About sound healing AND SOUND-HEALING INSTRUMENTS

I was born in Cleveland Ohio during the summer of 1952.

My astrological Sun is in Virgo.  

In May of 1958, just before my 6th birthday, I was baptized a Protestant Christian in the Lutheran Church and began attending Sunday School on a regular basis.  

At age 13, I was confirmed a member of the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), after two years of religious training.

I was taught:

Luther believed that salvation was only by faith in Jesus, unmediated by the church.  He challenged papal authority by emphasizing the Bible as the only source of religious authority and believed the church to be a priesthood of all believers.  These ideas helped to inspire the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization. 

I attended church regularly until leaving home for college.  I was taught that God was all powerful, all knowing and everywhere.  If that was true, then God had to be much greater than any limited interpretation or understanding taught by one particular religion, spiritual tradition or experience.  So began my search for a greater understanding. 

 Music played a prominent role throughout my life. I loved it all:  classical, disco, new age, meditative, healing, vocal, sacred, instrumental, trance, and others.

I’ve always had a passion for music and at a young age enjoyed listening to classical music, especially symphonies. Each instrument has to be tuned to a specific frequency or vibration in order to express its perfect sound.  So many instruments playing different sounds from different bodies.  Drums like to beat, horns like to shout, string instruments love to be strummed and plucked, keyboards like to be tickled and chimes cry out with joy. But together, when tuned and balanced, they all harmonize into a beautiful symphony.  Like the orchestra, could you imagine a world, where each and every one of us, could be perfectly tuned and together we would harmonize into something so much greater?

I also have a passion for the human body. Lots to discover and experience along my journey from infant to aging adult. Crawling, sitting, standing, walking, running, dancing.  So many parts: physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual. Each and every part tuned to its perfect vibration.  And when all the parts are balanced, they too align and harmonize into a beautiful symphony of life. 

My "meditative journey" began at the age of 35 with the purchase of Zygon's Ultra Meditation Cassettes, with Neuro Entrainment Matrix.  It was quite cutting edge at the time.  The advertisement, if I recall correctly stated, "Meditate like a Tibetan Monk in 28 minutes or less."   I was hooked!

The following year, I purchased Shirley MacLaine's Inner Workout Video.  This was my introduction to the chakras (the energy system within our bodies).  

Wow! What an eye opener as I expanded my knowledge of the seven major chakras of the body (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown) and the effects each have on my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components.

At the age of 46, I had my first encounter with Reiki (pronounced ray-key) a Japanese form of energy healing.  During one of my sessions, I experienced something incredible.  Several years later I came to realize that what I experienced was a spontaneous Kundalini awakening.   

My Reiki practitioner gave me a copy of the book Reiki Fire, an excellent practical guide to Reiki.

A year later, at the age of 47, I acquired a book called Sounds of Healing by Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D.  This opened my eyes to Tibetan singing bowls and how sound can affect healing.   

Dr. Gaynor was an oncologist (cancer specialist) and believed that disease comes from not being at ease (dis-ease) or exhibiting chronic stress.  One of his patients was a Tibetan monk.  Why would a Tibetan monk, living a life of tranquility and peace, need serious medical attention?  

As a child, he suffered horrendous turmoil, following the invasion of his country.  He introduced Dr. Gaynor to a Tibetan singing bowl.  Upon placing the small metal bowl on his outstretched palm, Dr. Gaynor struck the perimeter of the bowl with a wooden striker and the bowl began to vibrate or sing.  He immediately sensed the calming effect it had throughout his body.  

I just had to have one of those singing bowls. Searching the internet in the late 90s resulted in little information. One could be purchased from Nepal, but public commerce on the internet was in its infancy and I was hesitant to send my credit card information over the internet.  Disappointed, I let go of my desire at that time, to acquire one.

A few months later a friend of mine informed me that a small bookshop, Ravynthorne, opened its doors in downtown Millersburg, the town I was living in at the time.  Millersburg, with a population of 3000, was the largest town in this rural Ohio county.  Nearly half of the county's residents were Amish.  Why would someone open a bookshop in this rural Amish community? 

Out of curiosity I entered the shop, and to my disbelief, there sat two small Tibetan singing bowls, just waiting for my arrival.  Needless to say, I made the purchase, and this began my journey of sound healing meditation.  

This evolved into one of the quickest and easiest ways to meditate, labeled a MEDITATIVE JOURNEY.  Each 30-minute MEDITATIVE JOURNEY will follow the same format (QUICK START METHOD) but will take you to a different place every time you listen.  Meditation has a cumulative effect.  

How do you know it's working?  

With regular meditation you will feel calmer, healthier, happier and you will experience more appreciation or gratitude.  You will become less reactive and feel a greater sense of patience, compassion and empathy toward others.  

We talk to God through prayer, but meditation is a way to listen.  

Meditation facilitates a greater connection with the divine energy that we are all a part of.  

Each MEDITATIVE JOURNEY begins with an ancient sacred chant or rhythmic drumming.     

I've always loved the vocal sounds of sacred music and their connection with the divine.  I chose chants from the following religious and spiritual traditions:

Christianity - Gregorian Chant

Judaism - YHWH Mantra Chant

Hinduism - Gayatri Mantra Chant 

Buddhism - Metta Sutta Mantra Chant

Shamanism - Drumming & Digeridoo 

Native American - Drumming & Nadia Chant

I paired each with a specially chosen meditative instrumental that harmoniously or energetically blended with the chant.  I came across some beautiful instrumentals from composer Chris Collins at https://indiemusicbox.com/ I was able to find the perfect music that blended beautifully with any chant I chose.     

I wanted to pair a Nasheed Hum with a meditative instrumental and add sound-healing instruments to create an Islamic Meditative Journey.  However, after doing some research, I came to the understanding that out of respect, an Islamic Nasheed should never be paired with any secular music.    

After the soundtracks were established, I then selected the specific sound-healing instruments that resonated with the chant and music chosen.  Those were the instruments I used in that particular sound meditation session or MEDITATIVE JOURNEY.    

This "energetic layering" beginning with a sacred chant, adding a meditative instrumental, then introducing sound-healing instruments creates a very powerful meditative experience, as it appears to activate a Mind-Body-Spirit connection.  

Finally in 2024, I created six 30-minute downloadable sound meditation sessions called MEDITATIVE JOURNEYS.  You can download any one you choose for $16 USD, except for the Shaman Meditative Journey recommended for more experienced meditators, at a cost of $20 USD.