Accidental Gods

11/12/2024

We’re excited to announce Manda Scott as a speaker at our upcoming online summit, Co-Creating the Emerging World: Answering the Call to Sacred Action.

An award-winning novelist and host of the chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast, Manda is best known for her Boudica: Dreaming series. Her latest novel, Any Human Power, presents a contemporary Thrutopian narrative exploring how we can craft a future to be proud of.

In her talk, Thrutopian Thinking for Good Ancestors, Manda will explore how inner work and outer narratives shape stories that connect us with the Web of Life, offering pathways for conscious evolution.

This clip is from a past talk where Manda shared her insights with us - full video on our yt channel

Don’t miss this opportunity—register for the summit via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/co-creating-the-emerging-world-answering-the-call-to-sacred-action-tickets-1104400384279

04/12/2024

How do we become the change we need to see in the world? What are the actual, practical steps to grounding, connecting and resonating with the world?

We're on the brink of cataclysmic change. Knowing this, we have choices: we can either fold into despair, terror, rage…whatever rises up in us as we watch the whole biosphere hurtle towards irrevocable tipping points.

Or we can become the change we need to see in the world: each of us.

We know this, but there's been a gap between what we know and how we behave, between where our better selves might push us and the behaviours that are locked into the core of our being, our firmware, if you like. But now - this minute now - we're hitting the buffers where the old paradigm is so obviously not fit for purpose that we need something new. The core questions are what? And how?

And this is where we're going with the podcast just now - Dan McTiernan is a certified Transpersonal Psychology Coach, embodied meditation teacher and breathwork instructor. With is wife Johanna, he's the co-founder of embodied coaching organisation, Earthbound. He hosts the Being Earthbound podcast which is absolutely on my must-listen list, as is the Substack blog from which it arises.
He's a facilitator on Alef Trust’s Nurturing the Fields of Change programme and is the project leader for the Embodied Permaculture Project - an international 2-year action research project exploring the impacts of holistic wellbeing on outer ecological change work. The first 9 weeks of this programme are about to be released as a self-study course - link below.

He is currently working with Alef Trust and the A Team Foundation to deliver an innovative project supporting farmers and growers in the UK with a programme of embodied wellbeing known as Calmer Farmer which will be launched in January 2025.

As you'll hear, Dan is working at the leading edge of the change we need to embody. He has straightforward practices that any of us can do to help us with grounding, attunement, opening and integration so that we can be the nodes in the web of life. This is key people: we need to stop trying to think our way out of this with our head minds. It doesn't work. It's not going to work. We need to come into our physical bodies, find that truly calming place of peace - and then find connections we can trust with the wider web. This is what we're here for. And Dan has routes to get there.

https://accidentalgods.life/avoiding-burn-out-fall-out-drop-out-and-freak-out-with-dan-mctiernan/

Our guest today shares straightforward practices that any of us can do to help us with grounding, attunement, opening and integration so that we can be the nodes in the web of life. This is key: we need to stop trying to think our way out of this with our head minds. It doesn't work. It's not going....

27/11/2024

This is so beautiful - was just sent to me and filled my morning with tears. But so worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwYvZOef1c0

Imagine a world where deserts bloom into lush gardens at the touch of human hands. What if our presence on Earth could spark life, not diminish it? Dive into...

22/11/2024

Today is Publication Day for this amazing book - I contributed a *tiny* bit - most of the work was done by Rupert Read, Morgan Philips and, of course Maddy Harland and the amazing team at Magazine who publish books as Permanent Publications.

This is how we change the world - but letting go of our old beliefs and stepping into the possibility of change...

https://shop.permaculture.co.uk/products/transformative-adaptation

Transformative Adaptation (TrAd) works with, not against nature. It reduces emissions while guarding us against those impacts. This helps transform our civilisation to be in readiness and in the direction that it needs to be. This book sets out TrAd as a theory & practice. To be ahead of the curve,....

22/11/2024

Had a really soul-full, thoughtful, heart-full conversation with Tess Callahan on at the Well podcast - which is absolutely one of my all-time favourites.

We explore the ways we can connect with ourselves, each other and the web of life - and how we can bring this to our writing...

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/writers-at-the-well/id1774329187?i=1000677703326

Podcast Episode · Writers at the Well · 11/21/2024 · 1h 7m

13/11/2024

There are many responses to the US election - acknowledging that the 'democratic' system we've known is over and then building ideas of what needs to come next is at the heart of things now.

And above all - we all need to work out what kind of future we want to leave behind - particularly those of us over 50... who are on the downhill slope toward the next big adventure. What future do we who are notionally elders want to leave as our legacy?

This is the most important question of our lives. It would be hard to discuss anything else, but my guest this week is uniquely placed to address it. As you’ll hear, Dr. John Izzo was once an ordained Minister in a Presbyterian Church. Now, he’s a bestselling author, speaker, and thought leader focused on social responsibility. He’s a Board Member of the Elders Action Network and the Elders Climate Action group and one of the co-hosts of a podcast called The Way Forward Regenerative Podcast which is expressly aimed at people over 50 who want to explore what it means to be an elder.

I met John on that podcast back in the summer and was so impressed with his approach to things. John is a deeply thoughtful, deeply spiritual person who takes his time to look at things from all angles. He’s dedicated his entire career to helping individuals and organisations discover purpose and foster meaningful change. He is absolutely committed to exploring the role of elders in creating a regenerative future. And we need this now, more than ever.
Originally we had scheduled this week’s guest for a recording on the 4th of November. Clearly this wasn’t going to be as constructive as a conversation held in the wake of the election, whatever the outcome. And so we rescheduled and spoke together on Thursday 7th, which gave us time to process the results and speak more directly to a future that is unknowable, but not entirely unpredictable. How do we feel? What world do we want to create? How best can we bring alive a flame of hope from the ashes of the old system? These are the questions we bring to the table – a starting point, not an end point and no doubt this conversation will continue for the rest of our lives. This is our truth for now.

https://accidentalgods.life/being-the-best-ancestors-we-can-with-dr-john-izzo-of-the-elders-action-network/

How do we all respond to the seismic events of the US election? Specifically, how do those of us over 50 respond? (and how would the younger generations like us to respond)?

08/11/2024

We are at an inflexion point - it is now obvious to (almost) all of us that the current system is not fit for purpose - it is never going to give us a route to a future we'd be proud to leave behind.

In the utter devastation of the old, is the possibility of something different. So how do we go about it?

Thoughts here:

It occurs to me that we are now at an inflection point in the WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich and - notionally - Democratic) culture that has been so successful in destroying the ecosphere. So where do we go from here?

06/11/2024

Today is a day of mourning. But we have to create hope for the generations that come after us. We know that, even before the US election results, young people are facing a world where the only certainty is uncertainty, where the only known is the unknown. So what can be done to offer them the best grounding possible to move into the transition?
If you’re over 40, the world you grew up believing in no longer exists. The younger generation approaches the polycrisis with open eyes, striving to find and nurture resilience, to listen to the whispers of synchronicity and let it lead them – and us – to a world that works for all life.
In this week's episode of the hashtag hashtag , we’re talking to Elliot Riley. Elliot is an educator, permaculture designer and practitioner working to bring wellbeing, reforestation and perennial food production into schools.
Elliot graduated during the pandemic. When he left school, he was planning to join the paratroops, but after what he describes as a ‘Thunderbolt moment’, he shifted tack and, despite not having the grades, was able to get a place to study history at the New College of Humanities. One pandemic and a degree later, he realised that mainstream education struggles to equip us for the challenges of a changing world. After two years upstream, studying Trauma-Informed Education and permaculture in the Dominican Republic, Elliot returned to his hometown, where he now works at The Saint Leonard’s Academy, leading a wellbeing programme called Future Growth, which supports students whilst transforming the community’s waste into a regenerative food forest. Through an initiative called OFFSET, Elliot’s working to spread the mission further.
https://accidentalgods.life/turning-waste-into-wellbeing.../

Young people are facing a world where the only certainty is uncertainty. where the only known is the unknown. So what can we do to offer them the best grounding to move forward into the transition to come?

31/10/2024

This looks fun!

🦇** HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY **🦇

Surprise! To celebrate the witchiest time of the year, we are giving away a signed copy of both The Wheel and The Witch’s Survival Guide to one magickal winner 💫

To enter this Samhain giveaway, all you have to do is:

🌕 follow and September Publishing

🍂 like this post

🫖 comment below the post tagging two (or more) witchy friends - each comment is a separate entry

🧡 get an extra entry by sharing the post to your IG story and tagging us so we can see it!

Enter by 8 pm on Sunday 3rd November (winner announced on Monday 4th Nov). Open to entrants worldwide. Good luck!

31/10/2024

Yay for September Publishing and
This'll be a fascinating ride/read....

31/10/2024

Hello all - I have the astonishing and heart-warming honour of speaking at the Animate Earth memorial to the late Stephan Harding on Sunday November 10th - details here:

________

Please join us for a celebration of the wonderful book Animate Earth, written by our late mentor and advisor Stephan Harding who passed away this September.

It was Stephan’s pioneering and courageous work on the edge of science – a new holistic science that brings our subjective experience and felt relations with the natural world alongside the study of ecological processes – that so inspired the work that we now continue in his name. His insights, from a scientific perspective, were foundational in our understanding of contemporary animism, the experience that all life is intelligent, working, evolving and communicating together in a great collaboration.

With Manda Scott, Rupert Sheldrake, David Abram, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Colin Campbell & Angharad Wynne

Annual Confluence 2024
10 November 4-8pm
Bookings via

10 November

30/10/2024

How does an understanding of what makes dogs tick, help us to understand ourselves and our place in the world? What does it take to feel safe – as a human, or as a dog (or cat, or horse, or… anything)?

https://accidentalgods.life/having-your-c-a-k-e-compassion-awareness-knowledge-empathy-and-sharing-what-you-learn-with-andrew-hale-of-dog-centered-care/

with Hale of Dog Centered Care

How does an understanding of what makes dogs tick, help us to understand ourselves and our place in the world? What does it take to feel safe - as a human, or as a dog (or cat, or horse, or... anything)? And how can we help ourselves and each other find regulation in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertai...

30/10/2024

How does an understanding of what makes dogs tick, help us to understand ourselves and our place in the world? What does it take to feel safe – as a human, or as a dog (or cat, or horse, or… anything)? And how can we help ourselves and each other find regulation in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous)?

Andrew Hale is a Certified Animal Behaviourist who specialises in working complex behaviour cases, especially those involving ‘Reactivity and Aggression.’ Look around you at the world. Look at the news. What two words best describe the nature of our local, national and geo-political processes?
Andrew is one of those remarkable people committed to a Dog Centred Care approach, working with empathy and compassion to understand why any being is behaving in this way. His focus is on dogs, but what we’re learning – and the reason I have invited Andrew onto the podcast – is that all the theories of secure or ruptured attachment, of the need for autonomy, agency, confidence and safety, apply in dogs as much as they do in people -or indeed, any sentient being.

This conversation dives deep into trauma (or at least, trauma responses), our capacity for secure attachment in the modern world, our parenting skills, our skills as people who choose to share our lives with other animals – and ultimately, our skills in helping ourselves cope with a culture that’s increasingly going off the rails. It’s not about to get any better, either. So the more we can find our own stability, the more we can help others. Which is what this episode is all about. Relax, get yourself a cup of tea and let’s explore what really makes us tick.

https://accidentalgods.life/having-your-c-a-k-e-compassion-awareness-knowledge-empathy-and-sharing-what-you-learn-with-andrew-hale-of-dog-centered-care/

How does an understanding of what makes dogs tick, help us to understand ourselves and our place in the world? What does it take to feel safe - as a human, or as a dog (or cat, or horse, or... anything)? And how can we help ourselves and each other find regulation in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertai...

25/10/2024

Hey people - a reminder that we're Dreaming Your Death Awake this Sunday - the closest we could come to Samhain.

Working with the idea that death is a rite of passage, to be met with grace - and that only by fully embracing our own mortality can we learn to live the great, wild magic that is life.

https://accidentalgods.life/dreaming-your-death-awake/

Anyone/everyone is welcome. Accidental Gods Members remember that you have a 50% discount and the code is on the Members Home page.

Death is our ultimate teacher: When we learn how to die, we learn how to live. Conversely, only by learning how to live fully present in each moment, can we learn how to die well.

18/10/2024

This was a really heart-warming, engaging, wide-ranging conversation with Fiona Mackay Photography on her 'Nurtured by Nature' podcast...

Perfect weekend listening...

Enjoy!

https://fionamackayphotography.com/2024/10/51-mapping-the-emergence-of-a-new-paradigm-with-manda-scott-any-human-power/

51. Mapping the Emergence of A New Paradigm with Manda Scott, Any Human Power By: Fiona Category: Nurtured by Nature Podcast Episodes October 17, 2024 SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW & LISTEN:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | AmazonMusic | YouTube Music Welcome to episode 51 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today...

09/10/2024

This was a really interesting conversation - Amy Rowlinson asks thoughtful, probing questions and we get to the heart of what matters now, as we learn how to hospice modernity and build something new from the ashes...

Former veterinary surgeon turned author, columnist and podcaster Manda Scott explores the need for new narratives that challenge existing economic, cultural and environmental paradigms perpetuating scarcity and powerlessness. Manda critiques current economic systems and advocates for serotonin-drive...

09/10/2024

Your regular reminder of what industrial agriculture is doing to our oceans:

PDF | The world has focused on carbon mitigation as the only solution for climate change. This discussion paper considers how marine biodiversity... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate