Richard Shulman – Spiritual Development and Integration
Richard Shulman’s spiritual journey has been lifelong and has led him to seek the Divine in everything and everyone he meets. Studies in music and spirituality with some extraordinary teachers, interactions with others and God’s Grace have opened a gradual maturation of Divine connection and expression.
What is love, really?
In June of 1983 this question brought Shulman to a class on meditation taught by Hilda Charlton. Hilda was a master of bringing students to God and dedication to Spiritual Life by meeting them right where they were and opening doorways of consciousness appropriate to each student, working through archetypes of multiple spiritual and religious traditions. For Richard, Hilda was also a divine Mother, who helped him spiritually rebirth himself into new awareness and realities.
By the time Richard met Hilda he had studied music for twenty five years, had been a professional musician for twelve years with a masters in composition, and he was working as a jazz pianist in NYC. His musical “vehicle” was fairly developed and as he experienced new spiritual realms, a musical language to express their subtle landscapes emerged in performances and recordings over the next four and a half years until Hilda’s passing in 1988.
This process was accompanied by realizations and experiences which helped him know himself in a much deeper way. At the same time as he learned to love and accept wounded parts of himself he recognized the Grace that was propelling him forward, healing him, loving him and teaching him.
This Grace took many forms, sometimes revealing Itself in a prayer of the Jewish tradition he was brought up in, showing the Life behind life. It would sometimes take the form of Jesus and Mary, or beings revered in other religions. He came to realize the essential sameness of the truth behind every major religion and the kaleidoscopic abundance of perspectives towards which each religion and spiritual tradition contributes. He also recognized the insanity that exists in the superficial aspects of the religions where judgement obscures the truth of our inner purity.
The recognition of inner purity in all was to lead to musical expression as Richard further immersed himself in spiritual studies with two of Hilda’s students, David Pomerantz and Ron Young.
Attending and playing music for David’s meditation classes and workshops helped him to become more present in subtle realms, to recognize spiritual opportunity and to hold Divine Presence in the midst of life.
Richard’s work with healer, creative visionary and spiritual guide Ron Young has been multifaceted, sometimes as a student sometimes as a collaborator, with much benefit arising from from suggestions Ron has made which have opened up amazing experiences and numerous musical/spiritual projects.
By 1986 Shulman was ready to translate recognition of inner purity in another person to music through Ron’s help and guidance. This musical / Spiritual work became known as Musical Soul Portraits and has been a continuous theme in Richard’s music for individuals and groups.
In 1988 Shulman participated in a trip to Assisi, Italy led by Ron which facilitated Richard’s deep recognition of and connection with St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. This accelerated Shulman’s work with meditative and healing music in performances and recordings.
A Musical Soul Portrait session in 1996 initiated a project working with the energies of Camelot to create a musical map of dreams coming true, including healing and empowerment. This process resulted in a CD, a video and eventually a theatrical musical developed between 2006 and 2012.
Since that time Shulman has continued to integrate Spirituality and Music (both Jazz and Meditative) and to aim to maintain a Spiritual Life in the midst of everyday living, in relationship, through teaching, performance, recording, writing, business and through sharing what he knows.