“Soil My Key Board, Moonshine My Monitor” – Critique from Cascadia by Willi Paul, New Mythologist.com

Face it; too many of us are stuck in “consumer gain” – and the same old story sources. NFL football memories, old cop shows, oil spill ads, 45 minute religion, AM radio. We need a new story base – a new set of tales based in Transition and permaculture that’s truly integrated and cooperative rather than science-moated and profit competitive. If we can vision and share new stories together, we can live into them together and create a better world:

First, we need to write new stories together, as a community assignment. Community building via imaginal collaboration.

Second, it seems that permaculture courses are not teaching creative writing or media production along with their science-rich ag diet. A waste of creative synergy?

Third, stories and new myth making are over-ridingly sidelined to a few, to the soulless concerns of our dark days: tweeting, eating, browsing, and watching TV. Are Apple ads the new myths?

Four, Permaculture Guilds are doing a sub-par job as a community storytelling space.

Six, Transition Groups are better at gathering in celebration and spawning new solutions. But there are next to none Transition movies or bands calling us into the fray.

Seven, we do not have a common vision map to the future with Transition or permaculture just yet. Many of have “returned to the land” in survivalist mode or find themselves wrestling in short-term mode with local governments, academic powers and big business as they harvest food for 30 on microscopic urban farms.

Eight, most of us are not story writers but if we start by understanding the old myths and psalms that helped to fuel Occupy, permaculture and the Transition Movement, we can re-question Authority and build new traditions, hybrid dreams and rituals that matter.

Nine, let’s promote Joseph Campbell’s initiation, journey and hero triad alongside the cob oven and the sharing expo.

Ten, spiritual incubator or green eggs and ham?