Though I've loved gongs for ages, I actually have my friend, Wayne Marto of Beneficial Sound from Seattle to thank for sparking my passion for Planetary Gongs! I met him probably about five years ago at my dear Kundalini Yoga teacher, Sada Simran's amazing winter Solstice Sound Healing event. It was then that I had the vision to create a similar event up here in Bellingham. He is also one of my gong teachers and I am so excited to have him join me in co-creating our Spring Equinox Celebration & Cosmic Sound Journey.
The beauty of Planetary Gongs is that they are tuned to specific notes and frequencies that correlate to particular planetary bodies and resonate at certain chakras or energy centers. Below I'll give a little more detail about the 9 Planetary Gongs we'll be working with.
Another special part of our event is having Jay Darling. He's a very talented musician with a big heart and is so fun to work with at our Equinox and Solstice events. He usually plays his melodic hand pan before the event and during the yoga part of the evening. He also brings his African drums to coordinate during the movement segment. You may even hear him playing his chimes, or other instruments, like his hand drum that he's able to make a whale sound with.
He always brings so much to the event and you never quite know how it'll all come together.
I'll be playing my Synodic Moon Gong. The term refers to the Lunar cycle or the Lunar month, measured by the time between one new moon and the next. It is tuned to the note of D, which works on the second chakra and helps us to tap into the deep, emotional healing power represented by the symbol of the moon. It helps to clear emotional blockages and can spiritually cleanse on many levels.
What's very common among gong players is the feeling of the calling of the next gong😁. Another gong teacher of mine, Mehtab, who helped me discover and purchase my moon gong, suggested that the Mercury Gong would resonate well with it. I'm so excited that at this event, Wayne is going to let me play his so I can feel how they sound together.
Mercury represents synthesis, communication, inventiveness and speech. It aids in communication, balances thyroid function, supports the throat chakra and the communicative-intellectual principle, and helps clear insecurity and weakness in expression.
I can't say how excited I am that we'll have both a moon and a sun gong to represent the equal night and day of the Equinox at our event! Wayne just purchased this most amazing 40" Sun Gong. It's tuned to the note B which resonates to the crown chakra, but with it's sheer size, it's probably very grounding as well.
The ruling energy of all life on planet earth. The Sun Gong promotes confidence, assertiveness and self-esteem. It can heal issues of pride and arrogance; promotes self-understanding, transcendental and self-realization.
Chiron is another of Wayne's newer gongs and actually was my favorite gong to play at my first gong training in 2020.
Chiron represents the wounded healer and provides a powerful resonating tone tuned to the musical note of G#. It opens the heart and throat centers, promoting compassion, creativity and truth.
Wayne says, "When I hear the sounds and vibrations it produces with friction mallets, I understand why Chiron is known for healing deep wounds and traumas."
Here's a summary of the the other five gongs that will be present at our event and the chakras they primarily focus on:
Pluto - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
Ohm Earth - 4th
Uranus - 6th
Zodiac Earth - 7th
Nibiru - 8th (electromagnetic field, aura)
I've included two videos below so you can get a feel for Wayne and his gongs.