Grokkist Newsletter #64

Hey friends,

Much of what we do at Grokkist is an ongoing response to a quiet catastrophe: the failure of imagination.

Not just the inability to think outside the box — but the deeper incapacity, sometimes even unwillingness, to imagine that the box could be different.

That the rules we live by aren’t natural laws.

That the world as it is, with its entrenched injustices, absurd bureaucracies, and endless stream of “inevitable” crises, is not the only story available to us.

One of the reasons I started Grokkist was because I got bored of the yap.

Endless takes on what’s broken, what’s not working, who’s to blame — and far too much waiting around for “somebody else” to pick up the good ideas.

At some point, I realised I’d rather just make something. A place where we don’t only diagnose the world, but practise imagining — and living into — something different.

That work feels more urgent than ever now.

The instability and uncertainty of our times — and the increasingly stark reminders of what happens when others write the story for us — is a bracing call to step up. If we don’t offer compelling visions of what could be, people will settle for what’s familiar, even if it’s destructive.

That’s why I’m excited for our upcoming event on solarpunk and visionary fiction — creative genres that ask not only “what if?” but also “how?”

They help make futures feel imaginable, legible, inhabitable.

And I think that’s part of our work at Grokkist too: not just to connect people, but to connect contexts — to amplify and weave together visions that already exist, and to help people see themselves inside them.

We’ve recently updated the Coddiwomple Compass for this quarter to reflect some of the community-powered initiatives we’re exploring as part of this.

And with Grokkist turning three this week (!), our upcoming Town Hall will be a chance to lay out our forward vision, share new prototypes and frameworks, and welcome both new faces and longtime loving lurkers into the fold.

If you’ve been on the edge wondering how to get more involved — this is a great time to step in.

We’re also continuing our beautiful collaboration with the Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit through the Under the Ginkgo Tree series.

The latest conversation with Jordan Jones explores the Black mystical tradition through the lives of Howard Thurman and Harriet Tubman — and offers a potent reminder of how spiritual imagination, grounded in the inner life, fuels acts of liberation and justice.

Jordan speaks of mysticism not as withdrawal, but as a way of refusing the world as it is — of tapping into the deeper rhythm of what’s possible. It’s a kind of sacred reorientation: from noise to clarity, from inertia to movement.

That, too, is the work of imagination.

It’s also why we’re linking up with aligned organisations, like the Deignan Institute and others, in ways that are relational rather than duplicative.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel — we need to connect the spokes, weave the context, and embody through experiment what it looks like to do things differently.

We’re in a moment where the post-WWII world story is sunsetting — and the outlines of what’s next are still very much in flux. That’s a terrifying place to be. It’s also a thrilling one.

Let’s keep imagining boldly, creating bravely, and refusing to wait for permission.

We already know how to dance in the dark.

With curiosity and care,
Danu

Fresh from the Press

Tracing the Black Mystical Tradition from Tubman to Thurman, with Jordan Jones

By Liam Myers and Jim Robinson (45 min listen)

Jordan Jones reflects on how Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman illuminate Black mysticism as a radical practice of inner freedom, ancestral memory, and ecological reverence.

Explore the episode ↗

If You Wish Upon A... Locomotive?

By Peter Gilderdale (5 min read)

Dreams can light the way, but if they’re only about the finish line, they often leave us stranded. Purpose, on the other hand, carries you forward — even when the dream falls short.

Read the article ↗

More from the Press

• White Lies and Cake (Peter Gilderdale, 4 min read) – Something can be true — and still not the whole truth. That’s where understanding begins.

Upcoming Events

🟢 Grokkist Town Hall – Q2-2025

🗓️ Wed 16 Apr | 11am–1pm NZ time (view in your timezone)
Facilitated by Danu Poyner

Grokkist isn’t just something you tune into—it’s something we shape together. The Grokkist Town Hall is one of the key places where that happens. Think of it as a plenary for the whole community—a chance to gather the threads of what’s unfolding, share updates, and look ahead.

First, I’ll take you behind the scenes with an update on what’s been happening and what’s next on the Coddiwomple Compass. Then, the floor is open—bring your questions, ideas, reflections, or wild sparks of inspiration.

And if you’re new? This is where we welcome you in, properly. We’ll take a moment for a First Threads Round, where you can share what thread led you here—a story, a curiosity, a hunch you’re following. It’s a simple but meaningful way to step into the weave of things and be met by others who are also finding their way.

Event Details and RSVP ↗

🟠 Neurographica: Drawing into Possibility

🗓️ Thur 10 Apr | 7–9pm UK time (view in your timezone)
Facilitated by Margarita Steinberg

NeuroGraphica is more than drawing — it’s a psychological process that uses line, shape, and colour to help re-pattern your thinking and make space for what you desire.

🟠 Open to all with a suggested cover charge (USD$40)*
Grokkist members receive 30% off (see here for coupon details).
*Can't afford it? No problem. See our Forget About the Price Tag policy for options.

Event Details and RSVP ↗

Other Upcoming Events

• 23 Apr | 🟢 Solarpunk and the Power of Visionary Fiction
• 30 Apr | 🟢 Open For Whom? A grokkist's guide to accessing Open Access
• 1 May | 🟣 Grokkist Members Meetup [May '25]
• 7 May | 🟢 Grok Cafe [#3 in 2025]

Featured Course

Comparative Meditation:
New Live Cohort Starts 15 April

Explore the richness and depth of meditation in an experiential journey that weaves together the philosophical underpinnings and transformative practices of Shamatha, Vipassana, Tantra, and Non-Dual meditation.

The next live cohort runs Tuesdays for 5 weeks, starting 15 April 2025, from 4–6pm ET.

Each live session includes:
• A guided meditation practice led by Jude
• Context and explanation to deepen understanding
• Time for group discussion and reflection

See the full schedule in your timezone on the Grokkist Academy Live Calendar.

Evergreen Access: explore at your own pace
🔖 Suggested Tuition: USD$99* (30% off for Grokkist Members)

Live Cohort: go deeper with others
🔖 Suggested Tuition: USD$275* (30% off for Grokkist Members)

(*Can't afford it? Don't worry. Our Forget About the Price Tag policy ensures this course is open to everyone, regardless of budget.)

Full Course Details ↗

#1 - The lost art of research as leisure

The Lost Art of Research as Leisure

Where have the amateur researchers gone, and how do we bring them back?

KasurianMariam Mahmoud

When did reading stop involving awe? This is a gently sprawling meditation on the deep roots of schole—the ancient notion of leisure as serious, soul-forming inquiry. Mariam Mahmoud traces the intellectual tradition from its classical roots through the Islamic world and into the private libraries of curious amateurs, reclaiming research as something joyful, embodied, and fundamentally human. For her, research without awe or deep presence is just “hollow reading.” What would it take to read—and research—as though time belonged to us again?

If you’ve ever found yourself Googling in twelve tabs just for the pleasure of figuring something out, this is for you. And if you’ve been around Grokkist long enough to hear us talk about schole, this is a beautiful place to deepen that thread.

#2 - When do TV shows start to slip?

Quality Decline in Serialized TV Shows: A Data-Driven Analysis

by Narain Jashanmal on March 11th, 2025

Quality Decline in Serialized TV Shows: A Data-Driven Analysis

Narain Jashanmal assembles the receipts for a familiar hunch: most TV shows start strong and then fall apart. Using AI tools like ChatGPT’s deep research mode and NotebookLM, he gathers data from IMDb, Metacritic, and fan forums to chart how serialized story arcs decline over time. The findings are both intuitive and satisfying—season 2 is often the peak, and few shows survive past season 4 without drifting.

It’s a playful and interesting example of what research can look like in the age of AI-assisted curiosity. I can't help but wonder—would Mariam Mahmoud, with her reverence for embodied awe in the act of reading, see this as meaningful amateur research? Or just another form of hollow reading in disguise? I suppose the fact that we can wonder (and argue) about that is itself a sign of a living tradition of inquiry, not a dead one.

#3 - Ghosts of borders past

Historic Borders

Visualize country borders from different times in history (123,000 BC - 1994)

HistoricBorders

This beautifully simple site overlays historical borders onto modern maps, letting you trace the shifting lines of empires, kingdoms, and states through time. Pick a place and a year—see who claimed it then, and who came before.

Built on the Historical Basemaps project, it draws from decades of cartographic work and includes this telling quote from The Dawn of Everything:

“For most of the past 5,000 years, kingdoms and empires were exceptional islands of political hierarchy, surrounded by much larger territories whose inhabitants systematically avoided fixed, overarching systems of authority.” — Graeber & Wengrow

An interactive reminder that even the most solid lines on a map were once someone’s idea of order—and may not stay fixed forever. The world was once weirder, more fluid, and far less tidy than we usually consider. If that was true before, it might be again.

#4 - Japan's golden age of pencils

The Golden Age of Japanese Pencils, 1952-1967

It was the summer of 1952, and the executives of Tombow Pencil were about to revolutionize the Japanese pencil industry—or, possibly, fall flat on their faces. Hachiro Ogawa, the son of founder Harunosuke Ogawa, was Tombow’s managing director, and he had just finished a years-long project, at enormous cost,

Studio NotesCarson Monetti

Strap in for a love letter to a golden age most people never knew existed. This 20-minute read traces the golden era of Japanese pencils from 1952 to 1967—when companies like Tombow and Mitsubishi poured care, craft, and industrial ingenuity into making the world’s most exquisite writing tools. In place of cutthroat competition, what unfolded instead was a kind of honourable arms race built on mutual respect and relentless refinement.

Tombow’s HOMO pencil (named for its homogenous graphite core) launched with 17 grades and a silky lacquered finish, thanks to cutting-edge research and Californian incense cedar. It cost nearly triple the average pencil—but 720,000 were sold on day one. Mitsubishi (not that Mitsubishi) responded with the Uni and Hi-Uni lines, boasting up to 10 billion graphite particles per cubic millimetre—tools of serious beauty and precision that many artists still swear by today.

A case study in what can happen when economic growth, cultural pride, and the pursuit of excellence align—turning even a humble pencil into a national project of perfection.

#5 - Chess is a vibe

체스막타

함께 성장해 봐요!! 개인 공부 목적으로 채널을 개설했어요~ 체스에 입문했던 체린이 시절부터 지금까지 공부와 대국 영상. 대회와 체스 관련 여러 이슈를 꾸준히 다루고 있습니다.

YouTube

Korean creator Chess Makta remixes chess strategy with meme-speed editing, custom beats, and full sensory overload — an attention-economy fever dream with a surprising amount of pedagogical clarity. Her channel (500k+ subs and counting) runs on the motto “Chess is a vibe, and games gotta be lit and full of fun.” Even obscure gambits feel like boss battles.

Check out the Albin Countergambit, where an original track with Evanescence energy backs a genuinely insightful breakdown — I learned a lot. Or try the Peruvian Immortal, set to a nu-funk instant classic, narrating a spectacular 1934 exhibition game by Peruvian master Esteban Canal against an unknown amateur. Joyfully chaotic and surprisingly effective — this is chess strategy for the TikTok age.

If this already feels like home, membership is just making yourself comfortable.

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A pair of parting thoughts...

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” – James Baldwin

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – André Gide