The Work that Reconnects
"The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world we've actually been on the way for quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other."
- Joanna Macy
The Spiral of the Work that Reconnects, Drawing by Dori Midnight, 2011
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What it isThe Work that Reconnects is a map for personal empowerment and transformation, deepening our capacity to act for the sake of Life on Earth. Drawing from deep ecology, systems theory and spiritual traditions, the Work builds motivation, creativity, courage and solidarity for the transition to a vital Earth Community. First emerging in 1978, this pioneering, open-source body of work has its roots in the teachings of eco-philosopher Joanna Macy and colleagues.
The Work that Reconnects is a way to maintain balance and joy; a waking up to the beauty of life; a realization that we belong to this world and that the web of life is calling us forth at this time. It has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the globe to find creativity, solidarity and the courage to act. |
The process
The Work that Reconnects involves a transformative journey around a spiral of four successive stages:
- Through gratitude we connect to our personal power and become more present to life.
- By honouring our pain for the world the truth of our inter-existence is made real to us.
- Seeing with new eyes brings a fresh understanding of who we are and how we are related to each other and the universe.
- We begin to comprehend our own power to change and participate, as we go forth together to create a life-sustaining society.
The experience
Through the Work that Reconnects, uncover and experience your innate connections with others and with the systemic, self-healing powers in the web of life, Become empowered and motivated to play your part in the Great Turning from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.
- Experience and share with others your innermost responses to the present condition of our world
- Reframe your pain for the world as evidence of your interconnectedness in the web of life, and of your power to take part in its healing
- Learn concepts that illumine this power, and exercises that reveal its play in their own lives
- Experience your interdependence with, your responsibility to, and the inspiration you can draw from past and future generations and other life-forms
- Embrace the Great Turning as a challenge that you are fully capable of meeting, and as a privilege in which you can take joy
- Find mutual support and collaboration in working for the world
In a Work that Reconnects workshop, you journey with others around the spiral of the Work that Reconnects using powerful group processes, rituals, and guided meditations developed by Joanna Macy and colleagues. This typically brings the joy of connection to life, to community, to one's own creativity. You can expect to come out of the experience feeling alive, nourished, filled up, and energized to play your unique role in the essential adventure of these unprecedented times.