Accidental Gods

Imagine a world where we didn’t always feel as if money was tight. Imagine an economy that works for the health and welfare of people and planet rather than all of us working for the health of the economy. Richard Murphy describes where money comes from and how we could use it differently. We all know the economy is broken - that the experiment of free market capitalism has driven us to the edge of extinction. The problem is working out what to replace it with that will help us to find new ways of being without creating such havoc that lives are destroyed in the process.   In this first of a two-part series, Richard Murphy explores ways we can change the current system to create a different world. Richard Murphy is a political economist, author of the book 'The Joy of Tax', and is a visiting professor at Sheffield, Anglia Ruskin and City universities. He's an adviser at the Fair Tax Mark and was deeply involved in creating the first iteration of the Green New Deal in the UK. He writes the Tax Research Blog, which shines bright lights on the economic illiteracy of free-market governments. In our conversation, we explore how money is made in the current system, the mythology of austerity and how the world could be if we all understood the nature of the lies.  When we all see the Emperor has no clothes, we can re-create a new way of doing and being. Tax Research Blog: https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/Fair Tax Mark: https://fairtaxmark.netThe Joy of Tax: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Joy-of-Tax-by-Richard-Murphy-author/9780552171618Tax Justice Network: https://www.taxjustice.netThe Green New Deal: https://greennewdealgroup.org

We all know national politics is in chaos.  But local governance can be a place of enlivening, inspiring, radical change. Pam Barrett speaks of her work to change the nature of her local town council - what she achieved - and how we can do the same.  Pam Barrett worked at the heart of the Westminster government's civil service. Then she moved to picturesque Buckfastleigh, a mill town on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, and began to see how badly the town was served by the town and regional councils.  She started a group to preserve the town's only swimming pool. That grew, and the pool was saved, and she moved on, in time, to stand as an independent for the town council. A group of others stood with her, and they gained 9 seats on a 12 seat council. Which meant they could do things, make things happen... discover the freedom that local democracy gives if it truly serves the local people. With the newly independent group on the local council, the concept of 'of the people, by the people, for the people' took on new meaning.  They moved the council to a bigger room and made the proceedings far more transparent. They asked local people what they wanted to do - and then worked out how much it would cost.. .23p per household per week to really keep the swimming pool open, other bits for other things, amounting to an extra 97p per household per week. And then they let local people decide if they wanted that...and, like almost all participatory budgeting, when people have a chance to really see what their money goes towards - they did want it, and they were happy to pay.  So that four years later, when the council came up for re-election, 10 independent councillors stood and 10 were elected.  Pam's story is one of agency, and local empowerment and it can play out pretty much anywhere in the world where democracy is still alive.  Listen in and be inspired - then go out and see what you can do in your local area.  FlatPack Democracy: https://www.flatpackdemocracy.co.ukTrust the People online Training: https://actionnetwork.org/events/trust-the-people-online-course-spring-2021Be Buckfastleigh: https://bebuckfastleigh.co.ukPositive News on Pam Barrett and Buckfastleigh: https://www.positive.news/uk/the-devonshire-town-that-transformed-local-democracy/Handforth Parish Council Zoom call (full) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsalmnyed7kHandforth Parish Council Zoom (highlights) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGmYeAm0jk

How does it feel to know we're really living our purpose? What's the felt sense inside that tells us to keep going in a particular direction? Or to stop?  Radical evolutionary, Chris Taylor explores the pathways to right being that will let us transform what it is to be human.  Chris Taylor, author of 'The Tao of Revolution' is a Tai Chi teacher, regenerative farmer, musician, performance poet, facilitator-of-change and author - who describes himself as a revolutionary mystic. Or mystical revolutionary. His book is described as 'A field guide for Global Transformation, - a book on climate and societal change that isn't about the coming chaos, but about how we learn to live with the future.  The system will not be over-thrown, it will be overgrown - here's how.' In this heart-warming, thought-provoking podcast we move through Immanuelle Wallerstein, Quaker philosophy and Mellissa Etheridge to the Green New Deal, QAnon  and Taoism, to how we can live deeply connected to the land that feeds us. Ultimately, we explore the opportunities and gifts of our times and the ways that we can each find the margins of ourselves, find the things that make our hearts sing and find the ways to do them - so that together, we are building a world based on connection, coherence and empowerment. Chris Taylor's book: The Tao of Revolution: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Tao-of-Revolution-by-Chris-Taylor-author/9781939269973Oasis Human Relations: https://www.oasishumanrelations.org.ukGrace Blakeley: Green Capitalism is not enough: https://democracycollaborative.org/learn/publication/green-capitalism-not-enoughJem Bendell's Deep Adaptation paper: https://jembendell.com/2019/05/15/deep-adaptation-versions/Immanuelle Wallerstein: World Systems Analysis: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/World-Systems-Analysis-by-Immanuel-Maurice-Wallerstein/9780822334422

How different would our world be if we understood how our minds - and feelings - worked?  How would our workplaces change if everyone was doing their best to understand how everyone else experienced the world? Dr Rachel Lilley describes how shifting our perspectives changes everything - from work to home to government. Rachel combines extensive  academic research with  many years practical  experience  working  with  teams and senior leaders  to offer unique and practical  insights  into attention, emotions, consciousness and decision making.  She has particular expertise in behaviour change related to sustainability, climate change and community engagement as well as extensive academic and personal experience of using mindfulness to develop self and other awareness and gain insight.In today's podcast, we discuss the basis behind her PhD thesis, which explored the practical results of teaching mindfulness to civil servants in the Welsh Government and how this impacted on the ability to deliver results particularly related to climate change actions.  The core of this: that people learned how their own minds worked - and so began to understand how others' minds work, that not all minds are the same, and not all thought processes follow the same lines - is transformative in our lives, our workplaces and our ability to respond to the current planetary crisis.   Rachel explains the basis of her work and its results so far- as well as the potential for extending it further. Rachel Lilley Predicting Mind website - https://predictingmind.comLisa Feldman Barret: How Emotions are Made - https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/How-Emotions-Are-Made-by-Lisa-Feldman-Barrett-author/9781509837526George Lakoff Metaphors we Live By: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Metaphors-We-Live-By-by-George-Lakoff-author-Mark-Johnson-author/9780226468013Podcast: Sam Harris talking to Anil Seth: https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/113-consciousness-and-the-self/

Everybody NowClimate Emergency and Sacred Duty  We’ve caused a turning point in the Earth’s natural history. Everybody Now is a podcast about what it means to be human on the threshold of a global climate emergency, in a time of systemic injustice and runaway pandemics. Scientists, activists, farmers, poets, and theologians talk bravely and frankly about how our biosphere is changing, about grief and hope in an age of social collapse and mass extinction, and about taking action against all the odds.On 19th October 2020, Everybody Now is being released by podcasters all over the world as a collective call for awareness, grief and loving action.  With contributions from: Dr. Gail Bradbrook - scientist and co-founder of Extinction RebellionProf. Kevin Anderson - Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of ManchesterDámaris Albuquerque - works with agricultural communities in NicaraguaDr. Rowan Williams - theologian and poet, and a former Archbishop of CanterburyPádraig Ó Tuama - poet, theologian and conflict mediatorRachel Mander - environmental activist with Hope for the FutureJohn Swales - priest and activist, and part of a community for marginalised peopleZena Kazeme - Persian-Iraqi poet who draws on her experiences as a former refugee to create poetry that explores themes of exile, home, war and heritageFlo Brady - singer and theatre makerHannah Malcolm - Anglican ordinand, climate writer and organiserAlastair McIntosh - writer, academic and land rights activistDavid Benjamin Blower - musician, poet and podcaster Funding and Production:  This podcast was crowdfunded by a handful of good souls, and produced by Tim Nash and David Benjamin Blower Permissions: The song Happily by Flo Brady is used with permission.The song The Soil, from We Really Existed and We Really Did This by David Benjamin Blower, used with permission.The Poem The Tree of Knowledge by Pádraig Ó Tuama used with permission.The Poem Atlas by Zena Kazeme used with permission.The Poem What is Man? by Rowan Williams from the book The Other Mountain, used with permission from Carcanet Press.

Kindness costs nothing and it enhances our lives and those around us. And yet our world is full of random acts of unkindness.  How can we change this? How can we extend the boundaries of faith and spirituality to bring the best of ourselves to a world in crisis.  This week, podcaster, musician, writer, theologian – and deep spiritual activist – David Blower talks about Christianity and kindness and the climate crisis. David Benjamin Blower is a radical Christian theologian, a musician, a writer, and a podcaster. He is co-host of NOMAD podcast which describes itself as 'Stumbling through the post-Christendom wilderness looking for signs of hope". His first book Kingdom vs Empire is 'an explosive manifesto for politicised faith in 21st Century Britain.'In this deep dive into the nature of faith, we explore spirituality, belief, tribalism - and the narratives we spin ourselves of where we are and where we could be. David's Website davidbenjaminblower.comDavid's Music benjaminblower.bandcamp.com/musicNomad podcast - Elizabeth Oldfield episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nomad-podcast/id301419170?i=1000493995562Nomad podcast - Elaine Heath episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nomad-podcast/id301419170?i=1000422414384Climate PodBoom - https://pdst.fm/e/media.transistor.fm/1f96c344/de91b51d.mp3

What if the Ocean were a living thing, in the way that the earth breathes as Gaia? The Maori say that if the Ocean is healthy, so, too, will the people be healthy.  And we are not healthy - nor is the Ocean. But we are intimately linked and Glenn Edney, Ocean Deep Ecologist explains how - and what we can do to heal ourselves and the waters of the Earth. Glenn Edney is a Deep Ecologist, an Ocean explorer, diver, sailor, an activist for the living Ocean - and a deeply thoughtful visionary, following in the footsteps of his hero, Jacques Cousteau. He's the author of three books, the most recent, published in 2016, is 'The Ocean is Alive'.  He wrote this as his way to help those of us more land bound to understand that, like Gaia, the Ocean is a living entity with its own hyper-complex physiology - that everything from the chemical composition of the water, through the lives of the plankton and microbiomes to the majesty - and super consciousness - of the great whales, is part of a single Being.  The detail of how the Ocean lives and breathes is fascinating and glorious, but it's the stories of connection, heart-to-heart, with the living elements of the Ocean that stay with us long after we've put the book down. In the podcast, Glenn shares his complete connection with the Ocean - and the ways we can - and must - open to this magnificent part of our planet. “Mena kei te hauora te moana ka pera ano te hauora o te iwi” If the ocean is healthy so too will the people be healthy  - Maori sayingThe Ocean is Alive: book link:  https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Ocean-Is-Alive-by-Glenn-Edney-author/9780473352608High and Deep Sea Photos by Glenn: https://www.synchronicityearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Synchronicity-Earth-High-Deep-Seas-Insight.pdf

How would our world feel if our local, regional and national politics really listened to all the people, really brought together diverse views, and knew how to listen deeply to whatever was said? How would we be if our politics brought out the best in all of us, and worked for the living planet?  We talk to Trust The People, a new movement to bring this about - globally.  Trust The People is a movement of community builders open to everyone sharing deliberative democratic tools to support local communities dealing with global crises.   In this episode, Mags Mulowska, an activist with TTP, explores how our current system is broken, and the ways we can change it so that everyone has choice and a voice, so that everyone's voice is heard and communities build around a sense of place and of purpose.   She describes the courses run by TTP and some of the ways they have led to flourishing outcomes in diverse local communities.  And we discuss the May local elections in the UK and how people can join a movement of independent candidates dedicated to bringing radical inclusivity, deep listening and trust to the local process. Trust the People: https://www.trustthepeople.earthIsabel Hardman "Why we Get the Wrong Politicians" 

What if we could see the nature of the stories that drive us, how would we be?  Would we be able to change them?  And what would we want in their place?  This week, Alnoor Ladha, mystic, visionary, activist and regenerative farmer explores the four ways to change the world.Alnoor Ladha's  work focuses on the intersection of political organizing, systems thinking and narrative work. He was the co-founder and Executive Director of The Rules (TR), a global network of activists, organizers, designers, coders, researchers, writers and others focused on changing the rules that create inequality, poverty and climate change. TR started in 2012 as a time-bound project and an experiment in anarchist organizational design, exploring new ways of how to work, play and make trouble together. Alnoor comes from a Sufi lineage and explores/writes about the intersection between politics and spirituality in troubled times. He is also a co-founder of Tierra Valiente, a post- capitalist community in northern Costa Rica.In this week's podcast, we discuss his ideas of Capitalism, memes and mind viruses - notably the idea of the Wetiko - and what the antidotes might be.  We explore the nature of subjective reality and the narratives that promote capitalism. We explore the need for mystical anarchism, the means by which we might transcend subject/object duality, cultivating relationality and cultivating a sense of connection to the web of life.  The Rules: https://therules.org/author/alnoor/Tierra Valiente: https://www.braveearth.comSeeing Wetiko: on capitalism, mind viruses and antidotes: https://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/seeing-wetiko-on-capitalism-mind-viruses-and-antidotes-for-a-world-in-transition/What could possibly go right: https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-10-20/what-could-possibly-go-right-episode-19-alnoor-ladha/

What if we had a way to draw carbon out of the air, heal our ecosystems and feed the world?  We do: It's called Regenerative Agriculture and the understanding of how we do this is key to a flourishing future.  But we need to listen to the land first, as Navona Gallegos describes in this new Accidental Gods podcast. Navona Gallegos is an ecologist and farmer working to transition desert back into grassland in the arid Southwest of Turtle Island. She works and educates on the intersection of clean water, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and nutrition: soil. Navona's passion is decolonization and she sees building soil as the keystone that allows us to step into right relation with our surrounding ecologies, access more of our innate capacities, and create a culture that truly meets our needs.  Her insight into the spiritual connection with the land is a breath of fresh air, giving us ways to connect that are healing for us as well as the earth. Links: Dr Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web: https://www.soilfoodweb.com