From my childhood, I have lost myself in the wonderment of sound and music. I discovered early on that I was blessed with musical ability, and by my teens I was playing music professionally. At age twenty-one, my life intersected with a renowned spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy, who encouraged me to elevate my own music from a commercial to a spiritual dimension. As my meditation practice focused on feeling and sharing qualities like love, forgiveness, compassion, and joy—qualities which Sri Chinmoy showered on me—I sought to evolve my music as an expression of that inner dimension. Prior to performing, I would meditate on love, gratitude, or compassion, and as I walked onto the stage, I tried to consciously flow those qualities as I let go to the music.

I remember performing in Victoria, Canada, eyes closed and lost in meditation, and there was a moment when I opened my eyes and peered out at the two- hundred people in the audience. I saw many eyes closed, listeners lost in the musical bliss flowing from my guitar to their hearts. That night it occurred to me that music can be a platform for the expression of love. That personal realization was a marker in my life. Years later, it sparked a renewal of my own musical career.

My first CD, “Sacred Love,” was dedicated to the quintessence of love. My new CD, “Dreaming of Now,” expands on that expression. UK reviewer Steve Sheppard wrote on his OneWorldMusic blog: “Shambhu’s brand new album permeates a radiance so powerful it lightens the very soul.” Serge Kozlovsky added in his Ascentor review, “During the feelings of calm and relaxation this album will bring you, imagine anything you like; this album—filled with light, love and warmth of heartfelt feelings—will help you.”

My spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy wrote, “Music is the language of God. It is a language of love.” If creativity is a blessed gift, then using creativity for love is a greater one. Being a conscious channel for inspirational music can elevate musicians like myself to a new awareness of love and forgiveness and sense of purpose.

The miracle of music is this: it will inspire forever. I will someday leave this earthly stage, but my music—and the soulfulness that inspired it—will survive long after I am gone. As we musicians travel the path of life, if we come to a point in our life where being in service to love and forgiveness transcends all other reasons for creating music, then that’s the time to radiate the Light we already are.