Sixteen years ago, I became involved with an arts community (the Dark Mountain Project, or DMP) which was freely and confidently naming our unravelling social order as a civilisation in collapse.
Such an honest placing of collapse as a personal and cultural and civilisational thing. I treasure your deep insight Julia, and honoured to have had you alongside while we negotiate these things together in Unpsychology... There's such a dignity in this small piece, but also a spark catching to a flame ... thankyou
Beautifully expressed, thanks so much for sharing. May well make a submission for your book because I had a similar experience. My madness put me in touch with my core values and passion for social justice. I became incredibly focused on wanting to end homelessness and solve climate change. I definitely believe that when our soul's true nature cannot find a meaningful outlet in our current life, that it finds other ways to make itself known. The fragmentation which results then yearns for wholeness over time, craving a way of living in harmony with the world around us. The is so much insight there, I agree.
thank you Becca and yes, fragmentation and wholeness - this constant organic process in our lives which follows our soul's calling. This is exactly why I find hope in collapse - because the breaking down is what leads to the growing up. xxx
Yes absolutely. While I still find collapse terrifying, I definitely feel greater hope in the stripping back of all the trappings and falseholds of modern society and capitalism. There is beginning to be greater vulnerability in conversations now and a return to values and meaning. Also the appreciation of the transience of life is the essence of pure emotions such as awe and wonder. We may not live as long as we might have now but perhaps we'll live better. X
I wrote my book "Notes on Hunger: Journeys in Liminal Worlds" as a response to my own struggle to recover purpose after collapse. It will be ready for sharing in a few more weeks. These questions require cosmologically proportioned responses. I spent 10 years working on this book and was quite surprised at what emerged in the final, 64th chapter.
It's with Hyphen Publishing Florida. They're preparing the first edited copy. I wanted a traditional publisher but got no response so had to choose from many self publishing places.
Loved how freeing your piece felt, then did a casual calculation to when my first long period of illness/madness happened as an adult, and yes, it was also 16 years ago. Existential doom was absolutely the essence of it, along with a number of other facilitating factors. Iykyk.
Thank you, Julia. Beautifully expressed. I have spent many years speaking and writing about ecological and civilisational breakdown. I moved through anger and frustration and eventually landed somewhere else. I recognise in your description of collapse this movement from the outer world into the self. When the scaffolding falls, the experience can be terrifying. It reveals truths that our surrounding culture is still unable - unwilling - to face. I'm currently reading Sarah Wilson's book and yes, sure, I get what you're saying. As someone who has also written a book recently, I note that Sarah has thousands of followers to communicate with about hers, while I have 32 subscribers (and counting) on my Substack account. :-( I can see there is a certain 'circle' that writers are either inside or outside of. And if you are outside, you don't have all the algorithms working for you. I can live with that, though. It doesn't worry me one bit. It is not what matters. What matters to me is the learning and the sharing of a journey, and the discovery of wisdom from people who have travelled beyond the edges of the 'accepted reality'. So keep it up! And thank you.
hi Mik, thank you and yes I totally agree: it's the process that matters, not the audience. I do think that this world of 'followers' is misleading and that visibility has its own downsides. It's about learning - and unlearning - with one another; this is what counts.
Such an honest placing of collapse as a personal and cultural and civilisational thing. I treasure your deep insight Julia, and honoured to have had you alongside while we negotiate these things together in Unpsychology... There's such a dignity in this small piece, but also a spark catching to a flame ... thankyou
thanks Steve - and likewise my friend xxx
Beautifully expressed, thanks so much for sharing. May well make a submission for your book because I had a similar experience. My madness put me in touch with my core values and passion for social justice. I became incredibly focused on wanting to end homelessness and solve climate change. I definitely believe that when our soul's true nature cannot find a meaningful outlet in our current life, that it finds other ways to make itself known. The fragmentation which results then yearns for wholeness over time, craving a way of living in harmony with the world around us. The is so much insight there, I agree.
thank you Becca and yes, fragmentation and wholeness - this constant organic process in our lives which follows our soul's calling. This is exactly why I find hope in collapse - because the breaking down is what leads to the growing up. xxx
Yes absolutely. While I still find collapse terrifying, I definitely feel greater hope in the stripping back of all the trappings and falseholds of modern society and capitalism. There is beginning to be greater vulnerability in conversations now and a return to values and meaning. Also the appreciation of the transience of life is the essence of pure emotions such as awe and wonder. We may not live as long as we might have now but perhaps we'll live better. X
I wrote my book "Notes on Hunger: Journeys in Liminal Worlds" as a response to my own struggle to recover purpose after collapse. It will be ready for sharing in a few more weeks. These questions require cosmologically proportioned responses. I spent 10 years working on this book and was quite surprised at what emerged in the final, 64th chapter.
hello Darlene - let me know when it is ready to share ;-)
It's with Hyphen Publishing Florida. They're preparing the first edited copy. I wanted a traditional publisher but got no response so had to choose from many self publishing places.
Loved how freeing your piece felt, then did a casual calculation to when my first long period of illness/madness happened as an adult, and yes, it was also 16 years ago. Existential doom was absolutely the essence of it, along with a number of other facilitating factors. Iykyk.
thank you Myra xxx
Thank you, Julia. Beautifully expressed. I have spent many years speaking and writing about ecological and civilisational breakdown. I moved through anger and frustration and eventually landed somewhere else. I recognise in your description of collapse this movement from the outer world into the self. When the scaffolding falls, the experience can be terrifying. It reveals truths that our surrounding culture is still unable - unwilling - to face. I'm currently reading Sarah Wilson's book and yes, sure, I get what you're saying. As someone who has also written a book recently, I note that Sarah has thousands of followers to communicate with about hers, while I have 32 subscribers (and counting) on my Substack account. :-( I can see there is a certain 'circle' that writers are either inside or outside of. And if you are outside, you don't have all the algorithms working for you. I can live with that, though. It doesn't worry me one bit. It is not what matters. What matters to me is the learning and the sharing of a journey, and the discovery of wisdom from people who have travelled beyond the edges of the 'accepted reality'. So keep it up! And thank you.
hi Mik, thank you and yes I totally agree: it's the process that matters, not the audience. I do think that this world of 'followers' is misleading and that visibility has its own downsides. It's about learning - and unlearning - with one another; this is what counts.