by Listen to the call of the Earth and take action.
Taste the sweet nectar of stories and articles that make your spirit soar. Gaia's Call is the whispered secret between the pages, urging you to become an Eco-Guardian for our planet's wonders. 📚✨ Listen to the call of the Earth and take action. <br/><br/><a href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/s/gaiacall?utm_medium=podcast">wbradfordswift.substack.com</a>
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April 25, 2025
<p><strong>From Domination to Stewardship</strong></p><p>Back in 2011, when I first began writing Dominion Over All—the eco-fantasy novel that launched the Zak Bates Eco-Adventure series—I opened with two quotes that have stayed with me ever since:</p><p>“God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” — Genesis 1:26</p><p>That then begged this question:</p><p>“But what does ‘dominion’ really mean? It is traditionally interpreted as ‘to subdue’ or ‘to rule over.’ When taken to an extreme, it can include oppression and exploitation. However, an exploited planet Earth does not leave humanity richer. Perhaps there is a deeper, more sustainable aspect of dominion that includes a sense of service to one’s fellow creatures and even a compulsion to protect those who cannot protect themselves.” — The Christian Science Monitor</p><p>Now, whether or not you come from a Christian background, the idea of “dominion” as permission to dominate the Earth has been baked into many modern cultures and systems. But what if that interpretation was never the original intention?</p><p>The Hebrew word translated as “dominion” in Genesis 1:26 is <strong>רָדָה (radah)</strong>. While often rendered as “rule over,” its usage in scripture is layered. In some passages, radah refers to harsh rule, but in others—like Psalm 72—it reflects compassionate leadership and protective care.</p><p>Even more revealing, Genesis 2:15 uses two different Hebrew words—abad and shamar—to describe the human role in Eden: “to work [serve] it and to keep [protect] it.”</p><p>So from the very beginning, it seems our role wasn’t to control or exploit the Earth, but to care for it with reverence. To be stewards—not masters.</p><p>And that brings us to the Fourth Great Truth.</p><p><strong>GT#4: Humanity as Stewards, Not Masters</strong></p><p>The Fourth Great Truth tells us that our purpose on Earth is not to dominate nature but to care for it. We are not its overlords—we are its guardians. True leadership, true greatness, is about serving life, not exploiting it.</p><p>This directly challenges one of the Four Great Untruths: the myth that “Technology Will Save Us.” Technology is a tool—but it is how we use it, and to what end, that defines its value.</p><p>All around the world, we are witnessing a quiet revolution:</p><p>* <strong>The global rewilding movement</strong> is bringing life back to landscapes—reintroducing native species, restoring watersheds, and creating wildlife corridors that reconnect fragmented habitats. These efforts support both biodiversity and climate resilience. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rewilding.org/">Learn more about rewilding here</a>.</p><p>* <strong>Regenerative farmers</strong> are learning to grow food in ways that heal the land—enriching soil, protecting pollinators, increasing biodiversity, and even sequestering carbon. Their practices are a hopeful alternative to the extractive model of industrial agriculture. <a target="_blank" href="https://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/">Explore regenerative farming practices</a>.</p><p>* <strong>Communities are rising</strong> to protect rivers, plant forests, and bring back traditional knowledge in service of renewal. From citizen-led river cleanups to forest guardianship programs led by Indigenous groups, people are rediscovering their place in nature’s web. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-10-24/reviving-hope-wild-horses-and-ecosystem-restoration-in-appalachia-usa/">See stories of grassroots restoration</a>.</p><p>And in the realm of imagination, in <a target="_blank" href="https://books2read.com/b/dominionoverall"><strong>Dominion Over All</strong></a>, young Zak Bates and his wise, flying dog companion Sampson, alongside the last living magic cat Ra-Kit, learn that being a leader isn’t about controlling others. It’s about protecting what matters—especially those who cannot protect themselves. Their adventures take them deep into the heart of ecosystems in peril, where their courage and humility allow them to serve as bridges between human and animal worlds. They don’t save the world by force. They help it heal through partnership, listening, and love.</p><p>And that’s what this truth calls us to now. Not to save the world. But to help it thrive.</p><p><strong>What if being a hero wasn’t about saving the world—but about helping it thrive?</strong></p><p>That’s a question I hope every reader will carry with them.</p><p><strong>Living the Great Truths</strong></p><p>Stewardship is not a lofty ideal. It is a daily practice—a way of walking through the world with awareness, humility, and care.</p><p>And it starts close to home.</p><p>Here are a few small steps we can take:</p><p>* Start a compost pile or community garden.</p><p>* Support local regenerative farmers who grow food in ways that restore the Earth.</p><p>* Choose purchases that give back more than they take—businesses that support reforestation, fair trade, or ocean cleanup.</p><p>* Spend time with young people outdoors. Teach them how to care, how to listen to the land, how to feel part of the great web of life.</p><p><strong>The Ripple Effect:</strong> Even the smallest actions have power. One school that plants pollinator gardens. One family that turns their lawn into habitat. One teenager who organizes a clothing swap instead of buying fast fashion.</p><p>It matters. You matter.</p><p><strong>The Green Family Weaves It Together</strong></p><p>One sunny Saturday in early spring, the Green family gathered in their backyard, gloves on and shovels in hand. Their lawn had once been just grass—but this year, Sarah and Daniel decided it was time for something more. Together with their neighbors, they were building a shared garden. Each raised bed, carefully filled with compost and seedlings, represented a piece of their new story: sufficiency, reciprocity, care.</p><p>While her parents worked the soil, Emma knelt beside a patch of wildflowers. She was tracking bees for a school project, marveling at how their tiny wings helped nourish entire ecosystems. “They’re like Earth’s little messengers,” she told her mom. “And we’re their helpers, right?”</p><p>Lucas, now sixteen, had just returned from the local thrift store where he’d set up a clothing swap with friends. “It’s kind of wild,” he said. “Turns out you don’t need to buy new stuff to feel good about how you look.”</p><p>Later that evening, Nancy and Robert sat on the porch swing, watching their grandchildren play in the dusk. “I think this is what stewardship really means,” Robert said softly. “Not big speeches. Just… how we live, day to day.”</p><p>Nancy nodded. “And what we choose to pass on.”</p><p><strong>Reflection and Inspiration</strong></p><p>Which of these Great Truths resonates most with you? How might you start living it today?</p><p>Choose one and begin. Keep a journal. Start a conversation. Or join an Earth Listening Circle in your community.</p><p>Because the truth is, you don’t have to save the world. You just have to care for your corner of it.</p><p>And that, dear Eco-Guardian, is enough to change everything.</p><p><strong>Brad</strong></p><p>P. S. </p><p>If you are a lover of animals or have a 10-16 year old boy or girl who loves animals and to read, I heartily recommend my own book, <a target="_blank" href="https://books2read.com/b/dominionoverall"><strong>Dominion Over All</strong></a> which was inspired by <strong>Severn Cullis-Suzuki</strong>. In 1992, then just twelve years old, Severn gave a speech at the UN with the same sense of urgency as Greta's speech in 2019.</p><p><strong>P.S.S. A Powerful Step You Can Take Today</strong></p><p>One of the simplest, most powerful ways to reduce your carbon footprint—and give Mother Earth a fighting chance to recover—is to embrace a more plant-rich diet.</p><p>Food production accounts for up to a third of planet-heating emissions. But the good news? Every bite we take is an opportunity to choose differently.</p><p>You don’t have to go vegan overnight. Just consider these steps:</p><p>* <strong>Cut back on beef:</strong> Replacing even half of your beef intake with plant proteins can slash your dietary emissions by 20%.</p><p>* <strong>Try plant-based dairy:</strong> Swapping to soy or almond milk can reduce emissions by 8%.</p><p>* <strong>Shift toward a vegetarian or vegan diet:</strong> These options reduce your food-related emissions by 48–69%.</p><p>It’s not about perfection. It’s about intention. Every small shift matters.</p><p>And when you do it with love—for your health, your family, and your home planet—it becomes more than a diet.</p><p>It becomes an act of stewardship.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://drawdown.org/solutions/reduced-food-waste">Learn more about climate-friendly eating here</a>.</p><p><p>There’s a shift unfolding—and it needs your voice, your vision, your care. One Cause is more than a newsletter. It’s a movement. Join us as we remember how to be stewards of the Earth.</p></p><p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">wbradfordswift.substack.com/subscribe</a>
April 22, 2025
<p></p><p>Today is Earth Day.</p><p>A day that for decades has been about honoring the Earth. About planting trees, cleaning up rivers, hosting school fairs, and pretending for just a moment that we’re all aligned around something so obvious it shouldn’t even need saying: this is our only home. Let’s protect it.</p><p>But today, on Earth Day 2025, I find myself not just planting seeds of hope—but fighting to keep the very soil from being sold out beneath our feet.</p><p>Because this year, Earth Day arrives just days after a devastating Executive Order was signed by President Trump—an act so sweeping in scope and so cold in its consequences that it may mark a point of no return for life as we know it.</p><p>Let’s be clear about what this order does: It declares that unless environmental protections from the past century are explicitly re-approved—one by one—they will simply expire. Gone. Not voted out. Not repealed. Just vanished by default.</p><p>Let that sink in: The <strong>Endangered Species Act</strong>? Sunset. The <strong>Marine Mammal Protection Act</strong>? Gone. The <strong>Migratory Bird Treaty Act</strong>? Nullified. The <strong>Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act</strong>? History. The very laws that brought the bald eagle, gray wolf, California condor, and hundreds of others back from the brink will disappear into a legal void unless reauthorized by the very agencies now pressured to do the opposite.</p><p>This is not deregulation. This is ecological euthanasia.</p><p>And while the language of the order speaks of "innovation," "prosperity," and "modernizing energy policy," the result is painfully clear:</p><p><strong>Unleash American Energy = Unleash American Extraction.</strong></p><p>The Earth is not a warehouse to be looted. It is a living, breathing web of life—and that web is being torn apart at the exact moment we need it most.</p><p>I’ll be honest. It’s hard to write and read this today. I’m angry. I’m exhausted. And I’m grieving.</p><p>I’m grieving not just for the creatures whose fates hang in the balance, but for my two young grandchildren, Logan and Piper. They are 4 and 2 years old—still small enough to see magic in a butterfly, a bird’s nest, or a whale’s tail. And unless something changes, they may grow up in a world where those wonders are memories of a broken age their grandfather tried—and failed—to protect.</p><p>This isn’t policy. This is suicide with a legal signature.</p><p>We are living through a <strong>metacrisis</strong>—a convergence of ecological collapse, economic instability, cultural fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection. But this Executive Order? It accelerates every part of it. It doesn’t just ignore the climate crisis. It pours gasoline on it and strikes a match.</p><p>And here’s what’s almost as chilling as the order itself:</p><p><strong>Where is the outrage?</strong> Why is this not front-page news? Why isn’t every network broadcasting emergency coverage? Why are we not seeing hundreds of thousands of people filling the streets in protest on Earth Day of all days?</p><p>Have we already given up? Or have we been hit with so many of these Four Great Untruths-style gut-punches that we no longer recognize when we’re being dealt a fatal blow?</p><p>Is this silence fatigue? Or resignation? Or just the dull ache of a collective nervous system that's been overloaded one too many times?</p><p>Whatever the cause, the silence is deafening—and dangerous.</p><p>So what do we do on Earth Day, when it feels like the Earth itself has been put on death row?</p><p>We don’t give up. We <strong>sound the alarm</strong>. We <strong>speak the truth</strong>. We <strong>refuse to normalize insanity</strong>.</p><p>Because the moment we go quiet is the moment the looters win.</p><p>And even now—especially now—there is power in our refusal.</p><p>Let this Earth Day be a turning point. Let it be the day we declare: We will not let our children grow up in a world where puffins and porpoises, wolves and whales, and the very laws that protect them are all extinct.</p><p>Call your representatives. Take to the streets. Join or start an Earth Listening Circle. Say what must be said, even if your voice shakes.</p><p>Because if there’s still breath in our lungs and love in our hearts, then it’s not too late.</p><p>Not yet.</p><p>And that, my friends, is the fragile spark of hope I carry today.</p><p>Let’s fan it into flame.</p><p>—Brad</p><p>P.S. If you want to read the Executive Order for yourself, it’s publicly available on the White House website here: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/zero-based-regulatory-budgeting-to-unleash-american-energy/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/zero-based-regulatory-budgeting-to-unleash-american-energy/</a></p><p>P.S.S. On a happier note, today’s pictures are the Loving Homestead first official act as my son-in-law and I plant three semi-dwarf apple trees. One more step forward in creating a regenerative future for generations now and those yet to be born. </p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">wbradfordswift.substack.com/subscribe</a>
April 21, 2025
<p>Prologue</p><p>Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself writing with more raw urgency, a deeper honesty, and a renewed commitment to speaking the truth about the world we find ourselves in. What I hadn’t fully realized—until now—is that these recent pieces weren’t just one-offs. They were the beginning of a new arc.</p><p>Today, I’m officially naming that arc: <strong>Facing the Metacrisis</strong>.</p><p>The term metacrisis points to more than just a ‘really big problem.’ It refers to the convergence and interlinking of multiple existential threats—ecological, political, cultural, economic, technological, and spiritual. While some call it the polycrisis, civilizational collapse, or even the long emergency, the idea is the same: what we face is not a single issue but a breakdown of the systems that once held modern life together. And beneath that breakdown is a breakdown in our thinking, our worldview, and our relationship with the Earth.</p><p>This series will run alongside my main <a target="_blank" href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/t/1-cause"><strong>One Cause</strong></a> series and may or may not find its way into the final One Cause book. But the call to write these reflections has become too loud to ignore.</p><p>We are living through a convergence of crises—climate, politics, economy, culture, meaning, and spirit—all feeding and amplifying each other. That convergence is what many now call the metacrisis.</p><p>We need to face it. Not just with information, but with imagination. Not just with outrage, but with purpose.</p><p>So far, the series includes:</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/publish/post/160446274"><strong>Before Collapse: Choosing to Be Part of the Great Turning</strong></a> (April 2, 2025)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/publish/post/160711734"><strong>Can I Be Fierce? Wrestling with Politics and Purpose</strong></a> (April 9, 2025)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/publish/post/161155869"><strong>Can We Face the Truth Without Losing Hope?</strong></a> (April 19, 2025)</p><p>And now, the fourth installment...</p><p>Losing at the Wrong Game</p><p>Facing the Metacrisis — Entry #4</p><p>Like many of you, I’ve been watching with heartbreak and frustration as cracks in the foundation of American democracy widen. Friends are posting in fear, outrage, and grief—not just about one candidate or election, but about the very soul of our country.</p><p>I get it. I feel it too.</p><p>And yet… there’s another layer of truth I feel called to name.</p><p>Yes, we are watching democracy collapse—or at least convulse—but what if the system we’re fighting to preserve isn’t capable of carrying us forward? What if even a return to "normal" isn’t a path to regeneration, but a return to extractive economics, ecological blindness, systemic injustice, and spiritual disconnection?</p><p>We’re fighting to win a system that may no longer be the right game.</p><p>What if the very rules we’re defending were designed for a different world—one that no longer exists?</p><p>This may sound theoretical, but it’s not. On April 9, 2025, the current U.S. administration issued an Executive Order that effectively dismantles decades of environmental protections through what’s being called Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting. This move doesn’t just signal a shift in policy—it’s a signal flare from the metacrisis itself. A deepening collapse of our societal immune system. I’ll be sharing more about this Executive Order and what it means in an upcoming article. But for now, let’s keep going.</p><p>What if “business as usual” will end up in the loss of all that we hold most dear?</p><p>The Deeper Game</p><p>Democracy as we’ve known it—especially in the U.S.—was forged in an age of colonization, patriarchy, and infinite growth economics. It was never built for a post-carbon, ecologically interdependent, spiritually pluralistic civilization.</p><p>To be clear: I’m not arguing for giving up on justice, agency, or participation. Quite the opposite. But we must recognize that saving the system may not be enough—because the system itself was part of the problem.</p><p>As <a target="_blank" href="https://eceni.substack.com/profile/posts">Manda Scott</a> noted in her recent <a target="_blank" href="https://accidentalgods.life/">Accidental Gods</a> podcast episode, even a return to “traditional democracy” doesn’t get us to the root. We need <strong>new political imaginations</strong> that:</p><p>* Prioritize bioregional stewardship and local resilience</p><p>* Use deliberative, consensus-driven assemblies (like citizens’ councils or Wisdom Circles)</p><p>* Recognize nature as a stakeholder, not a resource</p><p>* Value inner development, not just GDP or voter turnout</p><p>These aren’t utopian dreams. They’re already being prototyped—in Indigenous governance models, in climate adaptation networks, and in experiments like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=talXb1wiEFY">Doughnut Economics</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://perspectivity.org/work/deep-democracy/">Deep Democracy</a>, and the <a target="_blank" href="https://weall.org/">Wellbeing Economy Alliance</a>.</p><p>So rather than simply fighting for what was, what if we:</p><p>* Mourn the loss of what we thought democracy could be</p><p>* Acknowledge its limits</p><p>* And start building what comes next</p><p>Hope Isn’t in the System. It’s in Us.</p><p>Hope doesn’t live in headlines. And it doesn’t live in the systems that brought us here. It lives in us—in our courage to grieve what’s dying, and our willingness to imagine what could be born.</p><p>The metacrisis is real. But so is the possibility that we can meet it with depth, dignity, and courage.</p><p>Not by pretending it’s all okay. And not by clinging to a dying order.</p><p>But by becoming the kind of humans this moment asks for:</p><p>* Grounded in purpose</p><p>* Rooted in place</p><p>* Connected across generations</p><p>* Willing to build—and rebuild—with love</p><p>This isn’t about giving up on democracy. It’s about growing up through it, and beyond it. We may be losing at the old game. But we still have time to start playing the right one.</p><p>Are you with me?</p><p><strong>Let’s Talk:</strong> What resonates for you in this reflection? What new “rules” or visions do you believe our next political paradigm should include? Share your thoughts in the comments.</p><p><strong>Share this post</strong> with someone who’s struggling to make sense of today’s political chaos. Maybe it’s time we stopped trying to win a broken game—and started co-creating a new one.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading Unleashed - W. Bradford Swift! There’s a shift unfolding—and it needs your voice and your friends so please share this post.</p></p><p><strong>Subscribe</strong> to stay in the loop on future Facing the Metacrisis entries and other reflections from the One Cause journey.</p><p><p>We’re not here to doomscroll—we’re here to dream, build, and belong. Unlimited is a reader-supported space for reimagining what’s possible. Subscribe to walk this path with us.</p></p><p>For More Information: Voices Naming the Metacrisis</p><p>These thought leaders and organizations are speaking directly to the interconnected crises of our time:</p><p>* <strong>Joanna Macy</strong> — on the Great Turning and the Work That Reconnects: <a target="_blank" href="https://workthatreconnects.org">workthatreconnects.org</a></p><p>* <strong>Daniel Schmachtenberger</strong> — on systems collapse and the metacrisis: <a target="_blank" href="https://civilizationemerging.com">civilizationemerging.com</a></p><p>* <strong>Rupert Read</strong> — author and speaker on climate realism and transformative adaptation: <a target="_blank" href="https://rupertread.net">rupertread.net</a></p><p>* <strong>Charles Eisenstein</strong> — on sacred economics, climate, and cultural healing: <a target="_blank" href="https://charleseisenstein.org">charleseisenstein.org</a></p><p>* <strong>Manda Scott / Accidental Gods</strong> — future-visioning and regenerative politics: <a target="_blank" href="https://accidentalgods.life">accidentalgods.life</a></p><p>* <strong>Robb Smith & Ken Wilber / Integral Life</strong> — exploring integral frameworks for complex times: <a target="_blank" href="https://integrallife.com">integrallife.com</a></p><p>* <strong>Brian Johnson / Heroic</strong> — offering tools for living with virtue, meaning, and heroic purpose: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.heroic.us">heroic.us</a></p><p>May these voices offer you clarity, courage, and a compass as we navigate the turning of the age.</p><p>With fierce love and quiet hope, —Brad (aka Grand-Dude) </p><p>P.S.Here’s why I do what I do—why I speak up, why I write, why I refuse to stay silent. These two tiny humans remind me that this is not just about collapse. It’s about legacy. It’s about love. It’s about whether we have the courage to face the metacrisis not with panic, but with purpose.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://wbradfordswift.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">wbradfordswift.substack.com/subscribe</a>
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