Get It on, Bang a Gong, Pt II

Monday, 13 February 2017, 9:13 am
Article: Howard Davis

Several readers have recently inquired about the significance of the image that accompanies my by-line. While the man-bun is long gone, I still incorporate the sound of the gong in my Kundalini Yoga classes. On the final Sunday of each month those in Wellington who are interested in the healing power of sound to promote our internal powers of recuperation are invited to attend a Gong Bath.This is the second of a two-part description of how and why it is such an effective tool of self-transformation.

Particle physics have identified the cosmos as we perceive it in terms of time and space, rhythmic patterns of light and sound or oscillating waves that vibrate at certain frequencies which Eastern mystics called the dance of Shiva. Everything is moving to its own beat, from the micro-orbits of electrons and protons to the macro-orbits of the planets, stars, and galaxies. Another term for pulsating rhythm is 'periodicity,' which means that the activity of something falls into cycles, from the continuous beating of the heart to the cycles of the human breath. Thus the cadence of life is intricately woven into the core of our existence. Sound waves provide a particular example of periodicity. They are measured in cycles per second (hertz) and each cycle of a wave is in reality a single pulse of sound. The average range of hearing for the human ear is between 16 and 20,000 hz. We can't hear extremely low or high frequencies, but we can still perceive them as rhythmic, and studies have shown that vibrations produced by rhythmic sounds have a profound effect on both human psychology and physiology.

Like sound waves, the brain has its own set of vibrations it uses to communicate with itself and the rest of the body. Slower tempos from 48-70 BPMS decrease heart and respiratory rates, thereby altering predominant brainwave patterns. Beta waves (13-30 hz) are the fastest, most commonly found during waking states relating to outward awareness, engaged minds, arousal, and the active perception and evaluation of forms of data through the senses. They predominate whenever we're afraid, angry, worried, hungry, or surprised. Alpha waves (7-13 hz) are associated with more relaxed and tranquil states of consciousness, less engagement and arousal, pleasant inward awareness, body/mind integration, and are present during mediation and states of relaxation. Theta waves (3-7 hz) are associated with increased recall, creativity, imagery and visualization, free-flowing thought, future planning, inspiration, drowsiness, and are present during dreaming and REM states. Delta waves (1 -3 hz) are associated with dreamless sleep, trance states, self-healing, the release of growth hormones from the pituitary, and are present during deep levels of non-REM sleep.

The sound of the gong produces a whole spectrum of harmonics that are based on pressure waves of sound, which vibrate the energy meridians in the body and bring them into balance, moving us quickly from beta to delta wave brain states.

When the Earth's axis shifted one degree in 1991, the 21-year cusp period of the Aquarian Age ignited a significant change in our planet's electromagnetic field. 2009 marked another level of vibratory increase in the base frequency emitted by humanity's collective DNA. This is part of the "quickening" - a response to the larger galactic energies that are moving the planet into a new dimensional future signaled by the arrival of the Age of Aquarius after the cusp period ended in December 2012. The electromagnetic field of the earth, the atomic energy of the atom, and the molecules of the human blood cells are all constantly changing. This sweeping, far-reaching change is altering the fundamental fabric of every human being's personal perception of reality. Your personality is what you believe, what you feel, and what you think you know, but your personality was assembled before or during this cusp period with components that are quickly becoming obsolete.

Deep in the geometric center of the brain lies the pineal gland. The clockwise and anti-clockwise radiant rotation of this gland controls the vibratory dance of the 10 trillion cells that make up the human body. This vibratory dance is speeding up. The sound of the gong profoundly alters the magnetic and electromagnetic energies that are created by this glandular movement. This is crucial to stay in sync with the increased velocity of etheric energy that is bombarding the Earth at this time.

The unconscious, shadow realms of the mind hold unprocessed experience. Over time these energies acquire a life of their own and enter our lives like an unseen controlling hand. We all engage in behaviors we don't want to be doing and have thoughts we don't want to have, but we can be free from these dark, controlling forces. The cosmic sound of the Gong releases obscure, unknown pains from the past, and gives birth to a brighter, better future.

The Gong's transcendent sounds increase our brain's capacity to perceive, receive and transmit, balancing and synchronizing our mind, body, and spirit with the Infinite flow of cosmic consciousness. Pineal gland gong meditations dramatically increase health and sensitivity, creating new levels of pleasure and prosperity. Using waves of symphonic resonance, they release deep subconscious blocks, enhancing self worth, expanding our capacity to receive, and increasing our ability to give and excel.

Near the pineal gland, lies the pituitary or master gland (the mystical third eye). We can use the guiding star of the pituitary to unlock past habit patterns that keep us attached to unproductive ways of perceiving. Aligning our consciousness with these emerging, higher-frequency energies allows us to capitalize dramatically on the unprecedented opportunities that present themselves daily, yet are too often missed as a result of our personality's attachment to old ways of perceiving, acting, and thinking.

The gong produces a whole spectrum of harmonics that are based on pressure waves of sound, which vibrate the energy meridians in the body and bring them into balance. Kundalini energy, normally stored in the sacrum, is released and travels up the spine, dispersing throughout the entire body. If there are blockages along the meridians, you may experience twitching muscles as the sound of the gong re-calibrates the physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies and raises the frequency of your electromagnetic field (aura). It's excellent therapy for all stress-related issues, depression, fatigue, feelings of separation, loneliness, anger, fear and hostility, and many other conditions caused by a lack of balance and harmony in the body and mind.

When you lie down to experience a Gong Bath, you first hear waves of soft throaty gong sounds physically washing through and over you. As you listen carefully, you begin to become aware of the many overtones and undertones that exist within one sound. The sounds become louder and louder, washing over and around you like the roar of a waterfall, creating waves of sound that may carry you into the past, into the future, to other countries, even to other worlds.

Everyone experiences something noticeable during a Gong Bath and it’s rarely the same thing. It can range from your body twitching as the energy meridians are cleared and balanced, through a sense of lifting out of your body and watching from above, to seeing amazing splashes of color behind your closed eyes or past life recollections in full detail, or simply experiencing a feeling of total peace and connectedness. The sound of the gong draws the anger and negativity out of a person like a vacuum and is used in music therapy with children who have hostility and anger issues. It helps remove the fear of death by taking you out of your body so you realize you don't need a body to have a spiritual consciousness. Gong healing expands your spirit without believing in any particular religious concept, doctrine, or dogma. Physical ailments have been healed because people discover a place of self-healing where their innate consciousness can cure them.

The sound of the gong is an inspiration drawn directly the sound of Creation, not from a book or from another person. Harijiwan Singh summed up its effect as follows - "It is the sound of Creativity itself. The gong takes us directly into the original sound current, into perpetual sound, out into space. This unlimited sound vibrates and creates, light, creates life. The sound of the gong becomes the sound of the Universe."

© Scoop Media

Howard Davis

Scoop Arts Editor

Educated at Cambridge and UCLA; worked on several major Hollywood feature films and as a Kundalini Yoga instructor in Los Angeles; currently enjoying life in Wellington.

Contact Howard Davis

• Email - howard@scoop.co.nz