All posts by Alia Meira

Go Within Us: Yelech na

11/08/2012 Alia Meira

Yelech na Adonay b’kirbaynu
Go Within Us Hebrew text
Please God, Go within us. (Exodus 34:9)

In the Book of Exodus, which tells the story of our journey to Freedom, Moses realizes that the only way to accomplish this journey and reach The Land of Promise is for God’s Presence to be within, between and among us as we go. Even after all the trouble of the Golden Calf, the murmurings and rebellions… Moses knows that it is only this “innerness” that makes our holy journey worth all the bother.

I address myself to You, God — the Great Mystery — with the knowledge that, “I can’t and don’t want to do this without You!” In the silence after the chant, I make a place inside me for that Divine Presence to dwell.

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

Go Within Us

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Go Within Us PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 254.

Chants, Isaiah

Send Me: Et-mi eshlach

11/08/2012 Alia Meira

Et-mi eshlach u’mi yelech lanu?
Hin’ni sh’lachayni
Send Me Hebrew text
Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?
Here I am. Send me. (Isaiah 6:8)

This is a practice of listening to “the call,” and responding. When I hear the question, “Who shall go for us?” I wonder who that “us” might be. As I step forth to fulfill my unique mission, I am doing this first for myself (because I must) and then for all those who need to hear my voice, for all those who do not yet found their voice, for all those who do not feel heard and have not found their way into the Great Conversation. I come into the fullness of my presence and then go forth for all of us. We depend on each other. My going forth will inspire others to also find their own voice, mission, power and destiny.

As you develop this practice, I suggest you begin by just chanting the question, allowing the answer to well up within you. Then let your willingness to be present and be deployed burst forth in response to “the call.”

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

Send Me

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Send Me PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 313.

Chants, Psalms

My Protection: Magini al Elohim

09/23/2012 Alia Meira

Magini al Elohim, moshiah yishray lev.
My Protection Hebrew text
My protection is all about the God-field;
that’s what saves the Upright Heart. (Psalm 7:11)

When the source for my own energy field is the Shechina, that indwelling Divine Presence… then I am protected, shielded and ultimately safe. That sense of ultimate safety allows my heart to risk being open and expansive no matter what the circumstance. My heart stands up within me and takes the lead.

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

My Protection

To download the PDF file for this chant, click My Protection PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 294.

Chants, Isaiah

Mindfulness: Shim’u shamoah

09/23/2012 Alia Meira

Shim’u shamoah aylai, v’ichlu-tov

If you really listen to Me, then you will eat what is good.
(And your souls will delight in richness.) (Isaiah 55:2)

In the language of Judaism, listening to God, (really listening!) means letting go of distraction, quieting your inner tumult, tuning in to the “still, small voice,” opening to the Divine Presence in this very moment. In the language of Buddhism this is called “mindfulness.”

So many of us experience anxiety around food. If it’s plentiful and good, “Will I eat too much?” If it’s scarce, “Will there be enough?” If it’s not what we prefer, “Will I be nourished and satisfied?” To bring a calm clarity in regards to what we eat, but also what we consume in general (What we buy and how we use our precious resources) is at the heart of a holy life.

Isaiah reminds us to listen, to really pay attention, to come into a state of expansive, receptive calm. Only then will we consume in just the right measure and be delighted in the richness of our lives.

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

Mindfulness

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Mindfulness PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 314.

Chants, Psalms

My Prayer as Incense: Tikon t’filati

08/14/2012 Alia Meira

Tikon t’filati k’toret l’fanecha

Let my prayer be incense before You. (Psalm 141:2)

Our ancestors knew the secrets of fragrance. They carefully mixed balsam, frankincense, myrrh, spikenard, cinnamon and other precious spices with secret ingredients that would help the smoke ascend. This powerful practice of incense helped to focus our intentions and create an atmosphere of holiness. The complex and beautiful fragrance penetrated our consciousness directly and lifted us up into mystery.

Our prayer can have this same power, lifting us up in beauty, bringing us into an awareness of the Divine Presence.

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

My Prayer as Incense

To download the PDF file for this chant, click My Prayer as Incense PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 295.