Opening the Gate - Sounding for Wellbeing

Down through the ages and across the world, human cultures have sounded vocally and instrumentally as a ceremonial expression. For thousands of years, individual and collective sounding has remained central to communal rituals. Older cultures understood that intentional sounding mediates a connection between the seen and unseen dimensions. Whether a medicine woman, a tribal shaman, or the village healer, each practitioner was skilled at conveying a mystical current and magical energy through sonic expressions.  

In this session, Gary Diggins will guide participants through accessible practices that allow us to bridge the material and spiritual worlds. Our intent will be to cultivate wellbeing for ourselves and others. Some of the topics will include: shaping the breath, introducing vocables, creating overtones, working with drones and rhythms, offering spontaneous soundscapes, generating rhythmic chants, developing sonic prayers, understanding the Axis Mundi, tapping one’s musical intelligence, listening on three different planes, and shapeshifting through sound.

No prior musical training is necessary to participate and each participant is encouraged to find their own authentic voice in the process. 

Gary Diggins

Gary Diggins has authored five books on the therapeutic benefits of sounding and listening. He has served in private practice as a Soundwork and Expressive Arts practitioner for over forty years. Gary’s work has taken him to various countries and communities globally. He currently teaches at the Create Institute in Toronto, a three-year expressive arts program. Gary is based on a rural property in the Beaver Valley where he daily connects the surrounding landscapes with therapeutic soundscapes. Visit www.garydiggins.com for more details.