Dear WTR Network Family and Friends,

This month and next, as we begin receiving our new copies of the recently revised tenth anniversary edition of Active Hope, we’re sharing opportunities to explore the work from new perspectives, including a Book Launch with co-authors Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone on July 23. 

The revised Active Hope has a new subtitle: How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience and Power. Isn’t “unexpected” a wonderful word? It brings to mind the concept of “emergent properties,” from systems science. Something new and unexpected arises as the components of a system interact. Co-authors Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone offer a straightforward brew of concepts, exercises and imagery to stir the pot of our psyches, so we can face the mess we are indeed in, and rediscover our resilience and creativity. Active Hope is a recommended guide for book groups, circles of practice, as well as individual study.  

A beautiful visual (page 42), offers a simple and inspiring example of a journey through the spiral using “open sentences” or “sentence starters.” This can be experienced in pairs, as a group, and could be a great entry point for those new to the work. You can find the introduction and first two chapters, including this practice, here. 

Be sure to check our event listings for Chris Johnstone’s free Active Hope Foundations Training, a book group and other workshops offering opportunities to engage.

Yours in the Great Turning,

🌀 WTR Network Weavers Team
Constance, Frieda, Helen, Jo, Kathleen, Paula, Shayontoni and Silvia

This month we feature Helen Sui, a volunteer Network Weaver who leads Work That Reconnects workshops in China and is part of a team translating Active Hope and Coming Back to Life into Mandarin. Kelsey Eaton, who volunteers with the Network Communications Committee, spoke with Helen recently.
 

Activating Hope: An interview with Helen Sui
By Kelsey Eaton

From a young age, Helen Sui knew her life path would follow societal expectations – she would complete her education, secure a corporate job, and have a family. She worked with a corporation for nearly twenty years, and her life was filled with friends and many achievements. But she found that she didn’t like who she was, and she began her “exploration of self” in 2012. Over the next seven years, Helen became a part of the coaching community in China. But she needed to go deeper, beyond the mind; she still knew that something in her life desperately needed to change.

Conversation Cafés Coming Up

Back in March of 2020, when we first began the WTR Network Webinar and Conversation Café Series, we envisioned offering regular conversation cafes in addition to webinars. Although we've offered a few cafes over the last two years, our schedule has been largely focused on webinars. Now that the program is well underway, we're ready to begin offering regular bi-monthly Conversation Cafés, where we will delve more deeply into rich conversation on topics relevant to facilitators. 

Our first one is coming up on June 25. Please join us for this one and stay tuned for announcements about Conversation Cafés in August, October, December and onwards.

Regenerative Livelihood for the Great Turning

Saturday, June 25, 2022
12 – 1:30pm PDT / 7 – 8:30pm UTC

In response to the important questions that arose during our recent webinar on regenerative livelihood and finances, we are again joining in conversation and opening community space for a deeper exploration of our experiences of regenerative livelihood. Join Della Duncan and Frieda Nixdorf as we delve further into the “unlearning” of everything we thought we knew about economics. Together, we will join in conversation to uncover tangible ways to bring the invitations of regenerative economics into actionable ideas for our personal and/or our professional lives as facilitators.  

Upcoming Webinar: 
Active Hope (new edition) Book Launch

Saturday, July 23, 2022
9 – 11am PDT / 4 – 6pm UTC 

Since Active Hope was first published a decade ago, the Great Unraveling has progressed at an alarming rate. To better address this disturbing new context, Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone have taken a fresh new view of Active Hope, with the tenth anniversary edition published in June (US) and July (much of the rest of the world) this year.

On Saturday, July 23, Joanna and Chris will share why they’re excited by this new edition as well as some of the key shifts in thinking and practice it brings.

Fiscal Year-End Contributions

We’re grateful and excited to see contributions coming in from around the world in response to our recent fiscal year-end requests. We set the goal of reaching $5,000 by the end of the fiscal year on June 30th and we’re making our way there together. Thank you for contributing to the vitality of the WTR Network! 

Here are a few of the sweet love-notes left by generous donors: 

“Thank you for being such a wonderful web of conscious compassionate souls.” ❤️
- Sabina, Roma, Italia
 
“So glad to be a member of this wonderful community, creating fertile ground
for emergent transformation.” - Tom
 
“Your work is making a subtle but lasting difference to what I feel able to do
- thank you!” - Liz, UK
 
“Thank you for the gift of open eyes, open heart community and guidance
towards gratitude and fearless connections.” - Laura

Pitch in as you’re able! Gifts of all sizes make a difference and help sustain our collective creative momentum.

  Deep Times: Call for Submissions  

The Deep Times editorial team is seeking submissions for the September 2022 issue. They are seeking contributors from all over the world, particularly outside the US, to show how the Work That Reconnects or other related deep ecology ritual and practices are helping people grapple with crises, stay connected or reconnect with earth and each other, and prepare or refresh ourselves for our role in the healing of the world.

Spiral Journey Facilitators Development Program
September 2022 through March 2023

Co-directors Molly Brown, Mutima Imani & Constance Washburn invite you to join an international cohort of people dedicated to the Great Turning towards a just and thriving future for all beings. Participate in their six month online learning community to develop facilitation skills in the Work That Reconnects. This program offers monthly webinars, an online learning platform, study circles, prep work and optional cafes. Webinars will be held the second Saturday of the month at two different times to accommodate worldwide participants.