Podcasts about accidental gods

How can Bioregionalism supplant the nation state as the natural unit of civilisation? Joe Brewer is living, breathing and teaching the ways we can work together with each other and the natural flows of water and life. We know that the current paradigm is breaking apart in real time, but how do we become the light that shines through the cracks?  How do we build ways of being that reunite us with the web of life, create new/old ways of letting value flow and become what humanity has been and could be: stewards of that massive, magical, heartbreakingly beautiful living system that is the web of life. This week's guest, Joe Brewer, works at the leading edge of these ideas, testing out answers on the ground in communities of place, purpose and passion around the world.  Joe is a trans-disciplinary systems thinker and Earth regeneration designer who has worked in everything from agroforestry work in Bioparque Móncora to starting a Waldorf Forest School (Sueños del Bosque) to co-founding a territorial foundation called Fundación Barichara Regenerativa and starting a trust to bring more local land into the commons. He was founder of the Earth Regenerators study group, which became Design School for Regenerating Earth, and is the author of The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth. Increasingly, he's becoming a leading global voice on the ways we can return to a bioregional way of living that is, as you'll here, how we have lived for over 99% of human history. It's the way that makes sense, that can heal our relationships to ourselves, each other and the living web of life.  The question, always, is how we make this happen? How do we shift our entire culture out of a world where lines drawn on maps are more real than the flows of a river, back to a place where clean air, clean water, clean soil are our priorities, the non-negotiable baselines from which everything else arises? How do we shift our concept of value flows away from the accumulation of stuff in a zero-sum game to a place where human needs are trusted and met?  Joe has such heart-warming, inspiring examples of how this is happening around the world: on all 5 inhabited continents, there are groups making this happen. As Joe says, this is the work of now. It's urgent. It's also the single most inspiring thing we can do. Bioregional Earth https://www.bioregionalearth.org/pathway/design-schoolDesign School for Regenerating Earth https://www.bioregionalearth.org/pathway/design-schoolJoe's book: The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth https://www.bioregionalearth.org/pathway/design-pathwayGovernance Futures  https://governancefutures.org/Elinor Ostrom's work on Governing the Commons https://www.beyondintractability.org/bksum/ostrom-governingSociocracy https://www.sociocracyforall.org/sociocracy/ProSocial World https://www.prosocial.world/Joe on Accidental Gods Episode #127 https://accidentalgods.life/bio-regionalism-the-design-path-for-regenerating-earth/What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to join our next Gathering 'Becoming a Good Ancestor' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

Please ensure that you are comfortable and that you won't be disturbed while you settle into this solstice meditation. If you want longer in the middle, please feel free to pause the recording and restart whenever you're ready. This meditation is suitable for Summer and Winter solstice. What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass Guided visualisation/meditations similar to this one are available in the Accidental Gods membership, which aims to offer everyone a structured route towards heart-mind connection and opening; to connect you to the Web of Life such that you can ask 'what do you want of me?' and respond to the answers in real time as a self-conscious node in the living, hyper-complex system that is the web of life. If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to join our next Gathering 'Becoming a Good Ancestor' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

As we head into the solstice- that moment when the sun stands still—whether you're in the northern hemisphere where we have the longest day, or the southern, where it's the longest night—this solstice feels like a moment of transformation. The world is turning over, turning a page. The old system is visibly—palpably—breaking apart. A new system will arise from the ashes, because there is always going to be a system. The question is what it looks like, works like, feels like. We are a prosocial, communitarian species, but our culture has shattered from our knowing of our integral place in the All That Is, so it's possible we might end up with a system predicated on hatred, underpinned by fear, where a small number of incredibly frightened people let their traumatised parts run a scorched earth policy in an effort to hold back everything of which they are most afraid, but I am increasingly hopeful that what we're seeing in places is the extinction burst of the old system: its death throes if you like. As I record this, there has been an estimated turnout in the US for the No Kings rallies of between ten and twelve million. This is an astonishing number. If it's true, it's well within shouting distance of the 3.5% of the total population that was considered a tipping point in previous social movements in our recent history: the abolition of slavery in the UK, the civil rights movement in the US, gay marriage in too many nations to count. The difference is that these numbers are based on a pre-internet age. We genuinely don't know what happens when people can see the images on their phones and realise how many of the people around them share the common values of decency, compassion, integrity, generosity-of-spirit.  So if this is potentially a turning point in the making in the US, how do we make this bigger, grander, more of a global movement?  We know we need total systemic change, but how do we make it happen?  How do we create lasting change in our ways of organising everything from food to water to shelter to education. How do we sort our mess of a governance system so we can find those with the greatest wisdom and give them as much power as they need and no more, at all the levels of our culture? As ever, I think the answer lies in our narratives - when ideas become common currency, then we begin to build them into our visions of how the world is and has been and could be. If we can become bold, evolutionary imagineers and craft stories of a different way of organising, loving, relating, caring…then we can live it into being. Which means we need to know in the marrow of our bones what this feels like. Imagination begins in our perception of the possible and part of the horror of the Trauma culture is the systematic stifling of possibility. From our books to our movies to our TV to our TikTok videos, so much is predicated on Trauma Culture narratives of scarcity, separation and powerlessness.  We are told this is the way the world is. That it is human nature to  lack all morality and engage in zero sum strategies that belittle, disempower and crush everyone around us.  Which it isn't. Nonetheless, predatory Capitalism is designed to keep us from imagining things differently. If we're stressed about earning enough to survive while at the same time being hooked on the things we absolutely have to have to feel better, and are being steadily more sedated by the incessant dopamine drips of social media…then we literally cannot step out into other ways of being. So this is our task now - to wean ourselves off the stuff we neither need nor (really) want; off the dopamine drips, and onto things that make our hearts sing so we can build new stories predicated on connection, agency and sufficiency; stories where we are self-conscious nodes in the web of life, and it's our job to ask 'What do you want of me?', listen to the answers, then carry them out to the best of our ability.  That's it. Easy to say. Harder to do.  But we can boil things down to 9 basic concepts:Three Values: Integrity, Compassion, Generosity-of-SpiritThree Baselines: Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Soil Three ReWoven Connections: between all parts of Ourselves; ourselves and Each Other; Ourselves and the Web of Life. What happens if every single thing we think or do or say or dream is based in these three sets of three? How would our days change? This isn't going to happen overnight, but we can make the commitment to live by them now. Here. This moment.  It's not going to be easy: changing behaviours never is. But we have baselines to work from.  And we might focus on one at a time.  What happens if Clean Water is our priority? How does it change how we live?  What happens if we make Integrity the heart and soul of every interaction through our days - beginning with ourselves? What does it feel like to commit to re-weaving clean, clear, courageous, compassionate connections between all parts of ourselves, ourselves and each other, ourselves and the More than Human world? Clearly I think the inner work is the foundation of everything, though I am aware that this isn't the case for everyone: if you work better in the outer world, if you'd rather lead with head than heart, that's fine, truly.  Go for it.  Find the Values that speak to you and the Baselines you can work with and go for it.  If the Inner Work speaks more to you then know that we in the west need to heal ten thousand years of Trauma Culture in half a decade. It's been at least that long for some of us since our ancestors knew themselves to be an integral part of the web of life. This is the work of the spiritual warrior. It's going to take astonishing levels of courage and commitment. Nobody is pretending this is easy.  But it is essential.And because this is the water I swim in, I'd like to share the basics of how we might get there. It starts with Grounding - with having a clear sense of our physical presence in the world, the flesh and the bones and the teeth of who we are; with sensing the solid earth beneath us as support, containment, holding, as the reality of who and what we are. When our feet are on the earth, there is nowhere left to fall. When we have a sense of roots going down into the earth, we have connection, holding and an open path from the heart of the earth to our heart. If we connect it on up to the heart-mind of the Universe, we have the three hearts in alignment. Just doing this is huge. But then, as we begin really to live in our bodies, so we can begin to recognise the places where trauma sits; the frozen places, the stuck places, the parts of ourselves that leap to our own defence - and are brilliant and wonderful and creative - but who are probably defending against threats that occurred decades ago, if not longer. We carry generational trauma, civilisational trauma. And the healing is ours to do: the good news is that there's a lot of help out there - that just as we really need it, we're beginning really to get to grips with how healing can happen. One to one work is good if you have the means: the time and the money, but many of us don't - and that doesn't mean we can't do the work.  If you'd like to work in groups there's a huge amount.  We offer Gatherings and the Membership, but there's Listen to Thomas Hübl Mystic Cafe — I'll link to his podcast Point of Relation in the show notes —Tara Brach, Michael Meade, Bill Plotkin, Jon Young…a host of others are offering online work that helps you to reconnect to yourself and the land. You have to find out what helps you best, but there's a lot out there. So we do the inner work. And in doing it, we become the still point in the whirling world that...

Our guest this week, Rob Hopkins, is a towering figure in the world of regenerative change.  Co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, he is host of the podcast 'From What if to What Next', stars in the groundbreaking French film 'Demain', speaks at TED Global and TEDx events and most recently, has created a collaborative music project with artist Mr Kit, ‘Field Recordings from the Future‘ which will be released on 17th of May 2025, alongside his new book,‘How to Fall in Love with the Future'. With the subtitle, 'A Time Traveller's Guide to Changing the World', this book does what it says on the tin - it offers a radical, moving, deeply inspiring dive into the people and movements throughout history who have used visions of the future to inspire positive change on a large and dramatic scale. From the life and writings of musician Sun Ra and the history of Black utopian movements to the latest neuroscience on what goes on in our minds—and hearts—when we travel through time, Rob brings essential new thinking to anyone overwhelmed with dread and anxiety for the future. He asks us to consider: what would the world look like if we all got to work imagining—and then building—a world we were deeply in love with?So this is our invitation to you: Listen to Rob now, then read his book, then explore what a genuinely flourishing future would feel like for you. And then together, let's make this happen. Rob's website https://www.robhopkins.net/Rob's book on Hive Books https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Rob-Hopkins/How-to-Fall-in-Love-with-the-Future--A-Time-Travellers-Gu/31447799What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to join our next Gathering 'Becoming a Good Ancestor' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

If you listen to this podcast for any length of time, you'll know that I believe the way forward is predicated on our finding shared values—I'd go for integrity, compassion, courage and generosity of spirit as the baselines—and then a suite of clear asks in the outer world and needs in the inner world.  In logistical terms, at an absolute baseline, we need Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Soil. These are non negotiable and the fact that we currently have none of these is a grim indictment of how much we live in an economy that sucks the life out of everything rather than a society that grows. But we do have people who are working flat out to change the narrative on exactly these topics and this week's guest, Tim Smedley, is one of these.  Tim is an award-winning sustainability journalist who has worked with the BBC, the Guardian, Sunday Times and Financial Times. He is also a celebrated non-fiction writer. His first book, Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution, was shortlisted for the UK's Royal Society Science Book Prize. His latest: The Last Drop: Solving the World's Water Crisis was a Times Book of the Year and has been described as 'Smart, Sobering and Scholarly' which it certainly is.This is one of those books that's both terrifying, utterly compelling and—I'm glad to say—ultimately inspiring.  Yes, the world's water is in a desperate state.  Yes, it has been horribly mismanaged almost everywhere by the kleptocracy that masquerades as a democracy in our modern world.  But yes, we do have responses that will work, they have been carefully explored and water is one of those unifying elements that brings people together across tribal boundaries. We all need clean water and getting there means we need to find common principles by which we can live. Spoiler alert: turning water into a for-profit commodity is not a part of the solution.  Regenerative agriculture, re-Wilding our waters, beavers (yay!) and sane water saving/sparing practices definitely are. Tim is so knowledgeable and his books are both brilliantly researched and utterly personal.  He goes to the places he writes about and his first-hand experiences are priceless.  I have put links in the show notes for both of his books, plus the Medium article on DeGrowth which is where I first came across his work.  Please do explore afterwards. Tim's website https://www.timsmedleywriter.com/Medium on Degrowth: https://medium.com/the-new-climate/we-need-to-talk-about-degrowth-part-ii-4d71c44067b9Article in Prospect Magazine https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/environment-news/climate-change/70022/why-isnt-it-raining-extreme-weatherTim on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/timsmedleyTim on Medium https://medium.com/@tjsmedleyTim on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/timsmedley.bsky.socialTim's BooksClearing the Air https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/clearing-the-air-shortlisted-for-the-royal-society-science-book-prize-tim-smedley/1246586?ean=9781472953339The Last Drop https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-last-drop-solving-the-world-s-water-crisis-tim-smedley/7544965?ean=9781529058178What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to join our next Gathering 'Becoming a Good Ancestor' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

How do we let go of the sense of scarcity, separation and powerlessness that defines the ways we live, care and do business together? How can we best equip our young people for the world that is coming - which is so, so different from the future we grew up believing was possible? This week's guest, Jennifer Brandsberg-Engelmann is an educator, regenerative - and I would say renegade - economist who is Project Lead at the Regenerative Economics for Secondary Schools and Lead Author of the online textbook of the same name. Jennifer has taught economics for nearly thirty years, but as you'll hear, the Global Financial Crash led her to rethink the rules and structures of the system and now she's one of the world's leading thinkers on Regenerative Economics - how we can refocus away from business, markets and the structures of neoliberalism towards ways of being that are grounded in reciprocity, respect and responsibility, in the realities of being human in the twenty-first century.  In 2023, Jennifer stopped working as a teacher and is now focused full time on shifting the paradigm in the education system and beyond, moving us away from the toxic mindset of scarcity, competition and the rise of oligopolies, towards an understanding of our place as integral nodes in the web of life. Her new two year curriculum is one of the most ambitious I've ever seen. It builds a solid, damning critique of the old paradigm and offers credible, structured routes through to a new one that would allow us all to flourish within a thriving ecosystem, to have not just an economy, but a way of being that is predicated in reciprocity, care, sharing and the kinds of lives we yearn to lead, but don't yet know how.Truly, this is evolutionary and if we can spread these ideas far enough, wide enough and root them deep enough in all that we are and do, I genuinely believe this is at least part of the key to the continuation of complex life on earth. Because, yes, we are that close to extinction. And yes, there is still time to veer from the cliff's edge.So if you do nothing else this week, please share this conversation and the links within it to anyone and everyone you know who cares about shifting the paradigm - or even is involved in the education system at any level.  Enjoy.Jennifer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-brandsberg-engelmann/Regen Economics on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/regenerative-economics-for-secondary-schools/Regenerative Economics for Secondary Schools - Project website (including online textbook with a creative commons license). 5/7 topics have been published + a Topic on systems thinking. https://www.regenerativeeconomics.earth/homeReimagining Economics: Five Transformative Shifts for Secondary Schools (Version for England) - A discussion paper to help curriculum authorities consider key changes to economics curricula. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R8e3wRmHYzqPl0Mfvv34oHv610F2RH8xveQ79xoZzYs/Regen Economics online Textbook https://www.regenerativeeconomics.earth/regenerative-economics-textbook/about-the-bookRegen Economics Open Letter on D.E.A.L https://doughnuteconomics.org/stories/open-letter-for-a-course-in-regenerative-economicsDoughnut Economics book https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Kate-Raworth/Doughnut-Economics--Seven-Ways-to-Think-Like-a-21st-Century-Economist/21739630Teach the Future - Curriculum for a Changing Climate (Track Changes) ProjectWhere the Regenerative Economics for Secondary Schools got its starthttps://www.teachthefuture.uk/tracked-changes-projectHow captured economics stole our climate — and how we can reclaim it (Part 4/4)Katy Shields' article in Medium with a brilliant causal loop diagram showing the reinforcing feedback loops that prevent change in the economics disciplinehttps://medium.com/@katyrshields/how-captured-economics-stole-our-climate-and-how-we-can-reclaim-it-part-4-4-6de66f5255afKaty is also the co-producer of the Tipping Point podcast, a true-crime style podcast about the Limits to Growth report and how it was undermined by economists https://tippingpoint-podcast.com/David Bollier, the expert support for Topic 2: Commons, recently released the second edition of his book Think Like a Commonerhttps://thinklikeacommoner.com/What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to join our next Gathering 'Becoming a Good Ancestor' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

We are honoured to bring to Accidental Gods, a recording of three of our generation's leading thinkers in conversation at the Festival of Debate in Sheffield, hosted by Opus. This is an unflinching conversation, but it's absolutely at the cutting edge of imagineering: this lays out where we're at and what we need to do, but it also gives us roadmaps to get there:  It's genuinely Thrutopian, not only in the ideas as laid out, but the emotional literacy of the approach to the wicked problems of our time.  Now we have to make it happen. Kate Raworth is a renegade economist, author of the groundbreaking book, Doughnut Economics: 7 ways to think like a 21st Century Economist and founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab which is seeing companies, cities and nations around the world working towards an economy that prioritises flourishing of people and planet ahead of growth for growth's sake.  Kate is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute, where she teaches on the Masters in Environmental Change and Management. She is also Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.Indy Johar is an architect, co-founder of 00 on behalf of which he cofounded  multiple social ventures from Impact Hub Westminster to Impact Hub Birmingham. He has also co-led research projects such as The Compendium for the Civic Economy, whilst supporting several 00 explorations/experiments including the wikihouse.cc, opendesk.cc.  More recently he  founded Dark Matter Labs - a field laboratory focused building the institutional infrastructures for radicle civic societies, cities, regions and towns. Dark Matter works with institutions around the world, from UNDP (Global), Climate Kic, McConnell (Canada), to the Scottish Gove to Bloxhub (Copenhagen). Indy has taught at various institutions from the University of Bath, TU-Berlin; Architectural Association, University College London, Princeton, Harvard, MIT and New School. James Lock is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Opus Independents Ltd, a not-for-profit social enterprise, working in culture, politics and the arts. Opus works to encourage and support participation, systemic activism and creativity with project strands that include Now Then Magazine & App, Festival of Debate. Opus Distribution, the River Dôn Project and Wordlife.  James was on the podcast quite recently - in episode #279 - and we talked about the upcoming Festival of Debate and the fact that, amongst many other outstanding conversations, he'd be talking with Kate and Indy who are easily up their in my pantheon of modern intentional gods.  Afterwards, James and I discussed the possibility of our bringing the recording of that conversation to the podcast - and here we are.  Enjoy!Opus Independents https://www.weareopus.org/Festival of Debate https://festivalofdebate.com/Kate Raworth https://www.kateraworth.com/Doughnut Economics Action Lab https://doughnuteconomics.org/Doughnut Economics book https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Kate-Raworth/Doughnut-Economics--Seven-Ways-to-Think-Like-a-21st-Century-Economist/21739630Indy Johar https://about.me/indy.joharIndy's blog at DML https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.orgDark Matter Labs https://darkmatterlabs.org/Indy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/indy-johar-b440b010/Indy on Substack https://indyjohar.substack.com/James Lock on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-lock-964a8014/Rob Shorter of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab on Accidental Gods #41 https://accidentalgods.life/doughnut-economics-action-lab/Indy on Accidental Gods #205 https://accidentalgods.life/becoming-intentional-gods-claiming-the-future-with-indy-johar-of-the-dark-matter-labs/James on Accidental Gods #279 https://accidentalgods.life/now-then-building-networks-of-citizen-power-with-james-lock-of-opus-in-sheffield/What we offer - Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership. This is where we endeavour to help  you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to come along to an Ask Manda Anything hour on Sunday 8th June, you do have to be a member (but you can join for £1 and then leave again!)If you'd like to join our next Gathering 'Becoming a Good Ancestor' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here

We all know the future rests upon us building heart-grounded, spirit-led communities that link humanity to the Web of Life. We know that the key to this is building reciprocal relationships with our food and the land from which it comes.  Doing this is…harder.  So this week, we're speaking with Abel Pearson of Glasbren.  Abel is a friend of the podcast - we last spoke in the depths of the pandemic when he was farming 3 acres and beginning to feed the local community in ways that helped the people in a ten mile radius really to connect with the spirit of the land on which their food was grown.  Now, Abel and the team are farming 138 acres of National Trust property, and still producing food for people in the local area - but so much more than that, they are building communities of place, passion and purpose, centred on the land and the cycles of the seasons and the ways we can build authentic relationship, full of reverence for the many, many layers of life in, on and under it the soil.  He says that everything he does now is for his young son and the children to come, in the hope that they might yet enjoy abundant foodscapes, clean rivers and regenerative cultures.Glasbren https://www.glasbren.org.uk/Support the Farm https://www.glasbren.org.uk/farm-supporterGlasbren courses https://www.glasbren.org.uk/coursesEpisode #25 with Abel https://accidentalgods.life/nurturing-our-bodies-and-souls/If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership. If you'd like to join our next Gathering (you don't have to be a member) it's on 6th July - details are here.And if you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work, you'll find us here. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are strange books, a testament to their author's defiant unconventionality. Through them, Lewis Carroll transformed popular culture, our everyday idioms and our ideas of childhood and the fantastic, and they remain enormously popular.Anna Della Subin joins Marina Warner to explore the many puzzles of the Alice books. They discuss the way Carroll illuminates other questions raised in this series: of dream states, the nature of consciousness, the transformative power of language and the arbitrariness of authority.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applecrffIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsffFurther reading in the LRB:Marina Warner: You Must Not Askhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v18/n01/marina-warner/you-must-not-askDinah Birch: Never Seen A Violethttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v23/n17/dinah-birch/never-seen-a-violetMarina Warner: Doubly Damnedhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n03/marina-warner/doubly-damnedGet the books: https://lrb.me/crbooklistNext episode: The stories of Franz Kafka, with Adam Thirlwell.Marina Warner is a writer of history, fiction and criticism whose many books include Stranger Magic, Forms of Enchantment and Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale. She was awarded the Holberg Prize in 2015 and is a contributing editor at the LRB.Anna Della Subin's study of men who unwittingly became deities, Accidental Gods, was published in 2022. She has been writing for the LRB since 2014. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If we are in the midst of the Great Derangement (thank you Amitav Ghosh), what tools do we have to help us shape a system that is actually fit for purpose? Who are our elders and what can they teach us? How do we learn to listen to our heart's (and hearts') desire and shape the communities of place, passion and purpose that will allow us to emerge into a different culture? Our two guests this week live and work at the heart of a global movement for cultural change.  Looby Macnamara is the co-founder of the Cultural Emergence movement. She is an author, designer, gardener, song leader, mother, and artist. She has written four influential books including People & Permaculture and Cultural Emergence - and she has a new one coming out in September: Design Adventures: Discover a Creative Framework for Effective Change.  She is also creator of the CEED card deck - Cultural Emergence Empowerment & Design.  With her partner, Chris, Looby runs Applewood Permaculture Centre in Herefordshire, UK, where they facilitate courses and demonstrate permaculture of both land and people . Leona Johnson, host of Connection Matters Podcast, is a transformational life coach, connection facilitator, and guide dedicated to personal growth, cultural emergence, and regenerative ways of being. She has spent decades exploring how we heal the crisis of disconnection, within ourselves, in our relationships, and in the world around us.Through her work in nature connection, rites of passage, life coaching, and cultural emergence, she supports people to step into Connected Self-Leadership and what she calls ‘Everyday Spirituality' practical, embodied ways of living with depth, purpose, and alignment.Leona co-hosts the PEACE course with Looby and online with Jon Young, runs the Connection Matters Leadership Programme, Nature Quests around the world, and Children, Nature & Spirituality courses. At the heart of her work is a simple but powerful message: When we remember our interconnectedness, with ourselves, each other, and the other than human world, we step into our fullest potential and create the conditions for a thriving world.These two transformational women are part of a growing movement to shift the entire foundation of our culture. What happens if we stop being the hamsters in the wheel of modernity and become the lively, inspiring, inspired - and connected - individuals we could be?  In this episode we explore the nature of cultural emergence, the values that could underpin our new culture and the real, grounded, practical ways we can begin the journeys of shift in ourselves and our communities. Cultural Emergence www.cultural-emrgence.comCultural Emergence Courses https://cultural-emergence.com/courses-overview/PEACE Course (24th - 29th June 2025)  https://applewoodcourses.com/uk_courses/peace-empowerment-and-cultural-emergence/Applewood Courses https://applewoodcourses.com/courses/Looby's Books https://applewoodcourses.com/sales/books/Leona's website: https://www.leonajohnson.life/Leona's podcast Connection Matters https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/connection-matters-podcast/id1515564368Leona's FREE mini course on Elemental Connection  https://pages.leonajohnson.life/elemental-connections-helloandIf you want to share the journey with Accidental Gods, we're here: Accidental Gods Gatherings https://accidentalgods.life/gatherings-2025/Accidental Gods Membership https://accidentalgods.life/join-us/

The old systems are no longer fit for purpose. What does an education system look like that's fit for the twenty-first century?  Where we put self care, people care, earth care at the heart of what we do? This week's guest, Rachel Musson, has made it her life's work to fashion ways of learning for all ages that put this Triple Wellbeing principle into action. In everything she does, from leading ThoughtBox Eduction, to creating the Transforming Leadership Course, to writing her glorious, inspiring children's books, to her podcast, Two Inconvenient Women, with her fellow Thoughtboxer Holly Everett, she is being the change we need in the world. At this time where the old is breaking apart and the worst are full of passionate intensity, Rachel is a living example of the fact that the best of us can also be full of passionate intensity and that this can sow seeds of change that ripen into something close to miraculous transformation.  Rachel is a beacon of inspiration and optimism, of how we can connect to the web of life and build networks of mycelial change in our personal and collective lives.  ThoughtBox Education: https://thoughtboxeducation.com/Transforming Leadership Course: https://thoughtboxeducation.com/leadership The next online course after recording starts 4th June 2025Order Story Books https://thoughtboxeducation.com/storykitRachel on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-musson/Rachel and Holly's podcast Two Inconvenient Women https://thoughtboxeducation.com/tiw-podcastEpisode 52 of Accidental Gods https://accidentalgods.life/living-to-learn/

Italo Calvino's novella Invisible Cities is a hypnagogic reimagining of Marco Polo's time in the court of Kublai Khan. Polo describes 55 impossible places – cities made of plumbing, free-floating, overwhelmed by rubbish, buried underground – that reveal something true about every city. Marina and Anna Della read Invisible Cities alongside the Travels of Marco Polo, and explore how both blur the lines between reality and fantasy, storyteller and audience. They discuss the connections between Calvino's love of fairytales and his anti-fascist politics, and why he saw the fantastic as a mode of truth-telling.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applecrffIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsffFurther reading in the LRB:Salman Rushdie: Calvinohttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n17/salman-rushdie/calvinoJames Butler: Infinite Artichokehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n12/james-butler/infinite-artichokeJonathan Coe: Calvinoismhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v14/n06/jonathan-coe/calvinoismNext episode: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.Marina Warner is a writer of history, fiction and criticism whose many books include Stranger Magic, Forms of Enchantment and Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale. She was awarded the Holberg Prize in 2015 and is a contributing editor at the LRB.Anna Della Subin's study of men who unwittingly became deities, Accidental Gods, was published in 2022. She has been writing for the LRB since 2014. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Swift's 1726 tale of Houyhnhnms, Yahoos, Lilliputians and Struldbruggs is normally seen as a satire. But what if it's read as fantasy, and all its contradictions, inversions and reversals as an echo of the traditional starting point of Arabic fairytale: ‘It was and it was not'? In this episode Marina and Anna Della discuss Gulliver's Travels as a text in which empiricism and imagination are tightly woven, where fantastical realms are created to give different perspectives on reality and both writer and reader are liberated from having to decide what to think.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applecrffIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsffFurther reading in the LRB:Terry Eagleton:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v23/n16/terry-eagleton/a-spot-of-firm-governmentClare Bucknell: Oven-Ready Childrenhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v39/n02/clare-bucknell/oven-ready-childrenThomas Keymer: Carry Up your Coffee Boldlyhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n08/thomas-keymer/carry-up-your-coffee-boldlyNext episode: Marco Polo's Il Milione and Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities.Marina Warner is a writer of history, fiction and criticism whose many books include Stranger Magic, Forms of Enchantment and Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale. She was awarded the Holberg Prize in 2015 and is a contributing editor at the LRB.Anna Della Subin's study of men who unwittingly became deities, Accidental Gods, was published in 2022. She has been writing for the LRB since 2014. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In these troubling times, how can we offer ourselves in service to Life? In this sparkling and vast conversation with Manda Scott, we discuss what it means to do what needs doing and let go of the outcome, where we are in the human story, and the more-than-human support available to us in this important juncture. Manda Scott is an award-winning novelist and host of the acclaimed Accidental Gods podcast. Her latest novel Any Human Power is a Mytho-Political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian roadmap to a flourishing future we'd be proud to leave to the generations that come after us. With degrees in veterinary medicine and a Masters in Regenerative Economics, Manda's life is oriented towards creating radical new narratives that will pave the way to the total systemic change our culture–and our world–needs. You can connect with Manda at: www.accidentalgods.life www.mandascott.co.uk www.thrutopia.life If you enjoyed this episode, please help get it to others by subscribing, rating the show, or sharing it with a friend! You can also pitch in to support the show once or monthly at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/meganleatherman

As Manda Scott's BRILLIANT podcast suggests, "another world is possible… we have the power of gods to destroy our home, but we also have the chance to become something we cannot yet imagine." This week's special episode is a joint podcast with Manda on her Accidental Gods podcast (https://accidentalgods.life/). In all of her shamanic work, bestselling novel-writing, podcasting and convening, Manda Scott is gathering people around the vital question, how we can create a future that we would be proud to leave to the generations to come? Manda's new novel 'Any Human Power' is out on May 30th: https://linktr.ee/anyhumanpower And you can find more of Manda's extensive and amazing work on her website here: https://mandascott.co.uk/ Other things we talk about in this conversation: Nick Mulvey's performance at COP26: https://youtu.be/x-GBl6DeA50?si=8RgDivREYKZTa9I1&t=1273 Beautiful! The Substack Manda reads from:  ⁠https://theconcernedbird.substack.com/p/elon-musks-and-xs-role-in-2024-election Systems Transformation Pathway at UWC Atlantic College: https://www.uwcatlantic.org/learning/academic/systems-transformation-pathway https://sites.google.com/uwcatlantic.org/transformingsystems/centre?authuser=0 Green School Bali:  https://www.greenschool.org/ School of Humanity: https://sofhumanity.com/ Festival of Hope: https://ibo.org/festival-of-hope/ Social Links LinkedIn: @mandascottauthor - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/ BlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/mandascott.bsky.socialandMastodon - https://mastodon.scot/@Eceni Or you can write to Manda here: https://mandascott.co.uk/contact/

We are living through the death of democracy and the onset of Techno-Feudalism.  But this is not a time when linear systems can hold and feudalism was nothing if not linear. So how can we be part of a transformative process that will let us lay the foundations for a future we'd be proud to leave behind?Usually, on Accidental Gods, we talk to guests who seem to exemplify some aspect of the generative edge of interbecoming change that will take us towards the emergent future we need if we're not only to survive, but thrive.  But once in a while it's just Manda, reflecting on the moment and offering pointers to things that might be useful to read or watch or listen to or think about. This is one of those, and it feels timely, in part because the Oxford Real Farming Conference too place recently and was immensely heartening - and partly because of the times we're in. This was recorded on Sunday 19th of January 2025 and if you're in the English speaking world listening to this podcast, then you'll be aware that basically democracy dies tomorrow. Though, as you'll also be aware, we never had true democracy of the people by and for the people, and certainly nothing that might have created a generative enhancement of the web of life. We had a kleptocracy at best, a kakiocracy at worst and all of it was working against the kind of  future we want to leave as our legacy. So this is a podcast of ideas, most of which boil down to: It's time each of us committed ourselves in service to life.  What does that feel like? How does it work and where will it take us?  Let's find out.  Oxford Real Farming Trust https://realfarming.org/programmes/land-based-wisdom/CFOSA https://consciousfoodsystems.org/Animate Earth Collective https://animate-earth.orgThe Wild with Indy Johar - the whyhttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wild-with-sarah-wilson/id1548626341?i=1000677521024Changing our Civilisational Model - Michel Bauens on Substack https://substack.com/inbox/post/155005488And then at the macro level, Dark Matter Labs on Governance https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D4E1FAQFRu6lmVVqBvw/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/B4EZQsP1m3HAAc-/0/1735909140676?e=1738195200&v=beta&t=8kAX6cLW_kf4Lsvw8dYn2_9FG644-bWKa6SZy1QTXKk

What happens when people with chronic, unstable diabetes eat food grown in local, regenerative farms? Erin Martin talks to the Accidental Gods podcast about the dramatic and spectacular improvements in health her group FreshRxOK saw in Oklahoma when they instigated a 'Food as Medicine' programme, offering real food with good nutrient density to diabetic patients in some of the poorest communities.An Oklahoman on track to be a lawyer, Erin's first job in a retirement community inspired her to pursue a degree in gerontology instead. During her Masters program at USC, Erin ran a team of advocates serving over 700 low income older adults in the Southern California area. She was troubled by how little support people get as they age. So Erin founded Conscious Aging Solutions, a company dedicated to helping older adults navigate health and social systems so they can age successfully. As Erin's work focused on strategies for longevity, she found that food—access to quality food—had an enormous impact on our life spans.As her interest in food grew, she became certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy. Erin moved back home to Tulsa during the pandemic to find that the supply chain disruptions had only intensified what was already a food system problem in the city. Lack of access to nutritious foods was contributing to poor health outcomes and high mortality rates for Tulsans, especially those with chronic conditions.In 2021, Erin co-founded a prescription produce program called FreshRx Oklahoma. The program's success has launched her onto the national stage. Now Erin champions food as medicine to promote the longevity of underserved communities, decrease food insecurity, support the environment, revitalize the agricultural economy, and decrease system-wide health care costs.Recorded on the day of the US Presidential Inauguration, we talk about the shift from a sickness service to a health service and how food can help us move towards a more regenerative system.  Most particularly, we talk about the truly spectacular health improvement indices in the diabetic patients who benefit from the FreshRxOK programme. Erin's website: https://www.erinwmartin.com/Erin on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@erinwmartinFreshrxOK https://www.freshrxok.org/FreshRxOK on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@freshrxok

How can we bring wisdom to those with power and power to those with wisdom?  If we were to step into elder hood and bring the best of ourselves to the table, could we create governance structures that would help to heal our cultural divides, create equity and guide is wisely through the coming crisis? Jenny Grettve believes we can and has set up a global council to make this happen.  Jenny is a good friend of the podcast. She joined us in episode #228 to talk about designing and building a school along Doughnut economic lines and then again in episode #249 to talk about the evolution of a Mothering Economy based on the values of compassion and care for future generations.  Jenny is an author, philosopher, systems thinker and designer, author of several books, most recently the Mothering Economy that we talked about the last time we met. Then, she was leading WhenWhen, a new feminist design agency that creates system demonstrators to test ideas generated by global researchers working with the climate crisis and sustainable life.  She was still working there last November when Donald Trump managed to take the US Presidency again. Amidst all the shock and horror of that moment, I saw a post Jenny put up on LinkedIn, proposing the creation of a Global Council of Women as a way to bring forward the values that our world needs at this moment of total transformation.  I signed up on the spot and then asked Jenny to come and talk to us about it, so that the idea might spread in the Accidental Gods spheres.  And then as I was doing the reading for this episode, I found that Jenny had started the year in a new post - that she is now Head of Transformation at a European Council funded organisation called EIT - that's European Innovation and Technology - Culture and Creativity.  Which means Jenny is now taking the wisdom of creativity right into the heart of the bureaucracy that sustains the super organism, at least in the EU.  So here we are, considering the nature of wisdom and elder hood, how we might overcome the gender divides that so assail us in service to life - and how to bring creative ideas deep into the heart of machine.  Please know that the Council is not only for women - the first meeting is exploring whole, healthy masculinity and how it can be prioritised in this world. Which feels like such an integral part of our thinking now.  So please do join - the link is below.  Women Council https://www.womencouncil.world/Jenny Grettve https://www.jennygrettve.com/EIT Culture and Creativity https://eit-culture-creativity.eu/Jenny on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennygrettve/EIT Culture and Creativity on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/eit-culture-creativity/Jenny in Episode 228 https://accidentalgods.life/evolving-education-building-a-doughnut-school-with-jenny-grettve-of-whenwhen/Jenny in Episode 249 https://accidentalgods.life/finding-the-courage-to-care-ways-to-build-a-mothering-economy-with-author-jenny-grettve/

In this thought-provoking episode of The Sustainability Agenda, Fergal Byrne speaks with Manda Scott—award-winning novelist, podcaster, and shamanic practitioner—about the profound challenges of our time and the transformative possibilities of conscious evolution. Manda discusses the "polycrisis" of climate breakdown, systemic inequities, and the existential threat of predatory capitalism, offering a deep perspective on the spiritual and systemic changes needed to navigate this pivotal moment.Manda sees humanity's crises as rooted in a centuries-old belief in separability, which has fueled destructive systems like capitalism and undermined our connection to the natural world. She emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift toward non-duality and spiritual reconnection, drawing on her shamanic practice to illustrate how this approach can foster a deeper integration with the web of life. For Manda, conscious evolution is not only possible but essential to moving through what she describes as the “pinch point” of our meta-crisis.A central theme of the interview is the critical role of storytelling in shaping the future. Manda discusses her idea of "thrutopian" narratives—stories that chart a realistic and peaceful path from the crises of today to a thriving, equitable future. These narratives, she argues, can provide a tangible roadmap for systemic transformation, inspiring individuals and communities to imagine and create a world beyond predatory capitalism. She criticizes the limits of corporate greenwashing and geoengineering, calling instead for holistic approaches centered on community, cooperation, and connection.In this interview, Manda also explores how technology could become a force for ecological and social justice …if freed from the constraints of profit-driven systems. One way or another, she argues that we urgently need to change the stories we tell ourselves about what is possible and to foster collective action rooted in shared values and imagination.Drawing from her latest ecological thriller, Any Human Power, Manda offers a compelling vision for systemic change, urging listeners to embrace new narratives-- and a renewed sense of interconnectedness. she shows how creativity and spiritual practice can illuminate the pathways to a regenerative and just future. Manda Scott is a former Scottish veterinary surgeon who is now a blogger, podcaster, columnist, occasional broadcaster and an award winning novelist. Born and educated in Glasgow, Scotland, she trained at the University of Glasgow, School of Veterinary Medicine, and now lives and works in Shropshire. Manda is also the host of the Accidental Gods podcast which “explores ways through to the future we'd be proud to leave behind. Her latest novel is Any Human Power, a visionary ecological thriller that intertwines myth, technology and radical compassion in the pursuit of a just future. 

The Thousand and One Nights is an ‘infinite text'; it has no fixed shape or length, no known author, and is transformed with each new translation. In this first episode of Fiction and the Fantastic, Marina Warner and Anna Della Subin explore two particularly mysterious stories taken from Yasmine Seale's new translation of the Nights. ‘The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad' highlights the pleasures of dreaming, the power of language and the imagination's essential role in eroticism. ‘Abdullah of the Sea and Abdullah of the Land' demonstrates how the fantastic can help us imagine new ways of living.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applecrffIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsffFurther reading in the LRB:Marina Warner: Travelling Texthttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n24/marina-warner/travelling-textSteven Connor: One's Thousand One Nightinesshttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v34/n06/steven-connor/one-s-thousand-one-nightinessesWilliam Gass: A Book at Bedtimehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v16/n21/william-gass/a-book-at-bedtime Marina Warner: ‘The Restless One'https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2024/june/the-restless-oneNEXT EPISODE: ‘Gulliver's Travels' by Jonathan Swift, out on Monday 10 February.Get the book: https://lrb.me/sealenightsffMarina Warner is a writer of history, fiction and criticism whose many books include Stranger Magic, Forms of Enchantment and Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale. She was awarded the Holberg Prize in 2015 and is a contributing editor at the LRB.Anna Della Subin's study of men who unwittingly became deities, Accidental Gods, was published in 2022. She has been writing for the LRB since 2014. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marina Warner is joined by Anna Della Subin to introduce Fiction and the Fantastic, a new Close Readings series running through 2025. Marina describes the scope of the series, in which she will also be joined by Adam Thirlwell and Chloe Aridjis. Together, Anna Della and Marina discuss the ways the fiction of wonder and astonishment can challenge social conventions and open up new ways of living.The first episode will come out on Monday 13 January, on The Thousand and One Nights.Marina Warner is a writer of history, fiction and criticism whose many books include Stranger Magic, Forms of Enchantment and Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale. She was awarded the Holberg Prize in 2015 and is a contributing editor at the LRB.Anna Della Subin's study of men who unwittingly became deities, Accidental Gods, was published in 2022. She has been writing for the LRB since 2014.The first four texts:The Thousand and One Nights (Yasmine Seale's translation)Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's TravelsThe Travels of Marco Polo (no particular translation) and Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities (William Weaver translation)Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning novelist, teacher, and podcaster Manda Scott talks with Tess Callahan about her shamanic spiritual practice, her new Thrutopian novel ANY HUMAN POWER, and her highly acclaimed podcast Accidental Gods. Tess and Manda discuss dreams, visions, and the liminal states between waking, sleeping, life, and death. Manda encourages writers to create new narratives that will pave the way to the systematic changes our world needs.Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, Manda's previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards, and won the McIllvanney Prize. Her latest novel, Any Human Power, is a mytho-political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian roadmap to a flourishing future we'd be proud to leave to forthcoming generations. With degrees in veterinary medicine and a Masters in Regenerative Economics, Manda Scott hails from Scotland and now lives in England with her wife and podcast co-creator, Faith Tilleray. Explore these links to learn more about Manda's writing, her podcast, and her Thrutopian Master Class for writers.Manda Scott's Website: https://mandascott.co.uk/Accidental Gods Podcast: https://accidentalgods.life/. Thrutopian Master Class: https://thrutopia.life/Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight TimerMeditations on YouTubeTess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Audio Editing: Eric Fischer of Audi-Refined.com By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. Thank you for listening!DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to this recording. Use the material provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.

Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, Manda Scott was once a veterinary surgeon and is now an award-winning novelist, smallholder, contemporary shamanic trainer and host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast. Taking a Masters in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher College taught her that hospicing modernity is our most urgent task--and that it's only possible if enough of us have road maps showing routes through from exactly where we are towards a future that works for all life. She is co-creator of the Thrutopian Writing Masterclass and her new novel, Any Human Power is a Thrutopian mytho-political thriller.

SummaryIf we are going to lay the foundations of a world we are proud to leave as a legacy we need to be comfortable to move into elderhood - for Manda Scott this is about getting comfortable with emergence and asking the living web “what is mine to do”. We've created a world where separation, anxiety & powerlessness have become the underlying defaults instead of a world of security, belonging & agency. We are addicted to dopamine &exist in a world of trauma rather than initiation so how are we to rewrite these patterns?By listening to the heart-mind - its very shy & quiet but the head mind will whisper if it needs you to really listen.Links You'll LoveAny Human Power - Manda ScottAccidental Gods - Manda Scott program &  podcast Right story, Wrong story - Tyson YunkaportaSand talk - Tyson YunkaportaMans search for meaning - Victor FrankelFrancis Weller - The Wild Edge of SorrowLoved this? Try these:Tyson YunkaportaDamon GameauSupport the ShowCasual Support - Buy Me A CoffeeRegular Support - PatreonBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersWe talked about:Learning to live as functioning members of the earth communityWhy she writes fiction not non fictionReceiving shamanic instructionHow to be in connection with the web of life in all its complexityBeing born into a trauma culture rather than an initiation cultureWhy seeing truth without self projection is hard.Her decades of shamanic teaching - still learning to discern the difference between what her ego is saying and what the energy is sayingReturning to a sit spot to receive instructions to write a book“Skin Listening” - an ability to be felt with all your senses without pre conceived ideasSit spots - what can I see, what can I feel, what does my heart say Why some languages say “I am other” and some say “I am intrinsically part of what is happening.Initiation culture is capable of holding contained encounters with deathWe live in a dopamine culture - addicted to turning oil into adrenalineYearning for a serotonin mesh of connection of meaning & purposeThe four stages of AdulthoodUndoing our head mind dominanceOffering yourself in service and waiting for your path. The chaos of our culture is that we think we can plan aheadWe live in an insane world & ourselves its saneOne of the key measures of adulthood is being prepared to walk against the tideSupport the show

How do we emerge into a new future from here?   In this week's conversation with award-winning novelist, smallholder, contemporary shamanic trainer and host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast Manda Scott, we explore the edges of shaping the future of our wildest dreams.   ‘The ​not ​knowing ​is ​what ​allows ​the ​space ​for ​the ​web ​of ​life ​to ​send ​the ​knowing ​in.' and it is this not knowing that gives us room to dream, rise and change this system. ‘It's ​not ​predictable. ​If ​we ​can ​predict ​it, ​then ​it's ​not ​the ​new ​system, ​​but ​we ​can ​take ​ourselves ​​to ​the ​emergent ​edge ​of ​inter ​becoming, ​from ​which ​​emergence ​into ​that ​new ​system ​is ​hopefully ​more ​likely ​than ​the ​chaos ​and ​extinction.'   We hope this episode encourages you to explore deeper what invitations the web of life is making to you.   Links from this episode and more at allthatweare.org        

Manda Scott is an award-winning novelist and host of the acclaimed Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, her previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards and won the McIllvanney Prize. Her latest novel ANY HUMAN POWER is a Mytho-Political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian road map to a flourishing future we'd be proud to leave to the generations that come after us. With degrees in veterinary medicine and a Masters in Regenerative Economics, Manda's life is oriented towards creating radical new narratives that will pave the way to the total systemic change our culture – and our world – needs. ANY HUMAN POWER is available for sale on Amazon. Connect with Manda Scott on Facebook, Bluesky, Goodreads, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Topics 00:00 – Introduction and Support Request 01:00 – Guest Introduction: Manda Scott 02:04 – Discussion on Thrutopian Novels 02:45 – Manda Scott's Literary Influences 07:01 – Spiritual Practices and Shamanic Path 12:25 – The Concept of Thrutopian Fiction 17:29 – The Power of Fiction in Inspiring Change 21:22 – Genesis of ‘Any Human Power' 27:45 – The Role of Dreaming in Spiritual Practice 27:52 – Shamanic Dreaming and Its Significance 29:08 – Connecting with Loved Ones Through Dreams 30:36 – Trauma Culture and Initiation Cultures 32:11 – The Four Stages of Evolution 36:40 – Dopamine vs. Serotonin Reward Systems 40:01 – The Importance of Community and Connection 45:11 – The Future of Spiritual Practice and Writing 46:29 – Integrating Dreaming into Daily Life 48:36 – Concluding Thoughts on Modernity and Community Resources The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff The Last of the Mohicans (1971 TV Series) Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Riding the Horse Backwards by Arnold and Amy Mindell Regenesis by George Monbiot Sounds of SAND #85 In Our Bones: Osprey Orielle Lake Sounds of SAND #65 Emptiness & Grief: Francis Weller Sounds of SAND #98 Glissando of Consciousness: Andrew Holecek Sounds of SAND #11 Quantum Listening: IONE Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member.

For this haunted Wicked Problems – Climate Tech Conversations, Richard Delevan is joined by celebrated author Manda Scott, known for historical fiction, thrilling plots, and a gift for exploring deep-seated mythologies that shape human struggles.In this Halloween/Samhain episode, Scott takes us through her latest novel, Any Human Power, a genre-bending work that interweaves climate, technology, politics, and mythology to probe our existential crises. Halloween, or Samhain in Celtic tradition, is when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest—a fitting setting for a discussion blending the metaphysical with the political. We dive into how stories, myths, and beliefs profoundly shape our understanding of climate change—and our responses to it.Utopia, Dystopia… or Thrutopia?Scott argues that we face more than climate change; we're in a polycrisis—a web of interlinked existential threats that defy isolated solutions. Climate breakdown, economic disparity, and political polarization are all interwoven. Rather than focusing on dystopia, Scott introduces us to “Thrutopia,” stories that offer not only escape or survival but paths to reimagining governance, social structures, and our relationship with nature. In her view, we don't need heroes; we need collective transformation.The Role of Myth in Modern CrisesMythologies shape how we interpret reality and help us frame complex issues in ways that feel tangible. Scott's storytelling bridges the familiar with the visionary, drawing on Irish and Scottish influences that explore the liminal “between” spaces, echoing Samhain's themes. As she explains, this space “between” worlds encourages us to imagine beyond the typical bounds of existence—a lens through which we can more fully grasp the challenges before us.Changing Our Relationship with Power and TechnologyScott explores a key theme: the gap between technology's potential and its often-destructive application. Drawing on Taiwan's Audrey Tang's vision for tech as a unifying tool, Scott reimagines social media as something that builds communities, not conflict— essential for a sustainable future. Using insights from neuropsychology, she explains how power structures hijack our fears through “limbic system manipulation.” This, she argues, is not inevitable; it is simply a reflection of our system's structural failures. Her work calls us to confront these flaws and envision a fundamentally different world.Dive DeeperHer two podcasts, Accidental Gods and Dreaming Awake, explore regenerative futures, mythology, and spiritual aspects of climate action. Her courses offer ways to reconnect with the “web of life” and sustainable change.Among her influences are Ursula Le Guin's ideas on human power, Kim Stanley Robinson's climate fiction, and The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow, which reimagines human history and societal structures.Manda Scott's novel, Any Human PowerPodcasts: Accidental Gods and Dreaming AwakeCourses: Thrutopia - Writing Our Way to a Future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fascinating conversation Manda & I discuss the important role creatives have, at this time of emergence, to help society envision an alternative future, something we simply can't expect our current governments or systems of power to do for us. Manda has had a truly fascinating journey & beautifully weaves all the threads of these diverse influences; growing up in a raptor rescue, becoming a veterinarian, working in the computer games industry, studying for a masters in economics alongside her deep involvement in shamanism. This is a conversation that draws on lived experience & deep considered thought & offers many resources for further exploration. Through her latest Thrutopian novel Manda manages to gently introduce us to alternative ways of existing that place us firmly back into the interconnected web of existence, avoiding the trained reflex ingrained in our trauma cultures that might trigger us to reject the possibilities. This conversation is a balm to the soul of anyone who feels cast a drift from the exploitive hierarchal society that we find ourselves in, that in Manda's own words commodifies grief, destruction & death. Whilst she also reminds us to realise that Any Human Power that exists can by human agency be changed, it simply needs enough of us to to stop believing in the current paradigm. Manda and I invite you to join us as people that choose to stop believing there isn't a viable alternative, that whilst the future is unknowable it also has the capacity to be incredibly exciting.  Stepping out of line is a radical act, but what might surprise you is that you wouldn't be alone, all the ideas from Manda's book, like global guardian governance, alternative structures of accountability & economics are already in existence, they are closer to us then we realise.Learn more about MandaManda Scott is an award-winning novelist and host of the acclaimed Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, her previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards and won the McIllvanney Prize. Her latest novel ANY HUMAN POWER is a Mytho-Political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian road map to a Dlourishing future we'd be proud to leave to the generations that come after us. With degrees in veterinary medicine and a Masters in Regenerative Economics, Manda's life is oriented towards creating radical new narratives that will pave the way to the total systemic change our culture – and our world – needs. Website: www.mandascott.co.uk/Facebook: www.facebook.com/MandaScottAuthorLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/Accidental God's podcast: www.accidentalgods.life Instagram: www.instagram.com/accidental_gods/More Resources: https://bit.ly/NBNPEpisode51Support the showThank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world. More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography WebsiteConnect with us & join the conversation on social media:Instagram @FionaMacKayPhotographyFacebook @FionaMacKayPhotographyTwitter @FiMacKay

Our two guests this week are deeply embedded in the creation of Tiny Homes as a way for us meet the needs of all within the bounds of the living planet. Both are living absolutely at that sharp, bright edge of inter-becoming from which our more flourishing future will emerge.  Rachel Butler is the founder of Tiny House Community Bristol, Chair of Bristol Community Land Trust and is a member of Bristol's One City Homes & Communities board. Her root mission is within systems change/paradigm shift: to re-common as much land as practicable, enabling as many people as possible to move back onto and reconnect with this land, by co-creating and co-residing in Tiny House Regenerative Settlements. She believes that, at this critical time of human-created poly crisis, as the current system collapses and composts, it's also time for the human species to rejoin the web of life, in sacred reciprocity; healing our relationships to self, each other and community; not only human, but of all beings and kinds.Maddy Longhurst is a director of Tiny House Community Bristol alongside Rachel and, for the last 4-5 years has been helping to create their Tiny House development in Sea Mills, Bristol, as well as another small tiny house community off the radar. Since having to leave her rented home this August, she and her daughter have decided to exit the mainstream housing system so as to no longer be subject to its unethical, exploitative ways, but to live, for now, in the fertile margins until their tinies are created. She's UK coordinator of the Urban Agriculture Consortium, weaving relationships between people working in the urban and peri-urban agroecological transition. She is also Studio Coordinator for Constructivist, a regenerative design school for built environment professionals, and part of the Strategy circle for Bristol Commons. Some of her current areas of work are on Reimagining the Greenbelt as a place for regenerative settlements, prototyping Landed Community Kitchens and developing a model for Tiny Homes for land regenerators in the city. As you can imagine, our conversation ranged from how grinding bureaucracy so often gets in the way of genuinely restorative, regenerative practice,  to the philosophy and practices that are the foundations of the change we need to see in the world.  We explored the actual social technologies that moved things forward and learned of two workshops that sound totally transformative.  Since recording, it's become apparent that the one in Bristol with El Juego is not really open to other participants, which is sad, but I have no doubt they'll be back - and that Maddy and Rachel will be able to engage with the teaching and bring it into life here and elsewhere.  I've put links in the show notes to the Fearless Cities event in Sheffield on the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of November.  If I go, I swear I'll be at a microphone in time for the Ask Me Anything Gathering in the Accidental Gods membership that day.  This is also a good time to remind you that Dreaming your Death Awake is on the last Sunday of October, 27th from 4-8pm UK time. It's on Zoom and anyone can come. Tiny House Community on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/tiny-house-community-bristol-ltd/ https://www.tinyhousecommunitybristol.org - this is the Tiny House Community Bristol website - please have a look at the Sea Mills page where you can see and support their planning applicationThe THCB Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/364360747248042/THCB Instagram @tinyhousecommunitybristolOther related sites of interest: https://www.bristolclt.co.ukhttps://wecanmake.org/https://thebristolcommons.org/https://www.bristolonecity.com/https://www.in-abundance.org/https://coexistuk.org/https://www.urbanagriculture.org.uk/https://www.fearlesscities.com/https://www.fearlesscitiessy.org/https://eljuego.community/El Juego Tour details here: https://eljuego.community/tour-reino-unido/https://www.regenerativesettlement.comhttps://www.agroecologicalurbanism.org/building-blockshttps://www.urbanagriculture.org.uk/ongoing-projects/fringe-farming/for those interested in policy around community led housing (CLH): Bristol's CLH policy page https://www.bristol.gov.uk/council/policies-plans-and-strategies/housing/community-led-housing-policiesAlso maybe this for great examples of tiny homes around the world: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoNTMWgGuXtGPLv9UeJZwBwAlso another progressive 'compact homes' policy https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/planning/custom-and-self-build/compact-homes/defining-compact-homes/Accidental Gods Online Gathering: Dreaming Your Death Awake online Gathering 27th October 4pm - 8pm UK time https://accidentalgods.life/dreaming-your-death-awake/

Former veterinary surgeon turned author, columnist and podcaster Manda Scott explores the need for new narratives that challenge existing economic, cultural and environmental paradigms perpetuating scarcity and powerlessness. Manda critiques current economic systems and advocates for serotonin-driven behaviours over dopamine-centric lifestyles, emphasising transformative corporate governance models and changes in media. Through a thrutopian lens, Manda promotes value-based systems prioritising stakeholder representation and environmental sustainability. Calling for a shift from  trauma-driven frameworks to an initiation culture that focuses on healing and connection, Manda urges us to consider the long-term impact of our actions for future generations and to reconnect to the web of life.   KEY TAKEAWAY ‘If we begin to evolve the serotonin mesh of connection to other people, to ourselves first of all, create that sense of connectedness inside, connection to other people, communities of place, purpose and passion, and connect to the web of life, the more than human world, then I can ask for help, and that help will be given.'   BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS* Any Human Power by Manda Scott - https://amzn.eu/d/gsRGYkF Civilised to Death by Christopher Ryan - https://amzn.eu/d/aPDMfAi The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow - https://amzn.eu/d/iLtIyjQ   ABOUT MANDA In 2016, Manda read for a Masters in Regenerative Economics from Schumacher College, which led her to co-create the Accidental Gods membership programme and podcast, each of which aims to facilitate emergence into a new, regenerative system we'd be proud to leave to the generations that come after us. Her latest novel, Any Human Power, described by Lee Child as 'Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane', weaves currents of shamanic mythology similar to those in the Boudica series through a ‘Thrutopian' thriller of political upheaval and transformative change. She lives in the edge place between England and Wales with her wife and assorted animals.    Image credit Faith Tilleray    CONNECT WITH MANDA LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MandaScottAuthor Twitter https://twitter.com/MandaScott Mastodon https://mastodon.scot/@Eceni BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/mandascott.bsky.social YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@AccidentalGods     ABOUT AMY Amy is a Life Purpose Coach, Podcast Strategist, Global Podcaster, Speaker and Mastermind Host. Helping you to improve productivity, engagement and fulfilment in your everyday life and work. Prepare to banish overwhelm, underwhelm and frustration to live with clarity of purpose.   BUY AMY'S BOOK* Focus on Why by Amy Rowlinson – https://amzn.eu/d/6W02HWu   WORK WITH AMY If you're interested in how purpose can help you and your business, please book a free 30 min call via https://calendly.com/amyrowlinson/call   KEEP IN TOUCH WITH AMY Sign up for the weekly Friday Focus - https://www.amyrowlinson.com/subscribe-to-weekly-newsletter   CONNECT WITH AMY https://linktr.ee/AmyRowlinson   HOSTED BY: Amy Rowlinson   DISCLAIMER The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence. *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

On the 89th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Manda Scott. Manda trained as a veterinary surgeon but is now an award-winning novelist and host of the Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the internationally best-selling Boudica: Dreaming series, which The New York Times labelled “a masterpiece in historical fiction,” her latest novel departs from historical fiction in favour of a contemporary Thrutopian narrative, exploring the potential for a future we'd be proud to leave as our legacy. Any Human Power opens doorways we could all walk through, following routes to a paradigm shift we could make happen now.In this captivating conversation, Manda takes us on her journey of connecting to the living web of life. We explore what the web is asking of us, learning to learn through pain until we can learn through love, the joyful curiosity that arises from the heart-mind connection, dreaming awake, and the magic of co-creation that our relationships with each other can entail. She outlines the role of artists in envisioning a future that lays the foundations for a new way of being and path to follow.This entire conversation is brimming with hope, connection, curiosity, and considerable wisdom and insight from Manda. I hope it serves as a window into what is possible when we fully sense and connect with all that is around us—the living web of life.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for full interviews and clips.For further content and information check out the following:Manda's website / books: https://mandascott.co.uk/Manda's podcast: https://accidentalgods.life/- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your teams, or you simply want to get in touch.00:00 Introduction02:45 Podcast begins04:45 Connecting with the web of life07:55 Consciously encountering the web of life12:15 Communicating with time and space18:03 Learning through pain and love22:57 Accepting, understanding and healing26:28 The heart-mind connection31:45 The power of joyful curiosity37:15 Feeling the web of life42:03 Attributing more aliveness to AI and others45:32 Dreaming awake and the void55:37 Responding to messages from the web of life59:45 Inquiries into death1:03:45 A place outside of space and time and the role of artists1:09:16 A whole new way of being and path to take1:18:20 What is a good life for Manda?

Matt interviews Manda Scott, author of Any Human Power, a novel that aims to craft a path through from where we are, while ensuring those that come after us inherit a planet we would be proud of.Manda has degrees in veterinary medicine and a Masters in Regenerative Economics. Her life is oriented towards creating radical new narratives that will pave the way to the total systemic change our culture – and our world – needs.Go visit Manda's website and her podcast Accidental Gods for more from Manda.Make sure to check out our sponsor for today's episode at Vala Alta using this link for 15% off.

In this episode, I speak with the host of the 'Accidental Gods Podcast' and Author of the recent book 'Any Human Power'.. Manda Scott.. Manda and I first discuss the need for humanity to reconnect with the web of life, and listen to the teachings from it. We then discuss the power of paradigms and narratives, how humanity may have have evolved into a roadblock, and how we may need new narratives to lay the foundations for a new earth. We also talk about the power of language and how consciousness, language, and rituals, are the main components to forging an authentic reality experience. From there we discuss many other narratives currently in the mix such as; starseeds, the purpose of humanity, and where we might land as humans after the ascension process.. An incredible episode!mandascott.co.uk - accidentalgods.lifeManda Scott Bio:Manda Scott trained and worked as a veterinary surgeon before becoming an author, columnist and podcaster.Her debut novel, Hen's Teeth, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Subsequent works were shortlisted for the Edgar and Saltire Awards and won the McIlvanney Prize, but it is for her Boudica: Dreaming series that she is best known. Weaving her shamanic spirituality into narratives of Britain's pre-Roman past, these books bring alive a world in which people understand their inherent connection with the web of life.More recently, she read for a Masters in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher, the experience of which led her to set up Accidental Gods podcast and Membership Programme. Each of these explicitly aims to bring humanity closer to emergence into a connected, regenerative system by offering practices of inter-becoming within the Membership and by giving voice to the many individuals working for systemic change in the podcast.This year sees the publication of her sixteenth novel, Any Human Power, a ‘visionary' contemporary political thriller that maps fictional – but plausible and workable – routes toward a future we'd all be proud to leave to the generations that come after us: human and more-than-human. Described by Lee Child as ‘Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane', the book weaves currents of shamanic mythology similar to those in the Boudica series through a ‘Thrutopian' narrative of political upheaval and transformative change.She is currently writing the sequel, while aiming to bring the podcast to a wider audience. She lives with her wife, Faith Tilleray,on a smallholding in the edge-zone between England and Wales. One day, they'll go home to Scotland… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We live in a burning world. As we record, there are record wildfires across the Americas, record temperatures around the world, falling oxygen levels in the oceans and however much supposedly renewable energy we produce, Jevons' Paradox means we keep on burning fossil fuels.  This is not a great combination, but even the so called renewables have more under the hood than appears on the surface.  Burning wood - or grasses - for 'Green' Energy is both a massive accounting scam and one of the ways that the predatory industrial complex sucks in eye-watering quantities of public money - while selling us the lie that this is somehow net zero.  It isn't, but sometimes we need someone who really knows what they're talking about to spell out the details for us and this week, our guest is one of those people. Dr. Mary Booth is the founder and director of the Partnership for Policy Integrity, a Massachusetts-based think tank that uses science, communications, and strategic advocacy to protect forests and our climate future. Mary worked as Senior Scientist in the Environmental Working Group in the US, working on water quality. Now, she directs the PFPI's science and advocacy work on greenhouse gas, air pollutant, and forest impacts of biomass energy and has provided science and policy support to hundreds of activists, researchers, and policy makers across the US and EU - and now that the UK is no longer in the EU (sigh) in the UK as well.  I heard Mary on the Economics for Rebels podcast back in February and was blown away by her grasp of the essential science, and also by the sheer mendacity of the companies involved: the lies they tell, the false accounting they use and the extent to which they are destroying the biosphere to give us - or at least, those who set our policies and spend public money - an illusion of somehow being more 'green', more sustainable, more ethical.  I wanted to give listeners to Accidental Gods the chance to hear Mary in action, so here we are: people of the podcast, please welcome Dr Mary Booth of the Partnership for Policy Integrity. Partnership for Policy Integrity  https://www.pfpi.net/PFPI international work https://www.pfpi.net/international-work/Guardian article by Greta Thunberg https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2022/sep/05/burning-forests-energy-renewable-eu-wood-climateLand Climate Blog https://www.landclimate.org/the-problem-of-bioenergy-in-the-eu/Forest Defenders Alliance (EU) https://forestdefenders.eu/Forest Litigation Collaborative https://forestlitigation.org/BBC Panorama: Green Energy Scandal Exposed https://vimeo.com/795555785/c6e9420ff6

Join me in this conversation with renowned author, blogger, podcaster, columnist and broadcaster, Manda Scott. We explore the need for a conscious evolution of humanity through a narrative Manda calls 'Thrutopia' - a vision of the future that's worth striving for.From reconnecting to the web of life to the power of storytelling, Manda shares an exciting vision of systemic change that comes from the power in our communities. And if you're interested in Manda's prolific writing, she shares her writing process and the research involved in creating a story!Learn more about Manda's work and books on her website, and tune in to her podcast & membership program, Accidental Gods, to explore how we can create a future we'd be proud to leave to generations to come. If you are an aspiring writer (in any form) yourself, Manda's program Thrutopia walks you through how we can write inspiring stories for the future.Support the Show.This podcast is an initiative of the Permaculture Education Institute.Our way of sharing our love for this planet and for life, is by teaching permaculture teachers who are locally adapting this around the world - finding ways to apply the planet care ethics of earth care, people care and fair share. We host global conversations and learning communities on 6 continents. We teach permaculture teachers, host permaculture courses, host Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film club and masterclass. We broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. You can also watch Sense-Making in a Changing World on Youtube.SUBSCRIBE for notification of each new episode. Please leave us a 5 star review - it really it does help people find and myceliate this show.

Humanity is a storied species - everything we do from forming partnerships, to buying stuff, to moving house, to getting a new job… arises from the stories we tell ourselves and each other about ourselves and each other. If we're going to shift to a new way of being, the route will be led by the stories we can build of how it will look and feel, how we'll be more alive, more connected, have a deeper sense of being, belonging, becoming… So - how do we tell stories of transformation in ways that engage everyone, that give everyone the agency, support, encouragement and freedom to be what they need in any moment - in every moment?  This week's guest is theatre maker and champion of access, Jenifer Toksvig.  Jen is creator of the Copenhagen Interpretation, which takes concepts of uncertainty and fluidity evolved to describe the quantum process in physics, and applies them to theatre, to the telling of living stories in a shared space in a way that fosters connection, creativity, and personal growth. Clearly we on Accidental Gods believe that the stories we tell ourselves and each other of ourselves and each other - and our place as more or less conscious nodes in the web of life - are crucial to how we navigate this moment of total turmoil in our cultural, energetic and biophysical worlds.  We not only need new stories, we need new ways of telling those stories, new ways of experiencing different ways of being and this, it seems to me, is what Jen is creating. When I first learned of the Copenhagen Interpretation, and The Broad Cloth that arises from it, when I first took part in Jen's gathering of a Fairy Tale, it felt as if someone was opening doors in my mind; that here is a way safely to explore the emergent edges of interbecoming that are where the magic happens.  So I wanted to bring some of this magic to the podcast, to let Jen tell her story and to see if we could bring it home for you. So here we go, stepping into a place of magic and emergence, people of the podcast, please do welcome Jenifer Toksvig of the Copenhagen Interpretation. Jenifer Toksvighttps://linktr.ee/toksvighttps://www.jenifertoksvig.com/The Copenhagen Interpretationhttps://www.worldanvil.com/w/thecopenhageninterpretationOpen Space Technology - Harrison OwenOriginal: https://openspaceworld.org/wp2/what-is/Original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_space_technologyOur version: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/thecopenhageninterpretation/a/open-space-articleJoseph Campbell - The Hero's Journey (aka 'arrow narrative')https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journeyUrsula K. Le Guin - The Carrier Bag Theory of Fictionhttps://stillmoving.org/resources/the-carrier-bag-theory-of-fictionhttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ursula-Le-Guin/The-Carrier-Bag-Theory-of-Fiction/24443320Navigator of Current See: Diana Finchhttps://www.dianafinch.info/Navigator of Gathering: Ess Grangehttps://slgrange.com/Navigator of Accompanying: Flo O'Mahony / ZooCo - Perfect Show For Rachelhttps://www.wearezooco.co.uk/shows/perfect-show-for-rachelCopenhagen Model: The Fairytale Libraryhttps://www.instagram.com/the_fairytale_library/Copenhagen Model: The Broad Clothhttps://www.worldanvil.com/w/thebroadclothThe Broad Cloth: producing partner, ScandinaviaThe Field Station on Ingøya - Oliver Dawehttps://www.fieldstation.no/https://www.oygrid.no/ - this is Harald Hansen, Oliver's husband, who is working in renewable energy on the islandhttps://www.favli.no/ - this is Harald's company for renewable energy work elsewherehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ing%C3%B8yThe Broad Cloth on the Isle of Wight: partners- Ventnor Exchange, host organisationhttps://ventnorexchange.co.uk/- Lisa Kerley, caretakerhttps://memoriesofthesea.uk/https://farmingmemories.com/- Art Ecologyhttps://www.artecology.space/- Arc Biodiversityhttps://arcbiodiversity.co.uk/- Wolfguard Viking Reenactmenthttps://www.wolfguardiow.co.uk/

We hosted a special live interview with renowned author Manda Scott on The Writing Community Chat Show! We explored her fascinating life and illustrious career in three exciting parts.Part 1: The Road To WritingDive into Manda's early years and journey from a Scottish veterinary surgeon to an acclaimed novelist. We'll discuss her education at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine and her initial foray into crime writing with her debut novel "Hen's Teeth," which was shortlisted for the 1997 Orange Prize. Discover how she became recognized as "one of Britain's most important crime writers" by The Times.Part 2: What's The StoryIn this segment, we dove into Manda's extensive bibliography, including her gripping historical series such as the "Boudica" and "Rome" series, and her dual timeline thrillers like "The Crystal Skull," "Into the Fire," and the award-winning "A Treachery of Spies." We'll also get a sneak peek into her latest work, "Any Human Power," a thrilling new novel set to be published by September Publishing.Part 3: Community QuestionsWe wrapped up with our staple questions and take live questions from the audience. Engage with Manda as she shares insights into her writing process, her experiences as a columnist and podcaster, and the success of her podcast "Accidental Gods," which explores issues related to the meta-crisis.Don't miss this opportunity to hear from Manda Scott, a dynamic voice in contemporary literature. Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to stay updated!

In this episode, D. Firth Griffith and Manda Scott discuss the power of "dreaming the future" into being, of story, and the wonderful soul found when we simply inhabit the stories in and around us. Buy Stagtine, my latest book here!About Manda:Born in Scotland at 318ppm CO2, Manda Scott was once a veterinary surgeon and is now a novelist, smallholder, renegade economist and host of the Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, she's co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass and her new novel, Any Human Power is a Thrutopian political thriller woven through with Boudica-style dreaming: a new mythos for a new reality. Manda's Website and BooksPre-Order Any Human PowerDreaming Awake TrainingAccidental Gods Podcast and CommunityThrutopia Writing MasterclassManda's Website

SUBSCRIBE NOW ON –  iTUNES   STITCHER   SPOTIFY   OVERCASTIt's episode 218 with the fascinating Manda Scott, talking about her new Thrutopian novel, Any Human Power, why she wanted to take a different path between dystopia and utopia, how she literally felt a calling to write this book and that all important step of trying to find your voice. We do all that and still find time to talk about the Book That Saved Her Life.Born in Scotland, Manda was once a veterinary surgeon and is now a novelist, smallholder, contemporary shamanic trainer and host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, she's been shortlisted for the Orange Prize, the Edgar and the Saltire Award, and won the McIlvanney Prize. With her wife, Faith Tilleray, she is co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass. Her new novel, Any Human Power is a Thrutopian political thriller woven through with Boudica-style dreaming: a new mythos for a new reality. It's out everywhere right now.Find all Manda's links at her website here.Thinking of self-publishing and want help and a cover design? Take a look at this post on Wayne' website.WANT A FREE eBOOK WITH 2 CRIME STORIES? SUBSCRIBE TO WAYNE'S NEWSLETTER HEREDon't forget – this is YOUR SHOW so keep tweeting me, leave your comments below, check out our Facebook page and the brand new newsletter and mailing list. It's totally free to sign up and you'll get a FREE motivational PDF to download – '10 Tips For Surviving NaNoWriMo, The First Draft and Beyond' PLUS the 3 Act Story Structure Template to help you plot your story. More content coming soon, including videos, blog posts and loads of extra writing tips.

What might the future of society look like & how can we get there? On this episode, I'm speaking to a best-selling author who has written an extraordinary book about her vision for the future. Unusually, the book is a work of fiction for the show, but the issues it addresses are very relevant to Human Risk. My guest is Manda Scott, who began her career as a veterinary surgeon and is now an award-winning writer and podcaster. Her new book, Any Human Power, has the subtext Dream deeply. Rise up strong. Change is coming and is centred around a protagonist named Lan, a woman on her deathbed who makes a promise to her grandson, Finn. Realising he is struggling with the idea of living in a world without her, she vows to be there for him even after her death. As she passes away, she steps into a shamanic realm known as the void, where she learns to navigate and influence the timelines of the future. Lan's journey is marked by her attempts to keep her promise to Finn, acting from beyond the grave to guide and protect him. The narrative explores the complex interplay between life and death, human connection, and the power of shamanic practices. Lan discovers that she can impact the physical world through the digital realm, using online gaming to connect with Finn and help him in his moments of need. During our discussion; we explore Manda's career, what drives her writing and the topics she explores in Any Human Power. Links to relevant topics Manda's author's website: https://mandascott.co.uk/Her podcast ‘Accidental Gods': https://accidentalgods.life/Bayo Akomolafe - The Time's Are Urgent — Let's Slow Down:https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/post/the-times-are-urgent-lets-slow-downFrancis Weller on the Trauma Culture vs Initiation Culture: https://medium.com/best-of-kosmos-journal/deschooling-dialogues-on-initiation-trauma-and-ritual-with-francis-weller-3f360fe26563 The evolution of Audrey Tang https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/27/taiwan-civic-hackers-polis-consensus-social-media-platform How Audrey's Tang crowdsourced government  https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/the-wisdom-of-crowds-an-interview-with-taiwans-unorthodox-digital-minister/ Wealth Supremacy by Marjorie Kelly https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/wealth-supremacy-how-the-extractive-economy-and-the-biased-rules-of-capitalism-drive-today-s-crises-marjorie-kelly/7452410?ean=9781523004775 The ‘Bankless' podcast with Eliezer Yudkowsky  http://podcast.banklesshq.com/159-were-all-gonna-die-with-eliezer-yudkowsky Riversimple Future Guardian Governance model  https://www.riversimple.com/governance/ Timestamp Highlights (AI generated) [00:00:00] - IntroductionChristian Hunt introduces Manda Scott and her background.[00:01:00] - Manda's JourneyManda talks about her background in Scotland, starting as a veterinary surgeon, and transitioning to a novelist and podcaster.She highlights her work in intensive care for neonatal horses and her academic journey.[00:02:00] - Transition to Writing and PodcastingManda discusses her decision to leave academia and pursue writing.She explains the impact of her master's in regenerative economics on her career shift.[00:03:00] - Regenerative Economics and Shamanic DreamingManda explains how her studies and shamanic dreaming influence her work and perspectives.Introduction to the concept of "Accidental Gods" podcast and its goals.[00:04:00] - The Need for Systemic ChangeDiscussion on the necessity for total systemic change and evolving human consciousness.Manda emphasizes changing our value set to create a thriving world.[00:06:00] - Shamanic Practice and Creative ProcessManda elaborates on shamanic dreaming and its role in her creative process.She shares how visions and instructions guide her writing.[00:14:00] - Writing Inspiration and ProcessManda describes the inspiration behind her latest book and her unique writing process.She explains the metaphor of splitting timelines and the challenges of writing about the future.[00:19:00] - Online Gaming and Human ConnectionDiscussion on the role of online gaming in building human connections.Manda shares personal experiences and the positive aspects of gaming communities.[00:26:00] - Technology as a Tool for ChangeManda highlights Audrey Tang's work in Taiwan and the potential of technology for positive societal change.The importance of using technology to build bridges and foster consensus.[00:34:00] - Capitalism and Value SystemsDiscussion on the destructive nature of capitalism and the need for new value systems.Manda explains the concept of "Wealth Supremacy" and systemic change.[00:41:00] - Writing Through TopiaManda talks about the difficulty of writing a realistic path to a better future.The importance of creating stories that resonate with people's current experiences and aspirations.[00:49:00] - Human Connection and CreativityManda discusses the power of human connection and creativity in building a sustainable future.Emphasis on embracing technology while evolving beyond Palaeolithic emotions and medieval institutions.[00:53:00] - Call to ActionManda's call to action for systemic change and building a future for future generations.Importance of storytelling and creative imagination in driving change.[00:59:00] - Closing ThoughtsChristian and Manda discuss the impact of her book and provide practical information for listeners.Final remarks on the importance of community, technology, and systemic change.

In this deep, thoughtful conversation, two of the men at the heart of the Climate Majority Project discuss their own journeys into eco-spirituality - what they believe it to be and why it's a core, foundational bedrock of their lives. If you follow anything else that Faith and I do together, you'll know that we believe heart-felt connection to the All That Is forms the bedrock of human existence and is the pathway to human flourishing, to our being good ancestors, to laying that foundation on which future generations can build a world where we are an integral part of the web of life. The whole of the Accidental Gods membership program exists to help people find ways to make this heartfelt connection and the Dreaming Awake contemporary shamanic training takes it more deeply. We don't often get to unpick this in depth here on the podcast. But long term friend of the podcast, the author, philosopher and academic, Rupert Read, suggested a while ago that we might like to have a three way conversation with him and Woodford Roberts who is an integral part of the Climate Majority Project of which they are both founder members. Both have been active in Extinction Rebellion. Both have moved on to believing that change happens in other ways, and both have at the core of their actions and activism a heartfelt connection to the All That Is, however we define it. We have regular guest appearances by people who work deeply in shamanic traditions, or other aspects of contemporary spirituality, but this is the first time we've had a chance to explore what we might call western 'eco-spirituality' in a way that is practiced distinctly from contemporary - or indigenous - shamanic practice. Rupert is a philosopher who has studied both Quaker and Buddhist traditions, naming Joanna Macey and Thich Nhat Hahn as his teachers. Woodford Roberts - who is called Rob within the movement - comes from a more meta-cognitive stance, but still deeply embedded within western psycho-spiritual philosophy, albeit with personal experience in the shamanic realities. So this was a deep, wide ranging, thoughtful episode and I hope it helps you to navigate your own routes to thinking, feeling and being in these turbulent times. So please welcome back Rupert Read and welcome for the first time, Woodford Roberts, both of the Climate Majority Project. Bios: Woodford Roberts is a writer based in Cornwall. With a focus on eco-spirituality and emotion, Woodford's work seeks to help readers stare down the truth of the metacrisis as he seeks to do the same, sharing his own spiritual journey of navigating the challenging terrain of a time between two worlds and the lessons found within. His work appears in Dark Mountain Books, Resurgence & The Ecologist. His first book, called 'How To Be Happy At The End Of The World' is currently in development, and he publishes on a Substack of the same name. Prof Rupert Read is co-director of the Climate Majority Project and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia. He is the author of several books, including This Civilisation is Finished, Parents for a Future, Why Climate Breakdown Matters and Do you want to know the truth? The surprising rewards of climate honesty. His spiritual teachers have included Joanna Macy and Thich Nhat Hanh.Links: Climate Majority Project https://climatemajorityproject.comRob in Resurgence https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3855-waking-up-to-the-world.htmlRob Substack https://howtobehappyworld.substack.com/'Kisses on the Wind' - A heartfelt essay written by Rob since our conversation (trigger warning - he discusses his own brush with suicide)  https://howtobehappyworld.substack.com/p/kisses-on-the-windXR Writers Rebel by Rob https://writersrebel.com/read-this-is-for-my-children/ Motes In A Sunbeam published with Dark Mountain  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdmr96gVFgwRupert's website https://rupertread.net/Rupert on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-read-6717548/?originalSubdomain=ukRupert on Twitter https://twitter.com/GreenRupertReadArts Council-Funded Play inspired by Rupert's work  www.phoenixdodobutterfly.comRupert - Ebor Lecture in York  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ebor-lecture-earth-hope-with-professor-rupert-read-tickets-811255837047 (also available online for those not in Yorkshire) Rupert 'Thin Red Line' paper https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/film.2002.0023Climate Majority Culture Peace Gathering https://climatemajorityproject.com/culture-peace-gathering/Life Itself https://lifeitself.org/programs

Our guest this week is Douglas Rushkoff, a man whose insights and intellect have earned him a place among the world's ten most influential intellectuals by MIT. As the host of the acclaimed Team Human podcast and author of numerous groundbreaking books, including "Survival of the Richest," Rushkoff's work delves into the intricate dance between technology, narrative, money, power, and human connection.Douglas shares with us the palpable "ocean of tears" lurking beneath the surface of our collective consciousness—a reservoir of compassion waiting to be acknowledged and embraced. His candid reflections on the human condition, amidst the cacophony of a world in crisis, remind us of the importance of bearing witness to the pains and joys that surround us. He challenges us to consider the role of technology and AI not as tools for capitalist exploitation but as potential pathways to a more humane and interconnected existence.As we navigate the complex interplay of digital landscapes and social constructs, Rushkoff invites us to question the gods of our modern age—wealth, power, control—and to seek solace in the simpler, more profound aspects of life: friendship, community, and the transformative power of awe. His vision for a society that embraces these values, even as it stands on the precipice of uncertainty, offers a beacon of hope for those willing to engage with the deeper currents of change.For listeners yearning to dive into the depths of our potential for transformation, this conversation with Douglas Rushkoff is an invitation to join a chorus of voices seeking to reshape our collective destiny. Tune in to this episode of Accidental Gods and join us on a journey to redefine what it means to be human in a world teetering between collapse and rebirth.

"Consciousness creates MatterLanguage creates RealityRitual creates Relationship" - Oscar Mira-Quesada quoted by Nina Simons in podcast #218Part of our moving towards a healed and healthy culture for humanity is rewilding our relationships with ourselves, each other and the earth. A key part of this is building rituals that have meaning for us in the context of these relationships. Connecting to the cycles of the earth is a straightforward ritual that acknowledges, honours and respects the world we live in and our place within the planetary cycles - and our own.This guided visualisation walks us into the moment of balance between the long nights and the long days, the restorative time of winter and the outward-acting time of summer, between being to doing.  Please take time for yourself to sit quietly, perhaps light a candle, or otherwise create a space out of time that has meaning for you. It doesn't have to be at the moment of the equinox, whenever that is for you, wherever you are in the world, it's the connection that counts, the marking of the day.  And you don't have to limit yourself to one pass through - please feel free to explore this more deeply than one single iteration. If you want other, similar journeys, they are a whole host in the Accidental Gods Membership Programme. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, where you are moving from doing to being, from the long days to the long nights, this meditation is more appropriate. I mentioned Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy and our discussion of Initiation Cultures and Trauma Cultures, which was in episode 208. 

In this nourishing episode of Accidental Gods, we delve into the fertile world of seed sovereignty with Katie Hastings and Sinead Fortune of the Gaia Foundation's Seed Sovereignty Programme. Katie, hailing from the lush landscapes of Wales, and Sinead, rooted in the rugged beauty of rural Aberdeenshire, share their passion for reviving ancient grains and fostering communities of growth.Embark on a journey through the tales of black oats, a crop once on the brink of oblivion, now experiencing a renaissance on the cliffs of Pembrokeshire. Discover how these oats, intertwined with the stories of generations, are being brought back into circulation by a vibrant network of farmers, engineers, and chefs, all dedicated to preserving the diversity of our seed heritage.As we explore the practical steps and the profound joy of seed saving, we're reminded that every seed sown is a vessel of potential, a beacon of hope in an ever-changing climate. Katie and Sinead illuminate the path towards a more resilient food system, where local, open-pollinated seeds adapt and thrive, offering unique flavors and a promise of sustainability.This episode is a clarion call to reconnect with the origins of our sustenance, to embrace the community spirit inherent in the cycle of seed to harvest, and to participate in the movement towards a future where our choices at the dinner table also nurture the earth.Whether you're a seasoned grower, a curious gardener with a windowsill plot, or simply someone who cherishes the act of sharing a meal, this conversation is an invitation to join hands in shaping a world where the diversity of our plates reflects the diversity of our landscapes.For those inspired to take root in this revolution, visit the show notes for links to local seed initiatives and resources that will guide you in becoming an integral part of this flourishing movement. Tune in and let the stories of seeds sow inspiration in your heart, as we cultivate a world abundant in flavor, joy, and resilience.Katie's Bio: Katie Hastings is the Wales Coordinator for the Gaia Foundation's Seed Sovereignty Programme, where she works alongside farmers and growers to build a more resilient seed system from the ground up. As part of this work, she facilitates the Wales Seed Hub - a cooperative of agroecological seed growers, and Llafur Ni - a network of people working together to revive rare Welsh oats. Katie is co-founder of the community organisation Mach Maethlon, where she has coordinated a horticultural training programme, food hub and community growing scheme. Katie's seed journey started when she had a mental breakdown and was referred for horticultural therapy by her doctor. She found hope for the future in growing food in community with others. In her free time she swims in her local river and walks her dog up Cadair Idris mountain. Sinead's Bio: Sinéad Fortune is Programme Lead for the Seed Sovereignty Programme, as well as coordinating the programme work in Scotland where she's based. She works with coordinators around the UK and Ireland to support community groups, market gardeners and farmers to train in seed production and to develop and strengthen the connections that make the seed sovereignty movement thrive. Her academic background in Political Ecology focused on food security and community empowerment, and her diverse professional experience spans community food movements, alternative sustainable food production, science education and behaviour change. When Sinéad isn't working in seed sovereignty or willing her crops to grow, she can be found wandering the woods looking for interesting fungi, crafting herbal lotions, potions and remedies, or playing a few tunes on the fiddle.Gaia Foundation https://gaiafoundation.org/Seed Sovereignty www.seedsovereignty.infoSeed Hub Wales https://www.seedhub.wales/about-us/Open Food Network Seed Hub Shop https://openfoodnetwork.org.uk/hwb-hadau-cymru-wales-seed-hub/shopThe momentous black oat feast: https://www.seedsovereignty.info/welsh-oats-back-in-black/Llafur Ni film: https://vimeo.com/489406001Guardian coverage of the Black Oat story: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/28/black-oats-llafur-ni-wales-crops-grains-growers-farmers-aoeKatie's article about the issues with oat processing: https://www.seedsovereignty.info/oat-quest-inching-towards-tasting-our-oats/Recent Oxford Real Farming Conference panel discussion I hosted: https://soundcloud.com/user-775591787/orfc2024-the-story-of-black-oats-lost-and-foundKatie's guide to starting your own seed cooperative: https://www.seedsovereignty.info/so-you-want-to-start-a-seed-coop-week-1-finding-your-varieties/

In this week's episode of Accidental Gods, we dive into the visionary world of economic transformation with Emily Harris of Dark Matter Labs. Emily, a chartered accountant with an MA in regenerative economics, is not your average number cruncher. She's at the forefront of reimagining our financial systems, exploring the intersection of technology, governance, and the natural world. Join us as Emily unveils the bold concept of life-enabling economics (LEE) and the radical aspiration of establishing bioregional banks — a system where money is no longer a mere transactional tool but a means to foster a thriving web of life. From the Findhorn watershed initiative to the Sheffield River Don project, Emily details practical steps towards making these ideas a reality, including the creation of relationship registers and multivalent currencies like 'river coins'.The conversation also touches on the challenges of aligning current political and economic systems with these pioneering concepts. Emily shares insights into the Net Zero Cities team's efforts, working with 112 mission cities to forge climate city contracts and policy labs that embody a mission-oriented methodology. This episode is a call to action for all listeners to engage with these transformative ideas. If you're inspired by the potential of a future where financial systems are in harmony with ecological and social well-being, then tune in, offer your thoughts, and be part of the change. Emily's work is a testament to the power of collective imagination and the tangible steps we can take towards a regenerative economy.For those ready to delve deeper into the mechanics of these groundbreaking ideas, visit the show notes for links to the thought-provoking blogs and learn how you can contribute to this evolutionary journey. Accidental Gods is the platform where we explore the edges of possibility — and this episode is a beacon of hope for a world in dire need of economic renaissance.As I say at the top of the conversation, these are amongst the most interesting concepts I've ever read - and I spend my life exploring this field. I'd like to read you the opening paragraph of the Concept paper: "Instead of focusing on labour, property, individual or democratic rights, this vision seeks to unfurl the full potential of agrowing planetary consciousness. It is an expression of practical realism embedded in a deep respect for allmanifestations of life; past, present, human, more-than-human, the sacred and the machine. This economyseeks to move beyond the everyday codes of property, labour, capital and private contracts and break freefrom the constrictive dance of socio-political isms. It offers an unbounded understanding of agency, invitingthe full range of adjacent possibilities, thus refuting the exploitation of the many for the benefit of the few."and then a few paragraphs down, "At its core, this is a provocation of the heart. An invitation to cultivate lives of profound collaboration, dignity,psychological and physical freedom. It is a framework meshed in human embodied experience that criticallyincludes machine and non-human systems, integrating them into the same expansive beyond-paradigm ofinter-becoming."The two papers are in the show notes and they're definitely worth reading. In the meantime, this conversation moved even beyond these into whole new areas that, once again with DML, breached the boundaries of my thinking - in a good way.  Dark Matter Labs https://darkmatterlabs.org/Life Ennobling Economics Position Paper https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EiU8MQ3JKtuCJIUTrxkl2Fzx0xWBiWDu/viewLife Ennobling Economics Concept White Paper https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hNpgVEyYiERE0Jj3gczUfK9ki9GmrFRm/viewBlog on BioRegional Banks Part 1: https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/towards-multivalent-currencies-bioregional-monetary-stewardship-and-a-distributed-global-reserve-dac459dc844e Blog on BioRegional Banks Part 2: https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/towards-multivalent-currencies-bioregional-monetary-stewardship-and-a-distributed-global-reserve-38ed3849395fBlog on BioRegional Banks Part 3: https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/towards-multivalent-currencies-bioregional-monetary-stewardship-and-a-distributed-global-reserve-951ca09dd76dBlog on BioRegional Banks Part 4: The Swedish Cornerstone prototype was co-developed with Linnéa Rönnquist with the support of SamhällskontraktetEmily Harris in Episode #176 https://accidentalgods.life/bridging-from-the-necessary-to-the-possible-with-emily-harris-of-dark-matter-labs/Indy Johar Episode #205 https://accidentalgods.life/becoming-intentional-gods-claiming-the-future-with-indy-johar-of-the-dark-matter-labs/

This week, I spoke with James Plunkett, a man who has spent his career at the intersection of policy and social change. From the halls of Number Ten to the charity sector's front lines, James's unique perspective has birthed a book that critically examines what's wrong with our society and offers tangible fixes. Together, we dissect our societal challenges, from outdated institutions to the technology of gods, and discuss structured ways to mend a fractured system.James has spent his entire career thinking laterally about the complicated relationships between individuals and the state, with a particular focus on digital transformation and public policy, from the social innovation agency Nesta to the charity Citizens Advice and before that roles at 10 Downing Street, the Cabinet Office, and the Resolution Foundation think tank.James combines a deep understanding of social issues with an appreciation of how change is playing out not in the ivory tower, but in the reality of people's lives. As a result of all these insights, he's written an optimistic book, 'End State: 9 Ways Society is Broken and How we fix it.'  that explores how we can reform the state to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.As you'll hear, he didn't think of this as a hopeful book when he began - it was more of a response to seeing the ways the old system of the 20th century was not keeping up with the new world. How we have, in EO WIlson's words, 'Paleolithic emotions, Mediaeval Institutions and the Technology of gods' and this isn't necessarily a good combination to face the meta-crisis. But James did come out with hope for the future and structured ways our current system could make these happen. Accidental Gods often inhabits a world where the current system is broken beyond repair and the only answer is to create a new one and help people shift into it. So this was fascinating, enlivening conversation with someone who has lived and worked in the heart of the superorganism and can see ways through to a world where the human and more than human worlds flourish. James's book https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/james-plunkett/end-state/9781398702202/James on Twitter https://twitter.com/jamestplunkettJames on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/jamestplunkett.bsky.socialJames on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-plunkett-a1472827/James on Medium https://medium.com/@jamestplunkett

How does each of us find our sovereignty, our sense of what it is to have agency and be alive in the world, and align this with the part in all of us that is anchored in compassion, connection and empathy?  How, in short, do we encounter and encourage our own sovereign feminine?Dr Maggie Ostara is a long-time friend of the podcast - she was with us in episode 116 when we talked about finding our purpose in the world: What's mine to do, what's yours to do and what's ours to do together?  I've put a link to this in the show notes in case you want to go back and listen.  Since then, Maggie has written the international Amazon best-seller: Feminine Sovereignty: Eight Pillars for Regenerating Ourselves and Our World.  It was published towards the end of last year and I've been wanting to talk to Maggie ever since.  Her book is absolutely of our time and for our time: it's courageous and hard-hitting in terms of its dissection of where we are, but it's full of compassion and wisdom and embodied exercises that you can do as you go along.  And as you'll hear in the podcast, in 2024 she'll be offering the Feminine Sovereignty Explorers Club and the Feminine Sovereignty Leadership Incubator based in the principles of the 8 Pillars.  She's a certified Human Design and Quantum Human Design Specialist, Level 4, a certified Radiant Body Yoga Instructor, and a certified Clarity Breathwork Practitioner. She supports her global audience through her thriving YouTube channel and works with clients 1:1 and in groups.So this is a perfect sequel to Nina Simons last week - yet again, we are talking about ways of finding the god within - and engaging outwards with the world. Maggie's previous Accidental Gods episode #116 https://accidentalgods.life/daring-to-risk/Where to buy the book and/or get the first 50 pages for free FeminineSovereigntyBook.com Where to find out about the Feminine Sovereignty Explorers Club FeminineSovereigntyBook.com/explorersclubWhere to find out more about the Feminine Sovereignty Leadership Incubator FeminineSovereigntyBook.com/incubatorWhere to find out more about Human Design SovereigntybyDesign.com and YouTube.com/maggieostaraphdSusan Harper, Master Teacher of Continuum ContinuumMontage.com Where to find Maggie on Facebook Facebook.com/maggiesaleostaraWhere to find Maggie on Instagram Intstagram.com/SovereigntybyDesign

Happy New Year.  My guest this week is a long term friend of the podcast. Dr Simon Michaux has been a physicist and geologist and then became an expert in the reality of the circular economy. He now works in the Geological Survey of Finland and is a regular advisor to the Finnish parliament. The day after we recorded this podcast, he was talking to the British consulate in Helsinki and in the last year, he's explained the reality of where we're at over 200 times, and one third of those talks was to governments around the world. He's been extraordinarily generous with his time on Accidental Gods. He was with us in podcasts number 172, 175, 183 and 184 with a series of excoriating, fact-filled, grounded, lucid conversations on the reality of the transition we face, so who better to start us off into 2024 with a conversation about where the world is going, where it could go, where it might go, where it should go in the coming year. This was one of our longest ever podcasts and truly, my brain had turned to slurry and was leaking out of my ears by the end, but Simon's ideas of how we could build a different way of being - and his ability to turn ideas into action feels revolutionary to me in the best possible way. We talked for hours. Many ours - and because we ended up defaulting to Zoom for the recording so we do have a video - the entire unexpurgated hours of which we will put up on YouTube - so if you want to see Simon's slides, head over there. But Caro has edited this down to the highlights so that it makes for easier listening, even so, we're spanning more than one podcast. At the time of recording, I don't know exactly how many, but we'll release them all at once, so just let your favourite podcast provider just stream them all for you. One thing to say before we head into the first conversation is that Simon has very kindly agreed to come back to join our Cutting Edge gathering on Sunday 19th March at 7pm UK time. He'll be with us for an hour during which you'll have a chance to ask him the questions that matter to you - all the things I don't think to ask - and then we'll have another hour together to explore ways each of us can ground what we're learning in our own lives. So you can sign up for this at accidentalgods.life - go to the Gatherings page. I've also put a link in the show notes. And while we're talking about Gatherings, there's still space on Dreaming Your Death Awake on Sunday 7th January.  This is our chance really to delve deeply into the year just gone, and look ahead at how we want to shape our attention and intention for the year that's coming. After all the  outward connection of the holiday season, this is a time to go inwards, to be kind to ourselves, to explore all that we can be and want to be. This, too, is part of our Accidental Gods tradition and we have people who've come year after year to give themselves the gift of time and space and the company of people who share the journey.  So please do come along, we would love to share this time with you.  I've put a link in the show notes and it's also on the website accidentalgods.life under the 'Gatherings' tab. Simon's Website https://www.simonmichaux.com/Prometheus Project link to follow Episode 172 https://accidentalgods.life/transforming-industry-to-create-a-genuine-green-revolution/Episode 175 https://accidentalgods.life/drawing-humanity-out-of-the-cave-with-dr-simon-michaux/Episode 183 https://accidentalgods.life/lifeboats-and-volcanoes-part-3-of-our-series-with-simon-michaux/Episode 184 https://accidentalgods.life/bonus-reality-check-less-quantity-more-quality-in-a-future-that-will-work-part-4-with-simon-michaux/Cutting Edge - come and meet Simon - ask him your questions - and we'll gather afterwards to see how we can apply all we're learning in our own lives https://accidentalgods.life/the-logistical-realities-of-our-world/

Welcome to the second part of our conversation - if you haven't listened to the first part, please do so - it's here [LINK]and Simon has very kindly agreed to come back to join our Cutting Edge gathering on Sunday 19th March at 7pm UK time. He'll be with us for an hour during which you'll have a chance to ask him the questions that matter to you - all the things I don't think to ask - and then we'll have another hour together to explore ways each of us can ground what we're learning in our own lives. So you can sign up for this at accidentalgods.life - go to the Gatherings page. I've also put a link in the show notes. And while we're talking about Gatherings, there's still space on Dreaming Your Death Awake on Sunday 7th January.  This is our chance really to delve deeply into the year just gone, and look ahead at how we want to shape our attention and intention for the year that's coming. After all the  outward connection of the holiday season, this is a time to go inwards, to be kind to ourselves, to explore all that we can be and want to be. This, too, is part of our Accidental Gods tradition and we have people who've come year after year to give themselves the gift of time and space and the company of people who share the journey.  So please do come along, we would love to share this time with you.  I've put a link in the show notes and it's also on the website accidentalgods.life under the 'Gatherings' tab. Prometheus Project Link: Episode 172 https://accidentalgods.life/transforming-industry-to-create-a-genuine-green-revolution/Episode 175 https://accidentalgods.life/drawing-humanity-out-of-the-cave-with-dr-simon-michaux/Episode 183 https://accidentalgods.life/lifeboats-and-volcanoes-part-3-of-our-series-with-simon-michaux/Episode 184 https://accidentalgods.life/bonus-reality-check-less-quantity-more-quality-in-a-future-that-will-work-part-4-with-simon-michaux/Cutting Edge - come and meet Simon - ask him your questions - and we'll gather afterwards to see how we can apply all we're learning in our own lives https://accidentalgods.life/the-logistical-realities-of-our-world/

For this time around the dark nights of the winter solstice - at least in the northern hemisphere - we've been exploring more of an inner landscape - being reflexive with Nathalie and Della, and before that, exploring the living myths of our land and how we can ground them in our current reality with Angharad Wynne. And this week, we're heading inward and outward, travelling to Peru with Dr Simon Ruffell, psychiatrist, ayahuasca researcher and student of Shipobo curanderismo. Since 2016, Simon has been working closely with Indigenous communities in the Amazon basin, exploring the effects of ayahuasca and the role of ceremony and spirit in healing. As you'll hear in the conversation that follows, Simon manages to bridge between the world of western science and the older world of indigenous spirit with extraordinary integrity, humour and a grounded. commitment to the traditions he's learning that feels wholly authentic. He's experiencing the depths of ancient teaching and exploring the leading edge of modern science, delving into epigenetics, the microbiome and neuroplasticity. As we rest in the cusp of the dark nights, that time of reflection and renewal, I wanted to bring you something that felt as if it spoke deeply to the ethos of Accidental Gods, and I couldn't imagine anything better. So people of the podcast, please welcome, Dr Simon Ruffell. Simon's personal website https://www.drsimonruffell.com/Simon's Onaya website https://Onaya.ioWebsite for donations https://onaya.science ICEERS https://www.iceers.org/Simon on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-ruffell-27bba0191/Simon on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/simon.ruffell Simon on Twitter https://twitter.com/sgdruffellOnayaScience on Twitter https://twitter.com/Onaya_Science