My Journey with Sacred Sound
An Unexpected Journey Through Sacred Sound
A Life-Changing Experience
My journey into sound healing began around 1994, when I was a stallholder at a Holistic Fayre, offering Aromatherapy and Reiki. It was a rainy day, and the stallholders began sharing therapies. There was a gentleman offering sound healing with just four Tibetan singing bowls, a fairly new idea at the time, so I thought I would try it.
I had no idea what to expect, but that experience changed the direction of my life. After the session, the gentleman placed a turquoise shaman's necklace around my neck and told me it was time for me to awaken and share my gifts.
I felt as though I had connected with another world, another dimension. My connection to Source, Spirit and the Ascended Masters seemed clearer, and I began following the guidance and inner knowing that came to me.
I was a mum with two small children at the time, and although I had very little money, I eventually found the most beautiful ancient Tibetan singing bowl, with a sound that mesmerised me.
That one little Tibetan singing bowl opened a doorway into another world, beginning a lifelong journey of working with Sacred Sound.
My First Sound Healing Workshop
Sometime later, a group of friends asked if I would teach them how to use Tibetan singing bowls.
I remember saying, "But I don't know anything about sound healing, and I only have one bowl!"
Their reply was quite simple: "We have some bowls!"
And so, somewhat unexpectedly, I found myself at their home, giving my very first sound healing workshop.
I had never taught sound healing before and had no prepared course or instructions to follow.
Yet, as I began playing the Tibetan bowls, I experienced an extraordinary opening of my spiritual senses — clairvoyance, clairaudience and clairsentience. Images, sounds, colours and impressions began flowing through me as the workshop unfolded.
I experienced this as direct communication from the Ascended Masters, guiding me through the teaching. I later came to understand that the Master working with me was Djwal Khul.
The workshop developed spontaneously as the sounds and vibrations interacted with us all.
It was an extraordinary experience, marking the beginning of my journey as a sound healer and teacher. For the first time, I understood that I was simply the vehicle through which a higher teaching could be channelled.
Over the following years, my work with sound continued to develop.
I began exploring different instruments, including Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, planetary gongs, drums and rainsticks.
Each instrument offered something different, and I became increasingly interested in the relationship between sound, vibration, meditation and spiritual healing.
I also began using my own voice through toning and chanting.
I discovered that the voice could become an instrument in its own right, allowing me to express sound intuitively without needing musical notation or a prepared melody.
As a medium and healer, I experienced sound as another way of working with spiritual energy, allowing the instruments and my voice to become part of the healing process. My connection and communication with the Ascended Masters continued to deepen.
In 2004, I began experiencing a profound spiritual connection with White Buffalo Calf Woman, working through the voice, chanting and shamanic instruments in healing sessions exploring deep-rooted trauma and past-life experiences.
During this period, I became particularly aware of the suffering associated with the Battle of Wounded Knee. Through my spiritual work, I came to understand that some of those drawn to these healing sessions carried what I perceived as memories or imprints connected with this historical trauma.
I experienced White Buffalo Calf Woman as a sacred presence guiding this work, bringing opportunities for profound emotional and spiritual healing.
My understanding continued to grow through practical experience, spiritual guidance and the people who came to work with me.
From Sound Healing to Teaching
What began with one small Tibetan singing bowl gradually developed into many years of teaching and sharing sound healing with others. Eventually, I established my own school, which I called The International School of Vibrational Healing.
I never imagined, when I attended that Holistic Fayre, that one day I would have my own school teaching Vibrational Healing, with courses exploring crystals, colour, sound, crystal skulls, shamanic practices, crop circle visits and much more.
Over time, sound became an important part of my spiritual work, complementing the healing, mediumship and teachings that were already developing in my life.
My experiences eventually inspired me to create my own healing music recordings, allowing others to experience some of these sounds beyond the workshop environment.
You can discover more about those recordings in The Stories Behind My Music.
Following the Inspiration
Looking back, I am ever amazed that everything began with just four singing bowls at a Holistic Fayre and the purchase of one little bowl of my own.
I can only say, never underestimate the power of one small Tibetan singing bowl. For me, it became a guiding light through which I experienced a deeper connection with the Masters.
I didn't begin with a plan to become a sound healer or teacher. I simply followed something that deeply inspired me, even when I didn't know how I would take the next step.
From that first unexpected workshop, my journey through sound continued to unfold, bringing new experiences, spiritual connections and opportunities to share what I was discovering.
For me, sound healing has always been more than learning to play an instrument. It has been a journey of listening, feeling, spiritual connection and allowing the experience to unfold naturally.
And after more than thirty years, my love of sacred sound remains an important part of my life and work.
With love and blessings,
Dee Banton