The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.
—JOANNA MACY
Dear Friends,
With hearts full of both sorrow and gratitude, we share that our beloved teacher and author Joanna Macy has passed from this life.
Joanna was not only a scholar of Buddhism and a visionary thinker, she was a true Bodhisattva of the Earth. Through her teachings in deep ecology, the Work That Reconnects, and engaged Buddhism, she opened pathways for us to see clearly, act compassionately, and live with reverence for all beings.
At Parallax Press, we have been honored to be a small part of her great continuation. Joanna’s teachings live in books like:
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World as Lover, World as Self: 30th Anniversary Edition
Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal
View this bookAn enduring classic of the environmental movement, Joanna Macy’s poetic, groundbreaking call to action is poised to inspire a new generation. It’s official: humanity is in crisis. Facing the magnitude…
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Pass it On
Five Stories That Can Change the World
View this bookEco-philosopher and best-selling author Joanna Macy, Ph.D., shares five stories from her more than thirty years of studying and practicing Buddhism and deep ecology. Gathered on her travels to India,…
Joanna taught us that grief is not separate from love. In honoring her, we honor our profound interconnection with each other and with the living earth she so fiercely cherished. Her voice, rooted in mindfulness and courage, continues to ripple through communities of care, resistance, and renewal around the world.
We invite you to take a mindful breath in her honor, to walk gently on the earth, and to carry her teachings into whatever corner of the world you touch, knowing Joanna continues in you as a source of quiet strength, fierce compassion, and the remembrance of what truly matters.
With palms joined,
The Parallax Press Sangha
Two Interviews with Joanna Macy
In The Mindfulness Bell magazine we are grateful to have shared a glimpse of Joanna’s warmth and wisdom through a 2014 interview conducted by Rev. Jayna Gieber. In this intimate conversation between two longtime ecological comrades, Joanna reflects on the spiritual grounding of activism, the teachings of interbeing, and the courage it takes to stay awake to our world. We invite you to revisit this conversation as a tribute to Joanna’s enduring presence and the work that continues through all of us.
In this episode of The Way Out Is In podcast, Joanna recollects what Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and activism have meant to her, and shares a special meeting with him during a UN peace conference, when Thay read one of his essential poems in public for the first time. This conversation will take you from the current “great unravelling” and the “gift of death” to Rilke’s poetry; active hope; the contemporary relevance of the ancient Prophecy of the Shambhala Warriors; the possibility of a “great turning”.
The Transformative Works of Joanna Macy
A Heart that Held the World: Remembering Joanna Macy
In this time of remembrance, we’ve gathered a few reflections from those who have been touched by Joanna Macy’s life and teachings. These tributes speak to the depth of her impact — as a teacher, writer, and spiritual activist who helped us face the world with open eyes and open hearts.
We invite you to join us in honoring Joanna’s legacy. If you have a favorite quote, memory, or teaching from Joanna that has stayed with you, we’d love to hear it. Please reply to this email or tag us on social media with your reflections.
Together, may we carry her work forward.
The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world—we’ve actually been on the way for quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other.
—JOANNA MACY