Join us on Thursday, December 6^th at 5:30 PM for a dialog with Joanna Macy entitled “The Work that Reconnects Us”. Joanna is a truly wise elder, a courageous soul who has been earnestly probing the questions at the heart of Beyond Awakening for many decades. Although she has many credentials—author, eco-philosopher, scholar of Buddhism, deep ecology, and general systems theory—she is most essentially a deep and intelligent pioneer in consciousness and culture. She has led the process  through which many thousands of people have gone through the ordeal of facing “the elephant in the living room” — the fact that we are living not only in a frightening world, but in one that is in crisis in ways that represent an unprecedented challenge to our hearts and minds and spirits.

She describes this simply by pointing to the three dominant stories of our time: (1) “business-as-usual” –  the sense that human life and society will of course continue to proceed much as it is presently (2) “the great unraveling” –  the sense that we are in crisis, citing climate change, environmental degradation, mass extinctions, an unsustainable financial system, and political and social breakdown, and (3) “the great turning” –  the sense that human beings are now in the early stages of an epochal transformation in which instead of falling into despair or apathy, our crisis is empowering a fundamental, inspiring, and positive shift of our whole species’ way of being, personally and collectively, in both our inner lives and our outer behavior.

To enact the great turning, however, is no small thing. It requires a personal ordeal and practice of transformation. She offers a model for it, which she calls the Work That Reconnects. This work begins with the foundation for all sanity—gratitude, “a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and appreciation for life”. It proceeds from there to the profoundly tender process of acknowledging, feeling, and honoring our pain and fear and caring regarding the state of our world.  When this is done deeply, as a transformative practice expressing our belonging to Life itself, we can see with new eyes, noticing the wider web of resources available to us and a new view of what is possible and of our power to make a difference. On that basis, there can be a new kind of going forth to serve, to help, to offer our own unique gifts to the world.

Joanna is now in her eighties, and while her busy schedule has slowed somewhat, her keen heart-intelligence remains as on point as ever. It will be an honor and a privilege for me to hold this public conversation with her, to deepen into her invitation of the Work That Reconnects, and to hear how her perspective continues to evolve.

About Joanna Macy

Joanna Macy is a scholar and philosopher of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A highly respected voice in the movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with five decades of activism. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, she has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application.

 Her wide-ranging work, recorded in a dozen books and hundreds of seminars all over the world, addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the fruitful resonance between Buddhist thought and contemporary science. Her work helps people transform despair and apathy, in the face of overwhelming social and ecological crises, into constructive, collaborative action. It brings a new way of seeing the world, as our larger living body, freeing us from the assumptions and attitudes that now threaten the continuity of life on Earth.

Joanna lives in Berkeley, California, near her children and grandchildren.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

Thursday, Dec. 6th  @ 5:30 PM Pacific*; 6:30 PM Mountain; 7:30 PM Central; 8:30 PM Eastern

*Find Your Local Time

Please Note: There will be a limited number of lines available on the live conference call, so we encourage you to listen online if possible. To make sure you can get through by phone, we encourage you to dial in early.

ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS

• To listen live by phone, dial:  206-402-0100  (alternate #: 501-707-0312)
• Then, enter Access Code: 272072#
• To listen live online go to: http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventID=35316948
• To download the audio after the teleseminar is complete go to the Beyond Awakening Audio Page

Join the Dialogue: About one hour into the dialogue, we’ll open up the lines and you’ll have the opportunity to interact with us directly over the phone or via instant message. Here’s what to do:

To interact live by voice, dial into the conference line number and wait until we ask for a question from someone in your region, or

Send us your question via instant message in the teleseminar window on your computer

Send us your questions and comments before or during the live dialogue by posting them on our Beyond Awakening Community Facebook page

We look forward to your attendance!

Sincerely,
The Beyond Awakening Team