Planting Seeds of Joy and Light: Or zarua

01/02/2009 Alia Meira

Or zarua laTzadik, u’l’yishray lev simcha

Plant the seeds of Joy and Light; Tend them carefully day and night,
In this soil so dark and deep, I plant the dreams that Love will reap. (Psalm 97:11)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 97 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

I wrote this practice in honor of the winter solstice leading up to the passage of Chanukah. In preparation for this chant, recall the shining peak moments in your life that revealed to you a great joy or profound wisdom, moments of ecstasy or prophesy, delight or enchantment. Imagine those moments as seeds. Create an intention to plant those seeds and tend them with your loving attention as you grow a life of joy and light.

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 Planting Seeds of Joy and Light PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 278.

Chants, Psalms

River of Bliss: V’nahal

10/22/2008 Alia Meira

V’nahal Adonecha tashkayn
Ki Imcha m’kor Chayyim. B’orech niray or

And from the River of Your bliss you will give them drink.
For with you is the Source of Life, In Your Light we see light. (Psalm 36:9-10)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 36 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

The spiritual practice that I return to again and again is cultivating an awareness of that river which is constantly and continually flowing into me from the Source. The best way that I’ve found to drink from that River of Bliss, is to bring my attention to the breath.

I use my imagination to attune to the Reality of the Divine flow which is pouring in to this world. I imagine that river as Light pouring in through the breath. When I am fully bathed in that Supernal Light, then I am able to perceive that light everywhere. On the inhale, I drink from the River of Bliss. On the exhale, I spread this awareness into the world, sharing the Light.

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 River of Bliss PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 276.

Chants, Psalms

Ahavti

10/22/2008 Alia Meira

Ahavti ki yishma Adonai et koli tachanunai

I Love, because God hears my voice, my supplications. (Psalm 116:1)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 116 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

How do I become a lover? How can I grow my love? This mysterious and powerful phrase from this Psalm begins with the word “ahavti” I love… but it doesn’t tell us the object of that love. I interpret this to mean that what will follow is the prerequisite for becoming a lover. When I feel perfectly heard, when my voice is received and my yearnings are acknowledged, then something in my straining heart relaxes. When I let go of the struggle to be heard, then my heart becomes spacious, open and responsive.

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 Ahavti PDF.

Chants, Psalms

Rosh Hashanah Chant: Ashrei HaAm

09/08/2008 Alia Meira

Ashrei HaAm yodeya T’ruah Adonay B’or panecha y’haleychun

Oh God, Happy are the people who know the blast of the shofar;
they walk in the light of your presence. (Psalm 89:16)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 89 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

What kind of “Happy” is this? Certainly not the happiness of superficial pleasure — a lifestyle of Denial that masks a terrible truth, and not the ‘la-di-da’ happiness that keeps life bland and safe. This is the kind of “happy” that is a dynamic force waiting quietly at our center, the deep joy for existence itself.

The blast of the shofar can break open the shell that imprisons that inner joy. When that joy is freed, it becomes a light that shines regardless of circumstance. And that joy is our power. It is the power that moves us as “we walk in the light of God’s presence,” as we walk with integrity, courage, commitment, as we walk in beauty.

May the blast of the shofar shatter the rigid walls that imprison our true joy.

May the wail of the shofar open our hearts and send us with compassion to profound forgiveness.

May the call of the shofar inspire each of us to respond with our unique love as we rise to the challenge that is set before us this year.

This practice can be done as a dance of stillness and movement. As you chant Ashrei HaAm yodeya T’ruah Adonay, stand very still and listen, raising your arms to receive God’s presence with the word Adonay. Then, with the words B’or panecha y’haleychun, do a mindful walking meditation around the circle. This practice can be done as a round with two concentric circles.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Rosh Hashanah Chant PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 276.

Chants, Psalms

Even in the Darkness: Zarach BaChoshech

08/28/2008 Alia Meira

Zarach BaChoshech Or LaY’sharim, Chanun v’Rachum v’Tzadik

Even in the darkness a light shines for the upright, gracious, compassionate and just. (Psalm 112:4)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 112 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

The light that we shine sustains us through the Darkness, through difficult times. That light awakens in us (and in others) the qualities of Grace, Compassion and a Passion for Justice. This 3 part round is a practice of affirming and strengthening that shining inner light, as we face hard challenges, and scary times.

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

Even in the Darkness Audio Player
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For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 268.