Published in The Open Ear Journal

Music to Evolve By, the Sacred Gong by John Cardano Moment by moment, we are affected by the multitude of vibrations that surround us. The music that we listen to is one of the conscious choices we make concerning our vibratory environment. Listen to your favorite music, what does it do for you? How does it make you fell? Gong music is markedly different. The mystics of old felt that the Sacred Gong was the incarnated embodiment of a high creative intelligence. In human form this would be called a Teacher of Truth. Gong were also considered like cosmic engines, delivering "universal life force" to people. The Gong was the first musical instrument synthesized by humans, around 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia. Wheat was the big food commodity on Earth at that time. Huge stone bread ovens became so hot that the copper and tin flowed from the rocks onto the oven floor. These metallic elements melted together into a thin metal disc, when cooled they produced a great resonant sound. The struck tones fully simulated the beginning word, the sound of OM, the glorious roar of the Universe. Consequently, these flat metal discs were named after the sounds that they madeŠ Gongongong. There was a marked difference in some of the gongs that had a mysterious element added to them. The gongs that had rare fallen pieces of meteorite in them, produced more resonant power and so they were known as Sacred Gongs. The unknown rare element in them is now known as nickel.

Master gong makers meditate for a long period, hammering and listening to each gong they're preparing for acoustical birth, until they feel the presence of the gong's most resonant tone. Their objective is to build a living vehicle for the incarnation of a high creative intelligence, a Buddha of Sound. Such a meditative and creative process takes 6 to 12 months. Too many hits and the gong is considered useless and has to be re-smelted.

According to sound researcher, teacher and therapist, Gongmaster Don Conreaux, the Gong has been used as a spiritual quickener. On a physical level it was used to regenerate the life force of an aging body. The seeker experiences a multi-level influence by the rolling waves of gongtones. Conreaux calls these sound waves feeling ones" because they are kinesthetic, tactile, and sensed by the physical body. The receiver of gongtones registers the vibrations through the skin, muscles, bones and fluids of the organs and cells.

Today, Gongmaster Don Conreaux offers an increasing variety of Gong music. His intensions are obvious; experience the joy and fruits of the gong. He has developed his unique offerings over a period of more than 40 years in sound research, sacred arts, yoga and bodywork practice. In the summer of 1984, traveling West Coast to East across the United States, Conreaux was part of the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March, sponsored by the Nike Company. He performed social ceremonies with the ancient gong in each city as they met with local and state dignitaries. The original march was to the sea to procure salt to strengthen the weakened will of the population, so they could resist tyranny in a non-violent way, and have the strength of spirit to not cooperate with evil. It is not difficult to see that the entire world may need this salt" to transform nationalism and corporate politics into proper respect for the Earth and the Good of All.

In 1987, at the World Union of Cities for Peace convention in Madrid, Spain, Conreaux presented the idea of a Global Network of Peace Bell gardens. It won the unanimous endorsement of the 90 Mayors from cities around the world. Obviously, this is a man dedicated to planetary harmony and spiritual growth. Conreaux presents gong music in a full variety of planetary tones. The Gongs of our Solar System recording represents the spectrum of resonance of celestial harmonies. Eleven (Paiste made) gongs tuned to the planets of our solar system; Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. This is possible due to the work of Hans Cousto, the scientist who calculated the vibrational frequency of each planet and applied the octave principle to these frequencies so that each planet can be heard as a tone.

The ancients recognized the relationships of the planets to the human being. Each of us is a microcosm of the macrocosm. The Gongs of our Solar System resonate chakras, meridians and organs. Each benefits psychological, physiological and spiritual conditions. For example, Venus has to do with creating compassionate mind, loving kindness and inspiration. It affects the Ajna or 3rd eye chakra. Physiologically, it corresponds to the cavernous plexus, brain, triple heater, pituitary gland and the gall bladder. Now, you can decide what to develop or transmute. This profound music stands by itself, or as a support to other healing modalities. This music (as well as gongs, his full complement of recordings and publications) is made available by contacting Mysterious Tremendum.