Climate Change in the Multiverse

Visual artist and Buckminster Fuller scholar Benjamin Lowder talks about creating in alignment with the natural structures and patterns of the Universe, transmuting spelling and word magic, how fear feeds the demiurge, the tension between fighting the old and building the new, and what it means to support Bucky's legacy of making the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

Placing the question, "Does God exist?" at the center of his first feature length film came naturally for writer-director Ian Ebright. After crafting multiple thoughtful short films about morality and the social contracts that bind (or unbind) us, debating the existence of God was a natural progression for the Seattle-based filmmaker. When I met Ian in September at the Gig Harbor Film Festival and he pitched the plot of The Way We Speak to me at the festival’s infamous Friday night party, I knew it would be worth the 9AM screening time. And, boy, was I not wrong. After watching it, I immediately wanted to dig in further to the making of the film and the themes it depicts: Pride... Grief... God... The power of Certainty and its inevitable unraveling… All delivered in a sharp and compelling package. Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul) leads the brilliant ensemble cast as Simon Harrington, an up and coming atheist writer and public intellectual hungry for recognition. Set to debate his best friend onstage over the question “Does God exist?“ everything begins to unravel when his friend falls ill and is replaced by a young, successful, and attractive Christian author (played by Kailey Rhodes). Complicating things further is Simon’s relationship with his — also markedly more successful — wife, Claire (Diana Coconubo), who requires his care and attention in way that he wants, but struggles, to give.The Way We Speak is a sharp and humbling look at the modern man and the lengths he may go to in order to be seen and heard in a cultural climate that is done with all things white, male, and “old.” In our conversation, Ian and I discuss the way stories shape us and how the film came to fruition. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! The Way We Speak is available to watch on streaming platforms like Apple and Amazon Prime and Ian’s short films are available to watch on his website. Listen to our conversation here or feel free to tune into wherever you get your podcasts by searching “Climate Change in the Multiverse.” Cheers! Love and the Multiverse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

The above conversation with poet, writer, thinker, artist, and doctorette of philosophy, elianne el-amyouni, was recorded in March 2024. elianne and Kelly sit down to discuss elianne’s thesis on the Palestinian political identity, how queerness leads to liberation, the performative ruse of the colonial justice system, and leaving behind the transactional nature of modern datingWhile neither elianne nor Kelly believe in the integrity of nation states, they know today that countries are social constructs that govern our lives in many ways. Our world runs on imaginary borders and their rules about who can and cannot cross them. In their conversation, elianne shares about what it’s like growing up under the threat of warfare and how that changes one’s relationship to death — and being alive. they also touch on alchemy, culture, justice, and how language shapes it all May we all embody the knowing that our collective futures are linked to one another. Cheers to Joel Ashton McCarthy for filming and editing this podcast video episode. The Pluriverse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

When I ran for political office in 2020, on the day of the election, a user on X (then known as Twitter) messaged me to say that he wanted to vote for me but couldn’t bring himself to do it because of the fanciful sentiment in my bio. “Words ARE Spells” it said.Because they are.But the Twitter user disagreed. He explained that this sort of thinking wasn’t suited for governmental service, that it didn’t make sense and that I was out to lunch. While his hunch that I am not suited for government is probably correct, his certainty that “Words ARE Spells” is unreasonable and even ludicrous statement reflects back to us just how clueless most people are to the power of beliefs, actions, thoughts, and, yes, words. spell/spel/1. write or name the letters that form (a word) in correct sequence2. an ability to control or influence people as though one had magical power over themNowhere is the power of words more obvious than in politics. Policies and laws begin as words on paper. What more to you want from me, Twitter man? People in power make up rules and we have to abide by them. Because words. The deed to a house. A rental contract. Marriage licenses. Non-disclosure agreements. Words bind us, they shape and guide our behavior. Most of what we have is words. We could get into the science, metaphysics, or occult of it all, looking at proof for the power of words and how they create of reality, but do we need to? You know this truth just as well as I do. You know it every time you say the wrong thing and have to live with the regret, the consequences. You know every time you go for the joke and land it, when you get a laugh or the smile out of them. You know it when you say “I love you” and “I can’t” and “Please?” Words aren’t just spells. Words are spells that alter timelines. In the infinite multiverse words are our steering wheel, our rudder. While sometimes the wind and the waves may be strong, altering our course despite how we steer, most of the time we have the ability to choose in which direction we go. “Choose your words wisely. The fate of the multiverse may depend on it.” - Wong, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of MadnessVideo: Words ARE Spells (short film, 2020)The Pluriverse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain, and it felt like my desire.I was equal parts happy and sad.Sad at first– Frustrated.Am I not yet empty?How do I still conjure so many feelings?How can one body feel so much?And then I woke from my half-sleep and remembered the drought.I remembered the sad snow pack and the bare mountains–And I gave gratitude for the rain.I remembered that bodies are meant to feel.That we are meant to yearn, and drip with desire.That there is nothing sad about the wet, wet rain.So I offered myself a re-frame: your tears, the water from your eyes,They keep your body fertile.Just like the water from the skies keeps the earth blossoming, growing anew.But if our desire leads us to disappointment, what to we do?We anger.We shame.We blame.Ourselves most of all.It's too hard.I want to give up.Why me?Would you have the skies give up?Dry up?I am not here to encourage you to let your grief or anger overwhelm you.Or to let your despair to take root.I am here to remind you that desire is a path, and all paths lead to mirrors.A friend asked me this morning, as I was lying in bed listening to the rain, Can we get all the love we need from ourselves and not rely on another person?No, I responded.We are communal creatures.I am because you are.But we can learn to live with less yearning.We can let the rains pass through us to water new seeds–And weeds.To help them grow, and we decide which to keep and which to pull.And we decide what serves and with whom we want to build.And we trust.We pray that the rain continues to come.Not in torrents or floods.Gently.Softly.Slowly.So when the storms do come, we are no longer afraid of the rain.Because we know that we are the climate.We are the change.The above is of the below–And our only job is to learn to let life flowAnna Valeska Pohl is a performance artist based in Berlin, Germany. Photo shoot on Tongvaland / Venice Beach, CA. Listen to our conversation on spiritual practice, the gift of loneliness, and the process of creating intuitive and vulnerable artwork. The Pluriverse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

Organizer, artist, and engineer Kia Zahrabi speaks with Kelly about the one year anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, the history of hijab laws in Iran, Iranians' ongoing struggle and revolution against the Islamic Regime, Zoroastrianism, and the embers burning just below the surface.Follow Nazanin Boniadi, Iranian Knowledge, Amplify Iran, Iranian Diaspora Collective, United for Masha, Center for Human Rights in Iran, Gol Farahani, and nsuncollective. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

Amrita Ahuja, the Founder of Groundwork, speaks to Kelly about the challenges of living in the upside down world, how we've normalized to being in survival mode, the pain underneath it all, closing the small gaps, and being in service of something greater than ourselves. Follow Amrita @groundwork.xyz This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

No! More! Energetic! Liabilities! This is message reverberating from Oracle, energy reader, and world traveler Molly Jane. In this episode, we talk about being the human, grid work, meeting in Guatemala, the Barbie movie, pushing the edges of your psyche, ending the “Five of Wands” struggle within your self, and the necessity of having fun. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

Alchemist, shapeshifter, and TikTok star Elianne El-Amyouni -- aka Twitchy Witch -- joins Kelly to talk about ego death, existential crises and depression, Jesus and the paradox of suffering under capitalism, being a fool for love, the cost of groceries, finding balance, and accepting that the world is always ending. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe

Kelly chats with her cousin, prolific sitcom writer Chuck Tatham, about the WGA strike, his time working on Arrested Development, how the industry has changed over the past 30 years, AI, mini-rooms, and the best part of working in TV: snacks. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepluriverse.substack.com/subscribe