The practice of community coming together in prayer and meditation is not new.  People all over the world as far back as recorded history goes have gathered together to pray, meditate or hold collective intentions.  Never before have we been able to do it in quite the same way we now can with the global connectivity of the internet.  Through the power of technology, Earthdance International has been hosting global peace prayers and synchronized dance festivals in hundreds of locations across the globe for the last decade and Common Passion organized a global meditation with over 1 million people, to name only a few examples of collective meditations for a better world.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Sometimes people refer to these types of events and activity as subtle activism.  David Nicol, of the Center for Subtle Activism, defines “subtle activism” as “an activity of consciousness or spirit, such as prayer, meditation, or ecstatic dance, intended to support collective healing and social change. Subtle Activism grows from the idea that there are many effective ways – some newly emerging, many as old as humanity – to positively influence social change other than overt political action.”  

Many organizations and research institutes have been studying the power of collective intention.  The Global Consciousness Project and The Institute of Noetic Sciences are some of the pioneers of this field.  Please feel free to visit their websites for further information.  
Global Consciousness Project
HeartMath Institute
Gaiafield Project
Global Coherence Initiative

Institute of Noetic Sciences