Note: We interrupt the Emotional Needs 101 Series today for this special rant from our sponsor. And Life-Shifter Bridget Pilloud is offering a counterpoint rant called “Let’s Take Back Woo-Woo” on her blog. We hope you’ll read both and join the discussion in the comments!
I’ve hated the term “woo-woo” for a long time, however I’ve lived with it and even used it myself once in a while.
But…NO MORE!
It’s a term I’ve been hearing a lot lately and it’s often used interchangeably with the word “spiritual”.
It’s always rubbed me the wrong way and when I heard it twice in 2 days, from two highly knowledgeable people whose work I respect and admire, well…I snapped.
When I looked it up in an online dictionary, here’s what I found:
woo-woo ['wu:,wu:]: -adjective
derogatory, slang based on or involving irrational superstition
No WONDER I hate it being used to refer to anything truly spiritual.
Well today, I’m making a vow never to use the term “woo-woo” again.
And here’s why:
1. It implies a level of flakiness, superstitious nonsense or un-grounded, pop-culture novelty.
Yes, there have been a lot of highly adventurous and less than grounded spiritual paths and teachers out there over the past 5 decades.
And yes, to the untrained senses, things like energy work and crystals might seem to fall naturally into that category. While the world’s major religions would not.
But flaky and un-grounded aren’t about WHAT is being presented – they’re about HOW they’re being presented and the intention behind them.
My definition of woo-woo is what I might call “shortcut” spirituality.
Things that:
- Are fast, easy and/or simple
- Let your ego stay in control of everything
- Don’t challenge your habitual patterns
- Promise magical results
So by that standard, going to church a few times a year, somewhere that never challenges you to look at yourself or your life, and telling you that you’re OK as long as you do that would be woo-woo.
On the other hand, with a clear and heartfelt intention, mindful awareness, a desire to look at ourselves and a willingness to bring effort and support to the process, anything from a crystal healing session to a swim with the dolphins could be a truly spiritual and transformative experience.
Woo-woo isn’t a category. It’s an intention, or lack thereof.
2. The term woo-woo completely trivializes true spirituality when it’s used to refer to it.
Anything truly spiritual, for me, implies connecting us more deeply to Spirit, Source, God, All That Is, The Beloved, Wakan Tanka, Allah, Great Sacred Mystery or whatever you choose to call it.
Its pure power + pure love.
And its profoundly transformative in even the tiniest doses.
A month ago, during my contemplative practice, something fell away inside – a wall or a defense – and suddenly there was a vibrant energy all around and through me – a loving energy that I had no need to ever defend myself from and I knew it.
It lasted about a minute.
And, yet, I was wired for next three days with a joy and aliveness that nothing could dim.
That’s Spirit. That’s power. And its anything BUT flaky.
Its also very scary for the ego and I think sometimes what people really mean when they use the term “woo-woo” in place of “spiritual” is “I’m a little scared of this really deep stuff so I’m not going to bother checking it out before I write it off”.
3. It’s confusing. I never know whether it’s being used to refer to “real” spirituality or the “pop culture” flaky stuff.
I can sum this up with one of my favourite tweets ever! (It came from Bridget, @intuitivebridge, last week and it’s part of the dialogue that launched this post).
“Most woo is true. It’s only the false woo that’s poo.”
The problem is that some of us who steep ourselves in the fullness of deep spiritual traditions, practices and lineages use the term woo-woo to refer to the flaky stuff.
But then, some people who are against or uncomfortable with spirituality often lump it all together as “woo”. I just don’t always know who’s speaking.
But here’s the biggest reason why I’m not using the term “woo-woo” anymore:
It feels like an apology.
Its being used by many of us (me included) as a way of apologizing for making people uncomfortable with anything spiritual or out of their comfort zone.
I know…I’ve done it myself. I’ve said things in my classes like “I know this might be a bit woo-woo for some of you, but…”
And this apology symbolizes a culture that’s been telling me since I started, back in 1990, that I shouldn’t be too “out there” or challenge anyone too much with all this “woo-woo” stuff.
Maybe the world wasn’t ready back then.
But I bought into this need to apologize and that’s kept me marginalized, fighting all this time for validation, bending over backwards to appear “grounded” and make sure I didn’t get written off as “just woo-woo”.
It’s kept me pulling my punches, not saying all of what I know to be true.
And because of that, it’s kept me from my right people – You! – the choir I’ve been preaching to all along – the ones I’ll never have to convince.
And there are SO many more of us than there were in 1990!
Back then, spirituality was spoken of in the same hushed whispers as “therapy”.
But we’ve come a long way since then, baby! And I guess it’s me that needs to shed this old idea of being on the fringes.
So today I fling off the “woo-woo” label and I choose to stand my deeply spiritual ground.
After all, we’ve had 20 years of Oprah, Rumi, Deepak Chopra and the Dalai Lama.
This is mainstream shit!
I’m done apologizing.
We’re over it…we’re ready…and it’s time!
..
What’s your take on “woo-woo”? Love it? Hate it?
Let us know in the comments and then go check out Bridget Pilloud’s post Let’s Take Back Woo-Woo and join the discussion over there.
(I also want to give a shout out to Jenny B for her post Is Your Higher Purpose Too Wooey, and to @AbbyKerr and @MarkHeartofBiz for being part of the juicy discussion!)
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“I never know whether it’s being used to refer to “real” spirituality or the “pop culture” flaky stuff.”
Hmmm…but who gets to decide what “real” spirituality is and what is “flaky” spirituality? I know my local priest would consider Fabeku’s sound healing pretty freakin’ flaky, while I believe his work is grounded on Truth and ancient spiritual practice.
This is the problem with accepting the traditional definition of the word “woo woo.” Once you accept that definition, you contribute to its negative effects.
I work with people everyday who would likely be considered wooey. These people are afraid to be honest about their true spirituality, intuition and gifts because of this type of close-minded, judgmental nonsense (“real” vs “flaky”) they’ve had to endure for so long.
Neither you nor I has the right to deem anyone’s spiritual beliefs as flaky. I say we embrace the word and fill it with love and understanding. If this word has been used to silence, ridicule or hurt…then we have the choice (and the responsibility) to redefine it.
I stand by my call to action “Let your woo flags fly high”
Hey Jenny – thank you for your comment and I’m so glad you stopped by! I actually just popped in to add a shout out to you because you’ve had me thinking about this ever since your first post “What’s Wrong With a Little Woo”. And I was truly inspired by your call to action then and I’m so glad you’re letting your flag fly even more now!
I totally agree that none of us has any right to judge what’s flaky and not. And the truth is that most of what any of us might call flaky is NOT if we just take the time to understand it better. But for me the term woo is dismissive and I find it tends to be a label that prevents people from really digging for deeper understanding.
I guess the term, and my struggle against it, has defined me over the past 20 years more than I realized. So for me personally, there’s just too much charge on the negative connotations of it for me to keep using it usefully at all.
In my Twitter chat with Mark Silver about this, I realized that what I really want around this area is to be clear and say what I mean.
So I’d rather just throw the slang out altogether, and if I mean “ungrounded” I can say so, and then someone who sees clearly what my judgment is has the opportunity to correct me and say “No, that stuff isn’t ungrounded at all and here’s why.”
But as long as I use the word, my meaning is veiled behind a term that’s come to mean all kinds of incorrect things.
I love the idea of filling any term with love that’s been used to marginalize or invalidate anyone! I clearly have more work to do before I can release the charge I feel on “woo-woo” and use it lovingly! = >
I can totally get behind your desire to use more clarity in discussing what you do and what’s important to you. I also know, and respect, how difficult it’s been for people who dare to pursue spiritually meaningful lives and businesses outside of the three major world religions.
The discussion on yours and Bridgette’s blog is such a brilliant idea and I’ve had a great time reading both of your insights on the matter~!! Truly so much to think about.
I can’t take credit for the idea that we have the power to deflate the negative energy out of a word. Lenny Bruce was the pioneer there
Aww, I like “woo-woo”. I totally see your point, though – it is slang, for sure. And the more spiritual I become, the less I use shortcuts.
But I also like to keep things light. I’m silly. I’m goofy. And I feel like “spiritual” is heavy – and appropriate for some things. But “woo-woo” is light, and appropriate for other, different, things.
That said, I totally love this post, and I respect your casting-off, and I will be careful not to refer to you as “woo-woo”. You’re one of my spiritual heroesses, Susan. <3
*blush* Thanks Kyeli! I’m truly honoured.
And I have to say that the lighthearted way that you present the word woo-woo almost makes me like it again! = >
Hi Susan, I have become more and more enamoured of your posts over the past year. I frequently forward them to friends. Thank you for your insights.
Woo-woo is just a word and what I believe is important is the context of the word. I have the same response to the word hate which you seem to feel comfortable with while woo woo feels light and goofy most times for me, similar to Kyeli’s idea.
Having said that, what really struck me in your post was the reference to “apologizing for” Spirituality. As a practitioner of EFT and Ho’oponopono I find myself “explaining” away the limited “Gold Standard” scientific evidence for these practices to people who buy wholesale in to our current medical model which we now know is based on false science to begin with. We endure, daily, in magazines, on TV and radio, advertising campaigns, promoting one drug, medical technique or another that, at best, mask our symptoms and often make us worse than better. It is my knowing that everything I want is right inside my heart and the healing is my opportunity and responsibility to discover.
Standing up, without apology, is a cause I could get behind. Thank you for bringing clarity to something lurking in the recesses of my heart. Perhaps we have been on the defensive and it is the right time to become more offensive (in a loving way) about what is surely to become our future norm. I hope I live to see it.
I have been writing my MLA’s and MP’s for 2 years now whenever some malady becomes a hot topic in the news and I know EFT would be a benefit to those who suffer from it and those who are really trying to help but don’t really have the tools. So far, few responses have been received but as more of us write in sooner or later we will be heard.
I love you, I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you…al
A resounding YES! Way to Go! And Thank YOU! for writing and saying what I’ve longed to say for years! Thank you for not pulling any more punches. Thank you for being so willing to NOT apologize any more. Thank you for having the courage to openly and unabashedly standing firmly in the deepest most universal part of ourselves – our spirituality. Thank you for preaching to the choir aka me.
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