We hold a vision of a world that is just and sustainable, in which all communities can thrive within planetary boundaries.

Our mission is to facilitate reparative and regenerative models of wealth redistribution that advance social equity, economic justice, and ecological resilience.

We are guided by principles of life and inspired by mystics and philosophers who explore the adjacent possible.

Our Foundational Values

Co-Sensing with Radical Tenderness

We want to adopt a posture of deep listening to everyone, even those we disagree with. How can we create the conditions for deep listening? How can we silence the noise of modernity outside of us, within ourselves, so that we can listen to nature? How can we show each other the profound healing effect of being listened to, truly listened to? In our experience, listening in a non-judgmental way can lead people to experience healing, breakthroughs, insights, and transformation.

This value is inspired by Dani d'Emilia and Vanessa Andreotti’s ‘Co-sensing with Radical Tenderness,’ which they wrote as a tool to unlearn modern/colonial socialization.

Putting Community First

Having strong communities will be the foundation of any managed descent—or of our ability to survive a sudden collapse. Under the three pillars of systemic oppression—patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism—there has been a steady erosion of community. Today, markets are the dominant system that orders human relationships.

Imaginal Seeds is focused on restoring the primacy of community. Everything we do is based on a Community First principle. Community involves all the informal activities that make our lives meaningful—music, play, family, volunteering, activism, friendship, home, etc. Our aim is to grow this informal economy.

Getting Comfortable with Paradoxes

Being able to sit in paradox is crucial to this work. We live amidst many paradoxes. We must achieve inner transformation, but we must also transform entire communities all at once. We have to hold people accountable, and we have to be compassionate and tender with them at the same time. We have to honour the past, and we have to let it go. We are all equal, and yet we are obviously all different. Sitting in paradox requires letting go of our comfortable binaries of right and wrong, true and false, beautiful and ugly. It requires giving up our oppositional approach to politics and conflict. It requires being able to say "I don't know" a lot of times, maybe most of the time.

Subtracting

One of the ways that sets Imaginal Seeds apart is that we think of removing things. For example, our interest in regenerative agriculture fits this philosophy quite well. Regenerative agriculture is about removing harmful pesticides and herbicides from the process. It's about taking away energy-intensive processes, and letting nature do its work. Unfortunately, most efforts to change our systems, no matter how well-intentioned, often add complexity instead.

For these reasons, Imaginal Seeds considers it an indispensable tool to ask of a system, "What can we subtract from it?" "What would happen if we removed this?"

Engaging in Inner-led Change

“Without inner change there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters.”

Angel Kyodo Williams

Inspired by Starter Culture, we are committed to a process of inner-led change, which they describe as “composting power-over culture from the inside-out.” By becoming Eco-centric, attuned to species-wide Trauma, and opening ourselves to Emergent Strategizing, we can begin to unravel thousands of years of conditioning within what Riane Eisler calls “domination” systems. This is deep work that cannot be completed within a human lifetime.

Being Energy Aware

Humanity has been energy-blind for many centuries. We have been drawing down on millions of years of sunlight through our consumption. Rather than switching to newer sources of energy, we choose to just add as technology advances from fire and coal to nuclear and renewables. This is driven by our increased consumption due to our society being energy blind. At Imaginal Seeds, we hope to be aware of our relationship with Gaia through our use of her energy. Being aware means being thoughtful in our work and our partnerships, placing energy at the centre of our foundation.

Our Approach

We are inspired by Devorah Brous’ framework, the Regenerative Change Cycle, as a way to organize the rhythm of our work. It reminds us that caring for ourselves, our communities, and the Earth are part of the same regenerative journey.

Sow

  • Seed with intention.

  • Diversify the garden.

  • Allow for emergent unfolding.

Tend

  • Feed scarcity with abundance.

  • Tend with restorative practices.

  • Protect through collaboration.

Harvest

  • Celebrate and share.

  • Say “thank you.”

  • Give back more than we take.

Fallow

  • Breathe.

  • Pause and reflect.

  • Step into fruitful darkness.