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My wife Stephie just turned 42. For her birthday we went swimming at Zurich Lake. We were in up to our waists when she asked me to write a story about live music. Stephie, this is for you. ............. Live music. What makes live music wonderful? Because it isn't perfect. It is certainly not glamor. Nor is it the starstruck stimulation of a Taylor Swift sized persona. It is not the light show....

by Gene Rooney Centuries ago in a woods so deep, Through the cool grass there wandered a sheep, Who started a trail as he moved along, A winding trail in the brush long gone. By now two hundred years are through, And the sheep has died, as all sheep do: But he left behind this trail he trod, As he mashed the grass on the forest sod. And after him there came his flock, And after them, some other...

After a gong bath last week, I was saying good bye to a friend. She said, almost to herself, I wish my whole life could be like the gong bath. That got me thinking. I started thinking about what happens when the session is over. I was then reminded of a culture shock moment I had after my very first session I gave in Switzerland. It was December or 2019. For years, before that session, I had been...

Seven Gems from Louise Kay Last week we had our first Sat Gong. This is a session where we listen in to (meditate with) a spiritual teacher for some minutes and then have a gong bath. The meditation we used was from a teacher named Louise Kay. Here is the meditation we used before the gong bath. What I love about this meditation is that not only is it immediately actionable, but it has many...

Matajuro Yagyu was the son of a famous swordsman. His father, believing that his son's work was too mediocre to anticipate mastership, refused to teach him. So Matajuro went to Mount Futara and there found the famous swordsman Banzo. But Banzo confirmed the father's judgment. "You wish to learn swordsmanship under my guidance?" asked Banzo. "You cannot fulfill the requirements." "But if I work...

It will come as a surprise to noone when I say that I love the gongs. I love how they sound, what I can do with them, what they do for others. Yes, yes, gongs are great. If you are reading this, there is a good chance you agree with me here, or at least you are curious about gongs. Maybe you are curious about gongs as muciscal instruments, or 'sound healing' instruments, or meditation...

Gong baths are an enigma. On one hand they seem so special, exotic even. On the other hand, they create profound shifts in the quality of our lives. The challenge is to see a gong bath, not as something totally strange, but something that can be a regular part of life.  Because of the special nature of gong baths, many of us, including me, have associated them with special events. Something to...

by Alan Steinborn Berlin, February, 1994. In Berlin, a city known for its heavy winters, there is a district named Neuköln--an area made of hard stone and cold steel where the winter colors on display were gray, gray, and gray. February was a time of little sun in Berlin; about 5 hours a day, and even then the sun seemed doubtful of itself. As if it had forgotten how to shine, how to warm.  It...

I gave my first gong bath, sort of, only 2 days after I first played a gong. That may sound doubtful or even crazy, but it is nevertheless true. Here is what happened: On a Wednesday afternoon, a UPS man showed up with a big van and unloaded some big boxes, which contained gongs, a gong stand and some mallets. Like an over sugared 5 year old on Christmas, I ripped open the boxes and immediately...

This is an article I wrote 14 years ago. I hope you enjoy. Please note, back 2009, the word for a smart phone was 'cell phone.' I love cell phones. Who doesn't love cell phones? Sure, we complain about them all the time. The endless distractions, the instant temptation to check out of the present moment if there is the slightest possibility of not having anything to do for a moment, we are all...