All Night Gonging - Honouring the Earth

All-Night Gonging is a sacred ceremony in which gongs are played continuously for 7.5 to 8 hours. 

This devotional ritual honors and creates space for participants to reconnect their mind, body, and spirit, symbolizing unity in diversity.

The mystery of sound is mysticism; the harmony of life is religion. The knowledge of vibrations is metaphysics, the analysis of atoms is science, and their harmonious arrangement is art. The rhythm of form is poetry, and the rhythm of sound is music. This reveals that music is both the art of arts and the science of sciences, containing within itself the fountain of all knowledge.

Music is considered a divine or celestial art not only because of its role in religion and devotion and its universal nature but also due to its refinement compared to other arts and sciences. While every sacred scripture, holy picture, or spoken word leaves an impression on the soul's mirror, music stands before the soul without leaving any mark from the objective world. It thus prepares the soul to realize the infinite. 

Recognizing this, Sufis refer to music as ghiza-e ruh, the food of the soul, using it as a source of spiritual perfection. For music lovers, the fire of the heart and the flame it kindles illuminate the soul. Sufis gain profound benefits from music during meditation, finding it more helpful than other practices. Their devotional and meditative attitude enhances their responsiveness to music, aiding their spiritual development. Music helps consciousness first detach from the body and then from the mind, leading to spiritual perfection with just one final step needed. — Hazrat Inayat Khan, The Music of Life

With the intention of honoring the land that supports us, we will immerse ourselves in 8 hours of continuous gonging. This experience will allow us to explore diverse layers and dimensions of sound, facilitating complete body relaxation, deep mental reflection, and comprehensive spiritual nourishment.

About the Performers:

Yin Xiong is an accomplished international musician with over three decades of experience as a holistic sound artist. Born in Wuhan, China, Yin has a deep love for music and has been singing all her life. She acquired her training in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and plays various instruments, specializing in gongs. On her worldwide travels performing and teaching, Yin has collected over 70 magnificent gongs and singing bowls – the largest private collection in Africa. Yin lives in George with her husband, Ismail Rahman, a retired diplomat. As a creative and inspired facilitator, Yin uses her unique knowledge of sound frequencies to create a spectrum of sound that is therapeutic to the entire being.

Keith Woolacott's passion is rooted in exploring how interactions with sound can lead to life-changing experiences. As a student of Yin Xiong, he discovered that the art of conversing with instruments is more about listening than speaking. Since then, Keith has engaged in profound and transformative dialogues with the gongs, and he feels a deep calling to share these experiences.