How do you feel about the state of the world right now, and how does that inform how you experience and act in the world?
These are some of the central questions behind “the Work that Reconnects”, a pioneering form of group work devised by Joanna Macy and originating in the 1970’s.
For many of us there is a growing awareness of the grave situation we are in as a species right now, not to mention all the other systems which our practices and behaviors have put under threat. It's difficult to know how to even process this kind of information and still stay sane... so the question is, how do we do that? How do we deal with the grief we feel for the things we are losing; the anger, the fear and even the despair? What do we do with these feelings and how do we move through them and/or harness their energy so we can feel energized and alive enough to fight this good fight; to undertake the work that so urgently needs to be done right now?
For me, I found the answer to these questions when I attended the UK Transition Conference in 2010. I signed up for a short workshop entitled “the Work that Reconnects.” I didn’t know what to expect but was astounded to find that the facilitator, within moments, was able to identify and give a voice to my quiet desperation about what is happening to our world... and even more miraculously, she wasn’t talking specifically to me! In its wisdom, deep ecology recognizes that we are part of a giant web of life. If something is going wrong somewhere in the web, the reverberations are felt everywhere- one of the things I realized for the first time in this workshop was that I am not alone in my feelings of despair. Perhaps this doesn’t sound like it would be a relief, but it was, because it meant that I understood for the first time just how many other people cared about what I cared about and just how many people are willing to help build a new, life sustaining world to leave to our children. I opened my awareness to the understanding that we are part of a giant earth community- people, plants, animals, earth and we can support and inspire each other in our efforts to heal. It wasn’t group therapy, but it was therapeutic!
So fast forward a couple of years (and a few workshops later) and I find myself in Vancouver, eager to offer people a taste of ‘WTR’ in a short evening workshop format offered through Village Vancouver's Heart and Soul (Inner Transition) Group. These taster sessions are free and open to everyone so if you are interested in an experiential workshop to get you in touch with your own deep ecology, come along! We would love to have you there.
Heather facilitates "Macy Mondays" on the first Monday of each month. The next workshop will take place on April 2nd at 7pm, when Heather will lead the group in one of her favourite WTR exercises, the Council of All Beings (mask making will be included!). Please see the Event posting to RSVP and for more details, including the location.