The Long Healing Prayer – finally here

I am overjoyed to finally share two versions of ‘The Long Healing Prayer’ with you!

‘The Long Healing Prayer’ is more elaborate – it starts simply and gradually fills with harmonies as the recording progresses to give it greater musical depth.

‘The Long Healing Prayer (meditative version)’ is a more subtle, meditational version with only one voice and piano.

>>> Download/listen to ‘The Long Healing Prayer’ <<<

To download the prayer, you can make a contribution of whatever amount you wish.

Composing and recording this prayer has been like no other piece – both an exhilarating and challenging process (I can’t  believe it is 19 minutes long)!

Thanks to my producer, Jarome Matthew, for editing, mixing and mastering the piece.

Below are some of my experiences of recording the Long Healing Prayer.

If it weren’t for my nephew and another dear friend, I don’t think I would have dared set the Long Healing Prayer to music.  When I heard my nephew needed heart surgery (he is a child with Down Syndrome) and that a dear friend was going through chemotherapy, I felt it was important to compose music for this powerful prayer in order to bring them and their families some solace.

There were moments that I wanted to give up as there are long sentences that are difficult to fit into the pattern of the composition. The length of the prayer was an additional challenge.  When recording a short prayer I am generally able to sing through the prayer in its entirety in one sitting.

With the Long Healing Prayer, however, I had to have enough stamina to stand and record as many verses as I could.  I had hoped to record the whole prayer at one time but was never able to – I was too out of breath after 6 or 7 verses!  During the difficult periods, I would often think of my sweet little nephew and his adorable smile which gave me the courage to continue.

I am grateful I persevered and took breaks when I needed to so that I could re-energize and solve the difficult parts and complete this prayer.

There were also blissful moments.  Recording a couple of parts of the song were magical and ethereal.  While recording the ending piano, I just allowed myself to let go and play what came to my heart.  It turned out exactly how I had hoped so I kept it in the final recording (during the recitation part).

I hope that this prayer brings solace to friends in need of spiritual, emotional and physical healing.  Please feel free to share the link with friends you think would benefit from hearing it.

Many thanks for all your kind support.

I asked my producer,  Jarome Matthew, to share some of his thoughts as he was editing, mixing and mastering the song.  He wrote:

Working on this long healing prayer was a blessing but also a challenge because it is such an important prayer! I felt it was a great honor to be able to contribute something to this for Elika. What made the countless hours easier was Elika‘s beautiful arrangement and melody which I felt took a prayer that can feel like a somewhat pleading and functional mantra and turned it into an uplifting and powerful piece that is so desperately needed in our increasingly afflicted world.