Category Archives: Chants

Blessing of My Soul: Borchi

09/28/2011 Alia Meira

Borchi nafshi et Adonay, HallaluYah
Borchi Hebrew text
Bless the place of Sovereignty, Oh my soul!
(Psalm 104:1)

A High Holy Days Practice

I call on the force of my soul to bless the God-spark within me, to call it forth, to let it shine though all the layers of Self so that that part of me can be re-enthroned.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Borchi PDF file. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 249.

Chants, Liturgy

All Is One: Atah Echad

09/09/2011 Alia Meira

(A Shabbat Mincha Practice)
All Is One Hebrew text
To hear the various parts of the chant, use the audio players. To download a part, right-click a note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click All Is One PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 243.

Chants, Liturgy

Gathering In: V’Haviayni l’shalom

09/05/2011 Alia Meira

V’Haviayni l’shalom mayarba kanfot ha’aretz
Uriel! Mi’cha’el! Rafa’el! Gavri’el!
Gathering In Hebrew text
(Bring us in peace from the 4 corners of the Earth.)

4 Archangels chant

This phrase comes from the paragraph before the Sh’ma and I use it to prepare myself for that moment of focused attention that the Sh’ma is meant to be. I gather in all the disparate energies so that I can stand in Oneness and receive the mystery of Unity. For me, the archangels personify the energies of each of the direction, the four winds that blow into my life and make me whole.

When I face East and call in Uriel, I am opening to the New and allowing myself to be renewed.
When I face the South and call in Mi’cha’el, I am calling in warmth, comfort, love and constancy, and allowing myself to be held in that love.
When I face the West and call in Rafa’el, I am opening to a vision of where I am called, and allowing the healing power of my path to transform me.
When I face the North and call in Gavri’el, I am opening to the power of my ancestors and receiving the challenges of my life with grace and courage.

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

Gathering In

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Gathering In PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 235.

Chants, Psalms

Encountering the Living God: Tzam’ah Naf’shi

08/09/2011 Alia Meira

Tzam’ah Naf’shi L’Elohim L’Eyl Chai

My soul thirsts for God, for The Living God (Psalm 42:3)

Deep inside of us there is a soul-thirst to know God, the Underlying Unity, the Mystery within and between all the things of our world. The word Elohim is a God name that is in the plural, alluding to the many faces of the One… what Taoists might call “the 10,000 things.” We enter through this world of multiplicity so that we might encounter “The Living God”… Eyl Chai, who can only be experienced with the wholeness of presence in this very moment. The God of the past, my own or other peoples’ conceptions, beliefs, or expectations will not suffice. They will not open the doors to The Living God. My soul thirsts for direct encounter with God/Reality in each moment.

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

Encountering the Living God

< For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 284.

Chants, Scripture

Ruth: Amaych ammi

06/03/2011 Alia Meira

Amaych ammi vaylohayich elohai.

Your people are my people and your God is my God. (Ruth 1:16)

A Shavuot Practice

On Shavuot, we read The Book of Ruth, which recounts the story of love and loyalty. As we chant Ruth’s vow to Naomi, we can each find our own love and loyalty. Though Ruth was a Moabite (enemy of Israel) she became the honored ancestor of King David. Through her steadfast devotion to Naomi, her people and her God, Ruth found her own way. So too may we find a sense of belonging, and birth Maschiach consciousness into the world.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Ruth PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 264.