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A Tucson group has organized an event next Wednesday night it hopes will create a "wave of healing" across the planet.

Plans call for participation in the event, called Wave1, to circle the globe in every time zone over a 24-hour period. In each time zone, the event will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday and last about an hour.

Victor Shamas, an author and psychology lecturer at the University of Arizona who is coordinating the event, says groups in 40 countries have signed on to hold events.

Wave1 originated in Tucson, with a group Shamas founded called Act On Wisdom.

The idea is that people, wherever they are, will take part in an hour-long healing practice of their choosing, preferably in a group setting. Organizers say the practice can be meditation, prayer, chanting or just focusing on love and joy for an hour.

"Whatever you do, the only thing that matters is that you set your intention on acting as an instrument of healing for the Earth and all its inhabitants," Shamas said. "I would say the ripple effects are going to last for a long time."

A Tucson gathering will be held at the East Side St. Pius X Catholic Church. It begins at 6 p.m. with chanting, followed by a 7 p.m. healing ceremony on the themes of love and joy. Shamas says he is expecting at least 300 people to attend here.

The local program includes presentations from the Sufi community, Thai monks and the St. Pius youth choir.

"We believe in invisible energies like love. Look at how powerful it is," said Gerry Nangle, head of the Johrei Fellowship Tucson Center. In Japanese, "Johrei" means purification of the spiritual body.

Nangle's center will bring a spiritually designed flower arrangement to Wednesday's local event.

Shamas says the inspiration for the event came from a 73-year-old Tibetan yogi named Chosyang Dorje Rinpoche, who spent 45 years in isolation meditating on love and joy.

At the end of his 45-year retreat, believers say there were 2,000 pearl-like crystals, called ringsel, dangling from his hair, teeth and clothing.

"These ringsel were a manifestation of the great yogi's love and joy, capturing his purest essence," Shamas said. "We are all capable of creating something that captures our purest essence and that transmits love and joy to others."

Those ringsel were donated to the Heart Shrine Relic Tour, an exhibit of ringsel said to date back to the historical founder of Buddhism, while the display was in Tucson late last year.

There's no scientific study of the ringsel, but to those who believe, they are powerful examples of hope.

Shamas says showing up for the Wednesday event is not a requirement for anyone to participate. "At 7 p.m. all they have to do is focus on that which brings them love and joy," he said. "It can be done by anyone, anywhere."