What's Next for Resonant World
Sharing some ideas about how this one-year-old project could evolve
“When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order.” Attributed to Ilya Prigogine, recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in chemistry, quoted by Kaiāulu.
Resonant World #40
In my wildest imagination, I see Resonant World growing into a media platform providing a 24/7 feed of posts, podcasts and video serving audiences around the world.
The intent would be to support what could loosely be termed “the global healing movement” — the network of initiatives and organisations working to support communities to integrate individual, trans-generational and collective trauma, and embrace the new futures that open up as a result.
I sketched out a vision for how such a “quantum newsroom” might work in Resonant World #7. And there’s no shortage of a stories to tell: The 50-plus guests appearing at the annual nine-day Collective Trauma Summit, (going online from Sept. 24-Oct. 6) represent only a tiny fraction of the people doing cutting-edge work in this field. There are many more voices to elevate, challenges to explore, and projects to profile.
But there’s some clarifying thinking to be done first, perhaps.
Midwifing the Future
Though Resonant World refers a lot to “healing collective trauma” (and the Thomas Hübl book by that title is a foundational influence), I launched this newsletter in part because I wanted a sandbox to experiment with new ways of capturing more of the essence of emergent processes that often defy conventional frames.
What I’ve learned so far is that the work of integrating collective trauma is about much more than fixing something that’s broken. Yes, we absolutely need to recognize the impact that cultural trauma fields have on each of us, and work to free ourselves as far as possible from these shadows. But it’s what lies through, and beyond, that work that’s so truly revolutionary: New ways of sensing, communicating and connecting — an upgrade, in a sense, to the recursive algorithms that keep us stuck, both on a personal and collective level. It’s about midwifing a far more expanded sense of what’s possible — a space that can feel at once very novel and very familiar — and so needed right now.
Here’s a few ideas for how Resonant World might help with that in the short-term:
Iterating a more sharply defined “Manifesto” for how this work can have the most impact, where’s its most needed. Working title: “How To Revoutionalize Mental Health.”
Share more inspiring stories and profiles to make more of what’s already happening visible, and point to what might be possible
Write more consistently (and concisely)
Invite more guest writers to broaden collaboration and cross-pollination
Share more of my own “shadow work” to help with my own integration, as well as support others working through their own process
Expand videos and podcasts to support the above
Explore how this work can support non-polarising social movements, particularly in the climate space
Inquire as to how models including the Comprehensive Resource Model developed by Lisa Schwarz (Resonant World #26, Resonant World#27) and Richard Schwartz’s Internally Family Systems might cast our contemporary collective crises — such as climate change — in a new light.
Walking Questions
Here’s some of the things I’m figuring out — with ideas or offers of support gratefully received:
Explore potential online or in-person gatherings for subscribers who want to connect around themes they’ve read about in the newsletter
Figure out how to make my work to support the collective healing movement financially sustainable so I can do more of it, for bigger impact
Write sharper critiques of the unconscious agreements and trauma architecture that keeps us stuck, while also showing how these can be transformed
Support the emergence of media systems rooted in this awareness
Create a new logo and design to cement the look and feel (Any offers of help on this front gratefully received!)
Integrate Resonant World and my emerging pro bono role as coherence correspondent at Kaiāulu, a nonprofit initiative leveraging the power of “applied coherence” and indigenous cosmology to protect primary forests.
And perhaps most importantly:
There’s a pithy statement to convey the essence and significance of this work that’s still eluding me: the elevator pitch for the book I intend Resonant World to one day become. Perhaps conversations with more people in this movement, based on the question: “What needs to be said now?” might help to ground this intuition into a clearer form. (Thank you to Daniel Simpson, creator of the Ancient Futures newsletter, for helping me to arrive at this realisation).
Going Paid
I have held back on charging for Resonant World, though I’m planning to activate voluntary subscriptions some time soon, so those who wish to support the newsletter financially can do so. (A big thank-you to all those who have pledged so far).
I’m also considering whether shifting to a combination of free and partly paywalled posts might be the best way to sustain Resonant World in the long run. Stay tuned.
Catalyst
In the aftermath of the pandemic, I formulated a commitment statement: To serve as a catalyst for exponential advances in the healing of collective trauma, at scale.
I hope Resonant World can continue to serve this aim, while helping to inspire and sustain those ready to answer their own individual call, face the fear that inevitably entails, and explore the surprising new vistas that appear on the other side.
As ever, I very much appreciate your engagement, ideas, suggestions and support.
Yours, in resonance,
Matthew
I write and record Resonant World in my spare time from my work as an editor at nonprofit climate news service DeSmog. Support from readers is a huge boost — and that includes forwarding, sharing, or commenting in response to my posts. Any variety of coffee most gratefully accepted! Thank you for following the project this far.
Work with Me: Soul-Witnessing Via The Tarot
If you enjoy Resonant World, then you may find a Tarot session with me illuminating. My goal is to open an oracular space (to borrow Matthew Stelzner’s term) to help you access the part of yourself that knows the answers you seek, and can communicate precisely via the symbols on the cards. I charge £70 / $90 for a session that typically lasts 90 minutes, including a guided meditation to establish a coherent field linking us with the cards. Sessions in-person (in London) or via Zoom. (I am a member of the Tarot Association of the British Isles and abide by its code of ethics). Do feel free to email me if you have any questions. Reading the Tarot is one of my absolute favourite things to do, and I love what sessions can unlock.
I love the question “What needs to be said now?”
I also love the ideas around gatherings and cross pollination- I certainly found it powerful when we worked together, and find co creation is calling us in the field in a large and deep way.
And I certainly would pay to subscribe to Resonant world!
Re Catalyst
Matt, I would suggest that you more accurately capture your work and intention by "To address the healing of collective trauma at MULTIPLE levels of scale". The patterns of collective trauma recognised and transformed are often isomorphic at multiple levels of scale. That is the power of doing the personal, community and collective levels of healing through garherings and circles.
Thank you for this envisioning of an alternative media platform that integrates your gifts and networks of connection.