Crossing the Uncanny Chasm from where we are to where we need to be – Thoughts from the Edge #6 with Manda Scott
What are the actual steps we could take, from our dysfunctional political, economic, media systems and all they support - towards a future that would actually work in service to life? We ask this question all the time on the podcast - and then I went away for a weekend's planning with the core team of our Thrutopian Convergence. We played a Solar Punk Futures game (thank you Natalia!) and Every Single One of us crafted a fictional character from a post-collapse semi-dystopian future in which we were all - - not working a day job - not paying rent/mortgage/power/water/food bills - not trapped in the death cult of predatory capitalism - everyone was working cooperatively for food, health, technology - the bad guys were out there, but they were losing. It was lovely - if you don't mind the fact that we were basically subsisting and not necessarily meeting our core needs. and It was blindingly depressing. Because if I fall into this easy/lazy/safe way of thinking - if I, too, am unable to see past the fuzzy, hand-waving bits of detail that get us from here to there - the bit I'm calling the Uncanny Chasm - how can I expect anyone else to see them more clearly? So this podcast is working past this Uncanny Chasm - starting the hard work of figuring out the details. There will be more. This is just a start. All thoughts welcome. Links Democracy in Chains my Nancy MacLean Hostage Nation by Jamie Driscoll Richard Murphy's YouTube —About Accidental Gods— We offer three strands all rooted in the same soil, drawing from the same river: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass Our next Open Gathering offered as part of our Accidental Gods Programme is 'DREAMING YOUR DEATH AWAKE' which will run on Sunday 1st November 2026 from 16:00 - 20:00 GMT (NOTE THE TIME! - We'll be out of summertime then) - details are here. You don't have to be a member of Accidental Gods to come along, but if you are, all Gatherings are half price. If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life. If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here. If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here Manda and Louise both offer one-to-one Mentoring Calls. Manda is writing a book just now, but if you'd like to contact Louise, details are here.