As we approach the Winter Solstice and the longest night of the year, I’m delighted to share with you what has become a cherished tradition of reflection, contemplation, and looking ahead to the year to come.

In this conversation, I rejoin Manda Scott and Della Duncan for a collaborative midwinter offering from myself, Accidental Gods, and the Upstream Podcast.

As we gather to reflect on what’s been an extraordinarily turbulent, confronting and unexpected 12 months, we share some of the key themes of enquiry and growth we’ve explored on our podcasts, we trace what we find when we each go upstream from the challenges we’re facing today, and we explore some of the gifts, stories and resources that can support us as we step into the months ahead.

At the end of the conversation, Manda will lead us through a special guided meditation to help us reach into and connect with this moment of the season.

To introduced my companions…

Manda Scott is a novelist, podcaster and smallholder. Formerly a veterinary surgeon, Manda’s novels have been shortlisted for the Orange Prize, the Edgar and the Saltire Award and has won the McIlvanney Prize. She is host of the Accidental Gods podcast, which showcases individuals and organisations at the emerging edge of our world, to set the foundation for a future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us. Her latest novel, Any Human Power is available for pre-order here: https://septemberpublishing.org/product/any-human-power-hb/

We’re joined by Della Z Duncan, a Renegade Economist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a co-host of the Upstream Podcast, a Right Livelihood Coach, a faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies, a Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics, a founding member of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition, and the designer and co-facilitator of the Cultivating Regenerative Livelihood Course at Gaia Education.

This is always a special episode for me, and I’m very grateful to be able to dive into conversation with these two brilliant women. I hope you find it inviting and inspiring, and I wish you a peaceful Winter Solstice and a fruitful new year.

Recorded on 1st December 2023.

RESOURCES

Nathalie’s:

Podcast: The way out is in: Grief and Joy on a Planet in Crisis: Joanna Macy on the Best Time To Be Alive (Episode #12)(https://plumvillage.org/podcast/grief-and-joy-on-a-planet-in-crisis-joanna-macy-on-the-best-time-to-be-alive-episode-12)

Flourishing Futures Salon: https://www.ffsalons.com/

Planet Local Summit: https://planet-local-summit.localfutures.org/ and videos

Della’s:

Poem: The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer (https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/the-invitation-oriah-mountain-dreamer/)

Theory: Two Loop Theory by Meg Wheatley and Deborah Frieze (https://transformationallearningopportunities.com/two-loop-theory)

Conversation: Marxism & Buddhism with Breht O'Shea on the Upstream Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y9H9A5b7kkoodUmxrYnzO?si=8f735a62a6d54b96&nd=1&dlsi=e65675e3a9d84cc6)

Conversation: A Marxist Perspective on Elections with August Nimtz on the Upstream Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y9H9A5b7kkoodUmxrYnzO?si=8f735a62a6d54b96&nd=1&dlsi=d8e03de837e5464d)

Conversation: Beyond the Clock with Jenny Odell on the Upstream Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1awmJZYYp4N9OWxz1mXeo7?si=28bd15af74774472&nd=1&dlsi=2df1b0bebfdb47b9)

Organization: California Doughnut Economics Coalition, https://caldec.org/

Manda’s:

Indy Johar: talking about Inter-Becoming and the model of the autonomous house (https://accidentalgods.life/becoming-intentional-gods-claiming-the-future-with-indy-johar-of-the-dark-matter-labs/)

Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy: on shifting from a Trauma Culture to an Initiation Culture (https://accidentalgods.life/the-animate-earth-responds-initiation-in-a-time-of-crisis-with-alnoor-ladha-and-lynn-murphy/)