Swaraj in the Time of the Great Turning

3 July – 7 August 2026

A six-week online journey exploring Gandhi, Joanna Macy, the Work That Reconnects, and pathways for systemic change

We are living through what Joanna Macy has called the Great Unravelling: a time of ecological breakdown, social fragmentation, deepening inequality, political instability, and widespread uncertainty about the future. Yet Macy also reminds us that alongside these crises, another story is unfolding: the possibility of the Great Turning, the transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilisation.

What inner and outer transformations are needed for such a transition? How do we respond to the crises of our time without becoming overwhelmed, cynical, or paralysed? And what forms of personal and collective action can help bring about a more just, compassionate, and regenerative world?

This highly participatory six-week course brings together two powerful streams of thought and practice: Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Swaraj and Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects (WTR).

More than a century ago, Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj offered a radical critique of modern industrial civilisation and its assumptions about progress, development, and human flourishing. Through the concept of swaraj (often translated as self-rule, but encompassing far deeper dimensions of personal, communal, and civilisational transformation) Gandhi challenged us to rethink freedom, responsibility, power, and the relationship between means and ends.

Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects offers a complementary response to the crises of our age. Drawing on systems thinking, deep ecology, Buddhism, and decades of activism, WTR helps people move through despair and disconnection into renewed purpose, resilience, and action. Through its experiential practices and its framework of the Great Turning, it invites us to reconnect with ourselves, one another, and the living Earth.

Throughout the course, we will place Gandhi and Macy in conversation. We will explore how swaraj and the Great Turning illuminate one another, how both challenge the dominant assumptions of industrial modernity, and how both point toward forms of transformation that are simultaneously personal, cultural, political, and ecological.

This is not an academic course. It is a reflective, experiential, and practice-oriented learning journey. Participants will engage with key texts, experiential exercises from the Work That Reconnects, dialogue processes, and collective inquiry. Together, we will explore what it means to cultivate swaraj in a time of planetary crisis and possibility.

What to Expect

Participants will:

Explore key ideas from Hind Swaraj and Gandhi’s broader vision of swaraj
Engage deeply with Joanna Macy’s Great Turning framework and the Work That Reconnects
Participate in experiential WTR practices, including gratitude, honouring our pain for the world, seeing with new eyes, and going forth
Examine personal and collective responses to the ecological and social polycrisis
Explore connections between systems thinking, deep ecology, decolonisation, and nonviolence
Design and undertake a small constructive experiment within their own context
Learn alongside a committed community of fellow participants

Participation Expectations

The quality of this journey depends on the presence and engagement of all participants.

Participants are therefore requested to:

Attend all six sessions as far as possible
Complete the suggested pre-session readings and reflections
Participate actively in discussions and experiential exercises
Keep cameras on for most of the session unless circumstances make this difficult

Because the course includes Work That Reconnects practices and small-group sharing, creating a sense of trust and presence is especially important. To support openness and confidentiality, breakout room conversations will not be recorded.

Recordings

Plenary sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants. Recordings are intended as a support for learning and are not a substitute for attendance, particularly given the experiential nature of many activities.

Who Is This For?

This course is intended for practitioners, facilitators, educators, activists, community leaders, peacebuilders, organisational change agents, and others seeking to engage thoughtfully and practically with questions of systemic transformation, ecological responsibility, and collective futures.

It will be particularly relevant for those interested in Gandhi, Joanna Macy, the Work That Reconnects, systems thinking, deep ecology, nonviolence, and regenerative approaches to social change.

No prior knowledge of Gandhi, Joanna Macy, or the Work That Reconnects is required.

Facilitator

Rukmini Iyer (India) is a peacebuilder, leadership development consultant, and facilitator of the Work That Reconnects. Rooted in the traditions of systems thinking, deep ecology, and dialogue, her work explores how inner transformation and collective action can support meaningful responses to the challenges of our time. She brings over twenty years of experience working with communities, organisations, and networks across cultures.

Fees

Sliding scale $100 – 500 USD. We encourage those with financial capacity to contribute at the higher end to enable scholarships for future participants. Participation is confirmed only after payment is received.

Scholarships and Accessibility

We do not want financial circumstances to prevent participation. If the minimum contribution of USD 100 is beyond your current means, please write to rukmini@exult-solutions.com. A limited number of scholarships and reduced-fee places are available.

You do not need to provide detailed personal explanations or justifications. We trust participants to make requests in good faith, and will do our best to support access wherever possible.