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Sheila Whittaker
Category: Gong Work

People, Gongs & Agendas


People are amazing! I have always found people absolutely fascinating, and they never cease to surprise me. I get quite a lot of emails from all sorts of people about the gong work, and of course I always reply to an email, as it’s polite to do so. I am constantly amazed at some of the requests I get from people I have never met, who have never been to a gong workshop with me, and clearly never intend to, or even bought one of my books, who want to ask me questions and basically use me and my knowledge and expertise! I am quite happy to be of help to people, within limits, but if my input is likely to involve a substantial chunk of my time, there needs to be some sort of energy input from the recipient too, in fairness. Sometimes people ask me a lot of quite complex questions and want guidance on topics which would take me a long time to answer, and so I have to draw a line somewhere. These are usually topics which I have covered fully in my books for this very reason – so that those who can’t get to a workshop can at least read about the gong work and get some answers to their questions. Now that the books are out there on Kindle and able to be downloaded digitally, people all over the world can reference them easily. And hard copies of both books are available within the UK on the website www.healing-sound.co.uk


Sometimes people have plans, or agendas, and sometimes those plans involve you! When you don’t wish to fit in with their plans because you have your own fairly busy life and are strongly centred in your own power, they can occasionally get quite annoyed! And this can happen not just within our working environment, but in our personal lives too, and quite often with family members and friends. And of course there is a small percentage of people that you are never going to be able to please, whatever you do for them, or however much you put yourself out for them. Because nothing is ever going to be right, bless them. They are the ones I refer to as “the complainers”. They are un-satisfy-able. I honour them and move on.


I like to use Facebook, LinkedIn, and other Social media sites as networking tools for my gong work, and they have been very helpful in getting the word out. However, I sometimes think people look at my page on Facebook, for example, see long blonde hair and the posts about love and spirituality, and a few get the wrong impression! Certainly, from one or two of the odd requests I have had recently, it’s clear that some may have thought I am a “spiritual push-over”! They have no idea, obviously. You can lead your life in a very spiritual way, and go about your work with calm quiet assurance, and there are always going to be a few who will take it for weakness, not realising the depth, strength and empoweredness that lies behind the quiet persona. This quote comes to mind : "Don't ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance, and my kindness for weakness”. That about sums it up. An open heart is not a synonym for a spiritual doormat!


And then there is the vast majority of people who write and ask for information, who are genuinely interested, even fascinated, in the gongwork, and feel instinctively drawn to it for their own spiritual growth and healing, rather than for various ego-based reasons. They are a joy to connect with and I am happy to exchange emails with people who are obviously coming from the heart and speaking their truth when they request information and ask questions. It is my great joy to share this work that I am passionate about. I hope many more will continue to find the gongs and come to workshops and learn to work with them for healing and empowerment. The gong comes into your life when you are ready. And now, many are ready.


Posted: 30 Apr 2016 By: Martyn Cawthorne Martyn Cawthorne

Very well put Sheila :-)
I think this is a really important topic too, and you know it's always been an area of interest for me. I love the power and the sheer majesty of gongs, at all different volume levels, and love to spend forever watching as worlds of sound build in various fresh forms from one moment to the next, and I love to share the shallow rippling pools and the giant waterfalls..... well you get the picture.....there's a lot I love about playing gongs for myself and for others.... but in the end, it's about caring for people, and as such, a gong player must be respectful of those in the presence of the gongs, and of their entire being, emotional, spiritual etc... and must play accordingly :-). I enjoyed your article
Sheila, and as always, feel that you are coming from a place of compassion and do a great job of communicating it. :-)

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