How would the world flourish if our politics were based on trust?  And how can we make that happen?  Eva and Justin are co-creating the 'ReWorlding' online conference in late May and we came together to explore how even the making of this has been an exploration of what it is to be human, to trust, to grow and to dare to be different.  Eva and Justin were guests of podcast 44 [https://accidentalgods.life/re-democratising-democracy/] - in which we explored the links between personal and collective trauma -and they outlined the work they were doing in Scotland to build towards a constitutional convention that would help to weave new democratic structures for an independent Scotland. Now they are weaving a new Gathering into being - an online week, bringing together people from all over the world to find new ways to be human in the 21st century - ways that will take us forward into a world that is regenerative for the human and more than human worlds. In their own words: "Reworlding is asking: how can we develop new decision making processes - and integrate with enduring ones - in order to collectively create a decolonised, just, empathic and regenerating world at every level?This is not a call to get involved in politics. This is a call to help create a new politics.Reworlding will bring together people who have:experience of working with their own and others’ trauma, and/ orexperience of decision making systems that seek to enable a mutual world, and/ orexperience of resisting domination to protect and enable a just and regenerative worldThis week is an exploration, a scouting out of what is already happening, and a searching ahead: imagining and working towards assembling a politics of wholeness, including through deepening our awareness of what colonises within and between us - and what liberates us."Links: More on the Gathering here: https://heartpolitics.squarespace.com

Regenerative Farming - or Agro-ecology - is being widely recognised as one of the best ways to mitigate the climate crisis. But how does it actually work? What can we do with our back gardens, our rooftops, our local verges to make a difference?  Navona Gallegos explains the science - and the spirit - of working with the land. We first spoke with Navona Gallegos  in podcast #55 (here) when she had newly moved onto the land she was starting to farm in New Mexico. In this podcast, she returns to talk about how her work is progressing there - and to talk more deeply about the actual mechanisms we can use to draw carbon down into our soils.  She says this: "Where I am called is to bring more focus on the fungi, as that really is the 'how' of soil regeneration, be it agricultural, forest, greening deserts, whatever, and I don't hear people talking about that enough. We know fungi and their glomalin are what sequester carbon (mitigate climate change, reverse ocean acidification, etc.) and cycle macro and micro nutrients thereby increasing abundance and nutrient content in foods thereby increasing the capacities of those who eat those foods. Last time I spoke about fungi in relation to the soil food web, but I'd like to really make clear how and why fungi are the keystone to soil health and therefore human health, land health, etc. and how we support them and get out of their way. Fungi are the neural network of the Earth, communicating the state of the environment to plants and giving them the tools to respond. By facilitating plant growth, fungi are also changing climate patterns; there are many examples of how revegetating an arid area brings more rainfall. And so, I have a vision I'd like to speak on (that is SO possible) of vast stretches of land, even whole continents, once again connected in mycelial webs. I think that is a goal we should set for our species for the next seven generations because if we have that, we have connected ecosystems and watersheds that are clean, abundant, biodiverse, adaptable, and full of so much food, fiber, and fuel for humans and more than humans. Just like disease is broadly described as a breakdown of communication within the body, the destruction of those mycelial networks through tillage and other harmful practices marked the start of the wetiko culture. The 'how' is simple: plant a wide diversity of plants, mostly annuals; bring more wood into systems via mulch and hugel culture and leaving woody debris (and I can go into how that lignin is decomposed by fungi into humic substances, which are the storehouses of the soil for carbon and other nutrients and even DNA information of other types of life forms that is stable for thousands of years as well as cleans contaminated soil by binding contaminants, AND how fungi are the gatekeepers to those stores and information, choosing when to draw on them); use fungal​ composts (not bacterial dominated); stop​ disturbing the soil (there are ample resources now for no-till and I can elaborate); rotational grazing with animals to increase plants vigor and diversity; do not pull weeds, rather create a more fungal soil and watch the 'weeds' back off on their own (ie, create what we want rather than resist what we don't want). As far as the 'how' socially/politically, it's all about changing our thinking and viewing the world as alive. Rather than paving over an empty lot or growing mono-crop grass lawns, let's create ordinances that promote more ground cover and diversity. This advocacy doesn't just have to be about making more human food. We need rooftop gardens everywhere possible to mitigate the heat island effect and create positive feedback loops of rainfall and temp. that allow more growth. Mulch your leaves instead of bagging and throwing them away. Everyone can find a way to promote this either in stopping destructive gardening and growing practices or by advocating for community growing spaces or by guerilla hugeling, planting, seed-saving, foraging, and buying locally. Long-lived indigenous cultures all have practices that support fungal networks. One of the main issues I see when I consult on soil building is a psychological clinging to control when the system really needs to just be left alone and supported in simple ways. The more we rewild our minds and our communities, the more we will get away from the perceived need to micro-manage, the more we can hear the voices of the land so our actions are efficient and effective, AND simultaneously build the equivalent of human mycelial networks where we can trade tools and information in an open-source way. "I don't have a lot of concrete ideas myself around how to build political will. Rather, where I'm at is simply the acknowledgement that we need to change our thinking fundamentally and let go of scarcity/wetiko culture by reconnecting. Fungi are literally the (re)connectors of terrestrial life. My personal path toward reconnection is by changing how we grow food in our gardens and farms so that fungi thrive and imbue us with better nutrition as well as inoculate our guts us with, well, themselves and their voices (heard through our microbiome, cravings, hormonal regulation, etc.). Personally, the more I do this, the more I am connected to my (new-to-me) land through dreams of when it will rain, when a certain plant will drop seeds, etc. Or I am visited by a honey bee who spends twenty minutes walking on my hand and I am left with the knowledge that they are there, that they need me to plant flowers to them to pollinate. The more time I spend inoculating myself with the flora around me (eating the wild plants, grasses, bark), the more I am able to safely drink the water on this land without filtration, which I couldn't do when I arrived in Dec. When I do actions like mulching, I am walking the talk of my earth-based spirituality and the land spirits take notice and support."

Imagine a world where money works differently. Where there's enough for everyone's needs, not their greed and where we work together for a life we all want.  In this week's podcast, Jonathan Dawson, head of the Regenerative Economics program at Schumacher college explores how. Jonathan Dawson, co-creator of the Masters in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher college, is a sustainability educator and a former President of the Global Ecovillage Network. He has around 20 years experience as a researcher, author, consultant and project manager in the field of small enterprise development in Africa and South Asia and before joining the College he was a long-term resident at the Findhorn ecovillage.Jonathan is the principal author of the Gaia Education sustainable economy curriculum www.gaiaeducation.org, drawn from best practice within ecovillages worldwide, that has been endorsed by UNITAR and adopted by UNESCO as a valuable contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. He teaches this curriculum at universities, ecovillages and community centres in Brazil, Spain and Scotland. He has also adopted the curriculum to virtual format and teaches it through the Open University of Catalunya in Barcelona.In this week's wide-ranging discussion, we explore the differences between the hard, mechanistic view of economics and the wider, more regenerative view that is based in moral philosophy. From there, we look at the ways we can change the stories we tell ourselves about value and worth and the ways we are moving forward in an ever-changing world. Links: Articles:  DAWSON J.   Teaching Economics for the 21st Century, Resilience.org.  http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-10-06/teaching-economics-for-the-21st-centuryDAWSON J.  Changing Stories: Using narrative to shift societal values, Resurgence (March, 2015) http://newstoryhub.com/2014/08/changing-stories-using-narrative-to-shift-societal-values/DAWSON J.  A wave of disruption is sweeping in to challenge neoliberalism, Guardian, March 12, 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/12/disruption-challenge-neoliberalism-commons-political-systemBooks: Kate Raworth: Doughnut Economics https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Doughnut-Economics-by-Kate-Raworth-author/9781847941398Mariana Mazzucato: The Mission Economy: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Mission-Economy-by-Mariana-Mazzucato-author/9780241419731Tim Jackson: Post Growth:  https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Post-Growth-by-Tim-Jackson-author/9781509542529Kim Stanley Robinson: The Ministry for the Future (fiction): https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Ministry-for-the-Future-by-Kim-Stanley-Robinson-author/9780356508832Bill Gates: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/How-to-Avoid-a-Climate-Disaster-by-Bill-Gates-author/9780241448304TED TALKRupert Sheldrake (banned by TED) https://youtu.be/JKHUaNAxsTg

How can we bring vibrancy, life, diversity and connection back to the land?  How would we be if we listened to all the wild plants of our land?  Katrina Blair first listened to plants at the age of 11 - and is now transforming her local community.  In this inspiring podcast, she leads us through ways we, too, can connect with plants as our teachers. Katrina Blair began studying wild plants in her teens when she camped out alone for a summer with the intention of eating primarily wild foods. She gained an MA from John F Kennedy University in Orinda, CA in Holistic Health Education and - as she tells us in the podcast - went on to found Turtle Lake Refuge in 1998, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands. She teaches sustainable living practices, permaculture and wild edible and medicinal plant classes locally and internationally. She is the author of two books, one a raw food cook book's 'Recipes for Living Deep' and The Wild Wisdom of Seeds (linked below). The Mission Statement of Turtle Lake Refuge says that it exists to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands.  We are inspired to promote and practice sustainable ways of living, honouring wild nature and the evolution of community. Examples of our work include growing, harvesting and preparing local, wild and living food for the community, educating about the great values of the wild edible and medicinal abundance available in our area, providing local micro greens for the public schools, restaurants and stores and educating about organic land stewardship practices through our project Bee Happy Lands. Links: Turtle Lake Refuge: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.orgRecipes for Living Deep: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.org/rawfoodcookbookThe Wild Wisdom of Weeds: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.org/wild-wisdom

“No decision shall be made and no action taken unless it holds the good of the children of all beings, of this generation and seven hence, at its heart.”How would our world be if we based every act on the impact it would have down the generations?  What do our children - and their children - need us to do now, to grant them a flourishing future?  A simple video asks that question and invites our children to answer.  We talk to its makers. 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

Why does the law not protect us?  Why does our government not strive every sinew to keep us safe at all levels?  What would it look like if the law did protect, care for and sustain common people?  Answers on this, and the depths of life from Mothiur Rahman, pioneer member of XR Muslims.Mothiur Rahman speaks with raw courage and a unique combination of vulnerability and strength as he describes his own journey to spiritual connection and how it informs his life, from supporting anti-fracking campaigners to working with XR visioning.   From helping defeat the first major fracking application in the UK, to taking part in XR actions to highlight government inaction, Mothiur walks his talk with clear integrity, a sharp, engaged mind and a commitment to bringing about a regenerative future. New Economy LawMuslims for Extinction Rebellion FB pageArticle in Resurgence Magazine: "A Civil Rights Movement"Mothiur’s statement to be read at his trial (for XR Action - the case was dismissed before this could be read out)Mothiur's article in Stir for Action Land & Power:Community ChartersMothius's talk at Vaults Festival 2019 Decolonise/Decarbonise: Decoloniality & Rewilding the Psyche

How does it feel to commit - completely, without reservation - to the flow of life? Where do we find the courage and resilience to take the first steps on the path? And how does the world - that same flow of life - support us when we have done so? In this second of two parts with Alan Watson Featherstone we explore more deeply the creation of Trees for Life - how it arose and what it entailed... In itself, this is impressive, but what makes it inspiring for those of us who might not be able to set up a world-changing forest reWilding project, is the extent to which, having made a commitment to change the world, the world itself supports us in our endeavour.  This is what is so inspiring about Alan's story, what gives us hope in a world hurtling towards so many tipping points:  that if we listen to our innermost yearnings, if we follow our hearts and let our intuition lead us - then when we step onto the path of our calling the world supports us in our endeavour.  Alan's website: https://alanwatsonfeatherstone.comTrees for Life: https://treesforlife.org.uk/alan-watson-featherstone-founder-of-trees-for-life/Findhorn community https://www.findhorn.orgAuroville community https://auroville.orgRestore the Earth http://www.restoretheearth.co.ukGlobal Ecovillage Network https://ecovillage.org

What are we here for?  What - exactly - is the purpose of life? Imagine a world where finding our life's purpose - and having the courage to follow it - was at the core of everything we did.   Alan Watson Featherstone listened to the prompting of his heart and set up Trees for Life to ReWild the Great Caledonian Forest in Scotland. Three decades on, there are thousands of acres alive with new growth. In this first of two podcasts, he describes his journey to Findhorn.Alan is an ecologist, nature photographer, international speaker – and founder of Trees for Life, the charity that grew from a promise made at a Gathering, into a multi-million pound organisation owning – and ReWilding – thousands of acres of the Scottish Highlands. Along the way, he organised the planting of trees by the million, the fencing of thousands of acres to protect saplings – and helped lay the roots for the re-introduction of beavers to Scotland.His journey from electronics undergraduate to one of the world’s foremost advocates for Wild Land and our connection with nature is an inspiration for anyone and everyone who seeks to connect with a sense of purpose in life. Alan's website: https://alanwatsonfeatherstone.comTrees for Life: https://treesforlife.org.uk/alan-watson-featherstone-founder-of-trees-for-life/Findhorn community https://www.findhorn.orgAuroville community https://auroville.orgRestore the Earth http://www.restoretheearth.co.ukGlobal Ecovillage Network https://ecovillage.org'Dreaming Your Soul's Path' Gathering at Accidental Gods https://accidentalgods.life/dreaming-your-souls-path/

Suppose we all made this year the one where we choose to make a difference?  We could take a sabbatical and join in the actions around COP26. Or we could go to work and do whatever it takes to make our business regenerative.  Or we could join Parents For Future and build a world that we are proud to leave to our children.  Rupert Read on his new book: Parents for a Future and how now is the time to act.  Professor Rupert Read works in the philosophy department at UEA in Norwich.  He's author of numerous books and a hands-on, sit-in-the-streets climate activist.  His latest book, Parents for a Future is a passionate, beautifully argued clarion call for all of us to do whatever it takes to move us onto a trajectory that will shape the future we need and want for future generations: a future we're proud to leave behind.  This year in particular is a crucial turning point. As we emerge from COVID and move towards COP26 in Glasgow, the decisions we make now will shape this decade, which will shape this century, which will shape this millennium - and the future of the human and more-than-human worlds. You can connect at @parents4afuture and #ParentsforFuture, so head for both of those and see what you can do to make this year the one where we changed. Parents for a Future Book: https://www.parentsforafuture.org/shopRupert's website https://parentsforafuture.org ThruTopia paper: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/rupert-read/thrutopia-why-neither-dys_b_18372090.htmlNarrative Ark Television for the future website  https://narrativeark.net

Suppose we already have all the answers to the crises that assail us?  Suppose countless people, companies, non-profit organisations and local community groups were already working to change the way things work?  And suppose we could knit these together into a movement for change? Donnie Maclurcan of the Post Growth Institute explores the ways we can find a generative future. Donnie is a facilitator, author and social entrepreneur, passionate about all things not-for-profit. Originally from Australia, he moved to the U.S. in 2013, from where he coordinates the Post Growth Institute. As a consultant, he has worked in Egypt, Kenya, Fiji, Thailand and South Korea, helping 500+ not-for-profit projects start, scale and sustain their work, while his own initiatives include developing: Free Money Day, the Post Growth Alliance, the (En)Rich List, the Offers and Needs Market process, The Not for Profit Waytraining, Silent Skype team meetings, Project Australia, and the globally-used #postgrowth hashtag. An Affiliate Professor of Economics at Southern Oregon University and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Donnie holds a Ph.D. in social science.He is passionate about the concept that we already have the answers to the current world, social, cultural, climatic, ecological and economic crises - and that if we can understand this fact, it will help us to work towards answers that will work. In the podcast, he explores the ways in which we can spread this understanding, and build on it to create a generative future.  He focuses on the things that are already working - and ways we can shift the focus of our economy away from the massive hoarding of wealth by big multinationals and the global hyper-rich. How on Earth: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/How-on-Earth-by-Donald-Maclurcan-author-Jen-Hinton-author/9780990369004