Today we’d like to introduce you to James Wenzel.
Hi James, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2008 I set out to make a feature documentary too ignorant to know that I could fail. The snynchronicities and miracles that led up to and finished the production is a tale in its own right
The movie went on to be featured on netflix and licensed by Russian TV and other outlets at the time as well as winning some awards at film festivals along the way.
During the post production of the film..I was editing 12 hours a day in a circle of computers.
My roommates were into sound healing and had a friend frequently bring their gongs over. After listening to my roommates deliberate and whine about gongs for a couple of months I was like” see that room full of computers it would be a room full of gongs if unwanted it to be. Make it happen” within one month my friend bought his first gong.
I was busy editing my movie and my friend who was shy at the time needed support to go play his gong at a local fest. I reluctantly left my movie behind little knowing that my life was about to change even more radically than it already had.
We went to the show and I watched my friend do nothing first the first day and was frustrated that I left my movie for little action.
2nd day I took charge and corralled people in and created our first festival personal gong bath.
By the end of the weekend I had a pocket full of money, new connections and the kind of action I was looking for. It gave me a rockstar itch. The reason I entered aren’t the reasons I stayed.
Within one month of that first festival we went to Rothbury fest (Now a electric Forest) and set up our gongs in the forest with a circle of fire. Within minutes we were suplrrounded by police, fire production and security freaking out about our fire but when they realized what we were doing they got us a fire extinguisher and gave us a spot on the main strip.
The next day our high visibility spot got us booked for several events before we even knew what we were doing. Right place right time. Electric Forest you could say is ground zero for what has organically evolved today
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle is the visibility and understanding of what a gong even is or does. The consciousness of those tools has expanded over the past decade with it understanding and openness for solutions.
The gong is a non verbal lesson in the moment, it transcends words the only way for you to know and understand is to experience it.
I toured nonstop from 2009-2019. Living on the road is tough when the work is a labor of love. Being the tour manager, driver, administrator, production manager and lead performer for an ever changing crew
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My first art project was cowriting, co editing and producing the feature documentary InGREEDients.
A movie about chemical food addicites and nutrition with an emphasis on Trans fats and reading food labels. Ingreedients was broadcast in 86 countries in 4 languages. Not a bad first outing.
That led me to the journey of the Sonic Portal.. at first it was a joke but the joke soon enough was in me. The Sonic Portal has been shared with over 250,000 people touching many of their lives in a special way.
The Sonic Portal is a chamber of gongs where participants sit inside surrounded 360 degrees and immersed in vibration.
when I started sound work I didn’t know people did similar things because I had no consciousness for it. I only had an electric friend/mentor show me some things. I just thought it was cool. But alot of miraculous stuff stated to happen which intrigued my exploration.
Once Facebook came online all the sound healers found each other and I was attacked for not have credentials and have studied with the in group.
So I said I’m not a healer I have a spaceship and I invite you to see where it takes you. I took healing out of my brand and went the performance route and didn’t look back.
Over the course of a few years I saw so many miracles that I expected them idaily. The less.i took the healer route and didn’t take the guru role the more healing happened. The more jokes I told and didn’t take myself seriously, the more I lowered the expectations and created a space of magic.
We are returning to Electric Forest this next week for our 18th time including 2 rothbury’s and two double weekends.
Creating the Sonic Portal led to my own sound healing system that I have taught to over 100 students.
The Sonic Portal led to my own healing in 20202 but has aided in the healing of and reuniting my blood family, many of my friends and stranger who became friends
This work has led into some hybrid spiritusl self coaching programs that will be unveiled within the next year as well as a sound healing school teaching our system to students for our out sound healing centers, the first to be opened here in Michigan
I am also building an Astrology mechanics school to teach the mathmatics of natal birth charts and astrological timing
I am a visionary, a comedic and satiric writer screenwriter, filmmaker, musician, and artist of many mediums with multiple projects in various stages of development.
We just launched a website of Called Art Make to showcase the different creations
Sound Healing and Astrology have taken the front seat for my current main focus.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
To be honest I’m too immersed in my world to find things to not like about my city.
The things I do like are plenty of live music, art and good community
Pricing:
- $200 over night full moon immersion Aug 1st
- $150 special 1 hour Mantrayana session
- $150 paradoxql astrology reading
- $1500 private overnight immersion and ancestral forgiveness ritual
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Themantrayana.com
- Instagram: @sonicportal
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/thesonicportal
- Other: https://Linktree.com/sonicportal
