Reflections inspired by Joanna Macy’s We Are the Great Turning podcast — exploring the Shambhala Prophecy, compassion, interconnection, and the power of community in these transformative times.

I just completed a beautiful and transformative journey through the “We Are the Great Turning” podcast by Joanna Macy and Jess Serrante, gracefully facilitated by Emma Pearson.

I am still beaming with gratitude for the deep connection and beauty that emerge in spaces where we can connect heart and mind with likeminded people — spaces where we allow ourselves to feel, share, see, and be seen.

In the last episode, Joanna shares the Shambhala Prophecy, an ancient Tibetan teaching that feels deeply relevant to our times.

The Shambhala Prophecy tells of a time when all life on Earth is in danger — when powerful forces, armed with weapons and technologies of massive destruction, threaten the web of life itself. At that time, the Kingdom of Shambhala arises — not as a physical place, but as a presence that exists in the hearts and minds of the Shambhala warriors.

These warriors wear no uniforms and carry no banners. They walk into the heart of chaos with great moral and physical courage, working to dismantle the structures of destruction from within. Their strength comes from two sacred tools: compassion — the courage to stay open to the world’s suffering — and insight — the deep understanding of the interdependence of all life.

Together, these two tools remind us that the threats we face are mind-made, and therefore, they can be unmade by the human mind.

As I reach the end of this journey through the podcast, there are three things that have become very clear to me

1. We Are Living the Great Turning

This is it. The Great Turning is happening now.

It’s no longer a distant possibility. This is something difficult to see, accept, and face. Nonetheless, I believe we are here — and we can no longer turn away and pretend we are not seeing what is happening to our planet.

Each and every one of us has a role to play in this transformation. Uncomfortable as that may be, this is not the time to hide.
This is the moment to show up fully — in your colours, in your truth, in your wholeness. (Allow me the artistic metaphor.)

Whatever “stepping up” means for you, this is your time to do just that.

2. We Need Both Heart and Mind

As Joanna says when recounting the Shambhala Prophecy, we need both our mind and our heart.

We need compassion — to feel the pain that exists in the world, and the courage to be present to that pain and to our own pain too. Only then can we show up without the fear of sadness, knowing that our emotions are the fire that can sustain our action.

We also need wisdom and insight — the deep understanding that everything is interconnected. There is no inside and outside, no real separation. We are all interwoven with the web of life, and what happens within us ripples through the entire web.

The inner work is not separate from the outer change we wish to see. Our internal space plays an essential role in bringing transformation into the world.

3. Connection and Community

We can’t make it alone.

I’ve been saying this for a while, but I have never been clearer on it: we need each other. We need community.

Each one of us has a unique role to play in this moment. It’s like being part of a grand orchestra — every musician bringing their sound to the collective symphony. Or like being different colours in a beautiful painting, each one contributing its own mood and making that painting unique.

Over the past year, I’ve been part of beautiful community spaces — coaching groups, learning journeys, both online and in physical spaces. And I am reminded again and again that human beings are made for connection.

Our nervous systems, our souls — they are not designed for isolation. Yet we’ve been told that independence, competition, and “making it alone” are marks of value. That’s a lie — one sustained by a system that thrives on isolation, because isolated humans are easier to commodify.

And community is not only about humans. It includes our belonging to the web of life, our relationship with the other-than-human world — with nature, the Earth, and the living systems that sustain us.

An Invitation

So, how does this land for you?

How do you feel about being part of this moment in time?

And — perhaps the most important question — what is yours to do?