The Movement We Need ~ with Starhawk

Transforming the War Cult , a by-donation online course, begins this Tuesday, September 29. Learn more here.

Ritual is an important tool in meeting the core human needs discussed throughout my Substack essays and podcast. One of the core human needs I talk about a lot is the need for belonging, which is something that’s very basic to us as human beings. Read more and watch the meditation video on my Substack .

I want to talk about transforming the war cult. For many years, I’ve been thinking and writing about how the transition from cultures that were what I like to call matrifocal, not exactly the same as matriarchal, meaning “woman ruled,” but matrifocal, being “woman-focused,” and “female-focused,” focused on life, on bringing life into the world, on nurturing life rather than on war and conquest and...

In this episode, I speak with my friend and lifelong activist, organizer, and author, Shea Howell. And it’s a goodie! Shea’s life’s work has been centered in grassroots democracy, racial, economic, and environmental justice, nonviolence, and creating community-led ways of responding to the challenges people face. It is a real opportunity to have Shea here on the podcast, and I hope you look furthe...

I recently did a podcast on some of the visions I created for my book, The Fifth Sacred Thing ( watch or listen here ). And in this episode, I want to follow up by sharing some of the visions from its sequel, City of Refuge . The Fifth Sacred Thing came out in 1993, so its vision of the future is more, well, present-day today . But City of Refuge, I actually wrote about twenty years after the fact...

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As we move through the festival of Lamas (also known as Loaf Mass Day or Lughnasadh), I have recorded a meditation for hope, growth, and community. Aligning the seasons and our inner resources, I’ll share a little about the significance of Lamas (Lunasad) in Celtic tradition and its timing at the summer midpoint. I also touch on the significance of planting seeds and the role of ritual and ceremon...

This interview is with my dear friend, fierce activist, Lisa Fithian . The interview happened at the beginning of the year, and we almost lost the audio. But we prevailed! Much of the interview was recovered, and I encourage you to join us and even grab a notebook to glean some of Lisa’s brilliant guidance. Learn more: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance SHUT IT DOWN

In this episode, I talk to my friend Lynn Stone. We have a really good conversation about the core principles of movement building, power dynamics, facilitation, and community organizing. Lynn offers a few practical frameworks, like the five-finger decision-making system and the importance of compassionate boundaries to foster resilient, inclusive movements.

In this episode, I speak with two activists, Ruby Pinto and Rae Breaux from the Center for Story-Based Strategy . Storytelling shapes activism, influences perception, and can transform movements for justice and societal change. We experienced significant connectivity issues and lost some of the recording, so bear with us, as it is a wonderful and helpful conversation! I encourage you to visit the...

Imagine a future world with aligned human values. In this July 4th meditation, I explore the ideals behind America’s founding, the current political landscape, and how we can envision and work toward a future rooted in justice, liberty, and community. I hope you find this to be a supportive and meditative guide to understanding our role in shaping a better world. 🌀 If you find this helpful, pleas...

As you will hear in this episode, my guest and co-conspirator, Charles Williams and I have gotten into all sorts of good trouble together. And, we have collaborated as teachers for many years through Earth Actvist Training , working toward real solutions to challenges we face within our communities and from climate change. I’m really glad to have my dear friend on this episode to talk about how pe...

During this summer solstice, I’m reflecting on the power of ritual and ceremony. Rituals are more than traditions. In them, we meet our human needs for belonging and purpose, transforming how we connect with ourselves and each other. In this meditation, I’ll move through the historical and cultural importance of solstices in pagan and Celtic traditions, and the symbolism of flowers, especially ros...

In this special episode for my series on Strategy, I chat with my dear friend Brandi Mack. Brandi is a wholehearted, joyous, and dedicated permaculture and community activist who has served in urban garden projects and land stewardship in Calaveras County. Co-founder of the Butterfly Movement, her work in fostering wellness, cultural regeneration, and land-based connection is wide and deep. Learn...

I have been wanting to speak to Daniel Hunter from Freedom Trainers for some time, and am delighted to share with you a conversation I had with him for this series on strategy. Together, we look at the underpinnings of effective social and environmental movements through decentralized organizing, nonviolent resistance, and strategic planning. All crucial for challenging authoritarian regimes and c...

In this episode, we continue this special series on STRATEGY. I first ran into  David Snowden's Cynefin  framework in a video about, of all things, grazing. Probably most of you are not worrying about how best to graze a flock of sheep or a herd of cows, and I don’t think Snowden had grazing in mind when he came up with this framework. But it works well for understanding the difference between...

This episode is part two, looking at Donella Meadows’ 12-leverage points and work on intervention strategies. So grab a notebook, listen with your groups, and of course, if you are on the move, take it along for the ride and revisit whenever you need. Read: Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows or her shorter article Leverage Points . Learn more about Donella Meadows Systems Change WAYS TO SUP...

This episode is a great study companion! So grab a notebook, listen with your groups, and of course, if you are on the move, take it along for the ride and revisit whenever you need. Over the next forty minutes, I will look at the application of systems theory to movement building, particularly 12-leverage points from Donella Meadows’ work on intervention strategies. WAYS TO SUPPORT STARHAWK’S FRE...

In this podcast episode, I offer a conversation about Mayday, Pagan Festival, International Workers Day, & General Strike. SPECIAL MEDITATION: PLUS, enjoy a special meditation at the end of this episode. To celebrate life, honor the workers of the world, and bring about a world of greater justice. WAYS TO SUPPORT STARHAWK’S FREE TEACHINGS: Become a paid Substack subscriber I know the economy i...

I have decided to do a little series here on strategy because I truly believe we are going to win in the end. We are going to return to some form of democracy, hopefully a better form than we had before, which led us into this mess. But to do that, we need to know where we want to go and we need a plan for how to get there. And that is what strategy is all about. In this episode, I want to talk ab...

I wanted to do a little series here on the podcast on strategy. We want to build a movement for justice. And in order to achieve what we need to achieve, we need a strategy to get there. In this episode, I offer some teachings, guidance, and personal experiences that ritual, in particular, has taught me about strategy and movement building. As we move into a new chapter of the podcast, I would lov...

READ 📚 Starhark: Dreaming in the Dark Silvia Federici: Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation David Kubrin: Marxism and Witchcraft Deirdre English: Witches, Midwives, and Nurses Visit Starhawk. Substack.com

Visit ⁠www.earthactivisttraining.org⁠ to learn more about Socially Engaged Permaculture and our Permaculture Design programs. Visit ⁠starhawk.substack.com⁠ to join a vibrant community of movement building with Starhawk

In this episode, I reflect on the profound interconnectedness of all life. I share some musings following my morning meditation outside on my back porch, observing a Redwood tree. Recognizing ourselves as part of a living tapestry truly can inspire gratitude, empathy, and collective action. So here, I share a little from my personal journey, the spiritual significance of nature, and tried and true...