Souljourning

Interspiritual Chants

These chants are ones I’ve been using for many years in progressive Christian worship, interfaith/spiritual life on campus, and many other settings in my career.   A bunch of them come from the wonderful Taize community in France, which focuses worship on chants.  I take the liberty of switching some words to be gender-inclusive, and to reflect a more progressive theology.  The words here are the ones corresponding to the videos.

Sing them to your children at bedtime!  Sing them with your family as dinner blessings.  Let them sink in to your children's souls and nourish them forever!  And if you have favorites to share, let me know and I'll add them!

 

Mira que te mira, mira que te mira, mira que te mira, mira le – (“See that you are seen” – a quote from St Teresa of Avila, 16^th c. Spanish mystic) -- LISTEN

Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, Bodhi svaha…

            (Buddhist Heart Sutra: Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond…) There are many versions of this.   You can sing this version more quickly if you wish:  LISTEN

 

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord...    LISTEN

 

O God hear our prayer, O God hear our prayer...   LISTEN

 

What does the Lord require of you?    LISTEN

 

Ooh, ooh, ooh, adoramus te, Domine...  LISTEN

I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you....     LISTEN

 

Jubilate Deo, omnis terra, servite Domino

            in leatitia, Allelujia, Allelujia, in  leatitita

            Allelujia, Allelujia, in  leatitia

            (Rejoice in God, all the earth

            Serve the Lord with gladness)    LISTEN

 

The river is flowing, flowing and growing...    LISTEN

 

Come and fill our hearts with your peace...     LISTEN

 

Sing allelujia to our God....    LISTEN

 

Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray

            Watch and pray (Taize)   LISTEN

 

One bread, one body... (great for communion/eucharist)  LISTEN

 

Prepare ye the way of the Lord....  (Godspell) LISTEN

 

Within our darkest night, you kindle the fire

                        that never dies away, never dies away  (Taize)   LISTEN

 

Bless the Lord, my soul

            And bless God's holy name

            Bless the Lord, my soul,

            Who leads me into life   (Taize)  LISTEN

 

Return again, return again... (Shlomo Carlebach)   LISTEN

 

Ubi caritas, et amor

            Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est  (Taize)

            (Where there is charity, and love, there is God)   LISTEN

 

Round and round we go

            We hold each other’s hands

            And weave our lives in a circle

            The day begins (or: is done) and the dance goes on    LISTEN

 

The will of your love, the will of your love

            Be done on earth....          LISTEN

 

Love, love, love, people this is your call

            Love your neighbor as yourself for God loves all      LISTEN

 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

            And its righteousness, and all these things

            Shall be added unto you, allelu, alleluia...   LISTEN

 

Om nama Shiva, Om nama Shiva,

            Om nama Shiva, Shiva Om nama.... (Hindu – “I bow to Shiva”)  LISTEN   There are many versions of this.

 

May the blessings of God rest upon you

            May God’s peace abide with you

            May God’s presence illuminate your heart

            Now and forever more   (Sufi Muslim)  LISTEN

 

Oh, poverty, source of all our riches...  LISTEN

 

Nada te turbe, nada te espante

            Quien a Dios tiene, nada le falta

            Nada te turbe, nada te espante

            Solo Dios basta.....

                        (Let nothing disturb you,

                        Let nothing you dismay

                        He/she who has God lacks nothing

                        Only God suffices.... St Teresa of Avila, 16^th c Spanish mystic)  Taize    LISTEN

 

In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful,

            In our God I shall rejoice...   LISTEN

 

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh,

            Surrexit Christus, allelujia!

            Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh,

            Cantate Domino, allelujia!

                        (Christ is risen, sing to the Lord!)  Taize    LISTEN

 

Spirit we adore you

                        Lay our lives before you

                        How we love you....  LISTEN

 

Praise God, the love we all may share

            Praise God, the beauty everywhere

            Praise God, the hope of good to be

            Praise God, the truth that makes us free  (Doxology)   Tune with traditional lyrics:  LISTEN

 

Now in peace O Lord

            Let thy servant go -- allelujia

            For my eyes have seen

            Your salvation – allelujia     LISTEN

 

Surely the presence of our God is in this place....   LISTEN

 

O Great Spirit

            Earth sun sky and sea

            You are inside, and all around me    LISTEN

 

Just as long as I'm in this world

                        I am the light of this world----   LISTEN

When I went down to the river to pray

            Studying about that good old way

            And who shall wear the robe and crown

            Good Lord, show me the way

            O sisters, come on down, come on down

            Donít you want to go down

            O brothers, come on down,

            Down to the river to pray.....    LISTEN

 

Day by day, day by day...   LISTEN

 

There is one world, one people, one fellowship...   LISTEN

 

Be not afraid, I go before you always

            Come, follow me, and I will give you rest    LISTEN

 

Our God is an awesome God....   LISTEN

These chants are ones I’ve been using for many years in progressive Christian worship, interfaith/spiritual life on campus, and many other settings in my career.   A bunch of them come from the wonderful Taize community in France, which focuses worship on chants.  I take the liberty of switching some words to be gender-inclusive, and to reflect a more progressive theology.  The words here are the ones corresponding to the videos.

Sing them to your children at bedtime!  Sing them with your family as dinner blessings.  Let them sink in to your children's souls and nourish them forever!  And if you have favorites to share, let me know and I'll add them!

 

Mira que te mira, mira que te mira, mira que te mira, mira le – (“See that you are seen” – a quote from St Teresa of Avila, 16^th c. Spanish mystic) -- LISTEN

Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, Bodhi svaha…

            (Buddhist Heart Sutra: Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond…) There are many versions of this.   You can sing this version more quickly if you wish:  LISTEN

 

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord...    LISTEN

 

O God hear our prayer, O God hear our prayer...   LISTEN

 

What does the Lord require of you?    LISTEN

 

Ooh, ooh, ooh, adoramus te, Domine...  LISTEN

I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you....     LISTEN

 

Jubilate Deo, omnis terra, servite Domino

            in leatitia, Allelujia, Allelujia, in  leatitita

            Allelujia, Allelujia, in  leatitia

            (Rejoice in God, all the earth

            Serve the Lord with gladness)    LISTEN

 

The river is flowing, flowing and growing...    LISTEN

 

Come and fill our hearts with your peace...     LISTEN

 

Sing allelujia to our God....    LISTEN

 

Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray

            Watch and pray (Taize)   LISTEN

 

One bread, one body... (great for communion/eucharist)  LISTEN

 

Prepare ye the way of the Lord....  (Godspell) LISTEN

 

Within our darkest night, you kindle the fire

                        that never dies away, never dies away  (Taize)   LISTEN

 

Bless the Lord, my soul

            And bless God's holy name

            Bless the Lord, my soul,

            Who leads me into life   (Taize)  LISTEN

 

Return again, return again... (Shlomo Carlebach)   LISTEN

 

Ubi caritas, et amor

            Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est  (Taize)

            (Where there is charity, and love, there is God)   LISTEN

 

Round and round we go

            We hold each other’s hands

            And weave our lives in a circle

            The day begins (or: is done) and the dance goes on    LISTEN

 

The will of your love, the will of your love

            Be done on earth....          LISTEN

 

Love, love, love, people this is your call

            Love your neighbor as yourself for God loves all      LISTEN

 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

            And its righteousness, and all these things

            Shall be added unto you, allelu, alleluia...   LISTEN

 

Om nama Shiva, Om nama Shiva,

            Om nama Shiva, Shiva Om nama.... (Hindu – “I bow to Shiva”)  LISTEN   There are many versions of this.

 

May the blessings of God rest upon you

            May God’s peace abide with you

            May God’s presence illuminate your heart

            Now and forever more   (Sufi Muslim)  LISTEN

 

Oh, poverty, source of all our riches...  LISTEN

 

Nada te turbe, nada te espante

            Quien a Dios tiene, nada le falta

            Nada te turbe, nada te espante

            Solo Dios basta.....

                        (Let nothing disturb you,

                        Let nothing you dismay

                        He/she who has God lacks nothing

                        Only God suffices.... St Teresa of Avila, 16^th c Spanish mystic)  Taize    LISTEN

 

In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful,

            In our God I shall rejoice...   LISTEN

 

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh,

            Surrexit Christus, allelujia!

            Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh,

            Cantate Domino, allelujia!

                        (Christ is risen, sing to the Lord!)  Taize    LISTEN

 

Spirit we adore you

                        Lay our lives before you

                        How we love you....  LISTEN

 

Praise God, the love we all may share

            Praise God, the beauty everywhere

            Praise God, the hope of good to be

            Praise God, the truth that makes us free  (Doxology)   Tune with traditional lyrics:  LISTEN

 

Now in peace O Lord

            Let thy servant go -- allelujia

            For my eyes have seen

            Your salvation – allelujia     LISTEN

 

Surely the presence of our God is in this place....   LISTEN

 

O Great Spirit

            Earth sun sky and sea

            You are inside, and all around me    LISTEN

 

Just as long as I'm in this world

                        I am the light of this world----   LISTEN

When I went down to the river to pray

            Studying about that good old way

            And who shall wear the robe and crown

            Good Lord, show me the way

            O sisters, come on down, come on down

            Donít you want to go down

            O brothers, come on down,

            Down to the river to pray.....    LISTEN

 

Day by day, day by day...   LISTEN

 

There is one world, one people, one fellowship...   LISTEN

 

Be not afraid, I go before you always

            Come, follow me, and I will give you rest    LISTEN

 

Our God is an awesome God....   LISTEN

Souljourning Begins!

Dear "musings" readers:

For almost 2 decades, I've been writing this (usually) weekly blog - "musings".... and I plan to keep it going for a long time.

I'm starting a new blog, alongside it, which I'm calling SOULJOURNING....  it's about nurturing the natural spirituality of young people.  If you'd like to subscribe to it, email me and I'll add you to the list!  It will come out about 2x a month, and be aimed at parents, educators, and others who care about supporting the natural spiritual development process in people aged 0-21.  I'll be very eager to get input from all of you who care about this subject!  Also, join our SOULJOURNING Facebook group HERE.... where we share stories and resources.... and here's the website. 

Souljourning is meant to be a global community - but it also has a local manifestation at the church I serve as pastor -- UCC Simi Valley CA.  We're planning to offer monthly SOULJOURNING events - to which you and your kids are welcome!  Again, email me if you want to be notified about these Simi Valley events.

I'm collecting stories from parents (and young people) about special moments when they witnessed the spirituality of their kids - moments of awe, awakenings to morality, acts of special kindness, turning-points in their spiritual developmental process.  Please send on any such stories to me for use in my blog and printed publications, if you are willing to have them shared with others.  (I can't pay you for the content...)  I'll use first names only, or change names if you prefer. 

 

 

Here's SOULJOURNING issue #1:

The Spiritual Child
Strongly suggested reading for all SOULJOURNERS!

Dr. Lisa Miller, professor at Columbia University, is a leading researcher into the new scientific field of “natural spirituality”, which she describes in her 2015 book, “The Spiritual Child”.  There are now separate neurophysiological metrics for the human relationship with the transcendent, a realm that until recently was folded into psychology and sociology.  Miller has popularized awareness of spirituality as a distinct developmental process, to be taken as seriously by parents and scientists as physical and psychological growth. 

Miller calls for parents, regardless of their religious or non-religious orientations, to nurture actively the natural spiritual inclinations of their children.  The awe and wonder of children deserve the awe and wonder of adults.  An observant Jew, she is very “religion-friendly”, but she assumes that the non-religious can be just as helpful in their kids’ spiritual growth as those who follow formal faiths. 

This new science opens the prospect that public education may someday include active nurture of students’ spirituality, but in a pedagogical form that makes no mention of traditional religions.  The new field of developmental natural spirituality may result in secular replacements for the functions of religion.  My boss and I started a big program called Mindful.USC.  The classes we offer have no religious content.  But mindfulness is certainly the content of a lot of religion.  Our program has inspired many students to take greater interest in the contemplative traditions of the world's religions.  Mindfulness is now liberated from religion.  But it also has the potential to liberate religion from the confines of particular doctrines.

Meanwhile, other research is revealing the neural pathways and brain processes of healing.  Research demonstrates that the “placebo effect” works even when the subjects of the research are told that the medication they are taking is indeed a placebo.  Believing that the pill is real medicine, even when it is not, is not required.  It appears that the “active ingredient” of the placebo effect is going to the doctor, getting attentive care, getting a prescription, and taking the pill.  “This is the specific effect of the ritual of medicine,” says a researcher, Ted Kaptchuk, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston.   It is fair to extrapolate from his findings that there can be a similar positive effect from the rituals of religion. 

Further research is beginning to reveal the chains of neurochemical events in the brain associated with the positive placebo response.  It is deeply ironic that this might lead to the development of drugs that could mimic the effect of placebos!  Apparently, people differ in their positive responses to the rituals of medicine.  This suggests that certain genotypes might derive more or less benefit from the gestures of caring offered by doctors and nurses.  This finding could lead to the tailoring of medical caring rituals to the genomes of particular patients.

Science is just now confirming what we've always known:  religion, when practiced wisely and deeply, is good for us.  At least some of our spiritual practices actually, objectively benefit our natural spirituality and thus enhance our mental and physical health. 

Brain science is beginning to explain or at least describe and confirm our spiritual experiences.  We’re at a point where we can isolate the neural pathways that correspond with mystical religious awakenings.  Atheists may conclude that this is proof of that God is nothing more than a human construct built around our genetic propensity to create meaning out of our experiences.  The discovery of a discrete developmental process of the unfolding of universal natural spirituality might suggest that religion is optional, unnecessary, and perhaps even a hindrance to this process.  We may be able, finally, to explain religion away as a product of our innate spirituality.  But why do we have this propensity?  How was it etched it into the very structure of our brains?  If we’re hard-wired for transcendence, doesn’t that suggest that the experience of union with Ultimate Reality is hard-wired into the cosmos?  Holy awe appears to be a feature of our human nature.  So what does that say about the nature of Nature as a whole?  Through us and other sentient beings within it, is Nature in awe of itself?  The science of natural spirituality is just getting started... let's look forward to further amazing revelations!

Here are my "notes and quotes" from THE SPIRITUAL CHILD.  I highly recommend this book for all who care about nurturing the natural spirituality of young people:

THE SPIRITUAL CHILD  -- Lisa Miller, 2015, Picador/St Martin’s Press

“The absence of support for children’s spiritual growth has contributed to alarming rates of childhood and adolescent emotional suffering and behaviors that put them at risk.’  P 3

“Spirituality is the central organizing principle of inner life in the second decade…”. P 3

“Biologically, we are hardwired for spiritual connection.”  P3

“Our findings show that natural spirituality exists as a human capacity – just as EQ and IQ are commonly acknowledged human capacities – and is associated clearly with life success and satisfaction.”  P 6

“Natural spirituality, in fact, appears to be the single most significant factor in children’s health and their ability to thrive.”  P 6

“Transcendence… has been shown by multiple research teams to have biological markers, such as structural differences in the occipital and parietal regions of the brain, increased levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, and genetic markers in the human genome that are associated with production of these neurotransmitters and their regulation.”  P 58

In research by Ralph Piedmont of Loyola University, the human propensity for experiencing spiritual transcendence was found to exist independently of the “five-factor model” of personality:  “…spirituality and personality were separate entities.”  P 62-63

“Adolescents are profoundly spiritual, they are experiencing spiritual stirrings as the momentous and the wondrous, and they are surprised that for the most part, nobody has talked to them about this experience.  Nobody, even people they love dearly, have asked, or commented, or said something to make spiritual development part of the conversation, shared words that would make their inner life a spoken reality.”  P 71

Miller describes moments of mutual recognition of awe and compassion between parents or relatives and children as “nods” – incidents of intergenerational transmission of spiritual awareness.  When the child understands that the parent validates and supports these experiences, there are powerful consequences, according to Miller’s research findings:  “To put the force and magnitude of the nod into perspective, in offspring of depressed mothers, a shared spirituality was between three to seven times more protective than any other sources of resilience against depression.”  P 87

“The young child needs no training in mindfulness.  Rather, she needs protection from the disruption of focus, from exposure to spinning or running thoughts, from rushing, and from lack of peaceful moments.”  P 115

Lisa Miller's advice for parents:

Make space for awe

Slow down – don’t rush

Share your own intuitive feelings with kids

Acknowledge your bonds

Honor their deep questions

Describe things/people to kids in a way that lifts up their sacredness