Crystal Bowls

The sound of the crystal bowls brings to mind ancient sound temples and forgotten cultures, but in reality, our modern-day crystal bowls were originally created to grow silicon chips for the computer industry in Silicon Valley only a few decades ago. Opaque quartz Crystal bowls are comprised of 99.8% pure crushed and powdered highly purified silicon quartz crystal. The powdered quartz is created through quartz fusion, and is placed into a centrifugal mould and heated to 4000 centigrade which fuses the silicon and creates a singing bowl. The resultant crystal bowl has a pure tone, and its exterior has a frosted or grainy appearance caused by the powdered quartz. The inside of the bowl is smooth. Bowls are traditionally placed on an “O” ring to prevent them toppling and played with a rubber mallet and range in size from 6” to 24” in diameter. Clear crystal bowls are made differently in that they are produced from clear quart tubing which is cut, fitted to a lathe and formed into the shape of a bowl. The mallet is made of a harder rubber. Practitioner bowls are also created in the same way, and handles are fused to the end of the bowl. These practitioner bowls are wonderful for moving around the body as they are comfortable to hold. Some bowls have gemstone powder added in their creation, such as the beautiful Alchemy bowls.

In terms of their sonic properties, the pure resonant tone is quite unique with the larger bowls having a long sustain. Although it is common  for bowls to be sold as chakra bowls, with the bowl’s note corresponding to a relating chakra, we have found that playing one bowl can have a profound effect on the entire chakra system and energy body. If, however, the bowl is played with the intention to work on a particular chakra, then it will certainly work more deeply on that energy centre as intention is all important.

Like quartz crystals favoured by many holistic practitioners, the crystal singing bowls have a variety of healing properties, and the sounds they produce are profoundly transformative. Their benefits and uses are as follows: –

• General Healing (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual)
• Purifies and cleanses water
• Creates deep states of relaxation
• Cleanses the Aura
• Balances chakra system
• Induces altered states of consciousness
• Facilitates meditation and journeying
• Can create vibrational elixirs
• Enables communication with other forms of consciousness
• Space clearing
• Clearing denser energies from smaller objects such as crystals, oracle cards, jewellery.

Here at Sacred Sound Inspirations we use the Crystal bowls in a variety of ways. They are often used during workshops to take people into altered states to access deep inner wisdom and guidance or to heal something specific. They have also been used to make contact with other forms of consciousness during shamanic and angelic workshops. Used with particular intention there are no limits to the healing experience. We also use them during private sound healing sessions either combined with the Gong and other instruments or on their own, depending on what the client requires. They come into their own during a sound bath as they tend to clear any residual energy which has been released during the Gong part of the sound bath and settles the energy body again before completion.

There is not much more that will evoke the sense of the mystical than the image of a Himalayan singing bowl. It conjures up pictures of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains, Tibetan Temples, Buddhist Monks and an ancient way of healing that has used these magical instruments for thousands of years.

Also known as Tibetan singing bowls, rin gongs or suzu gongs, the bowls are a type of standing bell. Their ancient origins stem from Asia, particularly in the Himalayan countries of Nepal, India, Tibet, China, Bhutan and Pakistan, but they also have historical use in Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Mongolia and the Phillipines where they have been used for meditation, healing and ritual purposes dating back centuries.

Antique singing bowls were said to be made from a variety of metals and created with much ritual and intention. Highly sought after, the antique bowls have excellent craftsmanship and an incredible sound. It is possible to purchase beautifully sounding hand-hammered modern-day bowls which tend to originate mainly from India and Nepal. The hand-hammered bowls are carefully beaten after the different metals are melted in a furnace. Molten metal is poured into a mould which forms the shape of the bowl. The bowl maker hammers the metal until it cools, then it is reheated to maintain the flexibility of the metal, and the process is repeated until the bowl is complete. The bowls are fine-tuned with a final round of hammering, then cleaned and finished. Some singing bowls are manufactured by a casting process. The resultant sound of the cast bowls is not as remarkable as the hand-hammered creations, but many practitioners use them as they still have a healing effect.

Metal singing bowls tend to have a long sustain due to the series of overtones which originate from a predominant tone which is created when the bowl is struck by a mallet or striker (there are many varieties, each having a slightly different sound), or played by encircling the rim with a wooden or suede want.

Like the crystal bowls, the metal singing bowls have a multitude of benefits and uses:-