VIDEO SERIES SHOWN ON THIS WEB SITE:

The Work That Reconnects (2-DVD set)

This two-DVD set, all segments of which you may view in low resolution on this web site, presents the teachings and methods of The Work That Reconnects, empowering people to respond with truth and creativity to the overwhelming social and ecological crises facing our planet. A powerful visual tool building on Joanna Macy's book Coming Back to Life (see below), this valuable resource is a light in the political darkness of our time. The lively, personal presentation of Joanna's work will appeal to workshop facilitators and participants alike, as well as anyone with an interest in personal transformation.

BOOKS BY JOANNA MACY:

Coming Back to Life:
Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World

Since its publication in 1983, Joanna Macy's book, Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age has sold nearly 30,000 copies and has been the primary resource for groups of men and women confronting the challenging realities of our time without succumbing to paralysis or panic. Coming Back to Life provides a much needed update and expansion of this pioneering work. At the interface between spiritual breakthrough and social action, "Coming Back to Life" is eloquent and compelling as well as being an inspiring and practical guide. The first third of the book discusses with extraordinary insight the angst of our era, and the pain, fear, guilt and inaction it has engendered; it then points forward to the way out of apathy, tio "the work that reconnects." The rest of the book offers both personal counsel and easy-to-use methods for working with groups in a number of ways to profoundly affect peoples' outlook and ability to act in the world.
 
 

World as Lover, World as Self:
Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal
 
A new beginning for the environment must start with a new spiritual outlook. In this book, author Joanna Macy offers concrete suggestions for just that, showing how each of us can change the attitudes that continue to threaten our environment. Using the Buddha's teachings on "Paticca Samuppada," which stresses the interconnectedness of all things in the world and suggests that any one action affects all things, Macy describes how decades of ignoring this principle has resulted in a self-centeredness that has devastated the environment. Humans, Macy implores, must acknowledge and understand their connectedness to their world and begin to move toward a more focused effort to save it. 

Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory:
The Dharma of Natural Systems

This book brings important new dimensions to the interface between contemporary Western science and ancient Eastern wisdom. Here for the first time the concepts and insights of general systems theory are presented in tandem with those of the Buddha. The interdependence of all beings provides the context for clarifying both the role of meditative practice and guidelines for effective action on behalf of the common good. Published by the State University of New York Press. 

Widening Circles: A Memoir

In this absorbing memoir, well-known eco-philosopher, Buddhist scholar, and deep ecology activist/teacher Joanna Macy recounts her adventures of mind and spirit in the key social movements of our era. From involvement with the CIA and the Cold War, through experiences in Africa, India and Tibet, to her encounter with the Dalai Lama and Buddhism which led to her life-long embrace of the religion and a deep commitment to the peace and environmental movements, Macy's autobiography reads like a novel as she reflects on how her marriage and family life enriched her service to the world. Widening Circles reveals the unique synthesis of spirituality and activism that define Macy's contribution to the world.