Act On WisdomBloghttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2011-12-09T01:54:44ZSquarespaceNew Video about Global Chant and PlayHavenhttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2011/12/8/new-video-about-global-chant-and-playhaven.htmlAct on Wisdom2011-12-09T01:54:04Z2011-12-09T01:54:04Z

 

]]>Global Chant Has Moved!http://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2011/9/15/global-chant-has-moved.htmlAct on Wisdom2011-09-15T17:36:36Z2011-09-15T17:36:36ZSince Wednesday, October 5, 2011, the original 6pm Wed GC circle in central Tucson has met at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 1200 N. Campbell Ave. That is one block north of Speedway on the east side of Campbell  Ave (see map). We usually meet in the Koch Chapel, on the west side of the church campus, closest to Campbell. But during the month of December 2011, we are meeting in the activities building. This change is well marked. So, you should be able to find us. Hope to see you there!

]]>Chant Fest: May 17http://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2011/5/9/chant-fest-may-17.htmlAct on Wisdom2011-05-10T03:36:19Z2011-05-10T03:36:19ZMay 17 is a very special day. Besides being the full moon and the
Buddhist holiday of Wesak (commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of
the Buddha), it is also World Chant Day(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6UT5En-WgA) and Global Chant's 15th anniversary. We are celebrating with a sacred chant extravaganza.

 

Special guest chant leaders will include the Tucson Women's chorus, the monks of the Triratana
Buddhist Temple, and representatives from the yoga, Sufi, and Taizé chant communities. Chant Fest starts at 6:30pm in the ballroom of the Armory Park Center, 220 S. 5th Ave. Admission is by donation, and proceeds will benefit PlayHaven (http://www.playhaven.org). We will have about 300 folding chairs, but please feel free to bring a cushion if you'd like to sit on the floor. Percussion instruments are also welcome.

The event should last about two hours. Looking forward to seeing you there!

]]>Next PlayHaven Planning Meetinghttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2011/1/26/next-playhaven-planning-meeting.htmlAct on Wisdom2011-01-26T13:37:53Z2011-01-26T13:37:53ZOur next Tucson meeting for PlayHaven is Wed, February 9, at 7:30pm, immediately after Global Chant, in the McBride Fellowship Hall of Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams, Tucson. If you have any questions, please e-mail: play@playhaven.org. Hope to see you there!

]]>The Way of Play featured in Tucson Weekly (December 30, 2010)http://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2011/1/4/the-way-of-play-featured-in-tucson-weekly-december-30-2010.htmlAct on Wisdom2011-01-04T20:54:26Z2011-01-04T20:54:26Zhttp://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/messina/Content?oid=2440147

]]>The Way of Play Now Available Through Amazonhttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2010/11/29/the-way-of-play-now-available-through-amazon.htmlAct on Wisdom2010-11-30T03:04:27Z2010-11-30T03:04:27ZStarting December 1, you can order The Way of Play through Amazon.com. Just go to the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Play-Reclaiming-Divine-Celebration/dp/0979362814/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291086437&sr=1-3

]]>PlayHaven.orghttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2010/8/2/playhavenorg.htmlAct on Wisdom2010-08-03T00:24:02Z2010-08-03T00:24:02ZNow 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!

]]>History of Global Chanthttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2010/3/3/history-of-global-chant.htmlAct on Wisdom2010-03-03T16:03:11Z2010-03-03T16:03:11ZThis 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.
]]>Question about the Sai Ram Chanthttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2010/1/19/question-about-the-sai-ram-chant.htmlAct on Wisdom2010-01-20T02:40:15Z2010-01-20T02:40:15ZQ: 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!

 

]]>New East Central Global Chant Grouphttp://www.actonwisdom.com/blog/2010/1/15/new-east-central-global-chant-group.htmlAct on Wisdom2010-01-15T19:46:23Z2010-01-15T19:46:23ZStarting January 26, this new circle meets the fourth Tuesday of every month, 6:30pm, Atria Valley Manor, 5549 E. Lee.

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