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Penny Andrews

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Penny has been a facilitator for over 40 years--she infuses her style with deep time understanding, evolving ideas of consciousness and energizing notions of human creativity. Her work with Joanna Macy began informally 20 years ago and in 2012 she, and others, welcomed Joanna to Madison for a 5-day retreat. Since then, the sensibility of The Work that Reconnects has infused her endeavors.

Why I am called to facilitate the Work

WTR is a pathway into the gravitas of our time. In order to act, we must first be able to articulate truths that generally live below the surface. WTR frees the voice to speak its truth that then, in turn, opens energy for 'active hope' to emerge.
I have been a committed Earth activist since my early 20s. WTR assists in conversations that deepen and open our understanding of the precarious place we are and what is our work to undertake now.

How I see the Work serving the Great Turning

With my local partner, Sunshine Jones, we are already serving by offering WTR tools at a recent Youth Summit and offering a workshop at a week long Earth Day celebration. Additionally, we are part of a "Unity' group that is bring social, economic, ecological justice groups for the Climate Strike in September and then hopes to work together past that event. We have started a WTR monthly practice group that includes others who attended the retreat in 2012 and also new folks who are interested in finding a new way to navigate through daily headlines without succumbing to despair.

Audiences I work with

UUs, activists, youth, WTR community

Background & Training

Other relevant skills & experiences

Coordinated 3 Earth Charter Community Summits 2000-2003
Spiritual companioning work -current
Monthly interfaith gatherings 2000-2015
the use of art in Spiritual exploration 2000 - current
Part of team of 3 who hosted a monthly webinar entitled, Elder InnerViews 2015-2019, Beginning in October, this will now be 90 minutes and the focus will be Creation in Crisis

Experience facilitating other events & workshops

The new webinar starting in October will integrate Joanna's work with Matthew Fox's work as we explore the elder's role in our current crisis.

In these workshops, what WTR practices have you used and how?
Council of All Beings,
Elm Dance
The Spiral
The Three Stories
Diads with the Future and Ancestors

What year did you begin facilitating the Work That Reconnects?
Because the Spiral is so closely related to Matthew Fox's Four Paths, I have been offering that material for 20+ years. Additionally I have led a Council of All Beings, the Elm Dance, spoken on the Three Stories and multiple group exercises. As a chaplain, the practice of Honoring Our Pain is very much the work every day. That was also a part of the monthly spiritual group that I led for 15 years.

Please summarize the number and types of workshops, retreats and presentations of the Work that Reconnects that you have facilitated.
18 months of a monthly practice group (co-facilitated)
Current practice group has met 2x and was a co-facilitator
Earth Day event: a workshop and Council of All Beings
Youth Summit: workshop on the Spiral

Are you helping others to explore the depths of the Work That Reconnects?
we are in the early stages of affiliating with one of the largest UU congregations in the US.
Additionally, the acting Interim Minister was one of the attendees at Joanna's retreat in 2012.
We hope this will lead to many offerings of WTR within the congregation and in the community.
I also serve as a presenter at 2 small UU community churches and will be offering services on WTR in September and early next year.