From the World Peace Library Subtle Activism the Great Turning and the Work that Reconnects
As part of the Subtle Activism Summit, Joanna Macy, much beloved Buddhist teacher, activist and deep ecologist, and Sean Kelly, the profound writer and teacher from the visionary Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, engaged in a riveting conversation. Joanna spoke passionately about the choice we face to either participate in the “Great Turning” toward a life-sustaining society, or to remain in a sleepwalk toward disaster. And Sean brilliantly described his conviction that we are being called to actively participate in the awakening of Gaia, our planet-home.
During this inspired session, you'll discover:
- The three basic ways to participate in the Great Turning: 1) Holding actions, 2) Creating new structures, & 3) Shifting consciousness
- Joanna's experience of a massive peace meditation in Sri Lanka in the late 1990s
- How the awaking to Gaia is happening through human awareness
Joanna Macy
Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, Ph.D, author & teacher, is a scholar of Buddhism, Systems Thinking, and Deep Ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with learnings from six decades of activism. Her wide-ranging work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the fruitful resonance between Buddhist thought and postmodern science. The many dimensions of this work are explored in her thirteen books, including a newly released book, A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time.
As the root teacher of The Work That Reconnects, Joanna has created a ground-breaking framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application. In the face of overwhelming social and ecological crises, this work helps people transform despair and apathy into constructive, collaborative action. It brings a new way of seeing the world as our larger living body. This perspective frees us from the assumptions and attitudes that now threaten the continuity of life on Earth.
Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly, Ph.D., is professor of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). He is the author of Coming Home: The Birth and Transformation of the Planetary Era and of Individuation and the Absolute: Hegel, Jung, and the Path toward Wholeness. Sean is also co-editor, with Donald Rothberg, of Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading Transpersonal Thinkers and co-translator, with Roger Lapointe, of Edgar Morin’s book, Homeland Earth: A manifesto for the New Millennium. Sean's research is increasingly focused on engaging creatively with the complex character of the current planetary crisis. Set within a transdisciplinary approach to the evolution of consciousness, he has developed integral perspectives on the transition to a life-sustaining society, including the idea and practice of "subtle activism" and a more integral understanding of Gaia theory. At the center of of his work is the conviction that we are being called to participate actively in the awakening of Gaia, our planet-home, guided by the twin virtues of wisdom and compassion in service of the entire Earth community. Along with his academic work, Sean has trained intensively in the Chinese internal arts (taiji, bagua, and xingyi) and has been teaching taiji since 1990.
