World as Lover, World as Self: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal

＂Joanna Macy unveils an ancient set of roots for our work to transform the future.＂--adrienne maree brown, author of Emergent Strategy

An enduring classic of the ecology movement by the founder of the Work That Reconnects, now more timely than ever

Humanity is in an existential crisis. Facing the magnitude of our global situation as individuals leaves us feeling alone, disempowered, and despairing. Who better to listen to for wisdom and solace than Joanna Macy, one of the originators of modern environmentalism, whose life’s work has been to hear and heal our pain for the planet?

World as Lover, World as Self draws on a lifetime of wisdom to offer a re-focus on the natural world, where readers can find the strength and spiritual nourishment to envision a new future for humanity built on a sustainable relationship with the earth. Rooted in the Buddha’s teachings of paticca samuppada or ＂interdependent co-arising,＂ Macy’s reflections are especially relevant for activists who want to address the underlying mindsets of fear, greed, and selfishness that give rise to overconsumption and the ultimate destruction of our world. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, this definitive edition of World as Lover, World as Self will give a new generation of readers the tools and understanding with which to meet today’s challenges and crises.

JOANNA MACY, PhD, teacher and author, is scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology. Interweaving her scholarship with four decades of activism, her wide-ranging work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the fruitful resonance between Buddhist thought and contemporary science. Her group methods have been adopted and adapted widely in classrooms, churches, and grassroots organizing work. Her work helps people transform despair and apathy in the face of overwhelming social and ecological crises into constructive, collaborative action. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, Macy has created a ground-breaking framework for personal and social change of seeing the world as our larger body. Macy’s work on the Great Turning envisions a post-empire, post-corporate future for humanity based in sustainable, just, and caring communities. A much-loved translator of the poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, Macy infuses poetry into the tough work of social activism in her own writing. Her most recent books are Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy and A Wild Love for the World. She continues to write and teach in Berkeley, California.