Moshe Givental
Work That Reconnects:
Action Grounded in Our Shared Gratitude, Grief, and Vision
What is it?
The Work That Reconnects (WTR) helps us respond to crisis and change through tapping into our innate connections with each other and the rest of our kin in the natural world, grounding ourselves gratitude, honoring our pain for the world, a deeper sense of time, and exploring more expansive visions of what’s possible. It is grounded in Systems Thinking, Deep Ecology, and many spiritual traditions. This practice was developed in the 1970's by Eco-Buddhist, philosopher and activist, Joanna Macy to help groups who were working on anti-nuclear proliferation. I came to it in the process of looking for a way to use my skills as a psychotherapist and Rabbi in service of communities grappling with the disturbing realities of environmental disruption, species extinction, and climate change. However, it draws on general principles of psychology and rituals which can support a community wanting to grow or needing support for facing any kind of significant transition or crisis. If you're interested in exploring how this process may be useful for your community, or hiring me to do a WTR workshop, please let me know.
Some Examples from Each of the 4 Steps
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Grounding in Connection, Gratitude, and Joy
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Practices
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Prayers
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Modah/Modeh Ani (I am grateful) and here
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Websites
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Honoring Pain
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Seeing with New Eyes
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Going Forth
Examples of integrating Jewish Ritual with Work That Reconnects
Pilgrimage to Honor the Earth (Summer of 2018)
I spent the summer of 2018 walking a 2-month Pilgrimage to Honor the Earth, from where I used to live in Boston to where I moved to in Metro-Detroit, paying respect to she who physically sustains us, reflecting on my and humanity's relationship with the Earth and her eco-systems, teaching and learning from people along the way. Read more here.
DENIAL -- FEAR -- ANGER -- BARGAINING - DEPRESSION -- ACCEPTANCE -- ACTION
Read more about that Climate Grief here
On the Psychology and Systems of Inaction
Our lack of sufficient action is not just a result of personal overwhelm or lack of political courage, though those are very real.
Read more about that here
Exploring courage, resilience, and possibility in the face of Climate Disruption.
The Science of Climate Disruption
Understanding the implication of what science tells us, looking beyond the numbers and at the social ramifications.
Connecting with communities which are organizing how to respond, to minimize the damage, transform our relationships, and develop resiliency to prepare for the challenges ahead.
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