The Origins of Sacred Music Radio
Vakil believes that the most important guidance he received when setting up the radio station was simply listening to that voice within which guides us all when we allow our minds to become quiet.
In 1979, Vakil Michael Kenton participated in a meditation retreat, located in the beautiful French Alps, led by Pir Vilayat Khan, who was the leader of the Sufi Order International. This is a Universal Sufi tradition which acknowledges the truth within all the religions and is not affiliated to any one religion.
During the retreat, he meditated several times a day, attended talks, and in between enjoyed beautiful sacred music. Sacred music was a completely new experience for him and he found it profoundly uplifting. He experienced the way in which music can awaken us to a place beyond our usual mode of thinking. He learned that, for many centuries, both Eastern and Western cultures have used spiritual music as a powerful healing tool. He later discovered that there is a vast wealth of scientific research which has revealed the benefits of music in healing.
Universal Worship Service
Several years later, he trained to perform a service called The Universal Worship Service. This interfaith service was created by Hazrat Inayat Khan, the father of Pir Vilayat Khan. The purpose of the service is to attune to and acknowledge the religions of the world. Music, prayer and readings from the holy books are all used to invoke the message and spirit of these religions and the truth contained within all the sacred traditions. The service acknowledges that, in essence, the world’s religions all have the same message of love, peace, and harmony: the message spiritual teachers have given to humanity over thousands of years. Universal Worship Services take place in several countries and are open to both the public and invited guests.
Vakil was aware that comparatively few people attend these services and experience the atmosphere of peace and harmony created. As a result, few people could benefit from the healing effects of music that he had experienced.
As a result, Sacred Music Radio was established to enable us all to experience the beauty and effects of different types of sacred music wherever we are on our planet. Many of the listeners are in countries which do not enjoy religious tolerance.
Before setting up Sacred Music Radio, he spent much time sampling numerous radio stations. He assessed what worked well and what was not suitable for this new venture. As a result, he decided that it would be best to keep the amount of talking to a minimum so that words did not detract from the music. Certainly on Sacred Music Radio, you will not hear any mindless chatter. This enables the music to be the message. It uses its web site and social media pages to explain in greater detail the philosophy which guides the station. The aim is to spread the message of love, harmony and beauty using a medium beyond words. He believes that these healing qualities are now urgently needed in our troubled world. Could it be that there is no better way to spread this message than through music?
Sacred Music and Our Well Being
Setting up this internet radio station was Vakil’s aim for five years. However, it was only after a visit to his friend Aziz, that he realised this was a practical proposition. He noticed that Aziz had an extensive collection of sacred music C.D.s that he had put together over many years. Aziz took the best from his collection and this was then sent to the web site designer to add to the new site. What was even more important was Aziz’s vast knowledge of the profound effects sacred music can have on our wellbeing. After overcoming numerous technical challenges, Sacred Music Radio was born.
Vakil believes that the most important guidance he received when setting up the radio station was simply listening to that voice within which guides us all when we allow our minds to become quiet.
Now Sacred Music Radio has listeners in most countries of the world and the number is continually increasing. The aim is for us all to appreciate the message and beauty of other religions as well as our own. Vakil believes that after being deeply moved and uplifted by a beautiful piece of music, we can transcend our usual ways of thinking and be uplifted, as a result we can become refreshed and healed. To quote from the Sacred Music Radio web site “It offers a place of sanctuary from our busy lives where we can enter states of deep relaxation””¦..”Music can be used as a spiritual tool for personal development and healing”.
COMMENTS