Podcasts about accidental gods

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.

On this episode we speak to Orlando Reade about What in Me is Dark; his exploration of the radical life of Paradise Lost. Within it, the author considers the relationship between the poem and some of the writers and revolutionaries who have drawn inspiration from it over the centuries since its writing. From Mary Shelley to Malcolm X the influence of Milton's epic is as far reaching as the poet hoped it to be, but in intriguingly contradictory ways. What in Me Is Dark is an accessible and dynamic reappraisal of Paradise Lost which opens up the poem's central themes of freedom and consequence both for first time readers of Milton's work and those who know it well.'If we ever needed a lesson about the challenges of freedom it is now.'Lyndsey Stonebridge, author of 'We Are Free To Change The World.''Wonderfully written, intelligent and moving.'Leah Redmond Chang, author of 'Young Queens.''Orlando Reade writes with exhilarating style, luminous clarity and irreverent wit.'Anna Della Subin, author of 'Accidental Gods.'If you've enjoyed the pod this year, why not subscribe to never miss an episode and leave us a review or rating.  @fieldzine www.fieldzine.comwww.patreon.com/fieldzine

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.

Charlie and Manda Scott (Any Human Power) discuss her book in terms of its Shamanist contexts, her informed ideas for how we can change and thus improve the UK political system, and playing Dungeons And Dragons with Terry Pratchett and Fay Weldon. We also discuss Mass Multiplayer Online gaming in the context of both Manda's book and, briefly, ourselves - this is an episode wherein two gamers meet. A transcript is available on my site General references: Historical Writer's Association Accidental Gods Podcast Thrutopian Writer's Association Ursula K Le Guin's original quotation, "We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable - but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art" is from her speech in acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 19th November 2014 Chauvet Cave artwork The writer Charlie couldn't remember is Max Porter, his book is Grief Is The Thing With Feathers World Of Warcraft Guild Wars 2 Doom The Accidental Gods membership program Books mentioned by name or extensively: Isabel Harman: Why We Get The Wrong Politicians Manda Scott: Any Human Power Manda Scott: Boudica Max Porter: Grief Is The Thing With Feathers Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 11th March 2024; published 22nd July 2024 Where to find Manda online: Website || Twitter || Facebook Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:50 What was the very initial thought or kernel of this book? 08:52 What Manda would like to see happen in order to start accomplishing the environmental and political goals put forth in Any Human Power 14:13 Lan - why is she dead? 18:00 About the 'spirit guides' in the book, discussing crows 22:02 Lan not stopping the story thread in which Kaitlyn dies 25:42 Manda delves into all the political change in the book and her thoughts on our real UK world in this context 37:10 How far we're meant to like/connect with the characters and how flaws are important 41:16 At the end we have the sense of cycles; do we see a chance for things to change for Lan later on? 43:43 Manda talks about one of her influences, Taiwan's government system 46:22 Talking Manda's use of World Of Warcraft (WoW) in the book, which devolves into a short gaming conversation 50:21 Manda played D&D with Terry Pratchett and Fay Weldon - details 53:07 About Manda's podcast, Accidental Gods 56:30 What Manda's writing now, including book 2 Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

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/

In this episode, you'll hear Glyn Fussell in conversation with Oasis Associate, practitioner, coach, writer and activist Gill Coombs as they discuss Deep Ecology. What is Deep Ecology? Gill suggests that as we have evolved, our rational minds have taken over, with a tendency to dominate over the natural world causing an imbalance of power. Deep Ecology is a way of recognising the harm we have done to our relationship with other living beings and to begin the process of healing it. We explore how the world of work has evolved and changed over time, along with Gill's thoughts on essential, wise principles by which individuals and organisations can work towards creating and nurturing a healthy world in their own authentic way. We also discuss how we can bring Deep Ecology into coaching. This could be as simple as bringing in external elements of nature to our coaching space, or going for a walk with someone outside rather than simply sitting facing. Both of these can add a vibrancy and healthy shift in the relationship between coach and coachee. Additional resources The book Gill highly recommends starting with is old(ish) but good: Spiritual Ecology, edited by Llewellyn Vaughn Lee. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is also excellent, and From What Is to What If, by Rob Hopkins, and The Nature of Business by Giles Hutchins. Also Manda Scott's podcast Accidental Gods is superb. And Gill's own book Hearing our Calling. Also Bill Plotkin's Wild Mind, as some listeners may well be interested in eco psychology, the people practitioners' facet of Deep Ecology. 

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.

Tune in to my conversation with infamous podcaster, author, veterinarian and shamanic practitioner, Manda Scott,  as we discuss:abandonning our "trauma culture" for an "initiation culture"; finding our true purpose during the meta-crisis; differentiating between projections and true communication from the web of life; how to live, right now; and Manda's upcoming novel, Any Human Power.Show Links:Blog - https://mandascott.co.uk/why-we-need-thrutopias/Thrutopia - https://thrutopia.life/Any Human Power - https://mandascott.co.uk/any-human-power/ Any Human Power pre-orders (release May 30th 2024)  https://linktr.ee/anyhumanpowerAccidental Gods - https://accidentalgods.life/Boudica Novels - https://mandascott.co.uk/boudica-dreaming-the-eagle/Dreaming Awake - https://mandascott.co.uk/dreaming-awake/

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

Today Nathalie and Aaron review the key themes, dynamics and principles from their interview with Dr. Ros Watts in the previous episode, where you can find further details in the show notes. Dr. Watts is a clinical psychologist and researcher, renowned for her groundbreaking work in psychedelic therapy, particularly with psilocybin-assisted treatments. Key themes In this review, we cover various themes, including how to: Embrace an inclusive approach and open-heartedness in all aspects of life. Recognize the path and take risks, knowing when to make hard choices. Practice humility, equanimity, and the ability to say no. Create space for deep conversations and cultivate safe communities. Develop tolerance for the unknown and hold values lightly. Make time for deep work and accessing depth and darkness. Embrace individuation and transformation, and build supportive communities. Practice non-violent communication and navigate interpersonal dynamics. Resources: Websites https://www.drrosalindwatts.com/ https://acerintegration.com/ The Watts Connectedness Scale: https://www.drrosalindwatts.com/watts-connectedness-scale Books Altered Traits - Daniel Goleman & Richard J. Davidson - https://bit.ly/3vB001Z Deep Work - Cal Newport - https://bit.ly/48O6b0N Us: Reconnect with Your Partner and Build a Loving and Lasting Relationship - Terrence Real https://amzn.eu/d/iTdt65H An Abolitionists Handbook - Patrice Cullors - https://bit.ly/4aQ0VM1 Podcasts & video Accidental Gods - with Ros - https://bit.ly/3vwmQYH Nathalie Nahai In Conversation - with Ros Watts https://bit.ly/41TUXFO The Alan Watts Chinese Farmer story - https://bit.ly/3HilUcW

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

This is the fourth year of our now-traditional Winter Solstice podcast get-together in which Nathalie Nahai, Della Duncan and I sit around our virtual dark-nights fire to reflect on the podcasting year just gone and explore what has changed for us since the last time the seeds of new beginnings were grounded in the heart of what has passed.  This is becoming one of the highlights of my podcasting year  - a chance to range far and wide and deep in the company of two women whose podcasts never fail to touch me deeply, and whose opinions on life, the universe and everything are always inspiring and enlightening. Della Z Duncan is a Renegade Economist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a co-host of the Upstream Podcast, a Right Livelihood Coach, a faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies, a Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics, a founding member of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition, and the designer and co-facilitator of the Cultivating Regenerative Livelihood Course at Gaia Education.Nathalie Nahai is an author, keynote speaker and host of the Nathalie Nahai in Conversation podcast enquires into our relationship with one another, with technology and with the living world. She's author of the international best-sellers Webs Of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion and, more recently, Business Unusual: Values, Uncertainty and the Psychology of Brand Resilience which has been described as “One of the defining business books of our times”. She's a consultant, artist and facilitator of Before we head into the conversation, I want to invite you to 'Dreaming Your Year Awake' which takes place on Sunday the 7th of 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. And now, People of the Podcast, please welcome Della Duncan, co-host of the Upstream podcast and Nathalie Nahai, host of the Nathalie Nahai podcast, and me. Links Summer Solstice Meditation - Essence  https://chrt.fm/track/8F5463/media.transistor.fm/6f621f9a/7a43d63f.mp3 Summer Solstice Meditation with Birdsong With Birdsong https://chrt.fm/track/8F5463/media.transistor.fm/6f621f9a/7a43d63f.mp3 Poem: The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer Theory: Two Loop Theory by Meg Wheatley and Deborah Frieze  Conversation: Marxism & Buddhism with Breht O'Shea on the Upstream Podcast  Conversation: A Marxist Perspective on Elections with August Nimtz on the Upstream Podcast Conversation: Beyond the Clock with Jenny Odell on the Upstream Podcast Organization: California Doughnut Economics Coalition

What do you get when you cross a bestselling novelist with a masters in regenerative economics and a healthy dose of shamanic practice? This fascinating conversation with the brilliant Manda Scott, creator of Accidental Gods and the Thrutopia Masterclass. THE IMPACT. Manda Scott: - Has been, variously, a veterinary surgeon, veterinary anaesthetist, acupuncturist (people and animals), crime writer, columnist, blogger, economist, and author - Teaches shamanic dreaming, creative writing and concept-based dog training - Is the bestselling author of many books, including the Boudica series, and most recently of the upcoming thrutopia novel Any Human Power, to be released in 2024 - Created Accidental Gods, a podcast and membership program for people and ideas at the edge of regenerative change - Teaches the Thrutopia Masterclass for writers to create inspiring stories that shape our futures - Holds a Masters in Regenerative Economics from Schumacher College THE JOURNEY. In our conversation, we explore: - A different childhood. How a unique upbringing on a rehabilitation center for birds of prey in rural Scotland meant that “being normal was never an option” - A spiritual journey. As a young child, getting curious about pre-Roman shamanic cultures of her land - Listening. Asking “what do you want of me?” and following the answer, creating Accidental Gods  - Writing Thrutopia. Writing a future beyond capitalism and extraction, challenging the publishing world - What are we here for? Not to pay bills and die. What something new and different could look like

This is an Accidental Gods bonus Episode recorded at the Marches Real Food and Farming Conference held at Linley Estate in Shropshire in September.   Josiah Meldrum is co-founder and Director of Hodmedod's  - which was set up specifically to enable local growers to farm regeneratively - and sell the produce they want to grow (and can grow in ways that help to regenerate the land), to people who want to buy their produce. This sounds obvious - but in our hyper-industrialised world, where industrial farming meets the industrial food industry (ultra-processed foods, we're looking at you), with their overt and covert advertising - it's radical.  Truly, spectacularly radicle. This is localism in action. It's the deliberate enactment of the values and principles that need to expand far, far beyond the shores of Britain if we're to create the future we'd be proud to leave behind. In the understanding that this was actually recorded in a barn, please enjoy the conversation - and if you're interested in getting in touch locally to help with next year's event, please contact the  Shropshire Good Food Partnership.  Similarly, if people in other areas interested in sharing on bioregional food and farming futures work then the organiser, Jenny Roquett, is keen to setup a learning space on this.Hodmedod's https://hodmedods.co.uk/Josiah on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahmeldrum/Hodmedod's on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hodmedodsHodmedod's on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hodmedodsMarches Real Food and Farming Conference Marches Real Food and Farming Conference Shropshire Good Food Partnership  Shropshire Good Food Partnership  Stockholm Resilience Centre Report on Planetary Boundaries: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2023-09-13-all-planetary-boundaries-mapped-out-for-the-first-time-six-of-nine-crossed.html

Here at Accidental Gods, we are increasingly of the opinion that our most urgent need as we face the polycrisis is to find a sense of being a belonging that changes our life's purpose. We all know we're not here just to pay bills and die, but knowing what we're not here for is not enough: we need to feel at the deepest level what we are here for, to rebuild the deep heart connections to the web of life such that we can take our place in the web with integrity and authenticity and a true sense of coming home. As we head into our sixteenth season, our third century of episodes, this is our baseline. The membership is here to delve deep into the practice and to give the time and the space to building the connections and the podcast exists to outline the theory and to give a voice to other people on this path. And with that in mind, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to this week's guest, the narrative strategist, Ruth Taylor. I came across Ruth when she published a Medium post entitled 'To UnPathed Waters and Undreamed Shores' - and just that title alone was enough to get me to read it. And then I was blown away by the ideas Ruth put forward, by her theories of narrative change, which are clearly at the heart of all we do, and by the clarity of her thinking and writing. I've put the link in the show notes so you can read it for yourself. In the 6 months since she agreed to come onto the podcast, she's published several other posts and a long paper called Transforming Narrative Waters, which delves even more deeply into the need for, and practice of, narrative change. Ruth works for the Common Cause Foundation which I first came across when I was at Schumacher College and had my eyes opened to the emotional intelligence behind it, and the astonishing work it's been doing in the world. Ruth is particularly interested in narrative change and writes a regular newsletter called In Other Words that collates the latest thinking in this field so she was an ideal person to explore the nature of framing, and story and how we can get to grips with changing the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and why we're here and how our relationships to each other and the world can still shift us away from the cliff's edge.CCF is a not for profit that works at the intersection between culture change and social psychology. Over the past ten years, it has pioneered a new way of inspiring engagement through catalysing action that strengthens and celebrates the human values that underpin the public's care for social and environmental causes. Its work is centered on the research findings that, 1) people are more likely to support environmental and social change when they place importance on their intrinsic values, such as equality, curiosity, broadmindedness and community, and 2) that the majority of people in the UK place importance on these values, but are constantly having their more extrinsic values primed due to the consumerist culture in which we live. With this in mind CCF offers training and support to a range of organisations on how to develop messaging and campaigning strategies that engage with people's intrinsic values in order to rebalance the value norms in our societies.Ruth on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-taylor-14747173/To Unpathed Waters and Undreamed Shores https://commoncausefoundation.org/to-unpathed-waters-undreamed-shores/Transforming Narrative Waters https://ruthtaylordotorg.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/transforming-narrative-waters.pdfCulture and Deep Narratives blog (Medium) https://medium.com/inter-narratives/culture-deep-narratives-and-whac-a-mole-16cc1ecfc0a9Online Course: Values 101: Creating the Cultural Conditions for Change https://www.tickettailor.com/events/commoncausefoundation/820814?Global Action Plan https://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/Internarratives https://inter-narratives.org/The Common Cause Foundation https://commoncausefoundation.org/HumanKind Book https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/humankind-a-hopeful-history-rutger-bregman/4969515?ean=9781408898956CultureHack https://www.culturehack.io/Narrative Initiative https://narrativeinitiative.org/about-us/The Culture Group https://theculturegroup.org/Parents for Future https://parentsforfuture.org.uk/

As we head into winter in the northern hemisphere, as the tilt of the world hangs in balance, we reached our 200th episode.  So this is a time to look back and look forward: to look at where we've been, where we are and where we might go. From our origins as an adjunct to the Accidental Gods Membership, explaining the neurophysiology and neuropsychology behind what we're doing, and then then the spiritual grounding of connecting to the web of life... we moved into talking to people who live at the edge of the new system.  In doing so, we discovered the magic of podcasts as a way to nudge our whole system towards change. If it is the case, as Ilya Prigogine says, that 'when a system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos can move it to a higher order', then Accidental Gods aims to be one of the small islands of coherence.  We are here to show the potential in the wonder of our world and humanity's place in it - and to be utterly clear how far we still are from that potential.  Above all, we're here to help map the routes through to the new system that can yet emerge from the transition and transformation of our times. Accidental Gods https://accidentalgods.life/join-us/Thrutopia Masterclass https://thrutopia.life/ 

In this, our 200th episode of Accidental Gods podcast, I am delighted to be joined by André Tranquilini, estate manager at Waltham Place, a 220 acred biodynamic estate in Berkshire, in the UK. André is a biodynamic farmer, consultant and teacher. He has been the manager at Waltham Place since 2018. André has worked extensively as a market gardener, Steiner school teacher and farmer, and was a founding member of the seed company, Living Seeds, in Portugal. Born in Brazil, André has had the opportunity to work and manage farms in his homeland, as well as Portugal and the UK. He has traveled widely teaching workshops and lecturing on Biodynamic Agriculture and is recognised as a biodynamic consultant by the international Biodynamic Agriculture section at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. This was one of the podcasts where we could have talked for hours, if not days. With is background in Brazil and coming from a mix of several racial groups, both colonised and colonisers, André brings a unique mix of perspectives just from the outset. Then with his training in Steiner's philosophy, and at Emerson College, coupled with his choice to specialise in biodynamic farming, he offers insights into the spirituality of agriculture, of how we can bring genuine deep connection with the web of life into our reality to re-connect the disconnections of the last ten millennia. He is passionate about the nature of living food and really knowledgable on how different it is from the industrially farmed and processed foods we are generally offered. He's part of a think-tank, A Bigger Conversation, that's looking into appropriate technology in farming and is at the leading edge of innovation in the biodynamic field, bringing the best of our new world together with the depth of experience that has grown out of the connection with the land. This was an inspiring and generative conversation and I bring it to you with great joy. Waltham Place https://www.walthamplace.com/Waltham Biodynamic Education: https://www.walthamplace.com/biodynamic-gardeningBiodynamic Association https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/Emerson College https://emerson.org.uk/A Bigger Conversation Think Tank https://abiggerconversation.org/DOK Trial: https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/42-years-of-the-DOK-trial-research-Star-furrow-issue-139-Spring-2023-pages-22-23.pdfScientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tropical-forests-may-be-getting-too-hot-for-photosynthesis/

"Grasping the Nettle' is at the heart of the film. Making a dress this way is a mad act of will and artistry but also devotional, with every nettle thread representing hours of mindful craft. Over seven years Allan is transformed by the process just as the nettles are. It's a kind of alchemy: transforming nettles into cloth, grief into beauty, protection and renewal. A labour of love, in the truest sense of the phrase, The Nettle Dress is a modern-day fairytale and hymn to the healing power of nature and slow craft."This week is our one hundred and ninety ninth episode of the Accidental Gods podcast. It's been quite a ride, and to celebrate the end of our second century, my partner, Faith, has come to join me as host, and we have two guests, textile designer Allan Brown and Dylan Howitt who is a filmmaker with over 20 years of making documentaries and features for the BBC, Netflix, Sky, Discovery - if you've heard of them, Dylan's worked with them. Allan was exploring how we could feed and clothe ourselves as we head towards a world of localism and increasing self reliance. A journey that began with a simple question - namely 'how can we clothes ourselves?' -  led to his spending seven years of his life making a a dress from the fibres of the nettles that grew locally. He harvested them in his local wood, made the fibre, spun over fourteen thousand feet of it, hand wove it, and then made it into a truly beautiful dress for his daughter. It was an extraordinary process of experimentation, discovery and ensoulment - a journey into possibility that would be hard to match in our current, frenetic world. And we know about this: the patience of it, the wonder, the loss, the grief, the resilience, the alchemy… the sheer magic, because Dylan made a film, 'The Nettle Dress' which also took 7 years and is also a process of emergence and ensoulment and magic and discovery. The film is one of the most profoundly moving I've seen in a long time: it's deep time brought into being, it offers connection and profound attention and intention as it follows Al's profound intention and attention. It's so, so different from what we normally see, so grounding - and when we had the chance to talk to Al and Dylan, it made sense for Faith to join me: she's the maker in our partnership, she's been a textile maker and designer and she thinks differently than I do in many ways. So this is a joint endeavour and all the stronger for it. Dylan Howitt Bio  Dylan Howitt is a filmmaker with many years of experience telling compelling stories from all around the world, personal and political, always from the heart. Twice BAFTA-nominated he's produced and directed for BBC, Netflix, ITV and Channel 4 amongst many others. His latest feature documentary, The Nettle Dress, follows textile artist Allan Brown on a seven-year odyssey making a dress from the fibre of locally foraged stinging nettles. Allan Brown Bio Allan Brown (Hedgerow Couture) is a textile artist from Brighton, East Sussex, in the UK. Working primarily with sustainable natural fibres like nettles, flax, hemp and wool, Allan takes these raw materials and transforms them into beautiful cloth with the aim of creating functional, durable clothing that draws lightly from the land, reflecting the fibres and colours of the landscape he lives and works in.  Dylan's website www.dylanhowitt.comDylan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-howitt-babb3395/Watching The Nettle Dress https://www.nettledress.org/watchNettles for Textiles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1648679398499874Hedgerow Couture on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowcoutureSimon and Ann at Flaxland https://www.flaxland.co.uk/contactGillian Edom from sting to spin https://gillianedomsbook.blogspot.com/

How dangerous is AI? Are Large Language Models likely to subvert our children?  Is Generalised AI going to wipe out all life on the planet?  I don't know the answers to these. It may be that nobody knows, but this week's guest was my go-to when I needed someone with total integrity to help unravel one of the most existential crises of our time, to lay it out as simply as we can without losing the essence of complexity, to help us see the worst cases - and their likelihood - and the best cases, and then to navigate a route past the first and onto the second. Daniel Thorson is an activist - he was active in the early days of the Occupy movement and in Extinction Rebellion. He is a lot more technologically literate than I am - he was active early in Buddhist Geeks. He is a soulful, thoughtful, heartful person, who lives at and works with the Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth in Vermont. And he's host of the Emerge podcast, Making Sense of What's Next. So in all ways, when I wanted to explore the existential risks, and maybe the potential of Artificial Intelligence, and wanted to talk with someone I could trust, and whose views I could bring to you unfiltered, Daniel was my first thought, and I'm genuinely thrilled that he agreed to come back onto the podcast to talk about what's going on right now. My first query was triggered by the interview with Eliezer Yudkowsky on the Bankless podcast - Eliezer talked about the dangers of Generalised AI, or Artificial General Intelligence, AGI, and the reasons why it was so hard - he would say impossible - to align the intentions of a silicon-based intelligence with our human values, even if we knew what they were and could define them clearly. Listening to that, was what prompted me to write to Daniel. Since then, I listened many times to two of Daniels own recent podcasts: one with the educational philosopher Zak Stein on the dangers of AI Tutors and one with Jill Nephew, the founder of Inqwire, Public Benefit Company on a mission to help the world make sense. The Inqwire technology is designed to enhance and accelerate human sensemaking abilities. Jill is also host of the Natural Intelligence podcast and has clearly thought deeply about the nature of intelligence, the human experience and the neurophysiology and neuropsychology of our interactions with Large Language Models. I've linked all three of these podcasts below and absolutely recommend that you listen to them if you want more depth than we have here. What Daniel and I tried to do today was to lay things out in very straightforward terms: it's an area fraught with jargon and belief systems and assumptions, and we wanted to strip those away where we could and acknowledge them where we couldn't, and lay out where we are, what the worst cases are, what the best case is, given that we have to move forward with technology, switching it all off seems not to be an option—and how we might move from worst to best case. With this latter in mind, I've included a link to Daniel's new project, the Church of the Intimate Web which aims to connect people with each other. I've also - because it seems not everyone listens to the very end of the podcasts - included a link to our membership programme in Accidental Gods where we aim to help people connect to the wider web of life. I definitely see these two as interlinked and mutually compatible. So - trigger warning - a lot of this is not yet impinging on public awareness and we're not yet aware of how close we are to some very dangerous edges. This podcast leads us up to the edge so we can look over. We do it as gently as we can, but still, you'll want to be resourced and resilient before you listen. The Emerge Podcast https://www.whatisemerging.com/emergepodcastEmerge with Zak Stein https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/emerge-making-sense-of-whats-next/id1057220344?i=1000610403148Emerge with Jill Nephew https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/emerge-making-sense-of-whats-next/id1057220344?i=1000613784941Bankless with Eliezer Yudkowsky https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/bankless/id1499409058?i=1000600575387The Church of the Intimate Web https://tome.app/the-church-of-the-intimate-web/the-church-of-the-intimate-web-a-response-to-the-global-intimacy-disorder-clhgc8h1l1b2p5k3z9ppbitfyAccidental Gods Membership https://accidentalgods.life/join-us/The Soul's Code by James Hillman https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-soul-s-code-james-hillman/1563087?ean=9780553506341

Ever since 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and was hailed as a heavenly being, the accidental god has haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie, acclaimed as the Living God in Jamaica, to Britain's Prince Philip, who became the unlikely center of a new religion on a South Pacific island, men made divine—nearly always men—have appeared on every continent. And because these deifications always emerge at moments of turbulence—civil wars, imperial conquest, revolutions—they have much to teach us. In Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire, and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine (Metropolitan Books, 2021), Anna Della Subin presents a revelatory history spanning five centuries of a cast of surprising deities that help to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of "religion" was invented, why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age, and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerian spirit possession cults, Subin explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. Anna Della Subin is a writer, critic, senior editor at Bidoun, the award-winning publishing and curatorial initiative focused on the Middle East and its diasporas, and a contributing editor at The Public Domain Review. Her work has appeared in many prestigious publications such as the London Review of Books, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more. Anna Della was named one of the world's top 50 thinkers for 2022 by Prospect Magazine. She studied philosophy and classics at the University of Chicago and the history of religion at Harvard Divinity School. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. carrie-lynn.evans@lit.ulaval.ca @carrielynnland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Ever since 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and was hailed as a heavenly being, the accidental god has haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie, acclaimed as the Living God in Jamaica, to Britain's Prince Philip, who became the unlikely center of a new religion on a South Pacific island, men made divine—nearly always men—have appeared on every continent. And because these deifications always emerge at moments of turbulence—civil wars, imperial conquest, revolutions—they have much to teach us. In Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire, and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine (Metropolitan Books, 2021), Anna Della Subin presents a revelatory history spanning five centuries of a cast of surprising deities that help to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of "religion" was invented, why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age, and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerian spirit possession cults, Subin explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. Anna Della Subin is a writer, critic, senior editor at Bidoun, the award-winning publishing and curatorial initiative focused on the Middle East and its diasporas, and a contributing editor at The Public Domain Review. Her work has appeared in many prestigious publications such as the London Review of Books, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more. Anna Della was named one of the world's top 50 thinkers for 2022 by Prospect Magazine. She studied philosophy and classics at the University of Chicago and the history of religion at Harvard Divinity School. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. carrie-lynn.evans@lit.ulaval.ca @carrielynnland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Ever since 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and was hailed as a heavenly being, the accidental god has haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie, acclaimed as the Living God in Jamaica, to Britain's Prince Philip, who became the unlikely center of a new religion on a South Pacific island, men made divine—nearly always men—have appeared on every continent. And because these deifications always emerge at moments of turbulence—civil wars, imperial conquest, revolutions—they have much to teach us. In Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire, and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine (Metropolitan Books, 2021), Anna Della Subin presents a revelatory history spanning five centuries of a cast of surprising deities that help to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of "religion" was invented, why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age, and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerian spirit possession cults, Subin explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. Anna Della Subin is a writer, critic, senior editor at Bidoun, the award-winning publishing and curatorial initiative focused on the Middle East and its diasporas, and a contributing editor at The Public Domain Review. Her work has appeared in many prestigious publications such as the London Review of Books, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more. Anna Della was named one of the world's top 50 thinkers for 2022 by Prospect Magazine. She studied philosophy and classics at the University of Chicago and the history of religion at Harvard Divinity School. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. carrie-lynn.evans@lit.ulaval.ca @carrielynnland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Ever since 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and was hailed as a heavenly being, the accidental god has haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie, acclaimed as the Living God in Jamaica, to Britain's Prince Philip, who became the unlikely center of a new religion on a South Pacific island, men made divine—nearly always men—have appeared on every continent. And because these deifications always emerge at moments of turbulence—civil wars, imperial conquest, revolutions—they have much to teach us. In Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire, and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine (Metropolitan Books, 2021), Anna Della Subin presents a revelatory history spanning five centuries of a cast of surprising deities that help to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of "religion" was invented, why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age, and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerian spirit possession cults, Subin explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. Anna Della Subin is a writer, critic, senior editor at Bidoun, the award-winning publishing and curatorial initiative focused on the Middle East and its diasporas, and a contributing editor at The Public Domain Review. Her work has appeared in many prestigious publications such as the London Review of Books, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more. Anna Della was named one of the world's top 50 thinkers for 2022 by Prospect Magazine. She studied philosophy and classics at the University of Chicago and the history of religion at Harvard Divinity School. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. carrie-lynn.evans@lit.ulaval.ca @carrielynnland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

Ever since 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and was hailed as a heavenly being, the accidental god has haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie, acclaimed as the Living God in Jamaica, to Britain's Prince Philip, who became the unlikely center of a new religion on a South Pacific island, men made divine—nearly always men—have appeared on every continent. And because these deifications always emerge at moments of turbulence—civil wars, imperial conquest, revolutions—they have much to teach us. In Accidental Gods: On Race, Empire, and Men Unwittingly Turned Divine (Metropolitan Books, 2021), Anna Della Subin presents a revelatory history spanning five centuries of a cast of surprising deities that help to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of "religion" was invented, why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age, and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerian spirit possession cults, Subin explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. Anna Della Subin is a writer, critic, senior editor at Bidoun, the award-winning publishing and curatorial initiative focused on the Middle East and its diasporas, and a contributing editor at The Public Domain Review. Her work has appeared in many prestigious publications such as the London Review of Books, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and more. Anna Della was named one of the world's top 50 thinkers for 2022 by Prospect Magazine. She studied philosophy and classics at the University of Chicago and the history of religion at Harvard Divinity School. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. carrie-lynn.evans@lit.ulaval.ca @carrielynnland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

We are the Accidental Gods.  We didn't plan to be the ones to hold the god-like power to destroy most of the life on this planet, but here we are, at a place where one single species - ours - has the capacity to do just this. The routes to Armageddon seem to be increasing all the time, but they all have one thing in common: they're predicated on our absolute disconnection from the web of life. It is a central tenet of this podcast that, for most of our evolutionary history, humanity has existed as an integral part of this web - and that we were aware of our connectedness. Quite how we lost this is open to question and I doubt if we'll ever find concrete answers: certainly I don't think speculation is worth a lot of emotional or intellectual bandwidth - because what really matters - what can and, I think, should, take up most of our energy in whatever time we have left - is finding ways to heal the rift, to re-connect us to the living web so that we can ask of it, 'What do you want of me?' and respond to the answers in real time. If you've listened to this podcast much, you've heard me say this once or twice before. Possibly more often. If you're a part of the wider Accidental Gods community and come along to our monthly Intention Intensives, then you've heard me say it Every. Single. Time. we meet. (!) So, yes, finding ways to do this at scale is something of an obsession. I think it's the only way we're going to get through, and that if we can achieve it. we'll have made a significant shift in the evolution of our consciousness - our wisdom (the bit that AI will never be able to emulate). But one of the things from which I have steered quite clear is the field of psychedelics. There are a lot of reasons for this and we explore some of them in the podcast we're about to hear because I have found someone whose opinion I trust implicitly, who has direct experience of the use of psychedelics in a number of fields and whose integrity feels strong. Dr Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist who was the former Clinical Lead of the 'psilocybin for depression' trial at Imperial College, London. She also gave a ground-breaking TEDx talk in 2017, in which she opened up the results of that first trial to her peers and to the world. Since then, though, she has written a Medium post in which she points out some of the pitfalls of that trial, and opens up the concept that if we use psychedelics indiscriminately in a toxic culture, they are as likely to amplify the toxicity as they are to heal. Having realised this, and experienced some of the harm that plant medicines can do if not held within a supportive framework, Ros has gone on to found ACER Integration, a twelve month online course with monthly modules built around connections to and with trees - designed explicitly to create the supportive culture people need to integrate their experiences. So - if you're expecting us to talk about all the multi-coloured wonders of psychedelics, then forget it, that's not what this podcast is about. It's about understanding the systemic nature of mental health, of cultural experience and of the ways plant spirits can act to change this. It's inspiring and it's a call to action, as well as a profoundly important health warning as we approach the brink of yet another tipping point. ACER Integration: https://acerintegration.com/Ros on Medium: https://medium.com/@DrRosalindWatts/can-magic-mushrooms-unlock-depression-what-ive-learned-in-the-5-years-since-my-tedx-talk-767c83963134Ros on Newsnight https://headtopics.com/uk/psilocybin-calls-to-ease-restrictions-on-magic-mushroom-drug-39313183Ros on Twitter https://twitter.com/drrosalindwattsRos on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rosalind-watts/Ros Paper on Psychedelic link to Biophilia https://www.mdpi.com/2813-1851/2/2/12ACER integration on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/acer-integration/Psypan https://www.psypanglobal.org/ DoubleBlind paper https://doubleblindmag.com/colonialism-by-another-name/Film - Psychedelic Chronicles https://psychedelicchronicles.earth/Ros's TEDx talk https://youtu.be/8kfGaVAXeMYThe Hive w Camila Moreno https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hive-podcast/id1387510537?i=1000612916498

This episode is a live session from Jaipur Literature Festival 2023!

The Accidental Gods podcast exists to set the conditions for emergence into a new system: to bring a critical mass of us to a place where emergence into a new system is a rewarding reality.  To get there, we bring to you some of the many astonishingly creative, compassionate, switched-on people who are working at the leading edge of change. Alan Lane is one of these people. He's the artistic director of the theatre company Slung Low, which in turn is one of the most innovative theatre companies in the UK, if not in the world. Absolutely embedded in the neighbourhood in which they work, Slung Low are committed to their core principles of 'Be Kind, Be Useful, Everyone gets to do what they want. Nobody gets to tell anyone else what they can't do.' (within obvious limits - as you'll hear). Alan is also the author of the book 'The Club on the Edge of Town' which is subtitled 'A Pandemic Memoir' but is so, so much more - this is the story of how Slung Low arose, how it came to be entered in the oldest Working Mens' Club in England (unable to change the name), and ultimately became a Food Bank during the pandemic. It's the story of standing in the rain, of keeping promises, of integrity and grit and sheer bloody-minded tenacity. Most of all, it's a story of how a small group of committed people made a huge difference to the lives of their neighbours and community. It is also the story of the culture clash that you'll hear more about in the podcast, and that led, ultimately, to Slung Low moving elsewhere in Leeds. Since then, their transformation to being part of the team that put on the utterly magical opening event of the Leeds Year of Culture 2023, where the city's most famous pop star spoke to a god - is the stuff of legend. In their new world, their core purpose is to make Awe and Wonder happen - and they are doing it with commitment, integrity, enthusiasm and raw inspiration. In this episode, Alan tells the story that led from standing in the rain in Nottinghill to creating technical magic on a stage in Leeds. We explore the power of story to change people's lives and the value of commitment to the things we believe in.  We dig deep into Alan's absolute moral imperatives and his compassion for the people around him, people he values, people he teaches to value themselves in a world that, in his words, 'teaches us we're cogs in a machine and we're scum' is heartbreakingly wonderful.  Truly, if the whole world was inspired as Leeds is being inspired, we'd be in a different place. (And the god that rose out of the river was a world first: made with drones, everyone said it was impossible. And Alan and the team made it happen anyway.  How good of a metaphor is that for what we have to do now in our emerging new system?)Bio: Alan Lane is Artistic Director of Slung Low directing most of their work over the last decade including projects with the Barbican, the RSC, The Almeida, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman, Sheffield Theatres, Singapore Arts Festival and the Lowry. Slung Low make large scale people's theatre work on stages, trains, castles, swimming pools, fishing boats and town centres.In 2017 Slung Low headlined Hull UK City of Culture 2017 with Flood by James Phillips: a 4 Part epic performed online, live and on the BBC. Over half a million people saw a part of Flood. It won a Royal Televisual Award Yorkshire for innovation in drama.In 2019 the company took over management of the oldest working men's club in Britain, The Holbeck in South Leeds. Initially, they ran this venue as a Pay What You Decide creative and community space, but during lockdown, they transformed into one of the only non-means-tested Food Banks in the country.  Their work there was transformative and Alan wrote the book 'The Club on the Edge of Town' out of their experiences there. Late last year, the company moved venues to a warehouse next to their favourite primary school and began to help organise the astonishing, miraculous, technologically outstanding (and magically wonderful) opening event to Leeds Year of Culture 2023, which culminated in Corrine Bailey Rae talking to a god in front of a rugby stadium filled with 10,000 artists.  Slung Low https://www.slunglow.org/Arts Together Leeds https://artstogetherleeds.co.uk/partner/slung-low/Leeds 2023 https://leeds2023.co.uk/Buy 'The Club on the Edge of Town' https://salamanderstreet.com/product/the-club-on-the-edge-of-town-paperback/The Club on the Edge of Town audio version https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Club-on-the-Edge-of-Town-Audiobook/B0B8TKMXWQ

Accidental Gods podcast exists to open doors and break down barriers, to bring forward the ideas and the actions of and give voice to the gloriously creative people who give their lives to the idea and realisation of a regenerative future.   In this wide-ranging conversation with Solutionist and film-maker, Nicola Peel, we learned of the horrors of oil spills in the Amazon and the ways fungi could clear them if only the oil companies would let the work begin. We explored the nature of regenerative farming in the global north and - particularly - in Ecuador where agro-forestry is rebuilding soil on land that had previously been devastated by beef farming - and how the polycultures might save the cacao industry. We contemplated death and burial, whether carbon offsetting can be useful, the concept of air as a global commons and how to integrate localism into the map of a flourishing future. At the end - as often happens - I stopped recording but we carried on speaking and it seemed that Nicola was saying things that definitely should have been in the podcast. So I hit record again. Twice. We've stitched those bits on at the end for you. BioNicola Peel is a Solutionist, environmentalist, film maker and host of the Solutions podcast. For over 20 years her work has been focussed on environmental solutions. As a filmmaker, she has made documentaries to raise awareness, built rainwater systems for those drinking contaminated water and brought together scientists to use fungi to clean up oil spills. She has built buildings made of thousands of plastic bottles filled with rubbish and taught agroforestry to regenerate the soil and prevent further deforestation of the Amazon. She believes that around the world, people are waking up to the climate and ecological breakdown we are facing. For many they think it is up to governments or big business or someone else to fix the problems and feel disempowered to be a part of the change themselves. Believing, too, that every one of us have different strengths and different areas of expertise, Nicola's focus is to identify the issues we face and see what opportunities and solutions there are to address these issues. Nicola's website https://www.nicolapeel.com/Nicola's Solutions podcast https://www.patreon.com/solutionistNicola's annual newsletter https://mailchi.mp/3bb712bfc940/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-solutionist-nicolas-news-and-views-2022Film 'Blood of the Amazon'  https://youtu.be/Y5b--eRsX9oFilm 'A Solution to Pollution' https://youtu.be/KO1WjFRL_XAResearch into Taro and its impacts https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5610413/taro-market-analysis-report-industry-size

Eva is a climate activist, process designer and facilitator. She has co-convened the Transformative Conflict for Transition Network summit, supports sociocratic system development, decision-making and facilitation in many contexts including Extinction Rebellion Scotland.Justin is an anthropologist and activist from Edinburgh. He is a member of Extinction Rebellion Scotland. Since 2009, has worked with the Forest Peoples Programme, supporting communities to secure their community lands and determine their own futures.Long term friends of the podcast, Eva and Justin live and work right at the leading edge of change, exploring and testing ways to help people move into the flowing, more vulnerable, less triggered spaces that allow for genuine inner change, and therefore change in our outer relationships.  The spaces this work creates are essential to the move to a future where people and planet flourish. In this first Accidental Gods podcast of 2023, we explore the things that make our hearts sing, and the ways Eva and Justin's work is transforming communities around the world, with a particular emphasis on their homeland of Scotland, where Independence feels a breath away. Politics, Trauma and Empathy paper https://www.globalassembly.net/news/politicstraumaempathyRewording https://www.globalassembly.net/reworlding-2022-programmeRewording on Medium https://medium.com/experiental-space-research-lab/reworlding-the-art-of-living-systems-d6fef0deeb11Previously on Accidental Gods - Episode #44 https://accidentalgods.life/re-democratising-democracy/Previously on Accidental Gods - Episode #73 https://accidentalgods.life/reworlding-co-creating-a-politics-of-wholeness/

As we move from our third to our fourth year, it seemed like a good time to look back on the origins of the whole Accidental Gods project - why and how we started and what our original aims were - and then to look forward to the coming year and what we're focussing on both on the podcast and within the membership.   So much has changed even in such a short time. We're all more aware than ever of the tipping points around us, but also more aware of what we can do, of the many, many roles that are here to be filled by people who have time and energy and commitment to give to transforming the future.  So this is a paean to possibility and a thank you to all who have been part of the journey this far.  Upstream podcast with Della Duncan https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/upstream/id1082594532The Hive podcast with Nathalie Nahai https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hive-podcast/id1387510537Richard Bartlett's blog: http://richdecibels.com/Simon MIchaux https://www.simonmichaux.com/Accidental Gods Gatherings https://accidentalgods.life/gatherings-2022/Accidental Gods Membership: https://accidentalgods.life/

Satish Kumar is one of the absolute titans of the Regenerative movement in the UK.  In 1962, he and and one of his fellow Jain monks made an 8,000 mile mendicant peace pilgrimage around the world, stopping in the capitals of what the nuclear nations of the earth: Russia, USA, China, France and the UK.  He settled in the latter and soon became known for his work in connecting people and ideas. He founded the Small School in Devon and went on to found Schumacher College, deeply rooted in his ideas that education should engage head, hands and heart. In 1973, he founded Resurgence Magazine (now: Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine) and for the next forty three years, was its Editor in Chief, stepping down on his  80th birthday. This week, Accidental Gods teamed up with the Oxford Real Farming Conference, to speak with Satish as he prepares to head to Oxford where he'll lead a meditation for farmers on the morning of Friday 6th.  We explore more deeply his concepts of education, food and farming and the re-connection of people to the living web of life. He ends with a meditation, similar to the one he will lead live in the conference. Now entering its thirteenth year, the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) is the unofficial gathering of the agroecological farming movement in the UK, including organic and regenerative farming, bringing together practising farmers and growers with scientists and economists, activists and policymakers in a two-day event every January. Working with partners, the conference offers a broad programme that delves deep into farming practices and techniques as well addressing the bigger questions relating to our food and farming system.Working with partners in the UK and internationally, the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) brings the real food and farming movement together, attracting people from around the world who are interested in transforming our food system. In 2021 and 2022, the conference went entirely online, but the physical gathering has traditionally been in Oxford (it was set up as an alternative to the Oxford Farming Conference, which happens at the same time) and this year, there will again be a physical programme.ORFC has always been the place to share progressive ideas. Subjects include agroecology, regenerative agriculture, organic farming and indigenous food and farming systems. The broad programme delves deep into farming practices and techniques as well as addressing the bigger questions relating to our food and farming system.Crucially, it has always been the participants who provide the ORFC programme. The sessions reflect their diversity, ranging from the intricacies of soil microbiology to new kinds of marketing; setting up a micro-dairy to the value of introducing mob grazing and agroforestry to the farm; from the joys and tribulations of farming to the kind of economic structure we need to support the kind of food system we need. It is this diversity of participants and interests that keeps ORFC alive and growing.Online tickets are available. The ORFC works with the interpretation collective, COATI, to make sure sessions are accessible.Follow the conference on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for all the latest news and speaker announcements.Online Programme https://orfc.org.uk/orfc-2023-online-programme/ 

As we approach the Winter Solstice and the longest night of the year, I'm delighted to share with you what has become a joyful tradition of reflection, contemplation, and looking ahead to the year to come. In this conversation, I rejoin Manda Scott and Della Duncan for a collaborative solstice offering from The Hive, Accidental Gods, and the Upstream Podcast. As we gather to reflect on what's been a rather unusual year, we share some of the key themes of enquiry and growth we've explored on our podcasts, we trace what we find when we each go upstream from the challenges we're facing today, and we explore the question of what most ignites us as we step into the months ahead. At the end of the conversation, we'll each offer a question to you to dwell with, and Manda will guide us in a beautiful guided meditation to help us reach into and connect with this moment of the season. This is always a special episode for me, and I'm so very grateful to be able to dive into conversation with these two passionate, thoughtful and extraordinary women. I hope you find it inviting and inspiring, and I wish you a restful, restorative Winter Solstice and a fruitful new year. Recorded on 7th December 2022.

Around the world, history is filled with men mistaken for gods. This hour we talk with Anna Della Subin, the author of Accidental Gods. She takes us through some notable examples of mortal men mistakenly deified and discusses why people look for their gods here on Earth. GUESTS: Anna Della Subin - Author of Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 2, 2022. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isla McLeod is a creator of ceremonies, ritual designer, transformational healer and companion at the thresholds.  She has dedicated her life to bridging the gap between humanity and the soul of the earth.  In her new book, 'Rituals for Life: A guide to creating meaningful rituals inspired by nature', she brings decades of experience in creating ritual and ceremony to the exploration of what ritual is and how it can enhance our lives, returning our sense of engagement, of being part of something greater, of 'turning up the dial on the beautiful'. In this, our second conversation on the podcast, we explore the origins of the book in Isla's own childhood in Nigeria and Japan, and the sense she had of being surrounded by rituals that held real power to connect.  From there, we explore her sense of devotion to the Earth as a living being as she encountered it in Dartmoor and the sense of ritual as a doorway to the sacred.  We delve deeply into what ritual is and how we can each create our own rituals for the thresholds that matter: what the key ingredients are and what we can play with and make our own.  And finally, we explore a ritual for each season, that touch on different aspects of our lives, different thresholds and doorways. Isla McLeod website: https://islamacleod.com/Isla on Accidental Gods podcast #111 https://accidentalgods.life/earth-alchemy/Martin Prétchel Book 'Long Life, Honey in the Heart' : https://wordery.com/long-life-honey-in-the-heart-martin-prechtel-9781556435386

This week's guest on the I Am podcast is Manda Scott, a bestselling author, podcaster, columnist and teacher. This is a conversation that covers a lot of fascinating ground and centres upon the potential of human consciousness as we accelerate headfirst into a time of crises and a need for evolution. Manda sees humanity as a storied species, and together she and Jonny discuss how our stories affect how we move forward into the unknown. Manda's 4 step process for how to connect to our true power and how to manifest a future beyond our imaginations is a beautiful offering too. It opens up a discussion that ties in everything from the climate crises, to image and reputation, patience and the capacity to focus our energies and attention upon what it is that we desire, it is a fascinating listen.As ever Jonny is always keen to hear from anyone listening - so if you have questions that you'd like explored, please email hello@Iampodcast.co.uk or comment in the reviews section.  To keep up with Manda you can listen to her podcast Accidental Gods or follow her on Twitter: @MandaScottFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/manda.scott.756/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/Insta is @AccidentalGods Twitter: @jonnywilkinsonInstagram: @jonnywilkinsonofficial

This week's guest on the I Am podcast is Manda Scott, a bestselling author, podcaster, columnist and teacher. This is a conversation that covers a lot of fascinating ground and centres upon the potential of human consciousness as we accelerate headfirst into a time of crises and a need for evolution. Manda sees humanity as a storied species, and together she and Jonny discuss how our stories affect how we move forward into the unknown. Manda's 4 step process for how to connect to our true power and how to manifest a future beyond our imaginations is a beautiful offering too. It opens up a discussion that ties in everything from the climate crises, to image and reputation, patience and the capacity to focus our energies and attention upon what it is that we desire, it is a fascinating listen.As ever Jonny is always keen to hear from anyone listening - so if you have questions that you'd like explored, please email hello@Iampodcast.co.uk or comment in the reviews section.  To keep up with Manda you can listen to her podcast Accidental Gods or follow her on Twitter: @MandaScottFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/manda.scott.756/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/Insta is @AccidentalGods Twitter: @jonnywilkinsonInstagram: @jonnywilkinsonofficial

Zineb Mouhyi is the co-founder of two charitable organizations, YouthxYouth & the Weaving Lab. YouthxYouth is a movement to radically reimagine the future of education with the goal of accelerating the process of young people influencing, designing, and transforming their education. The Weaving Lab is a global community of practice with the mission of advancing the field of weaving, understood as the practice of interconnecting ideas, people, projects, organizations, places, and ecologies to support systems change. Zineb is also a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology and Social Change at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) where she collaboratively explores the question: How might we facilitate a planetary transition toward systems that serve all life? In this episode, we explore the death of the old system and the birth of the new: how can the older generations become the allies the younger generations need? How can we explore together what it is to live in the wreckage of a dying system and how can we be part of the emergence of something new, generative and flourishing? Because Zineb is deeply involved in education systems and how they might change, we explore how current education is often designed to facilitate control, to deliver workers who follow rules and orders, not lively activists who think for themselves. From here, we delve into the ways young people can reclaim their own education and mould it to serve the world that could be woven into being, not the one that is dying; how they can shift from One Truth thinking to the understanding of many truths; from linear concepts to systemic thinking, to the ways we might create toolkits to untangle ourselves from the depradations of capitalism. We explore ways to leapfrog change, to put people, project and places at the heart of a global community of practice, to move out of the logic of separation into the logic of connection.This is a conversation grounded in living practice of the ideals Accidental Gods endeavours to promote: finding ways to be the change, so that we might birth a new future we'd be proud to leave to the generations that come after us... but really talking to those younger than us and finding what they need and how we can help them. Links:  https://www.youthxyouth.com/ https://weavinglab.org/ https://www.ciis.edu/ https://curriculumforlife.com/

Holding a Ph.D. in (Ecological) Economics and having studied international development, political science, and management, Thomas Legrand works in the field of sustainability for UN agencies, private companies, and NGOs. His focus is on forest conservation, climate change, sustainable finance, and organizational transformation.His spiritual journey began at the age of 23 with an encounter with native spirituality in Mexico, before embracing the wisdom of a wide range of traditions and practices, including meditation, energetic healing and Tai-chi-chuan. He lives with his wife and their two young daughters near Plum Village, the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the South West of France, his country.His spiritual search, his thought as a social scientist and his professional experience have gradually converged on the importance of spiritual wisdom in humanity's ongoing transition. Searching for a way to mainstream this understanding in the political and sustainability conversation, he has dedicated much of the last 10 years to researching and reflecting how we can radically rethink our model of development. The result is his book, 'The Politics of Being: Wisdom and Science for a new Development Paradigm' which synthesises so many of the foundations of Accidental Gods - the merging of a universal spirituality, grounded in connection with the web of life, and a political and social framework for a new way of organising ourselves and each other. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how Thomas first encountered shamanic spirituality and then explore the ideas that are the backbone of his book: how do we shape our new reality and, crucially, who is already doing so? LinksPolitics of Being website: https://politicsofbeing.comThe Politics of Being: book https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Politics-of-Being-by-Legrand-Thomas/9782957758302Video intro to the book: https://politicsofbeing.comPolitics of Being Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/politicsofbeingThomas on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-legrand-b8406215/Politics of Being on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/politics-of-being/

Anna Della Subin joins PTO to talk about her book Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine. The book tells the stories of men who have inadvertently been turned into living Gods - from Gandhi and Haile Selassie to Prince Philip and Narendra Modi. In the book Anna shows how deification and violence were intertwined in the colonial enterprise and in the present day cult of the political strong man, yet - she argues - it's also a process that's been central to struggles of liberation. In our conversation we focussed on the chapters of the book on Haile Selassie and the emergence of the Rastafari in Jamaica in the 1930s, and on the history of deification in the British Raj - regarding both the colonial authorities and the iconic leaders of the independence movement.

Phoebe Tickell is an imagination activist, renegade scientist, systems thinker and social entrepreneur.  Originally trained as a biologist (she has a first class degree in Biological Natural Sciences from Cambridge University), she now works across multiple societal contexts applying a complexity and systems thinking lens and has worked in organisational design, advised government, the education sector and the food and farming sector. Until 2021 she was working in philanthropy at The National Lottery Community Fund to implement systems-thinking approaches to funding and and leading insight and learning in the £12.5 million Digital Fund.On the way through, she has co-founded a series of organisations dedicated to systems change via innovative approaches, including 225 Academy, which delivered 5-day transformative experiences for young people aged 11-18 globally; Future Farm Lab, which created systemic interventions to the food system and the Our Field Project — an experiment in a group of citizens co-owning and co-governing a field of grain in Hertfordshire.More recently, she is founder of Moral Imaginations and RenaissanceU, a member of Enspiral, part of the Don't Go Back to Normal Project, on the board of Renaissance U, and an advisor to the Consilience Project.  She's a certified Warm Data Lab host and an advisor to the International Bateson Institute.  She recently led 1,000 people in a Collective Imagination journey in Berlin and then 4,000 in Sweden. In all of this, she took time out to talk to Accidental Gods about the nature of the present moment, how we can find the learning tools that will bridge to the future we want to envision, and how we translate those visions of the future into values. In a wide ranging, inspiring, edge-walking conversation, she explored the balance of inner and outer worlds, tangible and intangible and how we might connect them; she talks of falling in love with Solar Punk again (her Twitter handle is @solarpunk_girl, so that feels quite huge), having read that 'Solar Punk without the end of capitalism, is just greenwasher CyberPunk'.  So we explore what cyber punk is, too, and Protopian writing, and how it relates to Thrutopian writing, before we move onto the nature of existing Solar Punk communities and how they frame their underlying values. This was a genuinely sparky conversation: it felt as if we really dug deep into the nuts and bolts of change and how it could happen - come along for the ride!SolarPunk links: SOLARPUNK: Life in the future beyond the rusted chrome of yestermorrowHow We Can Build A Solarpunk Future Right Now (ft. @Andrewism) How We Can Build A Solarpunk Future (ft. @Our Changing Climate)

History is full of examples of mortals unintentionally mistaken for gods. So why do we see godliness in others, and what if we had a divine counterpart within ourselves? 

Maggie Ostara, PhD left her job as the Director of Women's and Gender Studies at Columbia University when she realised she's not meant to work for anyone else.Twenty five years later at the height of of the pandemic, she created the Eight Pillars of Feminine Sovereignty and the six Feminine Sovereign Archetypes and then organised and hosted the online Women Evolving Our World Conference (and upcoming podcast).She is committed to helping people from all walks of life to connect deeply with the flow of life, to listen to the inner wisdom of their own bodies, and to find their own empowerment, authority, agency and resilience. Maggie says: “Now is the time for those of us who've been clearing our out-dated belief systems and building our skills and wisdom in the energetic and emotional realms to step forward and take our place among the leaders of today. For too many years, those who claim leadership in our world have valued profit and personal gain over the well-being of the majority of the human world, not to mention all the other beings with whom we share this planet. We are transforming and upgrading what it means to be a leader in alignment with the More Life principle: more life to all and less to none. I invite you to take the next step forward -- whether that's simply in your own life, or in your family, community, neighbourhood or in your work in the world – shining out your values, your radiance, your compassion and your vision of the world you want to live in. Together we truly can make a difference!”Maggie has a thriving YouTube channel, teaches online courses, works with clients individually and in groups, provides business consulting, and particularly loves guiding Change Agents expand their body of work  and its influence globally. She lives in occupied Pomo territory in Northern California with her non-binary 20 year old and her black feline familiar. In this episode, we explore what it takes to let go of the restrictions of the conventional world, and listen to the quiet urgings of the inner voice that pushes us to be other than our conditioning or society's expectations.  With clarity and courage, she charts a course to a sense of self-compassion, self-awareness and connection to the flow of life that brings clarity to her life's purpose - and then shares the core of what she does in a way that makes it universally accessible.   At the end, she offers a gift to Accidental Gods listeners, so that you, too, can share what the learning she offers. Gift package from Maggiehttps://womenevolvingourworld.com/accidentalgods/SovereigntybyDesign.comOstaraExperience.com

Ever since Columbus reported he was hailed as "a celestial being" in 1492, stories of unexpected apotheoses have haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie to Prince Philip, men unwittingly turned divine have much to reveal about empire, race, and the relationship between politics and divinity, as HDS alumna Anna Della Subin argues in her recent book "Accidental Gods". In conversation with Charles M. Stang, she explored how deification has been both a means of liberation and a way to sanctify oppression; how accidental gods are present in the canonical texts of comparative religion; and how myths of European explorers mistaken for “white gods” imbued whiteness with a divinity still entrenched today. This event took place on February 17, 2022. Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/

The birth of religion is commonly held to lie far back in human history, with the occasional exception of an angel Moroni or the borderline godhood of a cult leader. But in Accidental Gods, Anna Della Subin documents how a surprising number of 20th-century men (it's almost always men) found themselves labeled divine, sometimes without their knowledge and nearly always without their consent. Some, like General Douglas MacArthur, were even crowned four different ways, on three separate continents. Subin joins the podcast to explore the urges that lead us to declare a mortal man a god, and what this desire tells us about modernity.Go beyond the episode:Anna Della Subin's Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned DivineRead “Philip's People” in The London Review of BooksA corollary to the book: a brief history of objects turned into godsMeet the balsa wood carving of General Douglas MacArthur from the Guna people of PanamaTune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. Follow us on Twitter @TheAmScho or on Facebook.Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • AcastHave suggestions for projects you'd like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes! Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The birth of religion is commonly held to lie far back in human history, with the occasional exception of an angel Moroni or the borderline godhood of a cult leader. But in Accidental Gods, Anna Della Subin documents how a surprising number of 20th-century men (it's almost always men) found themselves labeled divine, sometimes without their knowledge and nearly always without their consent. Some, like General Douglas MacArthur, were even crowned four different ways, on three separate continents. Subin joins the podcast to explore the urges that lead us to declare a mortal man a god, and what this desire tells us about modernity.Go beyond the episode:Anna Della Subin's Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned DivineRead “Philip's People” in The London Review of BooksA corollary to the book: a brief history of objects turned into godsMeet the balsa wood carving of General Douglas MacArthur from the Guna people of PanamaTune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. Follow us on Twitter @TheAmScho or on Facebook.Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • AcastHave suggestions for projects you'd like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes! Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

History is filled with men who were mistaken for gods around the world. This hour, we talk with the author of a new book on that topic: Anna Della Subin, author of Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine. She takes us through some notable examples of men mistaken for gods, and discusses why people look for gods on earth. GUESTS: Anna Della Subin - Author of Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam and Emma Anna Della Subin, senior editor at Bidoun Projects, to discuss her recent book Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine, on the pervasive and frequently overlooked figure that began popping up at the dawn of “New World” imperialism, and has since emerged, both through oppression and resistance, countless times in the face of a singular authority. Subin begins by bringing Sam and Emma back to the end of the 1400s, looking at the “explorers” from Columbus to Cortez that saw their reception by indigenous folks as an expression of deification and mysticism, rather than an intense recognition of their sudden appearance and authoritarian claim to power. These stories were then told and retold by European settlers, bolstering the religious imperialism that defined their ideology, justifying their claim to the lands of entire civilizations, and explaining away the terror they wrought as, at worst, Godly fear that must occur to bring them the light of Christianity and the West. Next, Anna explores how these myths were central to the creation and recognition of race as a social signifier, as Spanish colonizers brought their blood puritanism to the Americas with the primary identifier shifting from religion to skin color as they converted the region. Moving forward in history, Anna, Sam, and Emma then dive into the roles of Accidental Gods that emerged under colonization, but without the imperial goals, such as Haile Selassie and Gandhi, as the imposition of their deification came from around them, bolstering the people's belief in their resistance and emancipation, before they look at more contemporary examples of the vitriolic accidental gods that emerged, from Major John Nicholson to General MacArthur, as people they stood above attempted to reclaim the power exercised upon them. Lastly, they touch on the accidental deification that we see today, from Donald Trump to Capitalism as a whole, and the “cargo cult” of the British and American doctrine. Sam and Emma also touch on the disgusting politicization of MLK and Voting Rights, two things that never EVER had to do with politics. And in the Fun Half: Josh calls in to chat about Bernie doing all of the heavy lifting when it comes to disseminating COVID information, Bob from FL totally debunks mistrust of the CIA, and Sam and Emma are blown away by Gary Chambers's senatorial campaign announcement. Dan Crenshaw cracks under the pressure of a pre-teen using his own words against him, and Emma and Sam take on Ron DeSantis codifying protections for white fragility into Floridian education policy. They also explore Orange County's health director being placed on administrative leave for questioning his department's public health practices, and OAN possibly going under after losing their corporate funding from AT&T, plus, your calls and IMs! Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on May 15th HERE: https://thewilbur.com/artist/majority-report/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here:  https://madmimi.com/signups/170390/join Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Check out today's sponsors: Magic Spoon: Magic Spoon is a new cereal company that's discovered a way to recreate your favorite childhood cereals with 0 sugar, 12 grams of protein, and only 3 net grams of carbs in each serving. Go to to https://magicspoon.com/pages/partner?partner=majorityreport&utm_source=majorityreport&utm_medium=Podcast for your custom bundle of cereal and try it today! Be sure to use our promo code MAJORITYREPORT at checkout to save five dollars off your order. Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Matt's other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/literaryhangover Check out The Nomiki Show on YouTube. https://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out The Letterhack's upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Jamie's podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) 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Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher talk with Anna Della Subin about her new book, Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine. Accidental Gods traces the rarely told history of the deification of living men in modern times, revealing the phenomenon's connection to imperial conquest, revolution, and civil war. Taking as a starting point Columbus' exploitation of his reception by native peoples as a deity come from the heavens, the book offers in-depth studies of figures such as the Ethiopian King Haile Selassie, who is regarded as God by Rastafarians in Jamaica, England's Prince Philip, who became the center of a religion on an island in the South Pacific, and Jiddu Krishnamurti, who was seen as divine by early Theosophists. What does it mean to make a man a God? Why is it always a man? And what does that say about notions of masculinity, the place of religion in society, and the relations between political power and divinity? Also, Sam Quinones, author of The Least of Us, returns to recommend Calvin Trillin's Killings.

Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher talk with Anna Della Subin about her new book, Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine. Accidental Gods traces the rarely told history of the deification of living men in modern times, revealing the phenomenon's connection to imperial conquest, revolution, and civil war. Taking as a starting point Columbus' exploitation of his reception by native peoples as a deity come from the heavens, the book offers in-depth studies of figures such as the Ethiopian King Haile Selassie, who is regarded as God by Rastafarians in Jamaica, England's Prince Philip, who became the center of a religion on an island in the South Pacific, and Jiddu Krishnamurti, who was seen as divine by early Theosophists. What does it mean to make a man a God? Why is it always a man? And what does that say about notions of masculinity, the place of religion in society, and the relations between political power and divinity? Also, Sam Quinones, author of The Least of Us, returns to recommend Calvin Trillin's Killings.

Happy Solstice 2021! Here is our second annual solstice conversation with fellow podcasters Manda Scott and Nathalie Nahai. In this conversation we ask each other the core questions at the heart of our shows, we reflect on key themes, insights, and inquiries that we have traced through our interviews and documentaries in 2020, and we give gratitude and gifts of inspiring books, practical invitations, and a beautiful closing solstice meditation. Manda Scott is an award-winning novelist, podcaster and smallholder whose life is underpinned by the shamanic dreaming she gave voice to in her Boudica: Dreaming novels. For the past two years, she has been host of the Accidental Gods podcast which originally aimed at fostering conscious evolution and is now leaning more towards finding an inspiring way through to a flourishing future. Nathalie is an international speaker, consultant and author of two books: the recently published Business Unusual: Values, Uncertainty and the Psychology of Brand Resilience, and best-seller, Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion. Her work explores the intersection between persuasive technology, ethics, and the psychology of online behavior. Nathalie also hosts The Hive Podcast, and contributes to national publications, television and radio on the impact of technology in our lives. Intermission music by American Football. Upstream theme music was composed by Robert. This episode was edited by Caro C. Support for this episode was provided by the Guerrilla Foundation and by listeners like you. Upstream is a labor of love — we couldn't keep this project going without the generosity of our listeners and fans. Please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support Also, if your organization wants to sponsor one of our upcoming episodes, we have a number of sponsorship packages available. Find out more at upstreampodcast.org/sponsorship For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on social media: twitter.com/UpstreamPodcast Instagram.com/upstreampodcast You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcast and Spotify: Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upst…am/id1082594532 Spotify: spoti.fi/2AryXHs

This is now official solstice tradition - we three explore the questions we've asked others through the year, look at what moved us in our podcast interviews and what they are pulling us towards for next year. And we offer a solstice meditation at the end, to bring you, too, to the quiet point of looks-withinNathalie Nahai is an international speaker, consultant and author of two books: the recently published Business Unusual: Values, Uncertainty and the Psychology of Brand Resilience, and business best-seller, Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion. Her work explores the intersection between persuasive technology, ethics, and the psychology of online behaviour, and clients include Google, Accenture, Unilever and Harvard Business Review, among others.Through keynotes, workshops and consultancy, she teaches people how to understand the psychological dynamics behind evolving consumer behaviours, and how to ethically apply behavioural science principles to enhance their website, content marketing, product design and customer experience. In 2021 Nathalie launched TheValuesMap.com, a free tool developed in collaboration with Dr Kiki Leutner of Goldsmiths University, to help people within organisations understand, communicate and practically express the values they stand for. A member of the BIMA Human Insights Council, Nathalie also hosts The Hive Podcast, and contributes to national publications, television and radio on the impact of technology in our lives.Della Duncan is  a Renegade Economist who hosts the Upstream Podcast inviting you to unlearn everything you thought you knew about economics. She is also a Right Livelihood Coach, a Senior Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute in the London School of Economics, the Course Development Manager of Fritjof Capra's Capra Course on the Systems View of Life, a Senior Lecturer at the California Institute of Integral Studies and Gaia Ed., Co-Founder of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition, and an Alternative Economics Consultant.Della holds a Master of Arts in Economics for Transition with Distinction from Schumacher College, a graduate certificate in Authentic Leadership from Naropa University, has completed Joanna Macy's Work that Reconnects Intensive Program, and is a Gross National Happiness Trainer through the Gross National Happiness Center in Bhutan.The Hive: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hive-podcast/id1387510537Upstream: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/upstream/id1082594532

In today's episode, secreted away within this special book-related season, is a rather special conversation, that I have come to look forward to as a tradition. As we turn again to the deepest night of the year, I rejoin Della Duncan and Manda Scott for a shared solstice offering from The Hive, Accidental Gods, and the Upstream Podcast. As we come together to reflect on this extraordinary year, we share some of the joys and challenges we've faced, the stories we've encountered, and what they've taught us. We touch on some of the inspiring books, conversations and explorations that have gotten us through, and offer our ideas and visions for what we might create together as we move into 2022. Recorded on 5th December 2021.

Jeremy Lent, described by Guardian journalist George Monbiot as “one of the greatest thinkers of our age,” is an author and speaker whose work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization's existential crisis, and explores pathways toward a life-affirming future.Born in London, England, he received a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and was a former internet company CEO. His award-winning book, The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning, explores the way humans have made meaning from the cosmos from hunter-gatherer times to the present day.His new book, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe, offers a coherent and intellectually solid foundation for a worldview based on connectedness that could lead humanity to a sustainable, flourishing future.He is founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering an integrated worldview that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the Earth. He lives with his partner in Berkeley, California.He writes topical articles exploring the deeper patterns of political and cultural developments at his website Patterns of Meaning.In this week's podcast, we explore his most recent paper 'The End of Capitalism' and how our entire economic structure needs to change if we're to address the demands of the moment.  From there, we move to the pillars of systemic change and how a shift in the world economy to one of reciprocity over extraction/abuse must be an integral part of the transition to a flourishing, interconnected future.  Drawing from indigenous wisdom, and the 'Four R's' described by LaDonna Harris as the foundations of indigenous cultures across the globe, to the concept of fractal flourishing, citizens's assemblies and the crisis in sense-making, we move ever towards a model of how our world could be if we got it right.  Jeremy's Website: https://www.jeremylent.com/Web of Meaning - book: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Web-of-Meaning-by-Jeremy-Lent/9781788165648End of Capitalism Paper: https://patternsofmeaning.com/2021/10/11/solving-the-climate-crisis-requires-the-end-of-capitalism/Growth mitigation paper (referenced, not by Jeremy) https://www.boell.de/sites/default/files/endf2_kuhnhenn_growth_in_mitigation_scenarios.pdfWhat Does an EcoCivilisation Look Like? https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/ecological-civilization/2021/02/16/what-does-ecological-civilization-look-likePodcast 38 with Accidental Gods: https://accidentalgods.life/fractal-flourishing/

Ece Temelkuran is an international columnist, political analyst, novelist and sharp, brilliant, astute  - and great hearted - writer.  Her books 'HOW TO LOSE A COUNTRY' and 'TOGETHER' have been met with great international acclaim.  (she shared a stage at the Edinburgh Festival with Ed Milliband, of the outstandingly successful 'Reasons to be Cheerful' podcast. He was also something political at one point in the UK, when such things mattered...) She was our guest in podcast 74 -and on the first Sunday of September, she returned with a one hour Zoom-based Bookclub to delve deeper into the compassionate wisdom of her books. 

"Love is that which enables choice. Love is always stronger than Fear. Always choose on the basis of Love."  – Forrest LandryYou might know him as the founder and CEO of Magic Flight, a company among the first to introduce the portable vaporizer to the world, but Forrest Landry is really a philosopher, writer, researcher, scientist, engineer, craftsman, and teacher who has been studying and practicing the varied High Arts since the mid 70's.Before creating Magic Flight, Forrest was a third generation master woodworker who found that he had a unique set of skills in large scale software systems design. This led to work in the production of several federal classified and unclassified systems, including various FBI investigative projects, TSC, IDW, DARPA, the Library of Congress Congressional Records System, and many others.This work was a fun diversion, but Forrest's heart has always been most focused on metaphysics – the study of what is, what is the nature of being, what is the nature of knowing, and why are we all here. And, so, the most challenging system design that Forrest has tacked is his work “The Immanent Metaphysics” a decades long effort to restore legitimacy to the practice of metaphysics and construct a rigorous, coherent and precise statement of, well, everything.  He talks to us this week of his experience in connecting with the world unmasked  - about the considerations of life that it led to: what matters most and how we, too can connect with it. Forrest Landry TED Talk: https://youtu.be/iAmLRLc4ffkSolarPunk questions answered: https://mflb.com/civ_dev_1/solarpunk_questions_out.pdfOverall orientation to What is needed to meet the coming transformation: https://mflb.com/civ_dev_1/overall_recommendations_out.pdfForrest Landry's technical investigations into the meaning of life: https://mflb.com/geek_index_1.html

When David SmartKnight heard that the G7 summit was coming to Cornwall in June 2021, he went to the land and asked of it ‘What can I do?’  That night, he had a dream… and as is the way of things, when we align ourselves with life, the world joins our actions. Pretty soon he and his co-producer, Klaudia van Gool had a team of people, who came together to make a beautiful, moving 3 minute video and a project of awe-inspiring scope, to bring the words of the world’s children to the world’s leaders in ways they cannot ignore. As for David himself: Following a thriving career as an IT consultant, for 25 years David has asked: “What does it mean to live sustainably?”. This has resulted in studying & applying Permaculture, shamanism, Non-Violent Communication, storytelling, teaching, social enterprise, running a smallholding, planting and managing coppice, making greenwood furniture, keeping livestock and holding ceremonies.  All woven into a second career as an environmental educator, devising and delivering a European-wide teacher training program, creating and piloting a sustainability curriculum for secondary, establishing two award-winning Environmental Education Centres and running eco-build projects as community empowerment exercises.“Sustainability”, he believes “is a completely inadequate ambition:  what we actually need is regeneration, which, by necessity, requires both personal fulfilment and social justice.”Between his deep-nature connection business, the complexities (and joys) of single-parenting two teenagers and devoting much of his time to supporting the Regenerative Cultures strand underpinning Extinction Rebellion, David currently is spearheading “The Children’s Fire Project” – an ambition to bring the 7th Generation Principle to the heart of global economic thinking.And this is Klaudia: I grew up on the edge of a village in the south of the Netherlands, considering the fields out the back my play ground. I had an urge to garden and made small gardens around the house.  I signed myself up as a youth member of a national nature conservation charity.It wasn’t until I decided on an Environmental Science degree after moving to the UK and having children, that things came together for me and I realised i couldn’t think of anything better to do than work in the field I loved, which I have continued to do ever since.I worked as an Environmental Business Services Adviser for the  Groundwork Trust for eleven years, after personal experience of various small businesses ranging from construction to food processing.In addition to the degree in Environmental Science, I attended many trainings in the fields of business, permaculture, education & teaching, facilitation, management, sustainability skills and personal development.I have gathered many skills through training and practical experience: gardening, preserving, foraging, basketry, living willow structures, strawbale and cob building, bushcraft, herbal medicine and more.Once I started on the permaculture path, I got hooked, started  teaching permaculture in 2007 and have taught 31 PDCs to date. This path had led to a social permaculture interest, see more here.In recent years I have been involved with Extinction Rebellion, mostly focussing on regenerative cultures and deepening my curiosity for ceremony and herbal knowledge and skills.  The Children’s Fire Website: https://childrensfire.earthVideo Link to 'Honouring the Children's Fire': https://youtu.be/4SO6dS1Qa9IKlaudia van Gool: http://klaudia.co.uk

Manda Scott; former vet, author, shamanic practitioner, activist and visionary talks us through how to re-imagine our world into being more connected and regenerative. In this conversation we move from climate change to new economic and agricultural models, from imagining to acting. You can find Manda's books here: https://mandascott.co.uk/ The beautiful Accidental Gods website is here: https://accidentalgods.life/ The podcast is here: https://accidentalgods.life/our-podcast/ and Manda mentioned an episode called 'How to be a pirate' Manda's shamanic work is here: https://dreamingawake.co.uk/ The transformative TV project Manda talked about it here: https://narrativeark.net/ To find out more about my coaching, training and writing go to: https://www.julieleoni.com/

 Manda Scott is a Novelist, Shamanic dreamer, trainee homeopath and podcast host at the massively successful Accidental Gods: transforming ourselves, transforming the world . She is also a best selling Author: Boudica books and A Treachery of Spies (amongst others) Working on 'Dreaming the Wounded Bear'.Ross and Manda discuss her books, studies, the Deep Adaptation Paper, societal collapse, economics, food resilience, regenerative agriculture, re-quantifying success and challenges we are all facing. The pair also talk about how we are due a new evolutionary step and this one can be of consciousness, why does conscious evolution matter and how do we get there?Timestamps:01:54​ Manda's background and highlights10:10​ The 'Deep Adaptation Paper' by Jem Bendell (scientific paper)12:26​ How this has shaped Manda's focus and career so far? 30:51 Manda's vision of how organisations/people can prepare well for the pace of change ahead? 38:04​  Four steps we can take49:39​ The first work Manda suggests beginners should look at.52:22​  What can people focus on to support  Manda's findings.Connect with MandaLinkedinWebsitePodcastBooks - Boudica Series 'Deep Adaptation Paper' by Jem BendellConnect with Ross:WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation YouTube

With the deepest night of the year upon us, today's rather special conversation comes as a celebration of solstice and the turning of the year, as a joint offering from The Hive, Accidental Gods, and the Upstream Podcast. We wanted to take a moment to reflect on the challenges we've faced and what they've taught us, share some the inspiring gifts that have gotten us through, and offer our visions for what we might create together as we move into 2021. For those of you who are as yet unacquainted, Manda Scott is a podcaster, screenwriter and trainee homeopath. In her past, she's been a veterinary surgeon, an award-winning novelist, columnist and political activist. These days, she teaches shamanic dreaming and is doing her utmost to facilitate conscious evolution. She's host and co-founder of Accidental Gods and - newly - is one part of Narrative Ark. She's looking forward to a transformative year in 2021. My second conversation partner, Della Duncan, is a renegade economist dedicated to the just transition to a more sustainable and equitable world. From sharing stories of economic system change through the Upstream Podcast, to her workshops and consultancy work with communities and organizations, she helps people to better align their work with alternative economics movements. I really enjoyed being a part of this conversation with these two formidable women, and as we look to the year ahead, I hope this episode may serve as a companion to you. Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/ Recorded on 9th December 2020.

In today's show, I'm doing something a bit different. This week I was invited by Manda Scott to join her in conversation on her podcast, Accidental Gods, and we decided it would be lovely to share it with all our listeners, across both of our platforms. We explore what it means to be human under the lockdown, and how we might grasp this moment in ways that will leave all of us better when it's over, without feeling guilt-tripped or (even more) exhausted on the other side. Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/

This episode, I'm delighted to be speaking with Manda Scott, a best-selling author, columnist and teacher, whose new platform Accidental Gods explores how we might to transform ourselves and evolve our conscious engagement with the world. Our conversation spans from consciousness, resilience and the evolution and interconnectedness of complex systems, to shamanic practice, trust, and the courage required to leap into the void. Join in the conversation #hivepodcast, and find out more at www.nathalienahai.com/the-hive-podcast/