Shecheyanu Chants
Shehecheyanu, v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu lazman haZeh
The intention of this chant is to help us become fully present to each moment of our lives; not only to take in the highlights in life when this prayer is traditionally recited: holidays, life cycle events, the first time you are doing something, but as my teacher Rabbi Shefa Gold says, each moment in our lives is a shecheyanu — life right in front of us.
The following are various ways becoming present in the moment and chanting the Shehecheyanu.
Fully Present to Life
Shehecheyanu, v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu lazman haZeh 2x
You’ve given me life and You sustain me and
You have brought me, right here and now.
This chant came to me on the 5th day of a wonderful trip to Africa. I had been caring for my mother who was stricken with an intense illness and she urged us to go on the trip she had planned for the family. On the 5th day (Friday morning) as I stared out at Lake Manyara in Tanzania, one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen, these words and chant came to me. It was in this moment that I realized parts of me had not been present to the experience. Chanting the Shecheyanu enabled more of me to be present to the beauty in front of me, and the gift not only of this incredible trip but of the journey of each moment of life.
To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »
Sacred Valley Shechyenu
Shecheyanu~ I am alive
v’kiymanu~ provided for
v’higiyanu~ taking in this moment
lazman hazeh~ in this lifetime. 5x
Grateful for my life
and for the provisions
to touch these scared moments
here and now.
I’m in the Sacred Valley
A sense of holy union
peaceful and quiet
finding my soul.
I’m in this Sacred land
connected to the earth
I offer gratitude
to the One who created it all.
It was my dream to visit the sacred site of the Incas at Macchu Picchu and was fortunate enough to go with my family for my 60th birthday. As it turned out our daughter got a very severe stomach bug, and I only got to see Macchu Picchu for an afternoon. But what turned out to be even more memorable was dwelling in the Sacred Valley in Peru. Even now many years later when I consider it, I remember it as a kind of Garden of Eden. The land, river and animals brought me to a deep place inside my soul and this chant emerged.
(The 2nd part of this practice was my inspiration in the moment and not necessarily part of what someone else might chant. But I wanted to include the original recording as you can hear the birds in the background.)
To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »
Recovery Shecheyanu
Shecheyanu v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu, lazman hazeh 2x
For giving me life, sustaining me, here now, here now,
thank you O’Source of my Life
for sustaining me
and bringing me to this moment
lazman hazeh.
Shecheyanu v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu, lazman hazeh 2x
For giving me life, sustaining me, here now, here now
lazman hazeh
Shecheyanu v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu, lazman hazeh 2x
for giving me life, sustaining me, here now, in this moment
lazman hazeh.
We faced some serious health challenges and when we got through them we took a week off to just bathe in the sun and recover. This Shecheyanu came as we settled into relaxing and recovering. Literally grateful for life. A chant that connects to the depth of gratitude for life when you have been close to losing it
To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »
Simple Shecheyanu
Shecheyanu v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh
Woke up feeling deeply grateful for my life for no reason in particular. But this deep feeling brought me to tears: the gift of being alive.
To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »
New Consciousness Shecheheyanu
Shecheyanu v’kiymanu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh 2x
You’ve given me this precious life
and then you sustain me
experiences that help to refine my soul
In each moment we are invited into a new level of higher consciousness and deeper connection to the One. This practice emerged after some difficult interpersonal exchanges. I felt the experiences were teaching me how to show up in the world in a more grounded, centered and elevated way — to be in the world from a deep internally oriented place. From this place I could step back and see that others’ were working out their issues and to try not to get embroiled in the drama of the interaction. I felt my soul was getting refined and maybe polished like a shining sapphire.
By holding a higher consciousness we may have the opportunity to rise above the pain and discomfort of disagreeable interactions and see them from a higher perspective. Namely, that we are all learning the lessons of our souls in this lifetime and sometimes it’s difficult. We can minimize our own pain and suffering when we realize we only have to take responsibility for whatever our part is in the interaction. Otherwise we step back and let the others work out the refinement of their own soul. May the refinement of the soul be available at any moment.
To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »