Posts Tagged woo-woo

Get your woo-woo on

June 6th, 2010 by

Ever since Three Intentions launched, I’ve been more aware of how many people qualify their spirituality by saying it’s not “woo-woo.” I work with a lot of writers, especially, who are writing mind/body/spirit books, or who incorporate various spiritual practices into their work as therapists and coaches. A lot of these people are quick to assure me of their groundedness. They want their work to be accessible and they don’t want to be written off as woo-woo.

Here’s a definition for woo-woo (which can’t even be found in Merriam-Webster, by the way):

woo-woo
adj. concerned with emotions, mysticism, or spiritualism; other than rational or scientific; mysterious; new agey. Also n., a person who has mystical or new age beliefs.

Unfortunately, woo-woo has been co-opted and now has a much more negative connotation than just anything having to do with emotions, mysticism, or spiritualism. Deepak Chopra defines woo-woo as “a derogatory reference to almost any form of unconventional thinking, aimed by professional skeptics who are self-appointed vigilantes dedicated to the suppression of curiosity.”

Woo-woo, to me, is a lot like “liberalism” or “feminism.” It’s not an inherently bad or derogatory term, but people are quick to dis-identify themselves for fear of being put into a box. In the case of woo-woo, this box is full of flakes who chant and get messages from a Divine Source and aren’t particularly connected to reality. They might write poetry and wear flowing clothes. I know a lot of these people because I live in Berkeley. I actually think they’re just grown-up hippies.

But for those of us who are following a spiritual path, who are just average folks, many of whom grew up in religious traditions and have since expanded our horizons to include (often not at the exclusion of our religious heritage) some aspects of spirituality, we don’t need to distance ourselves from woo-woo.

If someone tells you they think your ideas are woo-woo, it’s probably an indication that that person, as Chopra says, is a “self-appointed vigilante dedicated to the suppression of curiosity.” Try saying that out loud, gently, the next time someone confronts you with your woo-woo ideas. I’m calling for all of us to embrace our woo-woo, and maybe someday woo-woo will take on a new meaning. Imagine the day when you say something profound and the person you’re in conversation with says, “Wow, man, that was so woo-woo. Thanks for your insights.”

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