PlayHaven.org

Now that our new non-profit organization, PlayHaven, has been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS and has purchased a site in central Tucson for its new center, you may want to get involved in its planning and development. Please visit the new website, http://playhaven.org. We welcome your input and involvement!

Posted on Monday, August 2, 2010 at 05:24PM by Registered CommenterAct on Wisdom | CommentsPost a Comment

History of Global Chant

This week, I received a question about the history of Global Chant, and so I thought I would share this information:
Global Chant started in 1996. Originally, it was called "Sanctuary Among Neighbors" and was simply a support group for people pursuing a spiritual path. We would meet weekly to meditate together, and very quickly our meditations evolved into chanting sessions. The reason was just that people enjoyed chanting so much.
In 2001, we adopted the name, "Global Chant," and focused exclusively on chanting. We made a commitment to embrace chanting and spiritual wisdom from all traditions without being affiliated exclusively with any one religion or spiritual tradition. This is what makes Global Chant relatively unique. Unlike other groups, we are completely unaffiliated. Our members include individuals who consider themselves to be practicing Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahai's, and pagans. Everyone feels equally welcome because we do not impose any kind of ideology on anyone. At our chanting circles, there are no sermons and certainly no prosyletizing--just intention-setting, chanting, quiet meditation, and plenty of hugs at the end.
After 2004, we began incorporating shamanic principles into our chanting circles. Today, our circles emphasize healing intention and are structured in many ways like traditional shamanic circles. We always set intention at the beginning of our circles, dedicating our chanting to the Earth as well as to specific people,places, and other entitites that we feel can benefit from the healing energy that we generate.
With the publication of "The Chanter's Guide: Sacred Chanting as a Shamanic Practice" in 2007, our chanting circle began to grow. Our original Wed night circle has outgrown two locations in three years, and we now have chanting circles that meet in five different locations throughout Tucson. Other chanting circles have also started in California, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and other parts of Arizona. 
In Tucson, Global Chant has hosted an exhibit of Buddhist relics in December 2007 and the first of several WAVE1 events (involving one million people globally) in June 2008. Today, WAVE1 is a monthly full-moon event in which we generate love and joy through chanting, dance, rhythm, and other forms of divine play.
Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 09:03AM by Registered CommenterAct on Wisdom | CommentsPost a Comment

Question about the Sai Ram Chant

Q: I came across this BBC documentary about Sai Baba I thought you might be interested in (.http://www.mazalien.com/secret-swami-sai-baba.html). It so clearly exposes him as a fraud, and I've also had recent experience with a Sai Baba devotee that has also made it ever so clear to me how guilty he is of every single red flag of the false guru. Anyway, I love Global Chant and so I wanted to throw my two cents in here about including the Sai Baba mantra in the chant pages (#84 is it?). It doesn't keep me from attending (fer sure) but I sure do have to brace myself every time it comes up at the chant. It potentially plants a dark seed in the minds of those present as well, I think.

A: Thanks for your concern. The mantra "Sai Ram" is not specific to the current Sai Baba. One of its many translations is "God is wise" or "God is wisdom." The mantra originated not with the current Sai Baba but dates back at least to Shirdi Sai Baba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_Baba_of_Shirdi). I consider the mantra to be pure or I would not want it to be part of the GC chant collection. That being the case, I will ask the Chant Selection Committee to review it carefully when the next revision/update of our collection happens later this year. You are more than welcome to be part of that committee!

 

Posted on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 07:40PM by Registered CommenterAct on Wisdom | CommentsPost a Comment

New East Central Global Chant Group

Starting January 26, this new circle meets the fourth Tuesday of every month, 6:30pm, Atria Valley Manor, 5549 E. Lee.

Posted on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 12:46PM by Registered CommenterAct on Wisdom | CommentsPost a Comment

New NW Tucson Global Chant Circle

Starting February 1, NW Tucson GC meets at 6:30pm the first and third Monday of every month in the Fireside room of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3601 W Cromwell Drive. For more information, please call Katta at 304-4812

Directions: Cromwell Drive is 3/4 of a mile North of Ina Rd on Thornydale (1/2 way between Ina and Cortaro Farms Rd). Turn East onto Cromwell -- at the flag pole at the fire station. Stay on Cromwell to the end and you will see the church entrance on the right.

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ADBS_en___US267&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=3601+w+cromwell+drive,+tucson&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=3601+w+cromwell+drive,+tucson&cid=0,0,9934102809978217469&ei=3rxMS5PuKozCsgOTn6CKAQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQnwIwAA

Posted on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 12:39PM by Registered CommenterAct on Wisdom | CommentsPost a Comment
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