A New And Ancient Story
I have been a fan of Charles Eisenstein’s writing for a long time now and actually attended one of his courses at Schumacher College in 2015. I guess I would describe him as a thinker and a dreamer; someone who applies intellectual rigour to some pretty radical ideas. While I accept that he won’t be to everyone’s taste, his words resonate deeply with me. And so when I was invited to join his new on-line community, called A New And Ancient Story, I didn’t hesitate.
I’ve been a member only since 2020 and I’m still finding my way in and my voice. It is an American founded community, although international enough to only occasionally feel like I don’t belong there. There are currently just over 3,800 members and I guessing a few hundred of these are from the UK. NAAS’ strapline is “An oasis for compassionate learning, unlearning, and sense-making” and that sums up what it’s like there pretty accurately. There is plenty there for someone looking to become and eco-citizen but that’s really only part of the story; the Forum covers much broader, and more radical territory. It really is a good place for you if you want to dream big and imagine a world system very different from the one we are in now. NASS’s description of itself is:
“We are a community of care, discussion, exploration, and development of a new (and ancient) mythology. We hold each other in the heart's knowledge that a more beautiful world is possible. We encourage each other to deepen our service to that possibility. Our topics span the political and the personal, the ecological and the relational, as no aspect of life will be untouched by the transformation that is before us.”
Most of my time has been spent reading and being inspired by some of the people and material. I’ve made a couple of contributions and connections, but am still a bit hesitant. I think my hesitancy is caused by not being sure of my intention and having doubts about credibility. I’m hoping both of these things will be temporary.
What I really like about the forum is three things I would summarise as the culture, the foundation and the structure.
By culture I mean the way it feels to be a member of this community. NAAS is run by good people and you can really feel the grace, humility and wholeheartedness of the members. It feels like a place where you can express yourself without fear. Although a lot of the topics inspire a wider range of fierce emotions, a lot of attention is paid to how people communicate with each other, maintaining respect for others and genuine interest in all voices. In other words people own their own shit and let others do the same.
The foundation of the forum is clearly Charles Eisenstein and his work. The fact that it doesn’t feel like a cult is testament to his humility and also the grace of the forum organisers, particularly Patsy Eisenstein, Charles ex-wife. So if people who join have one thing in common I guess it is probably that they have been impacted in some way by Charles’ writing, speaking and/or teaching (in my case all three).
The structure of the site makes it really easy to use. Apart from the usual administrative stuff you would expect from an on-line forum, NAAS is primarily organised by topics and groups. The topics are really the heart of the forum. There are twenty eight topics, on a wide range of subjects such as ecology, Covid, health, humour, death. Within each topic people are free to post items, share stories, review and reflect.
There are eight subject-based groups and loads of geographical ones. Living in Southampton I have become a member of SW England, SE England and London. The geographical groups are very recent so still try to get established, but when the Covid lockdown eases there is a hope people will be able to meet face-to-face.
There are also events publicised and run by the forum, although I’m yet to take part. And of course it’s a place to review and discuss Charles work.