Adventures in Nutopia – Details, episodes & analysis

In S2E1 we met Rogan Taylor, author of The Death and Resurrection Show a book which traces a path from popular entertainment to the darkened yurts of our nomadic ancestors. After writing this book Rogan went on to pioneer the world’s first post-graduate ‘football’ degree and write many books on the subject. During our conversation he talked about football in relation to myth, ritual, suffering and community. It’s a unique and fascinating perspective on the sport that will stay with you. 

Are our listening habits changing? What effects can sounds like drones and sine tones have on us physically and emotionally? Can we imagine a future in which we might receive audio prescriptions for wellbeing? Why does music played badly make us laugh? Does beetroot really taste better if serenaded with sound? And what might the national anthem of Nutopia sound like? 

With guests Richard Norris, Paul Devereux, Fiona Miller, Jude Rogers, David Velez and Harry Sword. 

https://pauldevereux.co.uk/

https://richardnorris.bandcamp.com/

https://fionasallymiller.bandcamp.com/

https://davidvelez.bandcamp.com/music

https://oddfellowscasino.bandcamp.com/

https://greyhoundliterary.co.uk/authors/harry-sword

Recorded live at the agro-ecology festival Groundswell, this episode explores different ways that we could be radicalising global agriculture and reversing biodiversity loss through regenerative farming, hemp, mob grazing, the no-till movement and precision fermentation. Donning wellies, sun hat and a nose peg for a dung beetle safari, along the way David meets Farmerama Podcast creator Abi Rose, Regenesis author George Monbiot and ecofarmer and publisher Daphne Astor.

https://druidry.org

https://www.drbramwell.com/

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/journeytonutopia

https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

https://groundswellag.com/

https://farmerama.co/

https://hazelpress.co.uk/

What makes people fall for conspiracy theories like QAnon? Is it possible to ‘change’ our minds? Might the idea of reality tunnels be the single most important thing to teach the next generation? Counter-culture philosopher Robert Anton Wilson certainly thought so, as do our guests: authors John Higgs, Journey to Nutopia co-founder Michelle Olley and theatre director Daisy Campbell. With their help we’ll reveal experiments to challenge our own belief systems, learn more about Robert Anton Wilson and discover why it’s best to keep a set of false teeth in your back pocket.

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/journeytonutopia

https://druidry.org

https://www.drbramwell.com/

https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

https://johnhiggs.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Olley

https://the-mycelium.com/team/

https://www.monbiot.com/

If myths are the means by which we make sense of ourselves and the world around us, how did we become so fixated on stories and systems built around greed, selfishness and competition? How did we come to perceive nature as an unintelligent machine, a mere resource to be plundered? With the help of philosopher Alan Watts we’ll unpick the past two thousand years before meeting guests George Monbiot, Jeremy Lent, mythologist Sharon Blackie and non-binary artist Brooke Palmieri, to learn about some of the most exciting and innovative ideas and movements and myths – from Ecological Civilisation to The Commons –  that just might help guide us into a more networked, inclusive and sustainable future. 

https://druidry.org

https://www.drbramwell.com/

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/journeytonutopia

https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

https://www.brookepalmieri.com/

https://www.monbiot.com/

https://alanwatts.org/

https://sharonblackie.net/

https://www.jeremylent.com/

Adventures in Nutopia is a documentary-style series exploring new stories, movements, myths and ideas to help steer us into a more inclusive, networked and ecological future.

In Nutopia all are welcome. We’re just as excited to share the ideas of pagans, panpsychists and psychedelic pioneers as we are of scientists, economists and cognitive historians. Though, if we’re honest, we do find the pomposity of men like Richard Dawkins a bit of a drag and may prefer to pack them off to clown school first.

Mixing guest interviews with experiments, field trips and live performances we’ll delve into such themes as community, re-enchantment, sustainability, ecology, creativity, magick, doughnut economics, psychedelia, the healing power of sound, narrative-based medicine and discordianism. We’ll explore the origins of the myths that shaped western thinking, the concept of reality tunnels, agro-ecology, the pioneering work with VR for mental health, precession fermentation, Ecological Civilisation, The Commons, the Eightfold Wheel of the Year and the resurgence of interest in pilgrimage and ritual.

And don’t worry about po-faced beard-stroking: there’s plenty of mischief, fun and weirdness to be had.

Gratitude and support goes out to our friends at Journey to Nutopia for their role in our provenance. Nutopia was established by John and Yoko in 1973 as a place with no boundaries. Its international anthem is four seconds of silence.

This podcast is made with the generous support of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and Hawkwood College of Future Thinking.

https://druidry.org

https://www.drbramwell.com

https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/journeytonutopia

Our ancestors invested great importance in the power of dreams. Across traditional, indigenous and pre-industrialised cultures – including the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians – they were an integral part of the healing process and a tool for divination. So why do most of us give so little consideration to them now? What is hypnagogia? What techniques can help us lucid dream? What might precognitive dreams tell us about the nature of time? This episode dives into the poetic realms of dreams and even offers insomnia sufferers fresh advice on how to get a better night’s kip. 

With guests Sarah Janes, Gary Lachman, Philip Carr-Gomm and Kate Alderton. 

https://themysteries.org/

https://www.gary-lachman.com/

https://philipcarr-gomm.com/

https://dreamfishingsociety.com/

If our capitalist economic model of perpetual growth was presented as a myth it would read something like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. As for our economic unit of measure, in a speech in 1968 Robert Kennedy described GDP as ‘measuring everything except that which is worthwhile’. Are there economic models out there that might allow for a paradigm shift from the need for constant growth to a system that is more sustainable, regulated, and nurturing of life? In this episode David attempts to get his head around doughnut economics, de-growth and how our financial systems might be radically reimagined.

With guests Sir Tim Smit, Kate Raworth, David Barmes, Timothee Parrique, Inez Aponte and Sara Osterholzer.

https://www.edenproject.com/

https://www.kateraworth.com/

https://positivemoney.org/

https://timotheeparrique.com/

https://www.resilience.org/resilience-author/inez-aponte/

https://saraosterholzer.com/

https://revbilly.com/

As the lights dim and performers take to the stage, is it mere escapism for us or is there something deeply profound about our need to be entertained? Why do we get so fanatical and idolatrous about musicians and film stars, wanting them to be something more than us mere mortals? Might the whole entertainment industry have learned its trade from an ancient shamanic journey of the soul known to some as the death and resurrection show? 

With guests Rogan Taylor, journalist Jude Rogers, Dr. Marissa Carnesky, Kris Hughes/drag queen Maggi Noggi and magician Paul Zenon.

https://carnesky.com/

http://www.paulzenon.com

https://www.angleseydruidorder.co.uk/kristoffer?tab=about

@judgerogers