Crafting Radical Agency in Times of Chaos
In these times, when we see monsters everywhere, when we ourselves are called monstrous, when monstrosity seems to be breaking through the crust of civility (or is it complacency?) everywhere… Wouldn’t you like to know what Monsters are? Wouldn’t you like to know why Monsters are? If I told you that the way to face a Monster is to become a Monster yourself, would that terrify or excite you?
Or both?
OVERVIEW:
WHAT: The Necessary Monster: Crafting Radical Agency in Times of Chaos
WHEN: September 1, 2024 – February 27, 2025
WHERE: Online
HOW: Registration submitted via google forms – Click here!
COST: $80-$400/month
FORMAT: Various methods of interaction, including:
- Monthly zoom calls (recorded for those who can’t attend live)
- Supplemental material (including pre-recorded trances, independent practices, podcasts, and workbooks)
- Asynchronous communication/discussion via online platform
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
For many of us, it feels like all of humankind is poised at this point between beginnings and endings, teetering between the death of late stage capitalism and wondering what will be left after… will anything be left after? How will we survive? Who will sift through the ashes of an old world? Who is needed to midwife the birth of a new way of being? What if you are needed? What if your most sovereign and authentic self is necessary to our future survival in a way we’ve never before conceived?
The work of the Necessary Monster, a concept and curriculum that Mnemosyne and Marrow have been continuously expanding over the past five years, calls us to examine, in detail, expressions of monstrosity, both personal and cultural. It is work that reaches back to the ancient meaning of the word “Monster” and calls to the outsiders, the others, the queers, the witches, to take up that role again. It calls on us to walk the edges, to challenge boundaries, and to defend them, to serve as beacons to other seekers, and to welcome them into sovereignty. For those who face monsters, and to those who have been called monstrous… when “love trumps hate” and “can’t we just get along” don’t work, anymore… The Necessary Monster waits on the other side.
We’ll gather as a whole group on Zoom once each month, as well as share asynchronous online forum space as we work through personal and communal introspection guided by written and recorded prompts, exercises, and challenges. First, we’ll focus on our own personal relationship with monstrosity. We’ll look hard at our own fears, at our own boundaries and values. We’ll dig into what radical agency truly means, in our personal relationships and closest-held communities. We’ll hone our powers of discernment, our ability to gaze unflinchingly at reality, and we’ll learn to wield both fear and desire as tools in sovereign service to what we hold sacred.
The second cycle will take everything we’ve learned together, and apply it to our cultural shadow. What are the monsters of our culture, and what fears birthed them? What lines are they marking, and how can we (should we?) challenge those lines? What kinds of monsters are we, from the perspective of the various cultures we live in and move through? In what ways are we feared? In what ways are we desired? What power does that give us? And how will we choose to use that power?
REQUIREMENTS:
While there is no prerequisite course work, we acknowledge that this is advanced work. You will be asked to look directly at fear, to suspend judgement, to hold paradox, to have confidence in your own spiritual autonomy and respect for the autonomy of others. We are going in search of monsters, and allying unflinchingly with our own monstrosity. We ask that you inquire honestly of yourself, before committing to this course, if this is work that feels safe and fruitful for you to embark on at this time.
You’ll need internet access for this online course. We’ll use Zoom for large-group meetings, and a social media platform for sharing between calls.
Exchange:
We care about making this work available to those who want and need it, and we care about equitable and sustainable energy exchange. You can choose to pay anywhere along the sliding scale of $80 – $400/month for the 6 months of this course, or you can talk to us about other forms of exchange that may be mutually beneficial.
The Necessary Monster 