Choice Point & The Great Turning

This is an incredible time to be alive with old systems crumbling alongside new and ancient systems arising. Many of us are collectively feeling the weight of the world and looking for our place within the ever changing landscape that surrounds us. We are trying to find this footing while there are very real concerns about the survival of our species. We are collectively witnessing the devastating effects to the natural world from our modern and “civilized” culture. It can all be so overwhelming and it's so easy to become numb to it all. I sure know I have gone to places of numbness and overwhelm when traversing this modern landscape. Having children has only amplified my fears for the future of this beautiful planet and the world my descendants are inheriting from us.

Now, I can’t pretend to know the solution to the ever escalating issues of corporate greed, racism, climate change or species extinction but I do know my sincere and deep desire to live in a world that is more loving and collaborative and connected. Our current systems are more focused on perpetuating neo-colonialism values of greed and hierarchy and are motivated by the false belief that accumulation of wealth and material goods are a true measure of success. As I humbly work towards genuinely aligning to my own values, I see how deeply I have believed the false narratives that I was fed through my education and the societal norms I was  immersed in growing up. So much of my work has been unlearning the propaganda of manifest destiny that so many of us were forced to believe. I am working towards liberating my own mind from these harmful constructs and walking the path towards wholeness.

Joanna Macy and the Great Turning 

This is where the work of Joanna Macy comes in for me. Much of her work is based on the Great Turning. What exactly is the Great Turning? In simple terms, the Great Turning is the shift from the Industrial Growth Society to a life-sustaining civilization.

If we follow any empires in history or simply look to nature, we know we must have death before creating new sustainable ways of living. This necessary crumbling is what makes fertile compost for new growth and innovative ways of being. We are not yet even close to a life-sustaining society but there are many movements growing to move towards sustenance. In order to move towards a place of greater alignment, things must fall apart. That is where we are now: the falling apart or as Macy has called it, the Great Unraveling. This is the current chaos created from the dismantling of our known world making space for new ways of living on this planet. In her work, Joanna discusses ways for individuals to be an active and conscientious participant in the Great Turning. What this means is we do not knowingly create more harm by following the “Business as Usual” model from our dominant culture. There are three dimensions to the actions we can take to be apart of the Great Turning:

1. Actions to slow the damage to Earth and its beings

2. Analysis of structural causes and the creation of structural alternatives

3. Shifts in Consciousness

I deeply believe that part of my work right now is to help shift consciousness with my clients and how I live personally. So much of my work is inspired by the Great Turning and becoming a good ancestor for future generations. I try to bring in so much psycho-education as a means to help shift consciousness and help others find new and creative ways to imagine the future. This world needs those of us who grieve and care deeply for the Earth to take part in the Great Turning with whatever skills we may bring. The powers that be want us to live in fear of the end and feel helpless while facing it all. Then, we will do what we were trained to do as good little capitalist children and work more than our bodies allow, spend little to no time on rest or rejuvenation and use our body, mind and spirits for production. We have falsely  been taught to be a commodity to be exploited and as something separate from nature.

Choice Point and the Great Turning

Anyone in my life knows I love Choice Point. In ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy), a client defines what living a meaningful life is for them. This includes identifying what values drive our choices and practicing mindfulness at anytime we are making a decision. If we can slow down enough, we can make decisions with our conscious minds. This gives us the opportunity to change our subconscious patterns that do not serve us and move towards the life we want. Choice point is incredibly simple and I love simplicity in a world that over complicates things. Authentic healing takes time and pushes us past our comfort zones but does not have to be complex.

So much of my own healing has been learning to slow down and notice what I am experiencing in my mind and body in the present time. The more I do this, the more I humbly recognize the rest my body and mind is begging for. In our dominant, capitalist culture, we are rewarded more for our productivity than the merits of our character. I always say that healing and rest can be some of the most subversive actions in the face of the status quo. In a culture that values dominance and force over love and compassion, I refuse to intentionally perpetuate more harm to this already hurting world. I want to be the outsider radiating love to all those I meet. That is the anchor for my Choice Point. I often fail but try not to judge and use each mistake as a reminder of who I want to be in this broken world.

While Choice Point can be a powerful tool for personal change, I think it can be even more impactful when looking at the choices we make through a collectivist lens. Oftentimes, I think of Choice Point as choosing between moving towards a more healed planet or away from it. While I understand that there is so much nuance around access and choice, I also want to acknowledge the power of honoring choices that reflect the values we believe in. I look at Choice Point as an entry point to deeply embody the values and the spirit of the Great Turning. It is a simple way to start thinking about the Great Turning and how in each moment we are moving towards the world we want to live in or away from that world.

The Work that Reconnects was created by Joanna Macy in the 1970’s. This experiential work consists of practices and perspectives drawn from Gaia Theory, Deep Ecology with influences from Buddhist and indigenous teachings. It was designed to help guide us to deeper connectivity to ourselves, each other and the many plants and animals that sustain us in the web of life. It is meant to help us keep our hearts open to the pain of the world while finding creative ways to participate in the Great Turning.

The work follows a spiral sequence flowing through four stages with an understanding that the work is a continual, unfolding process. The four sequences are:

1. Naming our Gratitude

2. Honoring our pain for the world

3. Seeing in new and ancient ways

4.  Going forth

These stages reflect a natural sequence that is found within psychological growth and spiritual transformation with no beginning or end. 

Living Fierce

Learning these teachings have been so grounding for me, my work and the way I live. In a world of adolescent adults, it is so refreshing hearing voices of women elders envisioning the same future I so often have dreamt about. The thing about Joanna Macy and her activism is her fierceness. In her 90’s, she is still deeply committed to the work and passionate about us all facing our despair as a portal to create real and substantial change for future generations. 

I have found that the more I align my choices with my values, the more unapologeticly fierce I become. I see how the suppression of anger in the name of continuing the detrimental  business as usual model not only harms my own psyche but all the potential service I could offer the world. I have witnessed how honoring my sacred rage leads to more energy and more ability to alleviate the suffering around me. 

Needless to say this workshop is deeply personal and meaningful to me. I have based this six week workshop on the spiral of the Work that Reconnects in honor of the fierce determination being asked of us amidst the Great Unraveling. It is my hope to help women find their own power, honor their rage and do incredible work to help alleviate suffering and move towards wholeness, equality and love to help benefit all beings on our beautiful planet. 

If you would like to learn more about Joanna Macy’s work, you may visit: https://www.joannamacy.net/

If you would like to learn more about the Work that Reconnects, you may visit: https://workthatreconnects.org/

If you would like to learn more about the upcoming cohort for Living Fierce, you may visit: https://www.jenphippen.com/living-fierce