A Paiste gong begins as a simple disc of nickel silver, an alloy chosen for its strength, flexibility and ability to produce a rich, resonant sound. Through heat, hammering and careful craftsmanship, the metal is gradually shaped into an instrument with its own unique voice. Each strike of the hammer helps form the surface and rim while leaving subtle marks that influence how the gong vibrates. As the work progresses, the maker listens closely, making small adjustments to the gong’s shape, thickness and tension to bring out the right balance of deep tones, shimmering overtones and long, sustaining resonance.

The final character of the gong emerges through a combination of skilled workmanship and attentive listening. Its surface may be polished, darkened or left more natural, depending on the sound and appearance desired. The gong is then played and refined until its voice feels complete—able to open gently, expand into a rich, full tone and fade away with warmth and depth. In many ways, the process is a story of transformation: raw metal changed by pressure, patience and care into something that can move the human spirit, it reminds us that resilience is not the absence of impact, but the power to carry it, transform it and let it become something beautiful.

Back in 1978, Swiss mathematician and musicologist Hans Cousto released The Cosmic Octave, where he introduced a way to translate the movements of planets into audible frequencies. Cousto’s method involved doubling the frequency of a planets orbital period until it reached the range of human hearing. By applying the musical Law of Octaves, he showed that the cosmos isn’t silent at all—it’s full of tones we can actually hear when we tune them into our range. This universal language of vibration gives us a way to connect with the energetic qualities of everything around us. When we tune into these frequencies, we can tap into powerful healing energies aligning ourselves with the natural rhythms and harmonies of the cosmos.

Sedna

38inch - C3 - 128.10hz

Sedna was my very first Gong, she came to me at a time when I really needed to be held. She nurtured me through a difficult period, and I see her as my giant, watery Goddess: powerful, compassionate, ancient and deeply supportive as we move through change.

Sedna is the most distant planetary body that we currently know about, travelling three times farther away than Pluto, not currently classed as a planet, I believe the word planetoid is currently being used to describe her at the moment. Because she still orbits our sun, her energy can still reach us in subtle ways, touching our bodies and souls with a deeper energetic awareness.

Named after the Inuit Goddess of the sea, Sedna carries a deep connection to marine life, emotional depths, and a beautiful dualistic nature. For me she is connected to the parts of ourselves that live beneath the surface: the places we do not always have the words for, but still long to be heard. I’ll be sharing more about the myth and the symbolism of Sedna in an upcoming blog post, I’m sure.

As a Gong, Sedna feels deeply nurturing and wise. She supports us as we move through different stages of life, and it is said she can bring insight into trauma from past lives, or buried trauma from this one, gently drawing it into awareness, so it can be witnessed, heard and released.

Her sound carries calming and healing qualities, inviting us back to the present moment with more compassion for ourselves. She can support the release of pain and trauma, help us to navigate difficult emotions, and offer support when working with betrayal, paradigm shifts, and the changing cycles of nature and time. Supporting and nurturing our intuitive selves and can work to balance the collective psyche.

The sound of Sedna is deep, mysterious, and transformative. She draws us inward, encouraging introspection and connection with primordial energies. She expands and challenges our ideas about the nature of the cosmos, opening us to new paradigms, non-duality, the superconscious, Universal Intelligence, and the deeper layers of the personal and collective unconscious.

Don’t tell the other Gongs, but she is definitely my favourite.

Jupiter

Jupiter feels a joyful and expansive Gong to play and when I connect with her I also feel something generous, optimistic and full of possibility. Feeling like a breath of fresh air, reminding us that there is always more space than we think.

In mythology, Jupiter overthrew his father Saturn and then divided the kingdom with his brothers, Neptune and Pluto. Where Saturn can feel connected with limitation, Jupiter brings a much wider vision, carrying the sense of expansion after restriction: the moment when something begins to open and we remember that we are not as confined as we once believed.

Jupiter can also represent the spiritual teacher, giving back nine or tenfold what she is given, amplifying whatever we bring to her, whether that is intention, trust, gratitude or a genuine willingness to grow. When we meet life with a sense of openness, Jupiter shows us how much more may be waiting there.

In our solar system, Jupiter marks a transition from planets with solid surfaces and defined cores into the more gaseous and atmospheric realms, where matter is still in the process of becoming. I love this about her, because it feels like she holds the energy of possibility before it has taken shape: open, evolving, and rich with potential.

Her sound can support the expansion of consciousness and bring awareness to universal themes of philosophy, spirituality, myth, and meaning. To me, she feels connected with the realisation of spiritual aspirations, the inner teacher, and the courage to move beyond old limits. She also has a beautiful way of bringing people together, helping groups gather around a shared purpose for the common good.

Jupiter is also associated with the hips and liver, helping to cleanse stagnant liver energy and support the release of suppressed anger. On a deeper level, I feel she helps loosen the places where we may have become too attached to the material world, inviting us into a more spacious relationship with trust, abundance, and spiritual growth.

28inch - F# - 183.58hz

Pluto

Pluto is deep, mysterious, and very transformative, and terrified me when I first got her, she sees it all and there is absolutely no hiding from her, although we are past that now!

Even though Pluto is now classed as a dwarf planet, she is still immensely powerful: small, distant, but holding something ancient and profound and definitely not to be underestimated. Moving slowly through the outer reaches of space, she feels a little like an outsider, standing on the edge and seeing what others may miss.

Pluto is named after the Roman God of the underworld, known as Hades in Greek mythology. Although the ancient mythmakers did not know this planetary body existed, the name feels so fitting. Pluto takes us down into the underworld of ourselves: into the hidden places, fears, truths and shadows that are waiting to be seen. She is a great Gong for one-to-one work.

The fundamental tone of the Pluto Gong is based around Pluto’s orbit around the sun, which takes around 248 years. Giving her a slow, deep generational quality. She does not rush, working beneath layers that may have been hidden away for a very long time.

Pluto is also often associated with Scorpio, bringing in the aspects of death, rebirth, power, release and spiritual alchemy. Holding the wisdom of endings, so they can make way for something more authentic to emerge and bringing inner clarity by helping us see what is no longer serving us, especially when we are ready to let old identities, attachments or patterns fall away.

The sound of the Pluto gong is profound, grounding, and powerful. She is not always soft, but she is honest, and I really feel she supports those moments when we are ready to go deeper, face what has been hidden, and allow transformation to happen from the inside out.

36 inch - C3# - 140.25hz

Neptune

Neptune has a dreamy, mystical and watery energy. She was passed down to me from a very special lady, which makes her feel that little bit more important too.

As the eighth planet from the sun, Neptune is blue in colour because of the methane in her atmosphere, and this blue mistiness feels connected to her energy: fluid, mysterious, subtle and not always easy to define.

Named after Neptune, the Roman God of the sea, ruling over oceans, storms and hidden waters; the mythic connection echoes through the gong’s energy: moving beneath the surface, stirring what is unseen, and reminding us of the power and wisdom held in the depths of our soul.

As a gong, Neptune supports spiritual connection, dreamwork, imagination, compassion, empathy, intuition and unconditional love. Helping us open to the parts of ourselves that are less linear and more symbolic: the imaginal realm, the subconscious, and the quiet knowing that sits beneath ordinary thought. Melting the hard edges of the ego and reminding us of our sense of oneness with all life. Her energy can leave us feeling more open, connected, and held.

She is connected with Pisces, the water element, and the crown chakra, opening us to higher consciousness and the subtle realms beyond ordinary perception.

For me, Neptune is a gong of surrender and softening, helping us trust the unseen, listen more deeply, and allow ourselves to be carried by the quiet wisdom beneath the waves.

24inch - G3# - 211.44hz