Be Curious

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. - Helen Keller

Sir David Attenborough is considered the ‘Willy Wonka’ of the natural world.  Ninety nine years young his curiosity and delight in even the smallest of creatures evokes wonder and awe.

When was the last time you felt the same?

I am currently teaching in Bangkok at my second gong home, Lotus Wellness.  The look of surprised euphoria of one student is forever etched in my memory.  Up until that moment her entire audience consisted of her beloved puppies.  Sharing the sound current for a fellow human for the first time was a once in a life time moment. She instantaneously understood the power of her hands, in her mallets and in her heart.

Anyone who keeps learning stays young. - Henry Ford

We began our week with B Love friction mallets.  Some students had no previous exposure, others, mixed.  Here they were invited to …look at the world with fresh eyes being childlike. Seth Godin. And realised every imperfect attempt was an occasion for a delight unlike anything else on earth. – Stephen Nachmanovitch. They caressed otherworldly sounds from the gongs evoking the depths of the oceans or the far reaches of the cosmos.  Every swipe of the mallet, wipe on, wipe off was a magical adventure in sound. 

Isaac Asimov said the true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing. Barbara Sher says that the whole world will open up for you if you learn to like being a beginner.  For in the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. – Shunryu Suzuki

In my gong classes we begin with theory, build muscle memory and teach connection to source.  We learn to be responsible channels of cosmic energy to uplift our audiences with integrity and authenticity.  If you wish to join the wave sweeping the planet to uplift and transform remember It is never to late to learn something new. Anon.

It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. - Meister Eckhart

 My next training is in HK starting Feb 14. www.red-doors.com/events

Bittersweet wheel of time

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. – Seneca the Younger

The traditional medicine wheel represents the unending cyclical nature of life with no true beginning or end. The last few days represented a full turning of my wheel as 2026 unfolds.

Over the weekend I hosted Earth Mother Blue Star from Holland - an acknowledged keeper of ancient wisdom of five continents.  Our time together was of learning, exploring and unlocking ancient earth energies all for the benefit of humanity.  She also led a journey to connect with our guides for the coming year.

On Tuesday I presented my last class to The Shift Network. It was bittersweet. During our seven months together the class grew in confidence and competence as they gained knowledge in all things gong.  I felt connected to each and every one of them and will miss our weekly gatherings.  

 As a parent our responsibility is to teach our children independence yet when they leave the nest we are left with mixed feelings: a sense of emptiness and sadness; joy and pride.  I have touched many lives, inspired and uplifted through example.  These new gong players represent the future as they craft their own gong journeys.

The next chapter of my life is always more interesting than the last one. - Michael Lipsey

Go well, play well until we meet again.

Ithaka

Ithaka is the mythical home of Odysseus (also known as Ulysses), the hero of the Odyssey.  The story describes his arduous ten year voyage after the Trojan War to return home and reassert his place as king. In the following poem it serves as a metaphor for our life’s journey and the wisdom gained from experience.

As you set out in search of Ithaka
Pray that your journey be long,
full of adventures, full of awakenings.
do not fear the monsters of old...
you will not meet them in your travels
if your thoughts are exalted and remain high,
unless you bring them along inside your soul,

Constantine Peter Cavafy 1911

A gong bath is also a metaphor for returning home. Their immersive sounds transport us across the cosmos to connect with our true self, a place of unconditional love and inner peace.  Join us tonight to begin your trip.

Ring Out the Old

Frosty was a magical whimsical snowman who brought joy and happiness before fleeing to the north pole to escape the warming effects of spring. We can't control the inevitable passage of time however we can commemorate and celebrate its passing. Tonight we take inspiration from Alfred, Lord Tennyson for our all night gong puja.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
   The flying cloud, the frosty light:
   The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
   The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
   For those that here we see no more;
   Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
   And ancient forms of party strife;
   Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
   The faithless coldness of the times;
   Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
   The civic slander and the spite;
   Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
   Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
   Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
   The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
   Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Happy New Year and may all your dreams come true.

The gift of giving

The holiday season is traditionally a time of family, feasting and the exchange of presents.  One simply has to venture to central to see the frenzied flurry of shoppers fulfilling obligatory lists.  I invite you to check in to the true meaning of gift giving.  John D. Rockefellar Jr said to Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.   Frank Sonnenberg suggests the following:

The Gift of Giving
Give out of love, not obligation. (For it is in giving that we receive. St. Francis of Assisi)
Give when it's least expected.
Give without Strings attached.
Give from your heart.
Give of yourself.
Give to show that you care.
Give help without causing helplessness.
Give somethings that takes personal sacrifice.
Give to make a difference.
Give without keeping score.
Give for no reason at all.
Give a little if you can't give a lot. (No one has ever become poor by giving. Anne Frank)
Give without attracting attention to yourself.
Give without being asked.
Give of your experience.
Give to those who need it most.

Remember that our presence is present enough.

Crystal Clarity

The art of scrying is to gaze into a crystal or other reflective surface to foretell the future.
Yet To see the things that others can't see, You need crystal clear clarity. -Srinivart

We are fast approaching the longest night of the year. 
the clarity of
winter dusk, the still sharp air
and one bright blue star - anon

n the Northern Hemisphere the angle of the sun offers spectacularly clear skies, sunrises and sunsets.  One can't help but feel that our vision has improved.  The time between Dec 24 and Jan 6 or the 12 nights of Christmas is believed to be a time when the portals to the heavens are open for two way communication. Now is the time to set your sights on the coming twelve months.

Your focus determines your reality. George Lucas
The Theosophical society founded in the early 1900's by notables including Carl Jung, Rupert Steiner, Alice Bailey and others resurrected an ancient practice to help us set intentions.  There is now proof that written intention setting is highly effective.   Dr. Gail Matthews (Dominican University) found that written planful intentions with weekly check-ins were 33-40% more likely to be achieved versus those that were just fleeting ideas.

This Saturday I will hold a special gong for the solstice preceded by an introduction into the ancient practice of intention setting for the 12 nights of Christmas. One night, one month. We implant the seeds of upcoming success, protection and fruitful endeavours. This is your invitation to join us. Details below. https://www.red-doors.com/events/p/journaling

Full Circle

This is not a full circle, It's life carrying on. It is the next breath we take It's the choice we make to get on with it. Alexandra Fuller

The Enso practice for Japanese meditators involves the daily drawing of a circle with one brush stroke. This reflects the state of the meditator on that day.  It represents the emptiness from which all things arise yet it is not complete – giving the impression of being part undone.

I am currently attending a kundalini yoga intensive program called the 21 Stages of Meditation in Bali. Comprising three ‘journeys’ we explore the hindrances to meditation, our crystalline self and then graceful enlightenment. 

Today we will share our experiences of yesterday’s 5 x 31 min meditations repeating the Laya yoga mantra.  It was a marathon to hold difficult mudras, maintaining the chant, shifting position to ease aching knees and observing my mind running a full circle of the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.  

Just getting into position was a challenge. Then the clock starts and we begin to chant. Within minutes I start wondering why are they going so fast? Why doesn’t someone stop them?  I chant louder, frustration sets in, then shutting down and pausing before a change of heart.  ‘They know not what they do” comes to mind. I decide to laugh, readjust the arms and spine and to lighten up. Literally.  We finally reach the end for a much deserved gong bath.

By shifting my mindset I joyfully completed these difficult seemingly endless meditations without irritation.  How to translate this learning to my daily life?  We know we’re coming full circle when we stand at a very similar crossroad where we made such a mess of life before, but this time we take a different road. Beth Moore You just stay the course, and do what it is that you do, and grow while you’re doing it. Eventually it will either come full circle, or at least you’ll go to bed happy. Jon Bon Jovi 

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.