All posts by Alia Meira

Chants, Liturgy

Sealed: N’zachayr

N’zachayr v’ naychataym l’fanecha
Sealed Hebrew text
May we be remembered and sealed in Your Presence. (HHD Liturgy)

These words from our High Holy Day liturgy are said just once, during the pivotal moments of Ne’ila, when the gates are about to close. This the moment when all of our highest intentions are sealed, which means they enter deeply into our core where they will be available for us when we need them. The neuro-scientist, Rick Hanson asks the question, “How do passing mental states become lasting neural traits?” That’s my question too as I walk the path of spiritual practice, having experiences of wonder, flashes of Unity-consciousness, moments of deep connection. How will those experiences be planted in me and grow to become my strength, resilience, compassion and abiding love?

These words can be used any time of year when our intention is to seal in the truth of an experience that we want to have access to and remember and integrate.

To hear the chant, use the audio player. To download the chant, right-click a note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Sealed PDF. To download the chant’s notation, click Sealed notation PDF.

Chants

Nature Blessing

Baruch atah Yah, Eloheinu ruach haolam, oseh maasei v’reishit.
Nature Blessing in Hebrew
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe,
who makes the works of Creation.

This is the blessing we say upon seeing the large-scale wonders of Nature, such as mountains, hills, deserts, seas, long rivers, lightning, and the sky in its purity. It’s usually translated: We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who makes the works of Creation. But I believe there is a secret hidden in these words. B’reshit is often translated as “Creation,” but it is much more of a mystery and points us towards an encounter that has the potential to be life-changing. B’reshit means “in the Beginning.”

When we see something of Nature that is wondrous and majestic, it is possible for the veil that covers our eyes and the eyes of our hearts to drop away, so that we might see for the first time that a miracle is emerging, that something is arising out of nothing before our very eyes. That mountain looms above me in all its majesty, opening my eyes to its being that is just now revealing itself to me. I witness that river flowing down from the heights, taking on its new form, emerging as a fresh beginning. That wide sky, with clouds swirling is becoming itself and initiating me into its mystery in this moment of wonder.

To hear the chant, use the audio players. To download a chant, right-click a note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Nature Blessing PDF.
To download the chant’s notation, click Nature Blessing notation PDF.

Chants, Scripture

Devekut

V’Atem Ha’d’vaykim b’Yah Elohaychem, Chayyim kulchem hayom
Devekut phrase in Hebrew
You, who connect yourself to God, all of you are alive today. (D’varim 4:4)

These words from the book of Deuteronomy speak to me about my three passions: for life, for wholeness and connection, and for the ability to be present in this moment.

  • Chayyim… For life, for the vitality that comes when I am connected to my source and can let that fountain fill me to overflowing.
  • Kulchem… For wholeness and connection, for the integration of all the separate parts that make up the “I” who I’m becoming, and for the realization of my interrelatedness with all of God’s creatures.
  • Hayom… For the ability to be present in this moment, for freedom from the compulsive mental wanderings that prevent me from experiencing the fullness of “today.”

To hear the chant, use the audio players. To download a chant, right-click a note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Devekut PDF.
To download the chant’s notation, click Devekut notation PDF.

Chants, Shir HaShirim

Pathway of Covenant: Kol Dodi

Kol Dodi Dofek, Pitchi-li
Achoti, Rayati, Yonati, Tamati
Pathway of Covenant in Hebrew
The voice of my Beloved is knocking, Open to me!
My Sister, my Friend, my Dove, my Pure One. (Song of Songs 5:2)

My Beloved is knocking at the door of my heart, saying “Let me in, open to me; You have shut me out; you have locked the door.” And I am knocking at the door of a larger Reality saying “Let me in, open to me; I have been imprisoned here in my dream of separation.”

With this practice we establish a pathway of covenant through four stages of connection:

  • My sister — my own flesh — my secret identity in God revealed to me as myself.
  • My Friend — love stirring in me and reaching out to the Divine Other.
  • My Dove — my special and precious one — my heart begins to melt in the sweetness of encounter and connection.
  • My Pure One — I melt into the One who has embraced me.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Emor).

To hear the chant, use the audio players. To download a chant, right-click a note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Pathway of Covenant PDF.
To download the chant’s notation, click Pathway of Covenant notation PDF.

Chants, Psalms

Your Throne: Tzedek u’Mishpat

Tzedek Umishpat m’chon kis’ech:
aish l’fanayich telech
Your Throne Hebrew
Justice and Impeccability are the Foundations of Your throne:
Fire will go before You. (Psalm 97: 2-3)

As we take our seat for spiritual practice we are establishing our throne, our sovereignty over our inner state of being. That autonomy and freedom are undergirded by the values of Tzedek and Mishpat. It is our grounding in Justice (which embraces our integrity, honesty, compassion and wide perspective) and Impeccability (which suggests a commitment to fully showing up for this moment) that provides the foundation for this sovereignty.

When we really sit on that throne, then the way is prepared for us. A Divine fire clears the way and illuminates the path before us.

To hear the chant, use the audio players. To download a chant, right-click a note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Your Throne PDF.f5