From Coming Back to Life by Joanna Macy & Molly Brown (2nd ed., 2014, Chapter 10). Full instructions and further resources at the Work That Reconnects Network — the primary home for Joanna’s work online. “Corbett” is a place name — a town in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, where the practice was first workshopped — not a person. Please acknowledge the source when you use this practice.

The Work That Reconnects recognizes the intrinsic organizing power of intention. This practice amplifies a personal intention by testing it against several perspectives at once — roughly 45–60 minutes.

Setup

Groups of four sit together. Each person silently selects an important intention to explore before beginning.

The four voices

  1. The Intention Holder describes their intention to the group (about two minutes).
  2. The Voice of Doubt raises legitimate misgivings and fears that could weaken the intention if left unaddressed.
  3. The Voice of an Ancestor contributes wisdom from the past.
  4. The Voice of a Future Human speaks to what this intention could mean for generations still to come.

Responses proceed clockwise around the group. The Intention Holder listens silently throughout, then reflects afterward on what they heard. Groups may assign each perspective to a specific chair, rotating seats between rounds so everyone eventually experiences all four voices.

Variations

Groups of three: the Doubt speaker also voices the Future perspective — allowing a stronger, more focused Doubt, and saving time.

Alternative structure: the Intention Holder presents both their intention and their own sense of Doubt first, then listens to the Ancestor and Future voices in turn.

See also: Gratitude Teaching Points and The Shambhala Warriors, drawn from the same lineage of Work That Reconnects practice.