Cold Moon
It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over. -Paulo Coelho
This week we witness the last supermoon of the year, shining ever more brightly due to its proximity to earth and the winter solstice. The Mohawks called it the ‘cold’ moon reflecting the typical drop in temperature. It is a time when collectively the earth exhales.
In yoga we work with the four stages of breath – inhale, pause, exhale and pause. The exhale is an act of "letting go", purification, and release thereby creating space for renewal. The pause is a still point, of clarity and of seeing things as they truly are.
On full moon nights, there is a heightened level of energy within and without. And there are ways to harness this energy towards health, blissfulness, and success. – Sadhguru. It begins by lying down immersed in the sounds of gongs.
Out of the Fire
This week's message is rather difficult to craft. On the one hand it is a time of thanksgiving and joyful connections with family celebrating the bounty of life while on the other Hong Kong has experienced the worst tragedy in living memory with thousands of individuals losing their homes, friends and family members. Hundreds are still missing and the death count rises each hour. As I write the fire is still out of control with it expected to be contained over 24 hours after ignition.
Started by a simple careless cigarette (current theory) compounded by extremely dry conditions and flammable materials the fire quickly engulfed not one but at least seven apartment blocks that were under repair shrouded in bamboo and plastic netting. Thank you to all of you that have reached out to check on my status. Fortunately the fire was miles away however the impact on the citizens of Hong Kong is far reaching.
In tonight's gong bath we will send the mantra Akaal to all those who have lost their lives. We will also contemplate the cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth. We cannot turn back the clock but we can honour the innocent victims, the heroic efforts of neighbours, our firefighters and police by sending energy to survivors so that they may heal on all levels.
Out of the fire comes hope. - Norah Colvin
Push Back
The new moon this week coincided with not one, but five planets in retrograde. If a planet is in retrograde, it means that as seen from Earth, the planet seems to move backwards in the night sky. The ancients believed these planets were journeying through the underworld gathering insights, perspectives, and information.
With so many planets in retrograde we are asked to pause and to go within. Many might feel a sense of stagnation by losing momentum. Instead I invite you to think of this as a time to reflect and redirect: a chance shed light on limiting beliefs and behaviours that are no longer serving you. Taking a moment to step back to move forward is not new.
Remember push back cars where you pushed the car backwards, released, to see it speeding off down the track? In archery, an arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it is going to launch you into something great. So focus and keep aiming. anon
Remembering Kindness
November 11 was Remembrance Day. A day to thank those that came before, giving their lives selflessly so we may live ours. Today we wear red poppies to express our support and respect for the armed services and their families. In the aftermath of WWl nature recovered the battlefields first with grass then thousands of red poppies: a living reminder of the blood shed. Since then the poppy is the symbol of remembrance.
Throughout history the flower is associated with 'eternal sleep'. They were found in King Tutankhaumun's tomb as well as on statues of the 'poppy goddess' who wore a crown of poppies. It is believed that the Greek gods created the poppy so that its juice would help Demeter, the goddess of agriculture to sleep and to begin healing over the loss of her daughter Persephone. When she awoke poppies sprang from her footsteps and became her sacred flower.
Today is also world kindness day. A day to take a moment to remember to show kindness to yourself, your friends, family and all those you meet. Mother Teresa said 'Peace begins with a smile'. That is all it takes.
Commit
Commitment is an act not a word. Anon
This weekend I embarked on a three year journey of personal development and mastery.
Oscar Wilde said: The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly – that is what each of us is here for.
Kundalini level 3 is DEFINITELY NOT for the faint of heart. It requires integrity, commitment and dedication and consists of three pillars:
We develop our meditative mind with 31 minutes of daily practice for 1000 days. Miss a day and start over from zero. It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop. Confucious
31 minutes will balance your 31 tattvas, your chakras and ethereal body. In 1000 days you will master the new consciousness, essentially you ‘become it’.
One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others. Lewis Carroll. Seva is the second pillar. We commit to undertake a community project embodying KRI teachings. This may take many forms, What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Jane Goddall
Spiritual maturity is a journey of self discovery and mastery. However, Alone we can do little, together we can do so much. Helen Keller. We find support in a small peer group creating space for reflection, feedback and authentic discourse.
There is no exam, no curriculum or certificate of achievement. It is up to my peers to decide if my efforts qualify for completion.
What would ever possess me to embark on such a challenge?
I owe my current life and purpose to one happenstance meeting on the street in HK in 2012 where a friend suggested I try kundalini yoga. That led to one class followed a few weeks later by attending teacher training in New Mexico where I had my first gong bath. That led to purchasing my first gong and the rest is history. Curiosity and continuous development led to completing Level 2 training. The next step is personal mastery rather than the accumulation of knowledge. I registered before COVID and the class started last weekend. The thought of the challenges ahead is daunting. But
Success is not final
Failure is not fatal
It is the courage to continue that counts. Winston Churchill
Sat nam
Cleaning House
Spider webs are a favourite Halloween decoration. In nature orb spiders weave intricate webs of silk 5 times stronger than steel. The webs protect eggs, create underwater homes, wrap food, offer a platform for courtship displays, and ensnarl prey.
Known as Nature’s Architects spiders begin by dangling a sticky bridge thread with the other end pulled by the breeze until it finds a holdfast. Then a second thread crossing the first. Eventually the frame is anchored followed by spokes from the central hub for structural support filled in with concentric sticky spirals with an occasional decorative flourish. Their patience and determination results in a finished product within 30 min.
Spiders are superb opportunists building webs in prime locations for capturing prey and relying on the creative use of space and resources. It is no surprise that as a spirit animal they represent the weaving of destiny and symbolize the connection between past and future.
This week I invite you to clear the cobwebs of your mind, renew your vision for the future and surmount any fears that may deter the manifesting of your dreams. One of the best ways to do so is relaxing to the sound of the gongs. In the words of Yogi Bhajan - The mind cannot resist a gong well played.
We are One
Credit Greg Rakozy
A hundred things
a million or more
if you look to their reality
are one - Fakhruddin Iraqi
Today we celebrate UN Day and Global Oneness Day.
Born in the aftermath of world war the UN has for the last 80 years endeavoured to promote peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. Their theme for 2025 is ‘better together’. Global Oneness Day began in 2010 with a petition of 52,000 signatures delivered to the UN and is now celebrated in 150 countries. Their premise is:
“Until there is a sense of solidarity among the peoples of the world all of our efforts for peace and security will go... Oneness is the energy of love that lies within and connects all of life, allowing us to recognize ourselves in everything, to realise the connectedness between everyone and everything”
When we participate in a group activity such as a transformative gong bath sometimes we transcend our personal sense of self and ‘’me’ becomes ‘we’. Gamma is what creates that feeling of oneness, bliss, compassion that is contagious in a group setting. Quantum physicist Schrodinger wrote the total numbers of minds in the universe is one. This plus the theory of quantum entanglement where particles are linked no matter how far apart they may be helps to explain how we send energy and intentions to the other side of the planet.
This week I invite you pause and sense that connection from your heart with family and friends across the miles.
Gratitude is a feeling.
Gratitude is the memory of the heart. - Jean Baptiste Massieu
Aristotle wrote in 350 B.C.E. that virtue is formed by habit: We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”
Scientists at the University of California studied how gratitude affects the brain. After three weeks of writing daily gratitude notes, participants’ prefrontal cortex — the brain’s center for focus and stress control — physically changed leading to the observation that Gratitude doesn’t just lift your mood — it rebuilds your wiring.
When gratitude stays in your head, it’s just manners, one researcher said. When it reaches your body, it becomes transformation. - anon
If you mechanically write or express your gratitude from ‘the head up’ there will be no change. Instead you’ll express boredom. On the other hand for those who took a few moments to stop, close their eyes and embody the warmth of gratitude in their hearts and elsewhere in their body, they triggered deep neural activation in the area of the brain tied to emotional memory.
After two months, these participants had lower cortisol, better sleep, and sharper focus. Their brain scans resembled experienced meditators. But most importantly, their brains automatically started spotting good things throughout the day. Gratitude had become a perception.
As we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving this week I invite you to take a moment to sit and reflect on all that we are grateful for, relive the expression of gratitude from your fingers to your toes.
Hunting for Courage
October's Hunter Supermoon is a symbol of culmination and clarity, a time to step into your truth and claim what you’ve been working toward. Martha Graham said, There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.
It takes courage to act on that inner voice and gongs are your catalyst.
A week ago a woman visiting HK attended a gong bath and on the spur of the moment decided to return and attend the 7 day workshop the following week. Afterwards she said…. The past 7 days have been transformative in every way.. and has changed me in ways that I never thought possible.
Gongs have given her a new direction, new passion and renewed purpose.
This month I invite you to think about
What dream or goal am I ready to pursue with renewed confidence?
Where am I being called to lead rather than follow?
What am I ready to release that’s been dimming my fire?
How can I honour my passions without fear of judgment or failure?
What “harvest” am I reaping from the work I’ve done over the past few months?
Happy Autumn Moon
the centre of chaos
Last week I decamped to the studio for the duration of typhoon Ragasa. Packing winds up to 270 kph it was the strongest storm for decades. Fortunately HK was well prepared and suffered minimal damage.
Every circular storm has an eye that offers a temporary period of calm amidst chaos.
Red Doors is described as the ‘centre of calm in the city’. Here clients come to seek peace and clarity. Whether the welcoming smell of spiced tea, the scrumdiddlyumptious chocolate brownies or simply the presence of a room full of majestic sacred gongs projecting strength and stability, each fosters inner peace and clarity. The studio is a stabilizing force for the community.
Although I exist in the eye of the storm, the calm in the centre of a perpetual hurricane. - Clare Morrall I know that Within you (me), there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which (I) you can retreat at any time and be yourself. - Hermann Hesse.
Dreams are for real. - Tupac Shakur
Today is World Dream Day. Today I invite you to take a moment to stop and reflect on your personal dreams and aspirations. Do they lie in the recesses of your mind? Or in a forgotten journal in the drawer?
Sometimes, Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing. – Adolph Monod
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did….– Mark Twain
Today I invite you to become a dreamer once again for Every great dream begins with a dreamer... – Harriet Tubman
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. – James Allen
It will drive your thoughts, words and deeds. No one said it would be easy.
Any dream worth dreaming is worth the effort to make it come true. – Evan Gourley
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m POSSIBLE. - Audrey Hepburn
From URL to IRL
For the younger generations digital third spaces such as Discord supplanted traditional hangouts like coffee shops. Now, the pendulum is swinging back to meaningful face to face interactions. Interest-based fourth spaces bring people together around a shared identity.
A wellness fourth space is a physical, real-world gathering place where people connect offline around shared interests, prioritizing authentic, screen-free, human-to-human interaction and community building. Unlike digital spaces these create a sense of belonging and purpose, fostering social, physical, and mental well-being.
Red Doors is your fourth space. It is a space of calm in the city, a place of shared passions and inspired connections. In real life, in real time we share, we support and we inspire.
Imagine Peace
24 years ago we woke to the news of the twin towers, today we woke to the tragic news of Charlie Kirk.
Many ask, ‘what can I do?’ The short answer, ‘Peace begins with me’.
Here is a poem by Congolese peacekeeper Pacifique Akilimali and Nigerian poet Maryam Bukar Hassan as the theme for a United Nations campaign honouring peacekeepers.
Watch the video here https://peacebeginswithme.un.org/en/poetry/
Peace like a smile is a language everyone understands
When anger tries to bury me
And the world spins into chaos
I will remember that peace begins with me
When the night engulfs the earth
Like the beautiful break of dawn
The stellar rise of the sun
I will remember that peace begins with me
Des années à fuir (years spent fleeing)
Des années à espérer ( years spent hoping)
Condamnés à vivre dans la guerre Ou à s'exiler(condemned to live in war or exile)
Pourtant une fois on m'a dit (one day someone told me)
La paix commence avec toi petit (peace begins with me)
Alors je choisis de Donner pour mieux recevoir (so I choose to give to better receive)
Close my eyes to better perceive
What would the world be if all hope was lost?
For peace is what you fight for!
Se battre pour la paix (fighting for peace)
Comme une bouteille à la mer, lancée en plein desert (like a message in a bottle tossed in the desert)
Moi je propage un message de paix en temps de guerre (I spread a call for peace in times of war)
Across identities and differences
Over countries and continents
Across colours and cultures
Words and scriptures
It's not hard to choose peace
Peace is a pen writing in conviction
A pencil giving you a chance to start all over again
If you choose peace
Choisir (choose)
Choisir de garder la paix, quand tout ce que t’as connu c’est la guerre (choose to keep the peace when all you have known is war)
J’ai vu des gens venir de partout dans le monde (I have seen people arriving from all over the world)
Laissant leurs familles, leur confort (leaving their families and comfort)
Et quand je vois leur engagement (and when I see their commitment)
Je me dis ¡'y croirai jusqu'au bout (it gives me everlasting hope)
La paix elle est fragile (peace is fragile)
Mais ma dévotion est solide (but my devotion is boundless)
Je lui dédierai ma vie (I will dedicate my life to it)
And just like that, I know that peace begins with me
Si la paix commence avec moi (if peace begins with me)
Alors le futur me surveille( then the future watches over me)
If peace begins with me
Then tell the world - I am ready
Individually we radiate peace. Our heart’s electromagnetic field is 5000x stronger than your brain and it extends 8-12’ beyond your body. Collectively we have the capacity to create a measurable coherent field that has been repeatedly tested and measured as the Maharashi Effect. Dr. John Hagelin, quantum physicist said, We are not isolated islands of consciousness. We are connected, like drops. In the same ocean.
Join us on the weekend of September 20-21 for a weekend of activities around the world where gong players offer global gong pujas to gather together as one, to elevate energy and to celebrate the International Day of Peace. Refer to www.red-doors.com/events for our schedule.
Finding True North
Historically we use a compass to indicate magnetic north. One of the four greatest inventions, compasses originated in China in 60 CE and comprised a lodestone spoon and a metal ‘heaven plate’, together they were called sinan. The spoon would always point south when sitting on the plate. This evolved in the West to the floating magnetic needles that we know today.
Our lives are directed by our internal moral compass that guides our decisions based on our concept of right and wrong. We are said to be ‘in integrity’ when what we say, think and do is wholly embodied and consistent to our values.
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.– C. S. Lewis
Integrity is also defined as the state of being whole and undivided. As a gong player we play from our heart with singular attention to energise the intentions of our clients. Some teachers focus on ‘Integral Gong’.
Disappointingly my students report of gong players who are checking messages on their phones while playing; who carbon copy the words and practices of other players without crediting their source; who focus more on appearances in their Instagram post than on delivering a quality sound experience; and some who believe gongs are no different than bowls and therefore do not seek relevant training before playing for the public.
… know that integrity, honesty and truth are the highest vibrating energies to guide you forward. Everything else will fall away. - Molly McCord
It was predicted that where yoga is today, gongs would be in 20 years. Given the rapid rise in popularity it already seems as though we are “flooding the zone.” There are even several online courses, ‘How to make money playing gongs”. Spiritual materialism has arrived.
We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. - Jimmy Carter
Despite temptations we must adhere to the Six essential qualities that are the key to success: Sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, and charity. - Dr. William Menninger
This defines me.
Nature Heals
Everyone needs a place to retreat; a spot where the world grows silent enough for the soul to speak. - Angie Weiland-Crosby
Yutori is a Japanese concept of a conscious decision to create space and time in life to slow down, relax, reflect, and enjoy life. Thoreau went to the woods, I travel to my homeland in Nova Scotia - equidistant east or west of HK. After a long drive one arrives at a small cabin brimming with decades of eclectic family memories only steps away from a serene lake yet minutes to the ocean.
I go to nature to be soothed, healed and have my senses put in order.- John Burroughs
Each night as the embers fade I strain my ears to hear ANY noise. The silence is only pierced by the ethereal haunting call of loons. Theirs is the quintessential sound of the Canadian wilderness. (listen here). We all have memories triggered by specific scents or sounds. For me, the calls of these amazing birds defines time spent beside, in and on the lake. Their calls travel further on a still lake at night and sometimes you can even hear a response from a neighbouring lake. Simple pleasures surrounded by nature serves to restore on all levels.
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. Rachel Carson
I am sure you have experienced the sense of awe, wonder and peace when you walk into a sacred space such as a great cathedral. Is it their magnificent sacred geometry, spectacular stained glass windows, or sense of history? Science has shown these sites contain an energetic memory or imprint of what has gone before such as prayer or healing. Many of my clients say that as soon as they step over my threshold they let go the stresses of their daily lives. They enter to the lingering scent of spiced tea (or the chocolate brownies), and then step into the studio. There they are surrounded by the quiet, dignified presence of my gongs, enveloping the listeners even before I begin to play.
If one uses a space repeatedly for higher energy practices the ‘charged’ energy lingers and can be measured with a Random Event Generator (REG). This is called ‘conditioned space’ as identified by Roger Nelson of Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR). He conducted numerous studies at sacred sites around the world to measure their fields of consciousness which eventually led to the establishment of the Global Consciousness Project (GCP). In every case he noticed an increase of REGs as if the location contained a lingering vortex of coherent energy from the previous participants.
Researchers Graham Watkins and his wife Anita recruited participants, many known for their psychic ability, and asked them to attempt to mentally influence anaesthetized mice to revive more quickly than usual. The mice that were targeted did revive seconds earlier than the controls. However what was more striking was that if they placed a new mouse onto the spot on the table where another mouse had previously received the psychic’s intentions, the second mouse revived more quickly as well. Thus confirming that the location of the directed ‘healing intention” developed a memory charge that affected whatever or whomever subsequently occupied that space.
Simply being in such a place has healing benefits. This is one of the reasons I intentionally maintain the energetic integrity of the studio by playing mantras 24 / 7, cleansing with sage and palo santo, meticulous attention to cleanliness etc. Welcome to Red Doors.
Recognition
Don't work for recognition, but do work worthy of recognition. - H. Jackson Brown Jr. + Abraham Lincoln
A quote I use in my level 1 gong training is from Walt Disney - Whatever you do, do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again.
Over the years the studio has received accolades such as CItyLUXE - 'Hong Kong's best kept secret!' or Vogue - 'the address no black book should be without' and Tatler 'HK's best first date'. From Caring Company to Innovation and Excellence, APAC Business Award for Best Traditional Relaxation Centre to HK Design Academy Best Branding the studio received recognition as a leader in wellbeing. Since opening I was recognised as a woman leader in wellness in HK, executive coach and counsellor. This week I received Asia's Most Valuable Corporate as All in One Wellness and Meditation Centre. For this recognition I am truly grateful.
Recognition is the spark that ignites the flame of inspiration in the hearts of others. Ava Thompson
Since the beginning as the first dedicated gong centre in Asia there was no established template to follow so I created a 'best in class' approach to set an example for my students and some have. As early adopters in a new field we are only limited by our imaginations as to our offerings yet package them with integrity, consistency and professionalism.
Thank you to all who were responsible for this award reinforcing my dedication to continue to just 'do good'.
Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts. Alan Cohen
Healing Vortex
Numbers rule the universe - Pythagoreas
Today is a # 9 day = May 22, 2025 = 5+2+2+2+0+2+5= 18 = 1+8=9
Nikola Tesla is attributed to saying If you knew the magnificence of the numbers 3, 6 and 9, you would have the key to the universe. He believed that these numbers were fundamental to the universe's energy patterns and held a great deal of significance. To date this has yet to be proven however there is no doubt as to the mystery that surrounds the digits 3,6,9.
In the world of numerology and sacred sound, 3, 6, and 9 represent a trinity of cosmic forces:
· 3 – The Number of Creation
It symbolizes expression, birth, the trinity (body-mind-spirit), and the first point at which energy becomes form. In sound, it relates to the beginning of vibration — the spark that sets the gong in motion.
· 6 – The Number of Harmony
Representing balance, love, and union, 6 is the vibration of beauty and healing. The harmonics of the gong often build into 6-fold overtones, creating a sense of soothing order from apparent chaos.
· 9 – The Number of Completion
9 is the full return — where all cycles close, only to begin again. When the gong fades back into silence, we’re reminded of the eternal loop of existence — the infinite spiral of transformation.
Together: 3 gives birth; 6 nurtures and 9 transforms.
This trinity reflects the gong journey itself: from strike (creation) → resonance (harmony) → release (completion). We believe the gong is the sound of creation. When we play - it is as if we are playing the universe of sound, using these numbers as a cosmic map to guide us.
Healing Power of Moms
When was the last time you spoke to your mother?
As babies they comforted us with their touch but more importantly their voice. Our sense of sound is the first to develop in the womb and the echoes of her voice become associated with safety and security. No matter where I go, my mother's voice always brings me home. anon
This is true even as we grow older. Girls who heard their mothers voice either in person or by phone had a 30% decrease in cortisol and increased oxytocin after doing a stressful task.
In the womb we are surrounded by the sounds of digestion, heart beat, and rhythmic breathing which served to stabilise our heart rate, improve our sleep and decrease pain.
A mother's voice is like no other. We recognize every lilt and whisper, every warble or shriek. Mitch Albon
it has also been reported that a mother's voice created a 200% increase in brain activation in infants versus a stranger's voice. We are intrinsically bonded for life.
Today is world mental health day. If you live too far away to give your mother a hug, I suggest you give her a call. You will be glad you did. It's like a band-aid for your soul.
You never know how precious your mother's voice is until you can no longer hear it. anon
As a mother myself I am prompted to create a recording or two for my grown children to listen to when i am no longer here. I only wish my mother had done the same.
Full Flower Moon
The golden ratio, also known as the golden mean, is a ratio between two numbers that equals approximately 1.618. Usually written as the Greek letter phi, Φ, it is strongly associated with the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers wherein each number is added to the last.
This ratio has been used for thousands of years including the Pyramids and the Parthenon; Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Our brains prefer objects and images using the golden mean. In nature we find it in the shape of the galaxy, the petals of a flower, a coil of a seashell and tropical storms. Even our faces and body proportions loosely follow this mean. Cathedrals built in the middle ages took advantage of phi to create structures that evoke a sense of peace and balance simply by being in their presence.
Phi is also found in the solar system. For example the dimensions of the Earth and Moon are in a ratio of phi. Also Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn’s orbits are multiples of phi.
Monday is Full Flower Moon marking the fullness of spring. Renewal, growth and abundance are common themes.
Gazing into the centre of this flower one can see the spiralling of the petals following the golden mean. For us, at this full moon we are encouraged and emboldened to explore new opportunities yet stay focused on long term goals. It is a time to cultivate new intentions and to honour your journey thus far. Imagine you are like this flower, lifting your head to the sun to embrace the new day while staying fully grounded.