though I've followed the career and writings of Don Conreaux for for 20 or 30 years, I had no real direct knowledge of his Gong conn

I Don't Give Out Certificates

Image
I teach.  Definition of teach : to cause or help (someone) to learn about a subject by giving lessons : to give lessons about (a particular subject) to a person or group : to cause or help (a person or animal) to learn how to do something by giving lessons, showing how it is done, etc. I teach music, percussion, and Gongs/Bowls/Bells.  I teach technique and all the things surrounding technique.  I teach the intangibles, the things that fall between the cracks, the things that most people don't think about, or ask about.  I teach about the air and the spaces in between the sounds we make.  I teach about the spaces in our heads and how to access them.  I teach about other realms available to us.  I teach about the history and the mystery of what we do as musicians. I teach about experiencing your own inner pulses and those of the world around you. I teach about lineage and where we came from. I teach about where we're going. But even then,  teach is not the righ

Mail Call: Beginning the Way, Planet Gongs, 432Hz

Image
A recent comment had multiple questions that I'd like to address here: Is 432Hz a good "healing" frequency? I wrote about my thoughts on the 432Hz tuning controversy here: 432Hz . There is nothing wrong with 432Hz, or any other tuning for healing. All frequencies can have positive affects. What is as important as anything is intention . Intention is a big part of anything we do. To get anything done, we need to have the intent to do it, to finish it. So too with healing/therapy/meditation. If you are drawn to the 432Hz tuning, then use it, work with it. If you are drawn to other frequencies, then use them, work with them. Are Planetary Gongs good? Planetary Gongs, like all instruments we may use, are neither good nor bad—they just are. The idea of good or bad again has everything to do with intent. Like I wrote above, if you have a Planetary Gong that resonates with you, and you have good/positive intention to use it, then it is good . How do you star