Online celebration of Joanna Macy

Being fully present to fear, to gratitude, to all that is—this is the practice of mutual belonging. As living members of the living body of Earth, we are grounded in that kind of belonging. Even when faced with cataclysmic changes, nothing can ever separate us from Earth. We are already home.

– Joanna Macy

“On August 23rd [2025] we gathered to honor the life and legacy of Joanna Macy. Her spirit of gratitude, courage, mischievousness, and love continues to guide us all.”

This gathering includes Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Roshi Joan Halifax, Jack Macy, Peggy Macy, Matthew Fox, Constance Washburn, Lydia Violet, Stephanie Kaza, poets Jane Hirshfield and Drew Dellinger, and music by Rising Appalachia.

I found this gathering powerful and moving, and it was good to see many there who have been a strong influence for me.

ORGANIZATIONS INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF JOANNA MACY

From the text for the video:

Below are links to organizations inspired by Joanna. If you feel moved, you may wish to honor her legacy by making a donation to one of them.

Active Hope Training: A free, video-based journey created by Chris Johnstone (co-author with Joanna of Active Hope), rooted in gratitude, grief, and interconnection.

Canticle Farm: An intentional community and nonprofit organization in East Oakland: Inspired by the life of Francis of Assisi and the Work That Reconnects as taught by Joanna Macy, Canticle Farm provides a platform for the Great Turning, one heart, one home, one block at a time.

Interhelp: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is the creation of inclusive, liberatory, and transformative group experiences evolving from the Work That Reconnects.

Joanna Macy Center for Resilience & Regeneration at Naropa University: Naropa University’s Joanna Macy Center seeks to advance Dr. Joanna Macy’s work and vision by empowering present and future generations to build a more resilient world that works for all.

Mindful Living Revolution: A nonprofit organization whose mission is to teach the practice of conscious compassionate awareness within the context of global uncertainty, offering various programs including the Work That Reconnects.

ReConectando: an initiative in Colombia using the Work That Reconnects in workshops for people affected by Colombian armed conflict, as well as for victims and social and environmental leaders who have taken on the promotion of peace in their territories.

School for the Great Turning: Offers a space for ecological education, social justice, and spiritual healing through the Work That Reconnects.

Work That Reconnects Network: A global community rooted in Joanna Macy’s teachings, dedicated to restoring our connection to self, others, and the web of life.

A RAINBOW

A few minutes into the celebration, I looked out the window and saw the rainbow below. I know that in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it’s not uncommon to see a rainbow at the funeral celebration of respected and accomplished spiritual teachers.

MY INITIAL MESSAGE

There is an online gathering to celebrate the life of Joanna Macy tomorrow, Saturday, August 23, 2025.

It’s free, but you need to sign up at the link above.

I was first introduced to her when I found World as Lover, World as Self in the University of Oslo bookstore in the early 1990s. Later, I organized several events based on her and Molly Brown’s work with Practices to Reconnect, and I had the good fortune of attending a retreat with her through the Northwest Earth Institute. She was an amazing human being and her work lives on through the many she touched and influenced.