Sunday, July 20, 2025

Celebrating the Life Of Our Beloved Root Teacher Joanna Macy

It is hard to describe the grief and the gratitude that I am experiencing right now. And I find myself remembering the wise words of Francis Weller: "The work of the mature person is to hold grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them." This is also what Joanna taught. So many profound gifts. 

I honor Joanna Macy today. She is among those who have played a major role in the transformation of my life and the breaking open and strengthening of my heart. This is also something that she has empowered countless others worldwide to do. She has acted as a midwife to our greater capacity as human beings to experience and remember our interconnection with all of life, to keep our hearts open in turbulent and painful times, and to expand and rally around whatever we can do individually and collectively to heal ourselves and our world. 

Today I am aware that Joanna will always live on in my heart and the hearts of so many others around the world. Such an extraordinary human being, a bright and inspiring and radiant light, and a deep and abiding embodiment of fierce courage and truth, compassion and caring, wisdom and love. Deepest bow... 🙏💗 Molly


Joanna Rogers Macy leaves a legacy that will long continue to inform and energize both the work of healing the world from the frenzy of industrialized capitalism, and the complementary movements to come home to the true nature of our being. For, as she would say, we are embedded in the web of life.

From the late 1970’s, in her early mid-life on, Joanna devoted much of her energy to the development and dissemination of the body of work that became known as the Work That Reconnects. Working with colleagues throughout the world, and with the steady support of her husband Fran Macy, this work was enriched by her many related passions: the Sarvodaya movement for peace in Sri Lanka, whose efforts she and Fran ardently supported; the cultivation and connection with her teachers in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, from which root concepts of the Work That Reconnects arose; and her work with nuclear guardianship, for she felt in her bones the call of the future beings to muster all of our wits for the protection of the web of life.

Joanna Macy teaching at Marlboro, Image: Joan Beard
At the height of the “cold war” in the 1970s, after her own awakening to the dangers of nuclear power in particular, Joanna made a discovery: when a group of concerned people spoke to each other their fears, their terror, and even their despair, a spirit of connection arose in the group, and a clarity of focus and release of energy fueled strategic planning and action. Others were making this same discovery (psychologist Chellis Glendinning in particular was an early collaborator). The resulting “despair work,” with its “despair and empowerment workshops,” countervailed the numbing of terror and overwhelm, and the forces of the military/industrial growth culture which would have us live out our lives entirely within its story of fear and domination.

Joanna was a great storyteller. She had us in the palm of her hand, and we knew ourselves as our larger selves when she told of the Shambhala Warriors (surely we were meant to be warriors too; indeed, surely we had been secret warriors all along, preparing for our turns in the halls of power).

Joanna Macy leading a workshop at Hardscrabble Hill, Maine. Image: Yoga Journal, January 1985.
Joanna Macy on the
Shambhala Warrior Prophecy

The Shambhala Warrior prophecy, originating in Tibetan Buddhism, speaks of a time when the world faces grave danger due to humanity's destructive tendencies. It foretells the emergence of "Shambhala warriors" – ordinary individuals who, armed with compassion and insight, will work to dismantle the destructive forces from within. This kingdom is not a physical place, but rather a state of mind and heart found within these individuals.


She was also a great collaborator – the Elm Dance, the Truth Mandala, the Council of All Beings all grew out of deeply collaborative relationships.

Joanna had a special connection with young people, whose passion, creativity and freedom of expression fueled her own inspiration and stamina.

Joanna loved to have a good time. Playfulness and its twin, imagination, infuse the Work That Reconnects. She poured her passion into the work, and as a result her many collaborator-friends formed among themselves a vibrant network of love.

She leaves us a toolkit – the Spiral of the Work That Reconnects and the fundamental framing and practices and stories that make the body of work what it is. The practices and stories keep evolving and changing, responding to one moment and helping to create the next in this work of the Great Turning.

For the many thousands of us who carry on and continue to develop the Work That Reconnects – this gift of the shared journey from despair to connection, empowerment, and action – Joanna Macy leaves us her particular inspiration of a robust fearlessness, and perseverance fueled by love.

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If you are looking for ways to feel connected to Joanna’s legacy, we recommend the following resources:


Please go here for this original remembrance of Joanna Macy:  https://workthatreconnects.org/joanna-macy-in-memoriam/

If you are called to do so, please go here to donate in Joanna's honor to the projects rooted in The Work That Reconnects: https://workthatreconnects.org/donate/

"The Work That Reconnects has always helped people in tough times. Now, as the Great Unraveling picks up speed, more people than ever are seeking the courage, community and creativity it fosters. It is a thrilling time to participate and support the international Work That Reconnects Network."
- Joanna Macy

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