Intro to Solarpunk - Shaping the Utopian Psyche
The Solarpunk Vision
Imagine living in a world where cities breathe with the rhythm of nature, where energy flows abundantly, powering the lives of our dreams without leaving a carbon footprint.
Imagine living in a world where our cities are not concrete jungles, but living, breathing, tapestries of green, natural, sustainable innovation.
Imagine living in a world where technology serves both man and nature equally, enhancing the well-being of both humanity and Mother Earth.
Imagine living in a world where every single human beings’ basic needs are met, in which the struggle for self-survival has ceased, allowing every individual equal opportunity to self-actualize.
Imagine living in a world where every child grows up knowing they are a vital and integral part of a vast, beautiful, abundant, and alive world.
Imagine living in a world founded upon cooperation and shared purpose, where each individual is honored, revered, and empowered to discover and cultivate the unique gifts they have to offer.
Imagine living in a world where education nurtures every individual’s unique curiosities, interests, and aptitudes, preparing people not just for jobs or careers, but for serving Life.
Imagine living in a world where work is a joyful expression of our unique self and innate creativity, not just something we do to “get by” or “pay the bills.”
Imagine living in a world in which businesses exploiting people and resources for profit has become alien, where “success” of an organization is defined by its contribution to the well-being of all.
Imagine living in a world where the most looked-up-to people are the most wise, rather than those with the most fame or material wealth.
Imagine living in a world where political borders have faded, with communities no longer defining themselves by their nationality, but by mutual respect, collective responsibility, and their inherent Oneness with all.
Imagine living in a world where governance is a collaborative process and ongoing dialogue, a living, breathing network of engaged citizens that allows the wisdom of all perspectives to be honored.
Imagine living in a world where honesty and transparency is the norm, with every governmental action and expenditure visible to all, fostering trust and accountability.
Imagine living in a world where every sunrise is a reminder of the intrinsic beauty and goodness that life is, and where every sunset is a celebration of another day lived in Love
IMAGINE LIVING IN THIS WORLD.
Why Solarpunk is the “punk” We Need
This is the Solarpunk vision.
This is the collective vision we need if we are to move beyond the limiting, divisive ways of human selfishness, greed, and egotism.
This is the collective vision we need if we are to not only survive the challenges our species’ faces, but to thrive in harmony with the planet.
This vision can serve as our North Star as we navigate the increasing complexity of our world, inspiring us to reimagine our relationship with ourselves, with others, and to our sacred planet.
As you read further, you will see that this Solarpunk vision is not just a dream, but rather is a call to action to listen to the calling of your heart, to acknowledge, honor, and revere the Truth of your soul, and to never abandon the greatest, grandest, most high vision you’ve ever had about what humanity is capable of if we simply work together and love one another.
Now, this Solarpunk aesthetic is not something I came up with (I put my own spin on it), it is a movement that has been growing in popularity in the past few years.
The essence of Solarpunk is the vision of a radically optimistic future in which humans, nature, and advanced technology harmoniously weave together to give rise to a utopian (yet not perfect) society in which mankind flourishes on a level never before seen in history.
The Solarpunk vision was created as a stark contrast to other “punk” aesthetics such as Cyberpunk, which typically imagine a dystopian future of:
Human-technology fusion
Mega-corporations replacing government
Social unrest with wide wealth gaps and rampant crime
Urban decay with overly populated and highly polluted cities
[Insert Cyberpunk images]
Despite Cyberpunk being the future aesthetic that we obviously DO NOT want, there is still immense value in taking a deep look into it.
There is much regarding the Cyberpunk outlook that echoes the current state and consciousness of humanity.
The Cyberpunk vision is essentially unchecked capitalism, technological advancement, along with the egoic thirst of power, influence, and control run amok.
The Cyberpunk vision:
Commodifies all aspects of life
Prioritizes profit and material gain over social and environmental concerns
Operates under an “every man for himself” mentality
Excessively relies on technological advancements to solve complex human issues
Loses belief in the possibility of positive change
Gives virtually no power or say to the common people
As you might be able to tell, this Cyberpunk vision is not terribly far off from our present-day reality in many ways.
Of course, we don’t have cyborgs fighting in the streets or flying cars zipping past neon-lit skyscrapers (yet), but we do see glimpses of a Cyberpunk reality through large corporations wielding immense power, increasing wealth inequality, pervasive digital surveillance, environmental destruction, and the shockingly, might I even say scarily, quick rate at which technology and AI are progressing.
And all of this is simply a reflection of ourselves.
Everything non-ideal about our world is our own fault.
Humanity has no one to blame but themselves.
But, the power is in our hands.
As 2025 rounds the corner and we enter into the second quarter of the 21st century, I am left with the feeling that we are at a crossroads, that how we collectively act in the next 25-50 years will be the most significant and defining time period of Homo Sapiens’ history thus far.
As uncertain and bleak as the future may seem, each and every single one of us plays a unique role in the unfolding of the human story.
Every thought we have, word we speak, and action we take has a ripple effect into the collective, shaping the world both in the physical and mental planes of existence.
My intention in writing this post is to empower you through planting the seeds of this Solarpunk vision into your mind, so that you can more consciously, intentionally, and lovingly craft your own future so that you and every being you encounter can experience the gifts you have to offer.
I will also bring in valuable new voices and perspectives into this Solarpunk discussion that I have not yet heard talked about in Solarpunk circles as a means to enrichen the vision, and inspire you all the more to be the change you wish to seek in the world.
The power is in your hands.
As you progress in reading this, I invite you to bring awareness to your bodily and emotional states.
Notice how these words make you feel. Do they light you up? Do you experience resistance in reading them? Do they resonate with your soul?
Let’s proceed.
Why A Hopeful Vision For the Future is Incredibly Important
The vision that we have about the future (or lack of one) plays an enormous role in how we relate to life, formulating our thoughts, opinions, behaviors, actions, and motivations.
If the future is something that is primarily viewed as fearful and frightening, the individual’s orientation towards life will likely be defensive and self-protective, so as to alleviate said fear.
On the other hand, if the future is primarily viewed as happy, hopeful, and with immense possibility for betterment, then the individual’s orientation towards life will likely be expansive, open, creative, and worked towards with a sense of purpose and meaning.
While it is completely valid to be fearful of the future, I certainly am in many respects, it is important to be aware of how this fear manifests in our experience, in thought, word, and action.
Does this fear cause you to back down from challenges, to cling to your comfort zone, to retreat to what is familiar?
Does this fear cause you to distrust others? Does it cause you to view humanity as inherently evil?
Does this fear cause you to value short-term security over long-term flourishing?
Ultimately, does this fear close you down from actualizing the life of your highest excitement?
These are all questions to hold within your mind and contemplate, but what fear ultimately does is keep us in a box, constricting us to the confines of who we believe we are and what we are capable of.
And what I am advocating for is for you to feel into the depths of your heart, the deepest caverns of your soul, and imagine the greatest, grandest, most high vision you could possibly have about yourself and about the world.
This is not to be some grandiose vision to satisfy the hungry ego, it is a soulful vision.
A soulful vision is created from the part of you that knows you are whole and complete, that needs nothing, and desires nothing but the happiness and well-being of everyone and everything.
It will take time for this vision to materialize in your consciousness in a way that is unique to you, and it may be wise to add to it and alter it often, but once you have a solid vision, what I am advocating for is that you NEVER, EVER abandon this vision.
For if you are not seeking to create the highest, most loving reality that you can, then what are you even doing?
If you’re living for any future other than the one that lights you up the most, you are settling, complacent, living in fear, locked in “survival” mentality, and/or simply are not aware of how Great things can be.
You simply are not fully living.
And in this, it doesn’t mean that fear is repressed or avoided, but rather is honored as a natural part of the human experience, seen as the part of us that “protects” us.
But if we have the courage to be curious about our fear rather than being a slave to it by blindly reacting to it, we will find that much of our fear is actually unnecessary and even misguided.
As we contemplate our fear, we begin to see that their underlying causes are often rooted in past experiences, limiting beliefs, or simple misunderstandings about ourselves and the world we inhabit.
While shining the light of awareness on our fear doesn’t make them disappear overnight, it does change our relationship to them, allowing us to see fear as valuable information that points us toward our growth edges, inviting us to open into a greater, more expansive version of who we believe we are and what we are capable of.
In short, use fear as a means of self-study to gain the knowledge necessary to expand into the highest version of you that can realize the vision.
And remember, NEVER EVER abandon the vision.
You may change it. You may alter it, but you must NEVER abandon the greatest, grandest vision you ever had about who we are and what we are capable of.
The future state of the world quite literally depends on how deeply you can stay anchored in your Truth.
Play The Infinite Game - How to Effectively Hold The Solarpunk Vision in Your Mind
What I found for myself as I contemplated my ideal vision for the collective was that it strongly resembled this Solarpunk aesthetic that has been growing in popularity over the last few years.
And so here I am, planting the seeds of this vision in your mind.
Isn’t it so beautiful? Does it not fill your heart with joy thinking about living in this world?
Common critiques of utopian visions such as Solarpunk are that they are so outlandish and so far away from becoming a reality that they end up being nothing but a dream in our minds.
But what this critique overlooks is that the current state of the world today is even more crazy and outlandish than anyone even a couple hundred years ago could have imagined or dreamed of.
Everything that man has ever created started with a vision, an imprint in the mind.
Using our creative intelligence, we alchemized the mental image into the physical plane of existence, allowing us to invent things like cars, airplanes, TV, smartphones, the Internet, entire metropolises, and artificial intelligence.
It all started with a vision.
Likewise, if people can unite under this Solarpunk vision, it is going to gain more and more traction within the collective consciousness, increasing its outer manifestation into the world.
And this is where the concept of The Infinite Game comes in.
The Infinite Game, as I have often mentioned in prior posts, is a concept created by author James P. Carse, and was further flushed out by Simon Sinek in his book, The Infinite Game.
To play the Infinite Game in our current world is a courageous act, and is something that only a very small number of people embody.
To understand the Infinite Game, one must first understand the finite game.
The finite mindset is the way the majority of humanity operates.
To play a finite game is to live life within a boundary, a set of rules, a clearly defined beginning and end point, and with people who “win”, and people who “lose.”
That is, they live life in order to “win” or “have” more, whether it be money, material wealth, high status, or what have you.
Think: Winning a sports game, working towards a job promotion, acquiring x amount of money, trying to get as many matches/dates as possible on dating apps, acquiring a mansion, etc.
Now, these things are not inherently bad to pursue.
What’s bad is becoming entranced with this mindset of always being a winner, when your entire orientation towards life is about more, more, more.
When an entire society is entranced with this mindset, a world of Haves and Have Nots is created, which is precisely the world that we live in today.
Think: Slavery, Imperialism, the fact that the richest 1% own over 50% of the world’s wealth while the poorest 50% own less than 1% of the world’s wealth (Globalcitizen.org), the fact that CEOs make over 800x the average worker’s pay (Sinek).
The finite game is precisely what the Solarpunk vision IS NOT.
To properly and healthily hold the Solarpunk vision in your mind, you must become an Infinite Game Player.
When you play the Infinite Game, you play not within a boundary, but towards the horizon, towards the endless possibility of whatever you can envision.
As I’ve touched on already, you want to envision something so beautiful, great, grand, and high, that tears come to your eyes.
Be so idealistic that the vision could not possibly be fully actualized in your lifetime, but be so moved by the vision that you are willing to work your entire life towards the cause.
Be a world-citizen in your vision, not a citizen of your community or nation (because that’s a boundary!)
Welcome everyone into your vision, oppose nothing, and embrace everything.
And most important of all, seek to be an inhabitant of this future state.
Don’t just talk about this great, grand Solarpunk vision, actually embody the consciousness that a wise citizen in this future world would have.
That’s really what this is all about.
It’s not so much about outwardly manifesting this Solarpunk vision into physical reality (of course that would be great and is what we want), it’s really about spreading the wise, conscious, peaceful, harmonious, blissful, loving energy that Solarpunk represents.
When you do this, you ripple your consciousness into the collective and inspire others to join in on your Infinite Game.
Really, let this be a lesson to you in how to manifest the reality you desire.
To actually manifest Solarpunk, you first have to be the person that would inhabit that future Solarpunk reality.
When you have the right being, naturally you will do the things that a Solarpunk human does.
And as a result of that right doing, the universe will then catch up and we will have the reality of Solarpunk.
In the case of bringing about full-spectrum transformation to the entire world, it will likely be far beyond our lifetimes before we have that Solarpunk reality in its totality, but again, what I am emphasizing is that the being aspect of Solarpunk is the only thing that truly matters.
Most people have this manifesting principle backwards.
They believe that once they have something, then they can finally do the things they truly want to do, which allows them to finally be the way that they want to be (happy).
Sadly, this belief that one must “have” something in order to be happy is precisely what has created this world of Haves and Have Nots.
For example, I used to think that once I had a business that made a high-enough income to sustain myself full-time, I would be able to do things like travel, spend more time learning about things that interest me, spend more time with friends, pursue romantic relationships again, etc, and then only after that could I finally be happy and fulfilled.
This mindset wreaked havoc on my life, in many ways other than just this business example alone.
My tunnel-like vision on having a higher income with my business led to:
overworking myself to the point of burnout (which also led to less energy/zest with my clients)
severe insomnia
the destruction of valuable relationships in my life
increased sense of loneliness/isolation
Always looking for happiness/fulfillment in things outside of myself
As I was dealing with these symptoms which were making life quite difficult in many aspects, I was beginning to see how I could not continue operating like this.
I would have rather abandoned the business than continuing to operate in the way that I was.
As this was happening, messages about trusting in the universe were appearing everywhere in my life, and I came upon the “Be-Do-Have” paradigm that I just described, from Conversations With God Book 1.
From this, I decided I would try my best to let go of having the full-time business and instead trust that just being the way I authentically wanted to be would lead me to the outcomes that were meant for me.
In short, I stopped trying so hard to control the results of my life, and just trusted that the results would come just by living how I authentically desired to.
In doing this, I became far less serious and uptight, became less laser-focused on “developing” myself and “building” the business, and became more loving, open, accepting, and trusting of the process.
Since then, I started spending 25-30 hours per week on the business instead of 50-60, have been hanging out with friends a lot more, and also just returned from a 2 week road trip that I planned rather spontaneously.
Immediately after returning from the road trip, I proceeded to have the most financially lucrative month of my life from the business.
The having part of the manifestation was finally catching up to the more authentic being, which was great to experience, but was also not at all the reason why I felt happier, lighter, and more fulfilled in recent months.
It was because I just started being who I wanted to be.
And that was enough.
So, I use this example to emphasize that, when it comes to working together to collectively manifest this Solarpunk reality, being is the only aspect that truly matters.
So, seek to be an inhabitant of this future Solarpunk state, even though it doesn’t exist in physical reality yet!
For anything that you desire in your life, authentically be the person who has that thing (even if you don’t “have” it), and then it will naturally come to you.
To avoid fixating on “having” the Solarpunk reality, it is important to hold Solarpunk as a dialectical utopia in your mind.
A dialectical utopian vision is one that is not a perfect, fixed, end-all-be-all state, but is a vision that is adaptive and dynamic, open, messy, and with plenty of room for revision based on the input of newly attained perspectives and arising challenges.
The reality is that no future state will be without challenges, so if you construct this Solarpunk vision as this future reality where everything is perfect, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and disillusionment.
By holding Solarpunk as a dialectical utopian vision, you:
Can find fulfillment in authentically being Solarpunk, rather than fixating on having the perfect Solarpunk reality
Welcome new perspectives that can enrich the vision
Remain flexible and adaptable in the face of change
This is what it’s like to be an Infinite Game Player.
We imagine the greatest, most grand, and most high reality that we can, but we don’t fixate on “having” it, we simply be it, knowing that we may never actually see the vision fully come to fruition in our lifetimes, but that doesn’t matter to us because that’s not where we derive our happiness and fulfillment from.
We derive our happiness and fulfillment from simply being ourselves, in each and every moment.
So really, as you can probably tell now, this post will be all about how to be Solarpunk.
My Biggest Critique of the Solarpunk Movement
The main reason I felt compelled to write this humongous post about Solarpunk was because, in my research of Solarpunk, the calls-to-action were merely limited to what one can do to bring about the Solarpunk reality.
These were calls-to-action such as:
Practicing minimalism and reducing your individual carbon footprint
buying from small, locally-owned businesses, rather than large corporations
composting kitchen waste
learning to repair and upcycle items
starting your own garden
Using bicycles or public transportation whenever possible
Know that all of these points are EXTREMELY important, don’t get me wrong.
You should seek to do the things that these people are advocating for.
But, what I noticed was that NO ONE was talking about the REAL ISSUE.
The reality is that the current state of the world is a CONSCIOUSNESS issue.
And remember what Albert Einstein once said?
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
The reason that the current state of the world:
Is dominated by ego-centric, ethno-centric, and religio-centric worldviews
has the richest 1% of the world hoarding nearly half of the world’s wealth
has billions living in poverty
Has millions dying each year from starvation
has several active wars
is altering the Earth’s climate to dangerous levels
Is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at nearly 1000x faster than natural rates
Is because the people of the world are too UNCONSCIOUS.
If people were simply more conscious, and thus cared more about each other, none of these atrocities would be happening.
We are still in the DARK AGES in terms of human consciousness.
If we are ever to move beyond these times in hopes of bringing in a reality that more closely resembles Solarpunk, we have to take a major leap as a species in terms of our consciousness.
This leap is going to require us to:
Expand our circle of empathy beyond our immediate surroundings (family, friends, community, nation) to one that encompasses all of humanity and the entire biosphere (world-centrism).
Move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, recognizing that there’s more than enough resources for everyone to thrive if we distribute wisely and consciously.
Shift deriving our happiness from “having” (consumerism and materialism) to deriving happiness from “being” (authentic relationships, inner growth, and positively influencing others).
Evolve our economic systems to prioritize long-term collective well-being over short-term profit
Recognize and viscerally feel our fundamental interconnectedness and oneness with all of life
Cultivate our emotional and spiritual intelligence
and much more.
So how do we collectively make this leap?
Taking the Leap Into Solarpunk Consciousness - How to “Be” Solarpunk
To even begin talking about how we can make the leap into a collective consciousness that can bring forth the Solarpunk reality seems like an impossible task.
But luckily, brilliant thinkers and researchers from the past have gifted us invaluable frameworks that allow us to think about human consciousness development in an easier-to-understand way.
Perhaps one of the most useful frameworks that can be brought into this discussion is Integral Theory, created by the philosopher, Ken Wilber.
Integral Theory is a comprehensive framework that attempts to synthesize the very best of pre-modern, modern, and post-modern thinking; it has often been described as a “theory of everything.”
When it comes to human development, Integral Theory synthesizes the research of numerous developmental psychologists to arrive at a coherent, full-spectrum framework of psychological development.
I won’t dive too deeply into the specifics of the theory here, but you can look into books such as Spiral Dynamics, A Brief History of Everything, or Susanne Cook Greuter’s research paper titled Ego Development Theory: A Full-Spectrum Theory of Vertical Growth and Meaning Making (available for free online) if you want to learn more.
You could also watch this video I created that summarizes the key aspects of the stages of development if you would like an introduction to the theory.
But, I’ll explain a few relevant aspects of what the research shows here.
What the research on human development finds is that development does not stop at ages 18, 21, or 25.
Of course, physical aspects of the body stop developing at around that age, but domains of existence such as the psychological, the emotional, and the spiritual are areas you can continue to develop for your WHOLE LIFE, and your overall experience of life can become unfathomably more blissful as a result.
This may seem obvious to you, but is a stark contrast to the majority of humans who become paradigm-locked into a certain worldview and way of being early on in their life and, for the most part, stay there for their entire lives.
To summarize this in as efficient a way as I possibly can (there is so much more complexity to this), I interpret the human psychological developmental process as a gradual process of opening and expansion of one’s identity.
That is, expanding and opening oneself to a consciousness of higher and higher wholes of reality.
In this context, a whole represents an aspect of reality that is both a whole in and of itself, but it is also a part of something else.
In philosophical terms, this is called a holon.
To use an example of human development, a baby begins their life identified solely with their own reactionary impulses and desires.
Their entire reality revolves around “me”, which is a whole in and of itself, but as they grow, they realize that they are a part of a family, and thus they expand their identity to include their family unit.
The family unit represents a higher whole, but as the individual gets even older, their expansion of identity continues to incorporate new wholes such as their local community (perhaps their school or religious group).
Eventually, their identity can expand to include even higher wholes such as their entire nation, and eventually the whole world, or perhaps even the entire cosmos if the individual evolves their consciousness to a very high level.
And know that the process of this expansion isn’t merely intellectual, it doesn’t occur completely in the mind.
It is not something you just “think” about.
The process of this expansion includes a deeply felt sense, a viscerally lived experience that fundamentally alters how one perceives self, other, and world, and changes how they operate within it.
For a person that identifies with all of humanity and deeply embodies a world-centric consciousness, every action they take is with concern for ALL PEOPLE.
These types of people:
See themselves first and foremost as global citizens, rather than primarily constructing their identity based on their religion, ethnic group, or nationality.
Are more likely to make lifestyle choices that minimize harm to the environment
Tend to view their career more like a “life purpose”, viewing work in terms of how they can contribute to collective well-being, as opposed to how much material wealth they can acquire
Are more open-minded and less ideological and dogmatic
Tend to view time on a larger scale, taking into consideration long-term effects of individual and collective action, as opposed to what can be “gained” in the short-term
Have a greater capacity for multi-perspectivalism, are able to approach any issue with nuance, and not fall into the trap of black/white thinking.
The thing is, the vast majority of humanity does not operate within a world-centric consciousness.
It is estimated by various researchers that only about 15-20% of the world embodies this level of consciousness, and of course anybody within this 15-20% could deepen the embodiment of this world-centrism as well.
Of course, any human on the entire planet will tell you that what they are doing and what they believe in is what’s best for the whole world, but in reality the vast majority of people act in a way that does not consider the well-being of the entire planet, but only themselves, their family, their religious group, and their nation.
And so, the vast majority of humans operate at what developmental psychologists call the “ethno-centric” and nation-centric” levels of development.
Now, this is not inherently negative. Know that I am not casting judgment nor bashing any human based on their level of consciousness.
Each and every level of development has been crucial for human survival based on the given needs and issues of a society, with levels that incorporate greater wholes emerging to solve problems which previous levels could not.
For example, at the onset of the founding of the United States, the nation had leaped into a budding nation-centric consciousness with their triumph over monarchy and transition into democracy, but was still operating with extremely strong ethnocentric undercurrents, given the nation’s legalization of slavery.
Nearly a century after the nation’s founding, a dispute, primarily over the moral issue of slavery, began between the Northern and Southern states of the country, starting a civil war.
To grossly generalize these two sides, we can say, in developmental terms, that the North, who was advocating for the abolition of slavery, was operating from a primarily nation-centric mode of consciousness (and I would argue a budding world-centric consciousness as well).
On the other hand, the South, who was rejecting this expansion of consciousness, clinging to their racist ideals through desiring the continuation of slavery, was operating from a primarily ethno-centric mode of consciousness.
With the North winding up victorious in the war, slavery was effectively abolished nation-wide.
Woohoo! The United States took a major leap in their having of a more nation-centric and world-centric state.
This was only possible because more and more people were first being from a place of increasing nation-centrism and world-centrism.
Of course, the United States continued to operate with strong ethnocentric undercurrents for many years to come, with blacks and minorities continuing to be heavily oppressed following The Civil War.
But, the United States was able to continue the expansion of its consciousness through continued thought and action, calling forth a series of civil rights and social justice movements that brought greater equality among all people within the nation.
Of course, the United States continues to operate with significant ethnocentric undercurrents, but still, looking back, the level of consciousness of the average American citizen today is noticeably higher than 150, 100, and even 50 years ago.
Even the most conservative individuals today don’t want to go back to slavery. That is huge progress!
Allow this to be an example of a higher consciousness solving a problem in which lower consciousness could not.
This was the problem of racism (and it is very far from being “fully” solved, by the way).
You cannot solve racism with ethnocentric consciousness, this is because ethnocentric consciousness is inherently racist, creating a division based on ethnicity.
To solve racism, you have to take a leap to a higher whole of reality, that of nation-centrism and world-centrism.
But now, as we round the corner into 2025, we face a new, complex set of serious issues as a species that are fundamentally global in nature.
The world’s leading scientists tell us that if we do not find a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and embody sustainable, ecologically-conscious ways of living, we face catastrophic environmental consequences that will affect every corner of the planet.
We also are heading towards a technological singularity if the development of artificial intelligence continues at projected levels.
In addition, global wealth inequality is increasing, billions live in poverty, and millions die each year of starvation.
There’s also numerous other issues that I am not speaking of.
And so, while humanity’s problems have become increasingly global in nature, less than 20% of the world operates within a primarily world-centric consciousness.
That means the open, flexible, expansive, systems-aware, globally-conscious way of being that characterizes world-centric consciousness is not something that the vast majority of humanity is capable of.
This is very scary.
Given the current status of the world, it is more important than ever to self-declare as a steward of this Earth and take it upon yourself to raise your consciousness and discover/align with your life purpose.
Know that I am not trying to make you feel guilty or shameful, eliciting some sense of fear in you that makes you slave away for your entire life trying to solve global issues.
The worst thing you could do is let fear control you.
But what I am advocating for is that you take a deeper look at yourself and the world, work on healing your traumas and transcending limiting beliefs, develop a connection to something higher than yourself, explore what makes you feel excited, and follow, nourish, and cultivate that sense of excitement in a way that other people can benefit from (life purpose).
This process, which really is the process of self-actualization, is meant to be beautiful, expansive, eye-opening, and fun! (at least most of the time)
The vision of Solarpunk is a vision of the future in which humanity has collectively made a leap in consciousness and has effectively solved the issues of racism, nationalism, wealth inequality, climate change, AI, and more.
This vision is meant to inspire you.
It serves as a signpost of Who We Are and What We Are Capable of when we are at our best as a species.
If you resonate with this vision, which you probably do to a strong degree if you are still reading this, I remind you once again to NEVER, EVER abandon the vision.
The worst thing you could do is let fear take its control over your entire life, binding you to a reality that is smaller, constrictive, and more contracted than What It Can Be.
As we progress in this post, we will discuss the role of fear, specifically analyzing what will need to be LET GO in order to LET IN the Solarpunk reality.
Why the ‘Human Nature’ Argument is Bullshit - What Needs to be LET GO to LET IN Solarpunk
I’ve neglected to talk about the future economical system of the Solarpunk reality so far because so many people carry closely to their hearts deep-seated beliefs about what the ideal system ought to be, and come readily equipped in any debate to rationalize away anything that does not fit their beliefs.
But now that I’ve explained a central part of my philosophy, I feel comfortable that those still reading are open to what has to be said about what needs to be let go of in order to let in Solarpunk.
And an enormous aspect that needs to be let go of to have the Solarpunk reality, in its totality of course, is capitalism.
Capitalism and Solarpunk do not go hand in hand.
The reason that capitalism and Solarpunk do not go hand in hand is because:
Capitalism’s competitive nature contradicts Solarpunk’s emphasis on cooperation and community
Capitalist markets often promote short-term (finite game) thinking, which conflicts with Solarpunk’s necessary long-term (Infinite Game) thinking
Capitalism inherently creates a wide wealth gap, which contradicts Solarpunk’s vision of a more equal and equitable world
The metrics of success in capitalism (GDP, profit, etc.) does not align with Solarpunk’s metrics of success (happiness, health, collective well-being, consciousness)
Capitalism alienates the majority of workers from the fruits of their labor, while Solarpunk holds the ideal of citizens engaging in work that is uniquely meaningful to the individual that bears fruit to themselves and the world around them.
Capitalism breeds an overall individualistic ethos, which is at odds with Solarpunk’s emphasis on collectively shared responsibility and fate.
As you might be able to intuit, Solarpunk is a culture that is significantly more collectively-oriented (but still has the individual freedoms we love and cherish today).
And so, the overall economic structure of Solarpunk will likely be some sort of blend of socialism, communism, and even anarchism.
When talking about moving away from capitalism and hearing the words “socialism” and “communism”, half the world will cower in fear, demonize the individual who dared to utter those words, and then rationalize away why it is impossible to have a harmonious society that operates in that fashion.
The most common argument used in why a capitalist world is the best and why a socialist or communist one is impossible is the “human nature” argument.
The human nature argument essentially posits that humans are inherently selfish, competitive, and even greedy, and thus are driven by what can benefit them personally.
This argument is used to justify why humans have historically organized themselves into top-down hierarchies and why attempts at more egalitarian societies have failed in the past.
And so, proponents of the human nature argument have often claimed that capitalism is the system that works best because it is the only system that effectively harnesses humanity’s “innate” traits in a way that can benefit society.
However, this “human nature argument” blasphemously overlooks A LOT about “human nature.”
First and foremost, the argument assumes that humans have a fixed nature, when in reality there is no such thing as a “fixed” nature.
If there was a fixed nature, there would be no such thing as evolution, which quite literally is the process of Life transmorphing over time into a form of greater complexity and intelligence.
A different “nature”, we can say.
The whole reason I explained Integral Theory and the stages of consciousness development from ego-centric to ethno-centric to nation-centric to world-centric was to make the point that human thought tendencies, belief patterns, ego structures, motivations, and thus behavior can change DRASTICALLY based on the level of consciousness the individual is operating from.
The change can be so drastic that one can be said to have a different “nature.”
It is in the nature of someone operating from a world-centric consciousness to think and behave in a way that serves not just themselves, but all people.
On the other hand, it is in the nature of someone who is operating from an ego-centric, ethno-centric, religio-centric, or nation-centric consciousness to compete with others and prioritize the needs of their own in-group at the expense of others.
It is from these stages of consciousness that capitalism as we know it was born from.
Put simply, capitalism as we know it today is a reflection of the current level of consciousness of humanity, which, put into Integral terms, is roughly Stage Orange.
An individual at Stage Orange will tend to:
See life as an opportunity for personal advancement and achievement
View life as a game to “win”, equating success with wealth and status
Seek to maximize efficiency, productivity, and measurable results (an individual reflection of “profit”)
Seek to control the natural world for human benefit
Prioritize individual rights, personal freedom, and “free market” principles
While this consciousness has been essential for the birth of democracy, the foundation of science, and the advancement of technology, its limitations have become increasingly made known with a number of global issues coming to the forefront of the human condition.
It was also from these similar stages of consciousness (and lower) that more idealist, Marxist, communistic modes of operation were first attempted, with nations such as the Soviet Union operating under “communism” for several decades.
And it was precisely because the society was operating from still ego-centric, ethno-centric, and nation-centric modes of consciousness that these attempts failed.
To use the example of the Soviet Union, first of all, they were operating under a very power hungry and ego-driven leader in Stalin, who was not at all utilizing the system to serve the collective good.
Second of all, the nation was constantly in competition or at war with other countries which prevented any true solidarity or cooperation from taking place, leaving decision making to be made in such a way that supported very narrow national-interests and did not consider the broader impacts on the people.
Not to mention that the system in place vehemently suppressed individuality as well as freedom of speech and expression. The nation was so vested in making themselves more powerful that it did not allow others to be their authentic selves, or even come close to discovering such a thing.
Operating beneath all of this was a strong scarcity mindset, a scarcity of food, water, shelter, love, belonging, and opportunity to grow and expand.
And whenever operating from a sense of lack, competition for what is perceived to be lacking will inevitably begin taking place, leading to the same battle for resources and power that has happened over and over and over again throughout history.
It ALL happens because of a sense of lack (fear).
And when there is a sense of lack, a human can only develop so far.
It just so happens that humans have been operating from a sense of lack for the vast majority of our species’ existence.
It makes sense that when one opens a history book and finds nothing but brutality, war, rape, slavery, and genocide, that they become a bit disillusioned, that they might come to believe it is baked into “human nature” to be selfish, greedy, power-hungry, and competitive.
This would very well lead them to believe that capitalism is the system that best harnesses these traits in a way that benefits society.
But, the reason these communist worlds such as the Soviet Union failed is not because communism inherently defies human nature, nor is it because Karl Marx’s ideals are inherently toxic, it's because we have never had a society with the level of consciousness to make those ideals possible.
Not even close.
When the consciousness shifts, so does the “nature.”
The reality is that our species’ technological advancements have made it so that there are enough resources for everyone to live functional, happy, potent lives.
We just have to unite as a world and make it happen.
In other words, our level of consciousness has to catch up to match our level of technological advancement.
In my eyes, a world that operates under some blend of socialist, communist, and anarchist ideals is what composes the Solarpunk reality.
In my view, the people that inhabit the Solarpunk vision are conscious enough to mostly sustain themselves, and thus do not need a strong central government to wield influence on them.
There aren’t going to be people who can exploit the system to make a ridiculous amount of wealth and wield immense power over other people, sure there may be a small few who have a desire to do that, but due to the collective consciousness in the Solarpunk reality being higher than someone who would have such a desire, systems would be in place that would not allow such a thing to happen.
In our current capitalist reality, systems are in place that do allow such things to happen, in fact, such ways of being are even encouraged!
What other people who talk about Solarpunk describe is a framework of mostly decentralized, interconnected communities that come together and collaborate on larger issues.
In short, the government is primarily local, with local units connected to larger networks for regional and global cooperation. There may be a centralized government, but its top-down influence on the people is very minimal, instead serving as a facilitator of collective cooperation and collaboration.
Economically speaking, resources are viewed not as privately owned but as common heritage (because there is an abundance for everyone), with basic needs such as food, water, shelter, healthcare, and education being guaranteed to all people, allowing them to pursue their passions, follow the life of their highest excitements, and discover the unique gifts they have to offer life.
I don’t want to get too deep or too detailed into the economic and governmental vision of Solarpunk or else this post will become far too long. Perhaps that’s for a future post, or is a vision for you guys to flush out further.
Feel free to pick at and pry at any specifics of the governmental or economic structure, but what I can and will say is that in the Solarpunk world, you do not need to worry about any pervasive sense of lack consuming you or the society at-large.
Sure, there will be hardships and challenges, but the unity that people share with one another will be experienced as something so powerful that backsliding into a mindset of scarcity in which people collectively turn against each other will not even be something that is considered.
If we can cultivate a unity like this, everything will change.
But it all starts with you.
It all starts with you doing the work and cultivating unity within yourself.
Doing the Work - Tend to Your Own Garden
To summarize everything that I’ve been talking about in this section: Change our nature, and we change our world.
You change your nature by raising your consciousness.
You raise your consciousness by:
Intaking new perspectives via books, podcasts, videos, films, and spoken communication
Following your curiosities
Following what makes you feel excited
Getting out of your comfort zone
Traveling to a foreign culture
Hanging out with cool people that make you think differently
Spending intentional time in Nature
Increasing your somatic awareness
Feeling your emotions deeply
Getting your needs met
Asking yourself powerful questions and deeply contemplating them
Self-inquiry
Meditating
Having mystical experiences
Doing shadow work
Going to therapy
Hiring a life coach
Self-reflective journaling
Doing psychedelics in a safe and intentional container
Practicing gratitude
Actively listening to other people
Developing critical thinking skills and challenging your assumptions
Engaging in creative expression (art, music, writing, dance, etc.)
Engaging in community service
Forgiving others
Understanding others
Listening to others
Practicing radical honesty with yourself and with other people
Embracing and fully feeling your suffering
Cultivating a connection to your intuition and inner wisdom
Following your heart
Taking care of yourself
And probably many more that I am not listing.
This is what the work is all about.
I intentionally held back from diving deep into the specifics of what this beautiful, Solarpunk vision would look like because I did not want this post to become a mental masturbatory session.
The vision is up for you to flush out on your own time. I just wanted to plant the seeds of it into your mind as a means to inspire you.
Really, my message is about empowering you and motivating you to take responsibility for the well-being of all by becoming the most mature, loving, self-actualized version of yourself.
The reality is that you are only 1 human, and there are 8 billion of us.
8 billion!
As individuals, we cannot expect to save the world, or even come close to it.
To believe we could do such a thing would be highly ego-inflating, which is counterintuitive to the work.
But, what we can do is tend to our own garden, nurture the own path of our development, and by doing so, we create a ripple effect that touches the lives of those around us.
Us humans are unlike any other species on Earth in the sense that we have the capacity for conscious evolution.
That is, we have the capacity to self-reflect on our own motivations and behaviors as well as those of others, we can introspect on our beliefs and assumptions, and we can make a conscious, intentional effort to change them.
No other species on our planet can do this.
This allows us to shape the course of our own personal growth journey, and thus the growth of the human family at large, in a way that no other species can.
We don’t have to live life at the whims of mere biological drives and cultural indoctrination.
These were the times of the past, before we had access to virtually infinite knowledge at our fingertips.
Now, life can become a consciously created project.
Now, we can start identifying ourselves as evolutionaries, that is, individuals that are consciously participating in the evolution of the human species, and, by extension, the evolution of Planet Earth.
As an evolutionary, you:
embrace the path of your own self-actualization
commit to being fully Yourself, knowing that as you do so, you create space for others to be the same.
stay anchored to the greatest, most grand vision you ever had about Who We Are and What We Are Capable of
are an Infinite Game Player
approach life with a sense of curiosity and openness, always eager to learn and adapt
strive to be the change you wish to see in the world, rather than just preaching about it
engage in a lifestyle that deepens the connection to yourself, to others, and to the world around you
By identifying as an evolutionary, you take it upon yourself to rise above mere biological drives and cultural indoctrination to consciously create a reality for all of us that is far greater, more loving, peaceful, blissful, and harmonious than any reality humanity has seen so far.
Really, this journey is about our individual and collective reunification with God, becoming One again with the Love that we fundamentally are.
This path is not easy.
There will be numerous hardships that challenge us, that cause us to want to stay small, to stay less than who we truly are.
It takes an enormous amount of courage to dive into our shadow, face our traumas, and stay resilient enough to persist through violent, bleak, or uncertain times.
But, if you always stay anchored in your Truth, and NEVER abandon the greatest vision you’ve ever had about yourself and ourselves, you will persist, we will persist, and we will grow into a species more wise, conscious, and loving, and our descendants will live to see the day that Solarpunk becomes a reality.
The power is in your hands.
Traps of the Path - Don’t Overwork Yourself, Don’t Make an Identity Out of Solarpunk, and Don’t Project Solarpunk Onto Everyone
The reason I brought developmental psychology into the picture was because I wanted to emphasize that Solarpunk represents a particular stage of development within the human story, specifically the highest stages of development that only a small percentage of people on Earth presently embody.
My hope with bringing a developmental perspective into the Solarpunk discussion was to help you realize what both you and we are capable of when we become our most mature versions, so that you would feel inspired and empowered to take your own growth and development into your own hands.
But there is also a trap that many experience among those who cling to these developmental perspectives.
This is a subtle trap, but it is extremely important that you are aware of it, because your well-being depends on it.
A friend of mine recently pointed out to me that baked into these developmental models is a sort of grand narrative of progress and superiority.
I have to agree with him.
This grand narrative sort of subliminally perpetuates the narrative that those who are at the higher stages of development are somehow more important or valuable to a society than those at the lower stages.
This can lead to a number of problems, both in how we view ourselves and others.
In my experience, clinging to these models led to a strong pressure to continue advancing/developing, which caused me to become extremely perfectionistic, making me feel shameful and inadequate whenever I would fall short of my ideal of what I believed “fully developed” means, which I perceived as being some sort of non-dual, enlightened consciousness in which I would be at peace 24/7 and never suffer.
This is precisely what caused me to desire building my business as fast as possible, as I believed financial freedom from the business would allow me more time and energy to foster my deeper growth and development.
It’s not so much about whether the above statement is true or not, what’s meaningful here is the fact that this belief caused me to push and strive to “reach the end”, making me terribly unsatisfied with the present moment, perpetuating my seeking to always be elsewhere perceived as “better.”
This is not the Solarpunk way.
My friend, in the Solarpunk world, work is not done in a pushing/striving fashion, it is done with a sense of joy, in a state of flow, and in a manner that is natural to who you are.
Just start being that.
You don’t have to wait.
You don’t need a permission slip.
You don’t need to get anywhere.
You can just start serving Life now, in a way that is natural to who you are.
What’s funny about this pushing/striving mentality towards growth is that it ironically and counterintuitively reinforces the very ego structures that genuine developmental growth seeks to transcend.
In addition, clinging to developmental perspectives too rigidly can also cause one to:
use their perceived developmental level as a source of pride or superiority
use their perceived “high development” as a means to spiritually bypass, to avoid dealing with uncomfortable emotions and challenges (see my post on Spiritual Ego)
judge and dismiss the perspectives of others that are perceived to be at “lower” stages
oversimplify the richness of the journey to God
To combat this, it is important to not adhere to any one perspective too rigidly and approach these developmental models with a bit of humility and openness, recognizing that the map is not the territory. A model is just a model, and by no means the absolute truth.
To use these developmental models for purposes other than understanding and compassion for other human beings runs counterintuitive to the aims of what the creators of these theories had in mind.
And so, when applying this trap to Solarpunk, don’t construct some big identity out of Solarpunk.
Don’t look down upon others because you think you are bigger, better, more developed, or more wise simply because you adhere to the Solarpunk vision.
And very importantly, don’t project your Solarpunk ideals onto everyone else, thinking that they will buy into the vision the way that you did.
The reality is that you resonate with Solarpunk because your consciousness is likely above the center of gravity of human society today.
Not everyone has the capacity for this type of inclusive, world-centric consciousness that you do, so don’t expect them to.
If you forcefully project your Solarpunk ideals onto other people, you wind up creating resistance and alienation rather than positive change, which can:
trigger defensiveness as people feel judged, criticized, or unheard, leading them to resist your ideas more strongly
create an us-vs-them mentality
misrepresent Solarpunk in making it seem like an aggressive, dogmatic ideology rather than an inspiring signpost for the future
reinforce your own sense of egoic superiority
And all of this runs antithetical to the Solarpunk vision, which represents a world in which everyone is welcomed and embraced.
Let everyone grow at their own pace, you aren’t here to save the world.
Embody more, preach less.
I see an enormous amount of people, myself included, fall into these traps so I wanted to point them out.
Be an Evolutionary
There’s one final subtle nuance I would like to point out that may help you steer clear of these traps.
This point relates to your self-identity.
I mentioned earlier that I saw the Solarpunk reality as being a blend of socialist, communist, and anarchist principles.
But know that I do not identify with being a socialist, communist, or anarchist.
Nor do I label myself as “anti-capitalist” just because I said the Solarpunk reality is a post-capitalist reality.
I do not ascribe myself these labels because if I did, if I called myself a “socialist”, “communist”, “anarchist”, or “anti-capitalist”, I would be making the claim that those realities are what is best FOR ALL PEOPLE.
This would lead me to projecting my Solarpunk ideals onto everyone else, which again, would be forceful and antithetical to the actual Solarpunk vision.
In hopes of bringing forth Solarpunk, all I am advocating for is that those who hear these words take a deeper look within themselves, a deeper look at the world, take on a path of healing and growth, develop a connection to something higher than themselves, and follow, cultivate, and nourish their natural sense of excitement and joy in a way that other people can benefit from.
Nowhere am I advocating for an uprising or revolution to end capitalism and bring forth Solarpunk.
As I hope you already understand from reading this post, that would never work in bringing about the actual Solarpunk vision because an uprising would do nothing but perpetuate an us-vs-them mentality, which is a level of consciousness that is below the Solarpunk reality.
So what do I label myself as if not socialist, communist, anarchist, or capitalist?
I don’t really know, I am not too fond of ascribing labels to myself as I feel labels put me into a constricted box.
But I feel the label of evolutionary is what would describe me best.
As an evolutionary, I recognize that my role is not to push for any particular governmental or economic system, but rather to inspire others and facilitate the growth of consciousness, both my own as well as others, in a way that will naturally lead to more sustainable, inclusive, harmonious, and loving ways of creating ourselves and our societies.
As an evolutionary, I recognize that no governmental and economic system is inherently “good” or “bad”, but rather exists as a direct reflection of the consciousness of those who created it to meet the needs and the wants that those people collectively have.
When applied to our current capitalist reality, which is a reflection of a consciousness (Integral Stage Orange) that puts high value on individual achievement, material success, profit, science, rationality, democracy, and technological innovation, I reflect on what’s best and what works about this reality, as well as what doesn’t work, and I desire to help create a reality that transcends what limits us while also including what works.
This is the Integral way.
Solarpunk represents a reality that takes place in the far future, and there will certainly be numerous stages in between our current reality and that of Solarpunk.
What will likely happen next is that more humans butt up against the limitations of this capitalistic (Orange) stage and realize that material wealth and status does not bring happiness, science and technology cannot solve all of our problems, and that our relentless pursuit of profit and growth is not only causing severe damage to our planet, but is also damaging the social fabric of society by causing severe wealth inequality and an array of other issues.
Collectively, this will usher in the next stage of consciousness, Stage Green, which represents a deepening of world-centric consciousness, which is already gaining significant traction in the human collective.
As society becomes increasingly Green, this will likely lead to political and economical changes such as:
Stronger environmental regulations as well as increased policies to specifically address climate change.
Higher taxes for the ultra-rich, and less taxes for the middle class
Stricter regulations on corporate power and influence
Greater emphasis on human rights and social justice
Increased funding for education, healthcare, etc.
Inclusively focused policies to combat inequality and inequity when it comes to race, gender, and sexual orientation
These are just a few.
But, of course, Green will come with its own limitations, which will then have to be moved past, which will lead to the next stage, and the next stage, and the next stage, until hopefully we arrive at a reality that resembles Solarpunk.
I won’t get into all of the stages here as that would take far too long, and become far too speculative.
But what you should take away from this point in identifying as an evolutionary is that you’re not solely identified with any one system or future outcome.
In holding Solarpunk as a dialectical utopian vision, you recognize that the path towards creating this future is open and messy, it isn’t linear or pre-determined, and it will involve continuing to change, adapt, grow, and integrate in order to realize the vision.
With that being said, let’s move forth together as evolutionaries, play the Infinite Game, and never abandon the greatest vision we’ve ever had about Who We Are and What We Are Capable Of.
This is the Solarpunk way.
Practical Calls-to-Action
Before I wrap up here, I would also like to leave you with some more practical calls-to-action.
Of course, don’t let these practical calls-to-action distract you from the real work to be done, which is the growth of your consciousness.
But, anything that you do in an ecologically-conscious, sustainable way that can help shift power away from large corporations and centralized institutions and put power in the hands of the people is going to be very helpful for bringing about the Solarpunk vision.
These include actions such as:
Starting a community garden
Participating in local government and community decision-making
Investing in renewable energy
Supporting local businesses
Using public transportation when possible
Practicing minimalism, reducing carbon footprint
Practicing permaculture principles
One such community in the world that embodies much of these principles is Findhorn ecovillage, located in Scotland.
This ecovillage houses a few hundred people and is described as “a synthesis of some of the very best of current thinking on sustainable settlements.”
I won’t speak too much on the village here, but check out their website to get an idea of what Solarpunk put into action on a local level could look like!
Conclusion
That about wraps up this post!
As I write here, now above 10,000 words, I find myself extremely happy and grateful for what has been written (I’ve been planning this post for over a year), but also recognizing there is still so much more nuance and complexity to what composes the Solarpunk vision as well.
That’s where you guys come in.
Once this is uploaded into video form on Youtube, I would like to invite everyone into discussion and collaboration on the Solarpunk vision.
What more needs to be said? What did I get right? What did I get wrong? Could my shadow have been showing in how I represent the Solarpunk vision?
Solarpunk is a vision that everyone is invited to, so let’s critique my version of this vision so we can expand it, making it even more great and beautiful than it already is.
Offers
If you find yourself inspired with what’s been said here, and are looking for some guidance in consciously crafting the course of your growth, consider hiring me as your coach.
As an Integrally-informed coach, we will work together to:
Align your life with your highest values and aspirations
Develop practices that support the growth and expansion of your consciousness
Uncover and integrate blockages or shadow aspects that may be holding you back
Explore potential ways to meaningfully contribute to collective growth
Help you fall deeper in love with life
If this interests you, please click this link to book the free discovery call, which is a 45 minute call to discuss you, your unique life situations, goals, aspirations, etc. in order to determine if we are a good fit to work in the long-term together.
Hope to see you soon!
With love and intention,
Wyeth