Work That Reconnects
“The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action.”
— Joanna Macy
Work that Reconnects Spiral
The Work that Reconnects is an interactive group process that helps us turn fear and despair into inspiration, resilience, and empowerment so that we can be enlivened to play our part in creating a sustainable, just, and regenerative world for all beings.
Pioneered by Joanna Macy, internationally acclaimed author, eco-philosopher, and activist, the Work continues to evolve and grow in response to our ever-changing world. You’ll experience the brilliance of this transformative journey through four stages of discovery:
1 – Gratitude
Opens us up to what we love, to our blessings and gifts. It also gives us a perspective through which to live our lives, to help ground us and build resilience.
2 – Honoring Our Pain for the World
Gives us permission to express our grief, fear, rage and despair, so that these emotions can inform us and strengthen our ability to embrace their partner emotions: love, courage, passion for justice and active hope.
3 – Seeing With New and Ancient Eyes
Invites us to embrace our connections with all life and the self-healing powers in the web of life, to expand our understanding of deep time and spiritual wisdom and to discover the magic of emergence and collective power to bring about change.
4 – Going Forth
Helps you realize your power to make a difference by following what makes our hearts come alive. Discover the many ways we can participate in The Great Turning.
Experience the
Work That Reconnects
Kathleen offers both in-person and online workshops that are interactive, creative, supportive, and empowering. Each experience includes inspirational readings and teachings, transformative rituals, imaginative role play, movement and song, time outside when possible, and deep sharing and listening. In these workshops, you will find supportive communities and tools for dealing with the challenges of living in uncertain and volatile times.
Customize a Workshop for Your Community or Organization
Kathleen can design and tailor the Work That Reconnects process to support your specific community or organization. This type of workshop experience is wonderful for team building, for sparking creative juices for visioning and planning, and for rejuvenating individuals and the community/organization as a whole. Kathleen has customized workshops for university faculty departments, non-profits, B corporations, intentional communities, and spiritual/religious groups.
Guided Audio Self-Practice
I recently recorded a 45-minute Guided Self-Practice of The Work That Reconnects that guides the listener into a rich experience of the Spiral, with space to express feelings, insights and imaginings. It’s available as an MP3 download.
Deep Gratitude to Joanna Macy
I first read about Joanna Macy and the Work That Reconnects in a 2006 Yes! Magazine article and knew immediately that I wanted to study with her. Her insight into the power of honoring our pain made me realize that, over my many years of activism, I had numbed out and that I needed this Work to heal myself.
I did my first 5-day intensive with Joanna in 2007 and it changed my life, as this Work so often does. Since then, I have studied extensively with Joanna and have had the pleasure of co-facilitating with her. In 2010, I was invited by Joanna to serve as a Steward, along with six other facilitators, to give counsel on continuing the Work in the period after her husband Fran’s death. Her friendship and counsel continue to nourish me personally and professionally.
So blessed by my friendships with these Wise Women of the Work That Reconnects: Joanna Macy, Anne Symens-Bucher and Molly Brown.
“Kathleen Rude is a guide of remarkable depth, with powerful gifts to bring to people of all backgrounds who seek a life-enhancing relationship with the natural world. Her Earth-centered gifts in shamanic work and story-telling blend with her savvy in group work and her scientific grounding in ecology. They bring her an ease, creativity, and authority that open people up to their power to act for the healing of our world. Kathleen has a natural authority that builds confidence and ease in collaboration. I treasure her guidance and her companionship as we work together for the sake of life on Earth.”
—Joanna Macy
Involvement with the WTR Network
I am a founding member of the Work That Reconnects Network and serve as a WTR Network Volunteer Weaver. The Work That Reconnects Network’s mission is to nurture a regenerative and thriving world for all beings by providing support, connection and inspiration to the global Work That Reconnects community.
New WTR Practices I’ve Created
By design and intent, the Work continues to adapt, diversify and evolve. My contributions to this creative process can be found at the link below.
Workshops
“Really great to encounter someone carrying Joanna’s teachings with as much resonant eloquence as you are.”
—David Abram
Cultural Ecologist and Author