about
Things to remember as this world dies:
〰️you did not come here to pay bills and die
〰️nor did you come to build the fortunes of those destroying the Earth
〰️Imagine Instead
〰️that you came to gather precious things
〰️fallen from the pockets of Ancient Ones as they fled the desert's march
〰️each a reminder of something they pledged never to forget
〰️Things Like:
〰️how to call birds by name with your whistle
〰️which news to tell the bees
〰️and which to share only with the moon
〰️how to tell a parliment from a conspiracy
〰️a colony from a convocation
〰️Things Like:
〰️Nature has no race or nation, class or creed
〰️except when humans seek to deceive - division designed to sever you from kith and kin and buddha-mind
〰️Things like:
〰️the antidote to oppression is not freedom but belonging
〰️the opposite of domination is communion
〰️the medicine you need is always outside your door - and there's likely a wise woman two streets away to show you how to use it
〰️These things were left to help us remember:
〰️how each world before has ended
〰️and how each death became a door to a new life
〰️and how this world wants to take you in her arms and make of you a lover
〰️and have you listen to the land
〰️talk to the stream
〰️find meaning in the silence of trees
〰️and wisdom on the signing breeze
〰️Listen a while to discover:
〰️the right season for all the ten thousand things
〰️the ninety-nine names we use for our own divinity
〰️how to share power - so that it cannot be captured by the vain and greedy
〰️how to step into the flow of life
〰️and make of the Earth a common treasury for all beings
〰️how to map the stars
〰️learn the lesson of each constellation
〰️and still know there is more in heaven and earth than any of us were ever meant to know
〰️So fill your pockets as this world dies
〰️knowing some of it will guide you to the next
〰️and some will fall to the ground in time to be found
〰️by those who'll bring the world back to life
〰️by those who'll bring the world back to life
Chris Taylor, 1/1/24
Things to remember as this world dies: 〰️you did not come here to pay bills and die 〰️nor did you come to build the fortunes of those destroying the Earth 〰️Imagine Instead 〰️that you came to gather precious things 〰️fallen from the pockets of Ancient Ones as they fled the desert's march 〰️each a reminder of something they pledged never to forget 〰️Things Like: 〰️how to call birds by name with your whistle 〰️which news to tell the bees 〰️and which to share only with the moon 〰️how to tell a parliment from a conspiracy 〰️a colony from a convocation 〰️Things Like: 〰️Nature has no race or nation, class or creed 〰️except when humans seek to deceive - division designed to sever you from kith and kin and buddha-mind 〰️Things like: 〰️the antidote to oppression is not freedom but belonging 〰️the opposite of domination is communion 〰️the medicine you need is always outside your door - and there's likely a wise woman two streets away to show you how to use it 〰️These things were left to help us remember: 〰️how each world before has ended 〰️and how each death became a door to a new life 〰️and how this world wants to take you in her arms and make of you a lover 〰️and have you listen to the land 〰️talk to the stream 〰️find meaning in the silence of trees 〰️and wisdom on the signing breeze 〰️Listen a while to discover: 〰️the right season for all the ten thousand things 〰️the ninety-nine names we use for our own divinity 〰️how to share power - so that it cannot be captured by the vain and greedy 〰️how to step into the flow of life 〰️and make of the Earth a common treasury for all beings 〰️how to map the stars 〰️learn the lesson of each constellation 〰️and still know there is more in heaven and earth than any of us were ever meant to know 〰️So fill your pockets as this world dies 〰️knowing some of it will guide you to the next 〰️and some will fall to the ground in time to be found 〰️by those who'll bring the world back to life 〰️by those who'll bring the world back to life Chris Taylor, 1/1/24
Our Services
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New Storytelling
Contrary to the stories we have been told about ourselves and our world, we understand that not only we are deeply connected to each other and all life, but that this connection enlivens us to be much more than we previously thought possible.
Drawing on speculative fiction, quantum social change and serious play as a means of summoning the sacredness alive in each of us, we work to bring forth new stories for our futures. These stories, more than fables, become the blueprint and truth of our future.
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Community-based Research and Advocacy
Based on the goals of the futures we desire, we design research approaches and evaluation frameworks that gather meaningful data and novel stories from amongst the communities we work alongside. These are used to iterate and refine programs as well as to demonstrate outcomes , share learnings and to advance new policies.
We believe strongly that the medium is (part of) the message, and our reports use innovative knowledge translation approaches, drawing on the arts (e.g, illustration, comics, poetry, music and theatrical performances) as well as traditional qualitative and quantitative data.
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What's Next? Co-Design Workshops
Our work in community has taught us that there is both deep wisdom and deep trauma as a result of surviving the colonialist, capitalist world order. We understand that moving forward together, first requires nurturing our emotional health and our spiritual connection to our ancestors and the natural world.
Using somatic, creative and contemplative practices, we create a flexible and grounded space which is both safe and brave. This allows for an unearthing of our deepest desires for ourselves and our futures. From here, we have conversations about our own agency, the root causes of the poly-crisis, and co-design solutions to our self-identified priorities as they relate to our new stories.
If you have a particular workshop, training goal or desired outcome, let's talk about how we can customize or create new offerings to meet your needs.
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Co-Founder
Anjum was born in Tkaronto to immigrants from India and Tanzania. She is a solo parent to two kids, a gardener and cyclist, human factors engineer and design strategist with over 20 years of experience leading systems change in healthcare. Her ongoing desire to address the root causes of poor health led to her found good futures collective to further climate and social justice.
Anjum holds degrees in Systems Design Engineering and Biomedical Engineering from the universities of Waterloo and Toronto respectively, and most recently completed a fellowship in Leading Social Justice at the School of Cities and Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto.
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Co-Founder
Minaz has worked in the field of Environmental Studies for 25 years. Over the past 13 years, she has worked at the intersection of environment, parks and community development, working with over 100 local groups in Toronto’s underserved communities.
When the pandemic began in March 2020, Minaz facilitated over 200 online meetings, webinars and remote workshops bringing together underserved communities as a network to help create more inclusive and equitable parks and green spaces shaped by and for the people living there.