Accidental Gods - The Thrutopian Podcast

Accidental Gods

Another World IS still Possible. The old system was never fit for purpose - and now it's collapsing around us. So how do we co-create a Thrutopian future that we'd all be proud to leave as our legacy?

What stories can we weave of possibility? Of transformation? What happens if we commit to a world based on generative values: compassion, courage, integrity?

What happens if we let go of the race for meaningless money and commit instead to the things that really matter: clean air, clean water, clean soil - and clean, clear, courageous connections between all parts of ourselves, between ourselves and each other, between ourselves and the Web of Life - so that we can reclaim our birthright as self-conscious nodes in the web of life?

We can do this. Some of us already are. Every week on Accidental Gods we speak with the people who are living this world into being, courageous pathfinders who are exploring the emergent edge of inter-becoming.

As a species, we have all the answers, we just haven't yet crafted all the new stories and woven them into a future that works. We have the choice now - we can choose to transform…or we can face the chaos of a failing system.

Our Choice. Our Chance. Our Future.

Accidental Gods is a podcast and membership program devoted to exploring the ways we can create a future that we would be proud to leave to the generations yet to come.

Find the membership and the podcast pages here: https://accidentalgods.life
Find Manda's Thrutopian novel, Any Human Power here: https://mandascott.co.uk
Find Manda on BlueSky @mandascott.bsky.social
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/
On FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/MandaScottAuthor

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388 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes388

Newest first

Jul 31, 2024 · 1 hr 41 min
Net Zero Cities: Crafting a Generative Urban Future with Georgia Cameron of Dark Matter Labs
Cities: most of us live in them and most of them are geared around the old values of the last century. But what if our core question was: what does it take to have pride in the place I live? How can we completely rethink the way cities act and are shaped to put a flourishing future at the heart of all they do? Georgia Cameron of Dark Matter Labs lays out the visions of Net Zero Cities that goes way beyond just the carbon. Of the 8 billion (ish) people on the planet, over half now live in cities. If we're going to create a just, equitable, enduring transition to that more beautiful world our hearts know is possible, how we live, work, play and connect with each other in urban centres is going to be key. Which is why we're talking today to Georgia Cameron, who is a policy strategist and innovator at Dark Matter Labs who is currently working with the 112 cities involved in the EU Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission helping navigate the legal, regulatory, economic and social barriers they face in advancing transition pathways. For over a decade, Georgia studies, researches and works at the intersection of law, public policy, organisational strategy, and community organisation. She practised as an urban planning and environment lawyer at a top four law firm in New Zealand before completing a Masters in Regenerative Economics (with Distinction) from Schumacher College, UK in 2021, and now, as we said, she's working with the Net Zero Cities Mission which aims to achieve ‘climate neutrality’ in those cities taking part, although, as you'll hear, those at the heart of this are really clear that it's not just about the carbon, and that everything we do must enhance our connections with ourselves, each other and the wider web of human and More than Human life. This Mission is one of five within the EU - and miraculously, wonderfully, totally encouragingly, the plan is that all of these will be integrated: that each Mission will feed into the others. So this conversation roamed wide and deep through the theory and practice of this relatively new initiative, exploring the changes in political, inter-personal (and intra-personal) and regulatory thinking that will allow a complete phase-shift in how we work, play, live, commute and engage with the world. At heart, the question boils down to, What does it mean to live well in any given city - or indeed, anywhere? What does it take to feel pride in your neighbourhood? How can those in charge removed obstacles as much as putting new ideas in place? How can all of us work from the ground up to make changes - and what are the stories of change, of being and belonging, that will make this feel like a just, equitable - and desirable - transition? Georgia on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-cameron-frsa-8a90668a/ Net Zero Cities https://netzerocities.eu Net Zero Cities EU 2024 Conference in Valencia https://netzerocities.eu/2024/07/04/thats-a-wrap-key-takeaways-from-the-2024-cities-mission-conference-in-valencia/ Net Zero Cities Circular Economy Paper https://netzerocities.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Policy-brief-Circular-Economy-Policy-Lab.pdf Net Zero Cities Nature Based Solutions Policy Paper https://netzerocities.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Policy-brief-Nature-Based-Solutions-Policy-Lab-2024-06-23.pdf Dark Matter Labs https://darkmatterlabs.org/ Mariana Mazzucato https://marianamazzucato.com/
Jul 24, 2024 · 1 hr 10 min
Earth and Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos with Leah Rampy
Clearly we need urgently to shift the democratic dial towards something that might actually serve the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. But how do we get there? How do we open the doors to possibility so that we can shift from the disconnection of our culture to a path of real heart-mind connection to the web of life? Our guest this week is Leah Rampy, author of the book Earth and Soul, Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos, a beautiful, many-layered weaving that is a memorial to the world that is dying around us, a paean to the world that is possible and a deeply imagined, deeply practical guide to how we can actually engage with the living web so that we can bring ourselves into a place of understanding, connection and service. She says, 'We are not made to be separate from Nature. We were formed from Nature by the same cosmic evolution. The vitality of our lives depends on our acceptance of the gift of communion.' This book is full of personal insights, of stories from the islands of Britain, from Australia, from the Americas. It's beautiful and heartfelt and the prose flows with an ease you'll recognise when you hear Leah speak. At this time of utter turbulence in the world, please take this chance to settle into the words of someone who is crafting a path towards a future that works for all. Leah's website https://leahrampy.com/ Leah's books https://www.leahmoranrampy.com/books.html The Center for Spirituality in Nature https://www.centerforspiritualityinnature.org/
Jul 17, 2024 · 1 hr 27 min
Creating Quantum Theatre: radical story-becoming to change the world with Jenifer Toksvig
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 Toksvig https://linktr.ee/toksvig https://www.jenifertoksvig.com/ The Copenhagen Interpretation https://www.worldanvil.com/w/thecopenhageninterpretation Open Space Technology - Harrison Owen Original: https://openspaceworld.org/wp2/what-is/ Original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_space_technology Our version: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/thecopenhageninterpretation/a/open-space-article Joseph Campbell - The Hero's Journey (aka 'arrow narrative') https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey Ursula K. Le Guin - The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction https://stillmoving.org/resources/the-carrier-bag-theory-of-fiction https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ursula-Le-Guin/The-Carrier-Bag-Theory-of-Fiction/24443320 Navigator of Current See: Diana Finch https://www.dianafinch.info/ Navigator of Gathering: Ess Grange https://slgrange.com/ Navigator of Accompanying: Flo O'Mahony / ZooCo - Perfect Show For Rachel https://www.wearezooco.co.uk/shows/perfect-show-for-rachel Copenhagen Model: The Fairytale Library https://www.instagram.com/the_fairytale_library/ Copenhagen Model: The Broad Cloth https://www.worldanvil.com/w/thebroadcloth The Broad Cloth: producing partner, Scandinavia The Field Station on Ingøya - Oliver Dawe https://www.fieldstation.no/ https://www.oygrid.no/ - this is Harald Hansen, Oliver's husband, who is working in renewable energy on the island https://www.favli.no/ - this is Harald's company for renewable energy work elsewhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ing%C3%B8y The Broad Cloth on the Isle of Wight: partners - Ventnor Exchange, host organisation https://ventnorexchange.co.uk/ - Lisa Kerley, caretaker https://memoriesofthesea.uk/ https://farmingmemories.com/ - Art Ecology https://www.artecology.space/ - Arc Biodiversity https://arcbiodiversity.co.uk/ - Wolfguard Viking Reenactment https://www.wolfguardiow.co.uk/
Jul 10, 2024 · 1 hr 24 min
The Tools we Need: Raising the Collaborative Commons with Resilience Strategist Michael Haupt
We know by now that the old system is crumbling, that the old paradigms are no longer fit for purpose and we need to take part in the birth of something new: this is what this podcast is for. But what are the tools and how can we begin actually to build something relevant and useful within the strictures of a system that is still trying to cling onto legitimacy and power? Michael Haupt was a key figure in the widespread introduction of mobile telephones to South Africa ahead of the first all-race elections in 1994. He was head-hunted soon after and the next decade saw him working around the globe in 16 cities on 6 continents. He was in Thailand, taking a year out when he had a vision - an actual not-expected, not-planned, not-drug-or-meditation-mediated set of visions - that showed him how the world could look and feel like if we manage to craft a route through to what he calls the Transition Phase of our evolution. This moment was pivotal in his life. Now he's a 'Resilience Strategist' bridging between those businesses that are switched on enough to know that corporate greenwashing is no longer useful, and agile enough to find what is. He's building mycelial links to others who are working in this area and he's thinking deeply - so deeply - about where we could go and the actual logistics of how we might get there. I've been holding a lot of conversations on the back of launching Any Human Power about how we could build a future that is fit for purpose, where the human and More-Than-Human worlds flourish on a thriving planet. Thanks to Audrey Tang and Glen Weyl, I can see some of the routes through to political and technological change. Thanks to the Gaia Foundation, the Sustainable Food Trust, the million and one permaculture organisations around the world, I can see a way to mending our totally broken food and farming system. I can see ways to shift transport and power generation and city design. What I have lacked, until now, is the ideas that might bring the great behemoth that is the corporate world on board in a way that's useful. And this is what Michael is doing. As ever, this was a wide, deep conversation and it pushed the edge of my thinking, but it brought me to a place where I can more clearly see a few more steps forward. I hope it does the same for you. 00:00 Introduction: Reconnecting with Nature 01:19 Welcome to the Podcast 01:40 Michael's Journey to Resilience Strategy 02:14 Load Shedding in South Africa 03:49 Understanding Resilience Strategy 04:52 Michael's Life Journey and Worldview 07:40 The Vision on the Beach 12:15 Potential Futures and Human Coordination 15:22 Cycles of Civilisations 18:12 Class-Based vs. Values-Based Societies 20:19 Emerging Consciousness and Systemic Change 22:01 The Role of Currency and Mutual Credit 27:25 Coordinating for Systemic Change 28:55 South African Elections and Corporate Responsibility 32:10 Legal Personhood for Natural Entities 35:12 The Mycelial Network and Future Coordination 38:28 Encouraging Systemic Change 39:13 Resilience Strategies and City Exclusion 40:12 Rural Experiments and Human Purpose 41:12 Challenges of Implementation 45:27 Local Currencies and Community Commitment 50:50 Ownership vs. Stewardship 53:22 Rediscovering Connectedness 57:26 Emerging Incentive Mechanisms 01:09:35 Forking Governance and Parallel Systems 01:16:25 The Power of Narrative Michael on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhaupt/ A blog past about the Thai beach experience: https://michaelhaupt.com/the-beach-4b6e60e407e8 Michael - Liminal School liminalschool.org Cycle of Civilization: https://bit.ly/7-Phases-Glo Interstructure: https://bit.ly/Int-Struct Roger Briggs, Emerging World - explains the shifts in consciousness: https://bit.ly/Em-World Will Ruddick, Commitment Pooling: https://bit.ly/CommPool Joe Brewer Bioregional Movement: https://bit.ly/JBrewer Clare Graves' Momentous Leap: https://bit.ly/MoLeap GaiaNet: https://www.gaianet.earth/ Dark Matter Labs: https://darkmatterlabs.org/
Jul 3, 2024 · 1 hr 48 min
How the System is Slaying Us - and What to Do About It: Getting Healthy in Toxic Times with Dr Jenny Goodman
How does our increasing destruction of the earth's biosphere also impact our health? What diseases are we seeing in almost pandemic proportions and how much younger are the people in whom we're seeing them? Above all, what can we do to step away from the system that's extracting everything from us - our health, our futures and our potential to be good ancestors? Our guest this week is Jenny Goodman who is a doctor - and also an author. Her first book, Staying Alive in Toxic TimesL A seasonal guide to lifelong health is a fascinating look at how we can stay well, but it's her second that we're going to explore today, partly because at the time of recording, it's just about to be launched. 'Getting Healthy in Toxic Times: an ecological doctor's prescription for healing your body and the planet' is a mind-bending read. I really did think I knew this stuff, but there are large parts of this book that have blown all my fuses, not just for the health impacts - particularly on children and young people (did you know we're seeing Alzheimer's now in teenagers?) but for the cold-blooded way it's been allowed to happen. Every part of this book is essential reading - not just because it shows us how we're being poisoned by our food, our water, the air that we breath, the things around us that we can't even see - but more importantly because it details how we can get healthy again and help restore the integrity of our soils, our water, our air…the whole world we live in. As you'll hear, Dr Jenny Goodman is a medical doctor, lecturer and broadcaster. She qualified in Ecological Medicine with British Society for Ecological Medicine and practiced this for over two decades, giving rise to many of the case studies in her books. Jenny has appeared with Terry Pratchett in ITV’s documentary What’s in Your Mouth? and has been featured on the Victoria Derbyshire show, BBC One’s Inside Out and numerous other TV and radio shows. 00:00 Introduction to Microplastics in Clothing 01:10 Welcome to the Accidental Gods Podcast 01:44 The Journey of Dr. Jenny Goodman 03:12 From Conventional Medicine to Ecological Medicine 10:07 The Impact of Industrialised Agriculture 13:17 The Dangers of Glyphosate and Pesticides 23:10 The Epidemic of Chronic Diseases 26:55 The Importance of Organic and Regenerative Farming 35:57 Filtering Water and Avoiding Toxins 36:42 The Hidden Dangers in Our Water 46:01 The Problem with Synthetic Clothing 52:23 The Impact of Fossil Fuels on Air Quality 54:21 Heavy Metals and Air Pollution 55:19 Political and Personal Actions Against Air Pollution 57:01 The Clash of Freedoms: Clean Air vs. Car Ownership 57:25 The Need for Efficient Public Transport 59:27 AI and the Future of Public Transport 01:02:49 Electric Vehicles and Ethical Concerns 01:06:43 Nuclear Power: Risks and Realities 01:07:39 Protecting Yourself from Nuclear Radiation 01:19:33 Electromagnetic Radiation: Hidden Dangers 01:31:08 Making Your Home a Safe Haven 01:40:29 Final Thoughts and Resources Pre-Order Jenny's book here: Waterstones Bookshop.org Amazon Jenny's website Jenny on Facebook Jenny on LinkedIn Jenny on Twitter Jenny on Instagram The British Society for Ecological Medicine
Jun 28, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
Election Special 4: What is Governance for and how can we shape genuine democracy - with Glen Weyl of the Plurality Institute
If the current electoral/governance system is not fit for purpose (and who could possibly imagine it was?) how can we lay the foundations for new ways of organising democracy, new ways of voting, new ideas of what governance is for and how it could work in the twenty-first century. How, in short, do we create space for future generations to be able to decide their own futures in ways that are not constrained by material or political strictures they've inherited from us? In this fourth election special, I have a profound conversation with Glen Weyl - economist, philosopher, film producer and visionary thought-leader for our time. We explore how we can break away from traditional governance structures and how spiritually acknowledging the complexity within each individual can pave the way for more inclusive, fluid, and efficient democratic systems. Glen is co-author with Audrey Tang of the ground-breaking book Plurality, which emerged partly Audrey's experiences in re-shaping the democracy in Taiwan towards connection, collaboration and - above all - peaceful resolutions of the many internal contradictions of that state. He introduces the concept of quadratic voting (of which he is the creator) as a significant innovation in this field. The conversation expands to the potential of technology in aiding governance reforms, and Glen shares insights from his work with the Plurality Institute and Radical Exchange. We also touch on the success of Taiwan’s innovative governance, influenced by Audrey Tang. Join us as we discuss creating experimental, adaptable governance systems aimed at ensuring peace and human flourishing in an ever-complex world. Glen currently works at Microsoft where he is the founder and research lead of the Microsoft Research Special Project the Plural Technology Collaboratory, though he was previously GeoPolitical advisor to the CTO. He also founded and serves on the board of the RadicalxChange Foundation the leading thing tank in the web 3 space, and is founder and chair of the Plurality Institute which coordinates an academic research network developing technology for cooperation across different disciplines. He's also senior advisor to the Getting-Plurality Research Network at the Harvard Edmond and Lily Saffra Centre for Ethics. He previously lead Web 3 technical strategy at Microsoft's Office of the CTO and taught economics at the Universities of Chicago, Yale, Princeton and Harvard. 00:00 Introduction to Polarisation and Complexity 01:04 Welcome to the Accidental Gods Podcast 01:31 The State of Global Democracy 02:15 Quadratic Voting and Governance 02:51 Defining Governance in the 21st Century 03:13 The Role of Peace in Governance 04:36 Harnessing Human Diversity for Progress 08:42 Challenges to Current Democratic Systems 11:11 Expanding the Polity and Legal Innovations 11:58 Lessons from Historical Societies 13:42 Imagining Future Governance Systems 19:42 Locality and Pluri-locality in Governance 26:39 Metaphors and Toolkits for Governance 27:33 Concrete Voting Designs 28:55 Dynamic Voting Systems 30:48 Quadratic Voting Explained 35:06 Liquid Democracy and Emotional Literacy 37:24 Taiwan's Unique Political Landscape 41:27 Audrey Tang's Impact and Philosophy 47:06 Glenn's Diverse Background and Vision 54:43 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions Glen's website The Plurality Institute RadicalxChange Foundation Quadratic voting explained PLURALITY - the book Audrey Tang on Twitter Trailer for film biopic about Audrey Tang: The Good Enough Ancestor Project Liberty Quadratic Voting - with Ruth Catlow in Episode #193
Jun 26, 2024 · 1 hr 25 min
Beautiful Trouble - crafting a political Alternative - and an independent Scotland - with Indra Adnan and Pat Kane
The question of how we reshape democracy, walking the fine line between stagnation and populist rage - is the defining problem of our time - with a coherent strategy, we can shape anything. In its absence, we’re going to end up spinning in pointless circles, arguing about trivia while the world burns. We set this podcast up months ago, thinking we’d talk about the example Scotland sets for the UK and the rest of the world as a way *maybe) to shape democracy. And then Nicola Sturgeon stepped down and Scotland fell into the kind of turmoil I thought only impacted England. And then the turmoil in England sparked a general election. So now we’re talking about how we can use this moment to affect the digital, distributed democracy that we need with two of the smartest people in our eco-system - people who give their entire lives to thinking about this question: Indra Adnan and Pat Kane of The Alternative. This week's guests are Indra Adnan and Pat Kane. Indra is the author of The Politics of Waking up: Power and Possibility in the Fractal Age and Pat is a musician, writer, curator, consultant, activist and futurist and his substack is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the ideas in our eco-system. The reason we're here, they're, Co-Initiators of The Alternative, which is a socio-political platform hosting #PlanetA: new ground to stand on for a flourishing future - and a daily blog and a forum, or perhaps a melting pot - for new ideas and new ways being. Acknowledging that the systems we are embedded in - media, economic, political - take our power away. The Alternative and Planet A ask us how we achieve the world we know deep down is possible. You have to experience The Alternative really to understand what it is to explore ideas at the leading edge of our emergent inter-becoming, to think through the lens of cosmo-localism, to hold new truths of who and how we are and to frame radical new political options in this age of cardboard cut-out politicians spouting ever more stale lines that were out of date in the 80s and are certainly not fit for purpose in the third decade of the twenty first century. So this conversation takes us deep into this territory. Recorded on the day after the EU elections, as France heads to the polls and the UK's general election descends ever further into infantile name-calling and political posturing that no longer even pretends to be the adults in the room, it was - and is - really refreshing to explore ideas of what's possible with people whose entire lives revolve around the concepts of emergent change. The Alternative Indra's book Indra in episode #124 Pat's music Pat on Substack and at The National Pat's Blog - The Play Ethic www.theplayethic.com Ecological Civilisation Manda's novel Any Human Power
Jun 23, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
Election Special 3 - Labour party Manifesto - anything worthwhile? with Jeremy Gilbert
What are we being offered by the incoming Labour Government? What's good in their Manifesto (spoiler alert, not very much)? What's not good? What could be improved upon and how do we go about pushing them to a place where they actually do something useful that isn't simply a repeat of the same-old, same-old we've had for the past decade and a half? Our third Election Special Guest is Dr Jeremy Gilbert, professor of culture and political theory at the University of East London. He's the author of several books including Twenty First Century Socialism and Hegemony Now: How Wall Street and Big Tech won the world - and how we can win it back which was written with Alex Wiliams. Jeremy's been on the podcast before back in Episode #95 - and he's always my go-to person for insight into progressive thinking within the current Labour party, and for a broader, more political scientific view of where we're at. As chance would have it the Labour party published their manifesto about thirty six hours before we were due to record, so I took the chance to ask Jeremy what he thought of it: what's good, what could be better, what can we who care about people and planet do to help shift us onto a trajectory where we're not barrelling towards the edge of the biophysical cliff. It's not the most upbeat of conversations - because the answers to all three are 'not a lot, but joining a union is probably one of the most useful things you can do' - but it gave us a chance to look into a bit of the ideological, conceptual and pragmatic views of the current Labour party - and how we can shape things for a world that will work. Jeremy's Website Jeremy's Books Jeremy on Twitter Jeremy in Episode #95 Unite Community Membership Green Party Manifesto Liberal Democrat Manifesto Labour Party Manifesto Compass 'Win As One' vote swapping site Manda's novel - Any Human Power
Jun 19, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
Taking back the Power: Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels and onto the good stuff with Howard Johns of OneZero
Today we're blowing open a route towards energy security, reduced carbon footprint and saving money - all in the way we make, distribute and use power. If each of us could minimise our own power use, we'd be a step on the way to reducing our overall carbon footprint: more, we'd be changing the ways we think of ourselves as separate from the web of life. This week's guest is long time friend of the podcast Howard Johns. Howard is an activist, author, and serial entrepreneur in the field of energy generation - of how we power our lives, keep the lights on and keep ourselves warm. Howard is now CEO of OneZero energy, a team of energy experts and digital nerds with a shared passion for getting homes off fossil fuels. One of the biggest climate actions anyone can take is to retrofit their home with four components: Solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation The combination of these makes homes more comfortable, but more importantly, it saves significant amounts of money and massively reduces the carbon footprint - weaning us off fossil fuels. Howard himself has founded and led an award winning solar business, a pioneering community-owned energy company, and written a guide book to help others to do the same. He's given a TED Talk, occupied a coal mine and campaigned on energy and climate issues from inside parliament and atop treehouses, and until recently ran a large fleet of solar projects across the EU and UK. One Zero https://www.onezero.energy/ Howard's website: https://www.howardjohns.net/ Howard's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/energy-revolution-your-guide-to-repowering-the-energy-system-howard-johns/706009 AG Episode 89https://accidentalgods.life/power-to-the-people/ Indenture Hemp Insulation https://www.indinature.co/ Homely Heat Pump Controllers https://www.homelyenergy.com/ Any Human Power (Manda's book) https://linktr.ee/anyhumanpower
Jun 12, 2024 · 58 min
The Jay, The Beech and The Limpetshell with author Richard Smyth
Our guest this week is Richard Smyth, author, crossword designer, cartoonist - and father of two young children Richard writes features, reviews and comment pieces for publications including The Guardian, The Times LiterarySupplement, The New Statesman, and New Scientist. His crosswords – both cryptic and quiz – appear regularly in New Scientist, History Today, and BBC Wildlife. He's part of the team that sets questions for BBC Mastermind, and he's a cartoonist: Private Eye, New Humanist and Claims magazines have all featured his work. He's the author of five non-fiction books of which the latest is The Jay, the Beech and the Limpetshell which is one of those captivating works that is both memoir and eulogy of a dying world. It brings together Richard's passionate love of the natural world with his care for his two young children. It's a captivating read that shuttles back and forth along the time lines, weaving Twitter comments from 'Average Dad' with items from the memoirs of old Victorian naturalists who tasted bird's eggs and considerations of how we help the generations that come after us to fall in love with a world that is going to be so, so different from when we were young - however old you are now, whatever your memories. So this is one or our more reflective, peaceful, contemplative podcasts, a paean to the worlds of our youth and a hope for the future. Enjoy! Richard's Website Richards books at Hive
Jun 10, 2024 · 38 min
Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Politics - Election Special 2 with Baroness Natalie Bennett of the Green Party
in this second election special, we talk to Natalie Bennett (or Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle if we're going to be forma - but she said we didn't need to be) - one of two Green Party members in the House of Lords. Natalie is author of the Book 'Change Everything: How we can rethink, repair and rebuild society' - one of the essential books of our time that outlines in detail how we can create the total systemic change we need. Natalie will be back in the autumn to discuss this in more detail, but in the meantime, we had a broad, deep conversation on the UK election - where it's going, where it could go and how each of us can help move a progressive, radical, thoughtful, compassionate, useful, climate-and-meta-crisis-aware agenda so that an incoming government will listen to us. As she says, 'The Tories are Toast', but there's still a lot we can do to elect as many Green MPs as possible. Natalie Bennett website: https://www.nataliebennett.org/ Natalie's Book: https://unbound.com/books/change-everything Natalie on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GreenNatalieBennett/ Natalie on Twitter https://x.com/natalieben
Jun 5, 2024 · 1 hr 23 min
Answers to the Questions of life: Biomimicry, Complexity and Peacebuilding with Dr Deborah Benham
Our guest this week is Dr Deborah Benham, Biomimicry Educator, Transition Town Co-Lead Link and Deep Nature Connection facilitator - which puts her in a place to really unpick what it will take for us to depart the crumbling remains of late-stage capitalism and build a world based on connection, coherence and community. From her early days as a Marine Biologist, through her PhD on sea otters (I am not remotely envious of someone who gets to study sea otters for 3 years!), to her time in a community near Findhorn and now in a co-housing community in Dorset, Deborah's life has been oriented towards holding a vision of humanity as a helpful species on this planet. As you'll hear, she's the co-Lead Link for Transition Network, the charity which supports the international Transition towns movement; she's a trained Biomimicry Educator and with a background in Jon Young's Deep Nature Connection work, Deborah brings a practical, experiential lived and living toolkit that she shares and teaches - of how we can build thriving human societies, cultures, communities and businesses, designing with and as nature, creating mutual benefit for all life, using tech in life affirming ways, and uplifting justice, kindness and cooperation. We often reach an impasse where we know roughly what needs to happen, but don't have the conceptual or practical tools to bring it into being. Deborah has both - she's fully grounded in the theory of how communities of support, practice and place can come into being and she's teaching and living the practice. In fact - she's one of the core team creating the Nature Connection Camp from 4th - 10th August near Bedford in the UK so if you're around and want to experience the many ways we can weave the four threads she talks about, please hit the link in the show notes. Nature Connection Camp link for Tickets - https://natureculturenetwork.org/connection-camp/ USE THE DISCOUNT CODE MandaConnection - VALID TILL JUNE 14TH Promo short video - https://youtube.com/shorts/924rR_uZtdA?si=DfbMMEIdg7PSNCwt Video channel with testimonials from previous camps - https://www.youtube.com/@NatureCultureNetwork Facebook event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/1338787930132432 Resource List Connect with Deborah Deborah's website www.deborahbenham.com Deborah on Linked In Deborah on Instagram - Nature’s Guide to Thriving Websites Biomimicry 3.8 Biomimicry Institute Nature Culture Network - UK Living Connection 1st / 8 Shields Transition Network Bridport Co-Housing Events, Courses, Online materials Introducing Biomimicry to your community Biomimicry - Ask Nature Learn Biomimicry Course Capra Course Gaia Education Nature Culture Connection Camp August 2024 Nature-Based Village Building (enquire directly to Deborah to join the prototype 2024 membership) Projects Bonn im Wandel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2pywGzsH0 Liege Food Belt https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jul/16/the-good-life-in-liege-the-start-of-a-food-revolution Research and Books Aldrich, Daniel - social ties in disaster recovery Bregman, Rutger (2021). Humankind: A Hopeful History Macdonald, Miriam Kate (2022). Emergent: Rewilding Nature, Regenerating Food and Healing the World by Restoring the Connection Between People and the Wild. Pedersen Zari, M.; Hecht, K. (2020). “Biomimicry for Regenerative Built Environments: Mapping Design Strategies for Producing Ecosystem Services.” Biomimetics 2020, 5, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics5020018 Young, Jon, Ellen Haas and Evan McGown (2009). Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature. Zelenski, J.; Warber, S.; Robinson, J.M.; Logan, A.C.; Prescott, S.L. (2023). “Nature Connection: Providing a Pathway from Personal to Planetary Health.” Challenges 2023, 14, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14010016
Jun 4, 2024 · 36 min
Breaking the Doom-Loop of UK Politics with Neal Lawson of Compass
Buy Manda's book here Our first Election Special with friend of the podcast, Neal Lawson. Neal is Director of the progressive campaign group, Compass and co-host of the Compass podcast ,called It's Bloody Complicated. Neal is a long-time progressive campaigner and a tireless advocate for Proportional Representation as a vehicle for radical progressive change in the way we do politics. In this swift half hour, we look at the circumstances of this utterly unexpected election and Neal explains the practical steps we can take between now and polling day with the aim of brining about what he calls a progressive 'Pitch Invasion' that will fundamentally upgrade and update the way we arrange our governance structures... Neal Lawson on Twitter https://x.com/neal_compass Compass https://www.compassonline.org.uk/ Neal in Episode #150 https://accidentalgods.life/charting-a-progressive-route-through-the-political-maelstrom/https://accidentalgods.life/charting-a-progressive-route-through-the-political-maelstrom/
May 29, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
Wild shamanic theatre and becoming embodied: with Jessica Buckler of the ALEF Trust
This week's guest, Jessica Bockler is one of those people who sparks every fire in my being - and i hope in yours, too. Jessica is an applied theatre practitioner and transpersonal psychologist who co-founded the Alef Trust a globally-conscious non-profit organisation offering online graduate education programmes, and open learning courses for people who want really to step into what Indy Johar so beautifully calls the emergent edge of Inter-Becoming. Jessica is integral to the Nurturing the Fields of Change Programme that brings people together from diverse walks of life to create an emerging community of practice around change - and she's Programme Director for the Trust's academic programmes in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology. She teaches on a range of topics, bringing spiritual perspectives to activism and social change - so you can begin to see why I find her work so enthralling. She stands at that nexus where transpersonal psychology meets shamanic practice, where being and becoming are an art and a practice in themselves, grounded in modern science - not the reductive, Head Mind science of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but twenty-first century science where complexity and systems thinking lie at the heart of all we do, where we recognise that only by becoming fully present in the moment, can we access the whole, vast intelligence of the All That Is and find what is ours to do. Jessica brings all this into being in social prescribing programmes, in theatre, in change facilitation, in the MSc at Liverpool John Moores University and in her daily life and she shares it in the conversation you're about to hear - including a clip of one of her own practices, that is solid podcasting gold. If you're interested in finding out how we can access our own inner intelligence and build with others to co-create the foundations of that more flourishing future we'd be proud to leave behind, then this is the podcast for you. ALEF Trust https://aleftrust.org Nurturing the Fields of Change https://www.aleftrust.org/alef-applied/nurturing-the-fields-of-change-programme/MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology https://www.aleftrust.org/academic-learning/masters-degree/ Live Event: Healing Humanity, 1st June 2024, Broughton Sanctuary, Yorkshire eventbrite.co.uk/e/healing-humanity-imagination-embodiment-and-community-tickets-887551710057 Workshop: Embodied Imagination for Social Change, 2nd & 3rd September, Oxford eurotas2024.com/pre-post-conference-workshops/towards-emergence-embodied-play-and-sourcing-for-transformation Conference, 4 – 8 Sept, Oxford: Creative Bridges: embodied consciousness, psyche & soul in research and practice eurotas2024.com National Academy for Social Prescribing https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/ Inner Green Deal https://innergreendeal.com/
May 22, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min
The Story is in our Bones: Rewilding Ourselves with author and activist Osprey Orielle Lake
Once in a while, a book comes along that changes how we see the world, that re-sets something fundamental in who we are and our capacity to engage with the Web of Life. Braided Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer was one of these: at once poetically beautiful, spiritually inspiring and deeply thought-provoking. And now Osprey Orielle Lake has written 'The Story is in our Bones: How Worldview and Climate Justice can Remake a World in Crisis'. This is a genuinely beautiful book on every level: full of living mythology, opening doors to how the bones of our language make the world around us, offering other perspective, other ways of being, living stories of where we came from and who we are and who we could be. It's deeply honouring of Indigenous wisdom from around the world, and of the struggle of all those who suffer most and have done least to unleash the poly crisis that is so obviously impacting our world. The author is an extraordinary person, founder and executive director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) which was created to accelerate a global women's movement for the protection and defense of the Earth’s diverse ecosystems and communities. She sits on the executive committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature whose goal is to 'transform our human relationship with our planet' and on the steering committee for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is modelled on the Nuclear non-proliferation treaties of the last millennium, and seeks to manage a global transition to safe, renewable and affordable energy for all. In short, she works internationally with grassroots, BIPOC and Indigenous leaders, policymakers, and diverse coalitions to build climate justice, resilient communities, and a just transition to a decentralized, democratized clean-energy future. This is one of those conversations that dived deep into the heart of what really matters - how we bring ourselves to a place of genuine connection with the Web of Life - in time - and in ways that will create the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. We could have talked for hours, and I have no doubt we'll come back again, but in the meantime, please enjoy the many layers of being and belonging that Osprey brings to all her work. Buy the Book 'The Story is in Our Bones' Osprey's website: https://ospreyoriellelake.earth/ Women's Earth and Climate Action Network International https://actionnetwork.org/groups/wecan-international Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature https://www.garn.org/ Osprey on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ospreyorielle.lake/ Osprey on GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137212679-the-story-is-in-our-bones Osprey on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ospreyoriellelake/ Osprey on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/osprey-orielle-lake-4286bb12/
May 15, 2024 · 1 hr 30 min
Any Human Power - Manda Scott talks about her new Thrutopian Mytho-Political thriller
This week the tables are turned and Maddy Harland, editor of Permaculture Magazine interviews Manda about her new 'seismic' Mytho-Political thriller, Any Human Power, which will be available from 30th May. "From a bestselling storyteller who brings together myths and speculative futures with a radical compassion, comes the story of a family at the heart of a political crisis and the ensuing uprising of a disenfranchised generation. A family that harnesses the skills and stories needed for real change, if they can choose the right path, before it is too late … As Lan lies dying, she makes a promise that binds her long into the Beyond. Fifteen years later, her teenage granddaughter, Kaitlyn, triggers an international storm of outrage that unleashes the rage of a whole betrayed generation. For one shining fragment of time, the world is with her. But then the backlash begins and soon she and those closest to her find themselves facing the wrath of the old establishment, who will use every dirty trick in the book to fight them off. Watching over the growing chaos is Lan, who taught them all to think independently, approach power sceptically and dream with clear intent. She knows more than one generation’s hopes are on the line. Nothing less than the future of humanity stands in the balance. Grand in scope, rich in courageous characters who breathe new life into ancient wisdom, here is a dream of a better future: a world we’d be proud to leave to our children and their children and on, generations down the line. ‘A polemical thriller like no other, an absorbing manifesto to change the world. It constantly surprises. Manda Scott’s characters play havoc with your emotions, her narrative keeps you turning the pages, and her ideas might just change your life.’ANDREW TAYLOR, AUTHOR OF THE SHADOWS OF LONDON ‘The critical task in present times is to find a way out of the world-destroying political status quo. To make that happen we first have to imagine how it could happen. In Any Human Power, Manda Scott uses her own supreme imaginative powers as a novel is t to open windows into the flow of possibilities.’CHRIS SMAJE, AUTHOR OF A SMALL FARM FUTURE ‘This book brilliantly depicts the frightening reality facing those who mobilise against a violent global establishment. However, instead of regarding cosmic and spiritual forces as separate from politics, this book transforms our sense of what is possible.’RUTH CATLOW, CO-FOUNDER OF FURTHERFIELD" Ordering: If you're in the UK, please either order through your local independent bookstore or by following this link https://linktr.ee/anyhumanpower If you're elsewhere in the world, you have options (NB - the book is currently only available in English. If you know a publisher who'd like to publish a translated copy, please let me know) You can order from the UK at the link above and they'll ship a hardback to you anywhere in the world If you'd like to order through your local independent bookstore, you can let them know that the books are available through the distributors - Gardners UK or Ingrams US or You can order an ebook from your national Amazon, Kobo or Apple stores and whichever you do - if you like it, please do leave a review at Amazon and Goodreads as well as whatever other social media follow - word of mouth is our best possible friend! Permaculture Magazine https://www.permaculture.co.uk/subscribe/ Manda's Website https://mandascott.co.uk
May 8, 2024 · 1 hr 12 min
No such thing as Waste, No such place as 'Away'! - Composting our way out of the meta-crisis with Nicky Grady Scott
Join us on a deep dive into the transformative world of composting with Nicky Grady Scott, a master composter and educator whose expertise is revolutionizing our approach to waste and regenerative cycles. In this enlightening episode, Nicky shares his journey from a passionate 16-year-old working with compost to the establishment of community-led recycling projects that have evolved into thriving businesses. Discover the science and simplicity behind composting, the importance of soil health, and how we can all contribute to a flourishing future by turning our "wasted resources" into rich, living soil. Whether you live in a high-rise or have acres of land, Nicky's insights offer practical guidance on creating compost, understanding soil's water retention, and the alchemy of air, water, and fire in the composting process. Tune in to learn how you can be part of this global movement towards sustainability, food security, and job creation. Get ready to be inspired to transform your food scraps into a force for regenerative change! Dr Compost https://drdotcompost.wordpress.com/about/ Devon Composting Community Network www.dccn.org.uk Devon Schools project www.growingdevonschools.org Proper Job www.proper-job.org Nicky's book on Composting https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/how-to-make-and-use-compost-9780857845450/ Complexity University https://complexity.university/ Mycelium Network https://www.mycelium-network.com/ Nicky on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cYHHhLi0b3Y CleanStream https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/we-scream-for-clean-stream
May 1, 2024 · 49 min
Writing the Deluge: Dark nights, Apocalypse and Hope with author Stephen Markley
Author Stephen Markley opens the doors to The Deluge, his ground-breaking, world-changing Climate/MetaCrisis thriller- 900 pages that absolutely squarely rips into the current system in all its deficiencies - and offers a route through to a future that might work. This week's guest is someone who has mapped out a possible future in a depth and detail that leaves me awestruck. Stephen Markley's first published novel Ohio, was described as a wild, angry, and devastating masterpiece of a book. Stephen King called it this generation's Grapes of Wrath and there is no doubt that it's a beautifully written, lyrical, devastating debut. But it turns out Ohio was the book he wrote in the midst of writing the novel we're going to talk about today. The Deluge is nine hundred pages of astonishing depth and breadth that takes as its topic the meta-crisis. It's an excoriating evisceration of neoliberalism and the thousands of small acts of mendacity or cowardice or sheer self-absorption that have got us to the edge of the cliff. It's an examination of just how close we are, and a portrayal of how utterly catastrophic will be the impacts if we step over. It's a deeply political book, but at heart it's also incredibly humane, with a cast of characters that spreads across contemporary American life in ways that I have rarely, if ever, encountered. I read the book and connected with Stephen because Rupert Read, who was with us last week, called me up and said 'This is a glorious Thrutopian novel, you have to read it.' And there were times when I completely did not believe him. But he's right. it's big. It requires huge dedication. But it's well, well worth the investment in terms of the doors it opens - and the many ways it shows us how we might fail before we finally succeed. Stephen's website https://www.stephenmarkley.com/ The Deluge https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-deluge-stephen-markley/7544942?ean=9781982123109
Apr 24, 2024 · 1 hr 19 min
Eco-Spirituality - Exploring Deep in the Woods of the Divine with Woodford Roberts and Rupert Read
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.com Rob in Resurgence https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3855-waking-up-to-the-world.html Rob 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-wind XR 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=hdmr96gVFgw Rupert's website https://rupertread.net/ Rupert on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-read-6717548/?originalSubdomain=uk Rupert on Twitter https://twitter.com/GreenRupertRead Arts Council-Funded Play inspired by Rupert's work www.phoenixdodobutterfly.com Rupert - 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.2002.0023 Climate Majority Culture Peace Gathering https://climatemajorityproject.com/culture-peace-gathering/ Life Itself https://lifeitself.org/programs
Apr 17, 2024 · 1 hr 16 min
What do we really think about Food? Revolutionising what we eat with Sue Pritchard of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission
We're told so often that people 'don't want the nanny state to intervene' in what we eat or drink or smoke - and often the people saying this are those who employ literal nannies to raise their children. But is it true? What would we learn if someone courageous, with vision, depth and care were to find ways to ask ordinary people what they really feel? #TheFoodConversation is huge - in scope and depth and duration - but more in terms of what it teaches us about how people actually feel, what they actually think, and the massive difference that we can make by helping ordinary people to understand more about how food could be healthy, nutritious and affordable - as opposed to how it is now. If you've listened to previous episodes of this podcast, you'll know that total systemic change is one of our foundational beliefs: it's coming whether we like it or not and we'd like to manage a just transition rather than waiting to see what arises from the ashes if we keep pushing business as usual until our entire bus dives over the edge of the biophysical cliff. And so we are always on the lookout for people who not only think systemically, but who get it; who aren't just talking the talk, but who are making things happen on the ground that will lead us all closer to the tipping points of change. Sue Pritchard is one of these people. She's the Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, leading the organisation in its mission to bring together people across the UK and the world to act on the climate, nature and health crises, through fairer and more sustainable food systems, and a just transition for rural communities and the countryside. She is a Trustee of CoFarm Foundation and is an independent Governor at Royal Agricultural University. Sue lives an organic farm in Wales, where she and her family raise livestock and farm for conservation. This conversation was sparked by the FFCC's inspiring Food Conversation - which brings together ordinary people and begins to unpick the web of deceit surrounding our food - and replaces it with something that is real and decent and nourishing on a physical and systemic level. This was such an inspiring, invigorating conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Food Farming and Countryside Commission The Food Conversation Food Conversation YouTube The case for AgroEcology CUSP Nature of Prosperity Dialogue Chris van Tulleken - Ultra Processed People (book)