For those wanting to play catch up, the big idea here is that - in the West - spirituality has become commodified, creating a âWellness Industryâ; and we need to change it.
To dismantle it, reform it, or build anew, we need to frame it as an industry and generate alternatives to the established Paradigm.
Part 0 explained the lineages of todayâs Wellness Industry | Part 1 explained the mental model of different Paradigms | Part 2 explored the âNew Ageâ Paradigm | Part 3 explored the âWellnessâ Paradigm | Part 4 explored Folk Revival (part I) | Part 5 explored Folk Revival (part II) |
Faithful readers old and new, if youâve made it this far, I am sincerely grateful. If all the preceding information was necessary to understand the Future of Wellness, we have at last arrived at that Future, and your patience shall be rewarded.
I contend that The Future of Wellness isn't an Industry - it's an ecosystem.
I dub it âInterwovenâ; a transition to different organisations, relationships, economic models, and values in society as a whole.
Interwoven is the final Paradigm. It sustains and evolves over time to meet the needs of those within its ecology. It is a revolution; a global, self-organising ecosystem of purposeful organisations which prioritise creating social value above all else. It is birthed at the intersection of stewardship, post-capitalism, self-governance, and so much more.
We will unpack Interwoven over the coming 3 weeks. Part I will focus on describing the context, people, and beliefs. Part II will describe the shifts needed to get to Interwoven, and the Organisations within it. Part III will conclude by describing the tools of power and Breakthroughs.
If youâre prepared - and eager as I am - then letâs begin â¤ď¸âđĽ
Rather than commodifying or misusing whatâs come before, Interwoven is the zenith of the preceding Paradigmâs Breakthroughs, and the culmination of the mounting frustration at their Shadows.
Where Folk Revival created a shift towards societal or âinformalâ structures for social change, Interwoven creates sustainable and dynamic structures that have the power to challenge institutions on a global scale.
The most inspiring part is that we can start living in Interwoven today.
It isnât a dream, and doesnât hinge reaching a (temporal) point in time, or a technological or social breakthrough.
What it does requires is a fundamental re-imagining of what we believe about Wellness, how we operate within it, and our ability to create a livelihood from aspects of our spiritual practice (art, craft, wisdom, experience, research, gifts, etc).
To envision what that Ecosystem looks like, beyond the conception of spirituality as something we are entitled to, consume, or use as balm for social ills.
If Folk Revival birthed an Industry that created social change, then our next evolution should be to create institutional change - so that we donât have to keep âfixingâ social problems.
Doing so means a revolution that divests from the structures and economic system that created social ills, and creates novel structures in their place.
In Interwoven, spirituality is understood as a Commons; available for - and stewarded by - all.
A Paradigm in which the distinction between Industry and Society, personal practice and vocation is thinnest. The Ecosystem is a collection of Commons-oriented P2P networks, which exist to create social value.
These organisations are purpose-driven, transparent, communally self-governed, sustainable, and change-makers at an Institutional level. Whether they are creating livelihoods for people or not, by their existence and structure, they all contribute to a post-capitalist, reciprocal ecosystem.
This sounds out there. And it should. It would be far easier to look into a Future where we overlay spirituality on existing models of work or industry. To repeat familiar patterns with something âwitchyâ.
But I will not â for that is precisely how we have found ourselves in the Shadow of Wellness. It was 1980âs marketing, business, and neo-liberalism which commodified New Age beliefs.
An Interwoven ecosystem cannot â will not - be built upon the same foundations that were laid for Wellness.
I truly believe this is a Future worth creating, and one that is within reach in our generation â but we have a responsibility to our descendants to define and role-model alternatives to what is.
Consider Peer to Peer relationships. What is needed for all our relationships to be equitable, generative, non-coercive, and self-governed?
There is no technology which would make this so. Our understanding of relationships (specifically ones where value is created) must fundamentally change. And we each bear the responsibility for it.
If a shift towards treating one another as peers is considered radical, itâs time for us to evaluate the Industry â the society - we want to leave for our descendants.
Itâs time we act as Ethical Ancestors.
The first Guiding Belief of the Paradigm is that all life is interdependent; we are always in dynamic relationship with the human and non-human world.
Once Interwoven, weâve moved beyond the âecological firefightingâ mindset of Folk Revival, and weâre able to take a long-term approach to stewardship, preservation, and sustainability of ecology and society.
Secondly, thereâs a belief that we can create alternatives to meet our collective needs - distinct from any Market. This is a driving force for the shift to Commoning, openness and use-value; the belief that resources are valuable regardless of their âpriceâ.
With this change, stewardship is embraced as a collective, long-term effort to be an Ethical Ancestor. Acting with transparency, fairness, and sustainability, it's a commitment to stewarding all resources we have for our descendants.
People in this Paradigm have an earnest desire to nourish and grow all things, both human and nonhuman. They are measured, honest, and authentically themselves; freely sharing their knowledge and resources.
Ethical Ancestors are as circular as possible in production and consumption, refuse to think in binaries, and adopt an âact local, think globalâ worldview. Respecting the sovereignty of all beings, non-violence is the norm in word and deed, with disputes resolved with empathy and understanding.
People seek to understand other perspectives, with context and nuance essential for finding oneâs own path. Rather than following a dogma or prescription, apprenticing and practical experience is given more value in this Industry.
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Interwoven is the final Paradigm we will discuss over the coming weeks. Next week, we will describe the shifts needed to get to Interwoven, and the Organisations within it. For now, thanks for reading, and feel free to share with someone you care about!
Short takes đŹ
The shortest of takes this week: Iâm tired of Instagram and trying to make it work for me, and honestly donât know if thatâs going away anytime soon.
What I'm crushing on â¤ď¸âđĽ
the radical, anticapitalist, anti-fascist, queer neighbourhood weâre living in, full of revolutionary bookstores and cafes. I wish I could read Italian so I could get amongst these books.
finding vegan pinsas and gelato in Rome đ
the thought of being able to visit Keats and Shelleyâs graves whenever I damn well please
getting my first proper workout (in a real gym) in this week
the cute dog that lives next door
What I'm wrangling đ§ś
Trying to follow EU news is like trying to watch a squash ball bounce around the court; fast, challenging, kinda dangerous if youâre not careful. Thereâs so much going on between wars, resource shortages, elections (especially here in Italy), and the like. Itâs dark out there, fam.