THE WORK THAT RECONNECTS & ACTIVE HOPE
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, Ph.D. Eco-philosopher, scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology
“Active Hope is not wishful thinking.
Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued by some savior. Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act. We belong to this world. The web of life is calling us forth at this time. We’ve come a long way and are here to play our part.
With Active Hope we realize that there are adventures in store, strengths to discover, and comrades to link arms with. Active Hope is a readiness to discover the strengths in ourselves and in others; a readiness to discover the reasons for hope and the occasions for love. A readiness to discover the size and strength of our hearts, our quickness of mind, our steadiness of purpose, our own authority, our love for life, the liveliness of our curiosity, the unsuspected deep well of patience and diligence, the keenness of our senses, and our capacity to lead. None of these can be discovered in an armchair or without risk.” Joanna Macy
ACTIVE HOPE STUDY GROUPS
Our journey through the book Active Hope is a shared process that aims to deepen community connections, and nurture ourselves as we actively address concerns about injustice and our role in creating a life-affirming culture. The book provides a framework with practices to help process collapse, resource ourselves, build community and personal resilience, and take grounded actions.
The Active Hope study groups are a 6-workshop commitment spread over 6 to 12 weeks.
Groups share a focus on problems and solutions, wise responses rather than reactions, and re-evaluate with clarity their sense of purpose.
EVENTS
Greensong Active Hope book study groups are held online and in person as noted on current events or as requested.
Active Hope contains practices from the deep ecology movement, which is similar to applied ecopsychology. Applied ecopsychology refers to the application of ecopsychology methodology which includes a natural systems thinking approach. These practices may provide an experience anywhere along the following spectrum: from sensing wellbeing benefits through our BEing in and with nature, or deepening our sense of human nature and community; to finding solutions and insights, or to the profound experience of anima mundi, the soul of the world.
"I’ve never been involved with a study group and I wasn’t familiar with the book Active Hope but what a powerful combination it turned out to be! The text makes the task of a meaningful contribution that addresses climate change seem achievable instead of totally overwhelming. Exploring it with others deepened that feeling; none of us are alone in this and together we can make change happen. I’ve found the process truly inspiring... I think so many of us feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, now more than ever. Deb, and this group, made me feel that through connection, creativity and vulnerability, change is possible." - Judith Lucy, Actor and comedian. 2020 Particpant
"I can’t recommend studying this book highly enough it has brought in all elements of study in my life so far relevant for all areas of ones life and Deborah Punton you facilitate beautifully THANK YOU !!" 2021 Participant
"This is truly the work that needs doing, so that all of us - the newly alert and seasoned activists alike - can support ourselves and each other through our lives." - 2021 Particpant
"I highly recommend Deb. In all the workshops I have experienced with her, she facilitates a soulful supportive nurturing space which enables personal growth and self development and a wonderful deep connection with nature and others in the group. Many thanks" - Karen Hopkins, artist. 2020
"My testimony to this work, that reconnected me to community, sisterhood and country starts with a thank you! Thank you ladies, thank you Gaia, Johanna and last but leastly least, Deb. Your grace throughout these gatherings and your fondness and love of the natural world was endearing.... I'd do this again in a heart beat and in fact hope to! Inspired by you continuously. An invaluable experience.' - Shannon. 2020
"I think so many of us feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, now more than ever. Deb and the group, made me feel that through connection, creativity and vulnerability, change is possible." -2021 Particpant
"I found Deb to be a warm and perceptive person who was articulate and genuine in the way she responded to our group. Her commitment and passion was clear and steady, and I am very glad that I did the course."- Ann, 2021 Particpant
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Judith Lucy participated in a Greensong Active Hope study group in 2020 and that experience has guided her into taking greater action on behalf of our planet. She has released an ABC podcast Overwhelmed and Living! which is a sequel to Overwhelmed and Dying.
You can listen here to Judith Lucy: Overwhelmed and Living, on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts. About 2/3rds the way through S2 01, she mentions the Greensong Active Hope book study group. We held an SOS Active Hope gathering in July 2022 to reconnect various participants from past groups. The value of the spiral, expressing all emotions, including uncomfortable feelings and community connections provided material for this podcast episode.
In this podcast episode, Judith also talks with Chris Johnstone, co-author of the Active Hope book.
THE WORK THAT RECONNECTS AND THE SPIRAL
We begin studying the Three Stories of Our Time
1. Business as Usual: there is little need to change the way we live, economic growth is regarded as essential despite the degradation of the planet for resources in doing so.
2. The Great Unravelling: draws attention to the disasters that Business as Usual has lead us to. We see the collapse of systems; climate, ecological, social and economical, as well as resource depletion, and the mass extinction of species.
3. The Great Turning: an emergence of new and creative human responses, a transition from an industrial society committed to economic growth to a life-sustaining society committed to the healing and health of our world as a whole.
The Spiral was developed as a way of helping people move through a structured process together in ways that helps us acknowledge how we feel, be heard and witnessed, develop a world-wide perspective and learn practices that support and nourish us with our part to play to make a difference in our world.
The Spiral moves through four stages, from the Active Hope website.
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Gratitude - Gratitude helps to steady and ground us in the present moment and acknowledge what is meaningful to us. Gratitude offers perspectives not solely dependent on our external circumstances. It enables our strength, trust, wisdom and courage.
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Honouring our pain for the world - Opens up a conversation where we have permission to speak our authentic selves, our truth of what is true for us right now in our hearts. We trust we are heard in naming and expressing what we experience. Our emotional energy can activate and energise us, as well as offering signals that guide us. We feel what we feel, and the honouring pain stage invites in expression of some of the feelings that are normally screened out of everyday conversation.
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Seeing with new eyes - is where we open to looking in a different way, with perspectives that open up a sense of possibility and help us see resources that can nourish us.
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Going Forth - is where we look at our role in the larger story of change. This brings in visioning practices and planning tools that help us find our part and identify the next steps.
“It's going to be beautiful to see what we dare to do.
Facing our fears, and letting go of and getting over our knee-jerk reactions to what we think we don't like or are afraid of.
To see our capacity to walk into the fire.
To discover how much we really love being alive.
To give ourselves a taste of what that passion is.
To let us fall really in love with our planet, and its beauty, and to see that in ourselves, as well as in each other.”
Joanna Macy, Ph.D. Eco-philosopher, scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology
