Convexplorations—with Anna Grear

In this conversation, Anna explores some contemporary political and geopolitical tensions with former US immigration judge George Pappas. George covers the the challenges currently facing democracy, in the US in particular, and names chaos, the politics of cruelty and culture war distractions (including around immigration) as techniques being used to distract from the deeply material challenges faced by so many, and that are now in such urgent need of addressal.

Andreas and Anna discuss the figuration of 'hydrojustice'—a justice 'always defined in relation to water, the element that constitutes and unites all bodies, human and nonhuman. Hence justice is not an ideal state reached through merely human procedures (legal, political, economic, etc.) but also a planetary one, always conjoined with the element of water that both constitutes and transcends the boundaries of the human. In short, hydrojustice is the just confluence of all bodies, human and nonhuman' (from the book cover). Andreas and Anna flow within wave-reach of the book and beyond, exploring the need to move beyond the obsessive verticality that has led politics, social life, planetary systems and much more, to the present collective inflection point. There need for new imaginaries—ways of imagining 'otherwise'. Here, Andreas and Anna explore a powerful imaginary towards worlds otherwise and for 'staying with the trouble' in ways vital for human ongoingness."Hydrojustice is a poetic weave of water, life and legal theory. More than a political treatise, it is a timely manifesto for how to make a shared home in a world of constant fluctuation."Elizabeth R. Johnson"Hydrojustice invites us to embrace horizontally, to remain fluid in adversity, to be aware of our limits and our possibilities, and to do so without judgment. This is perhaps the only way we can avert the disastrous effects of verticality. The book will be of interest to those engaged in critical theory and the arts. Its poetics and method, its ontology and theory of justice, will inspire new ways of being, being together, assembling, writing, and thinking."e-fluxYou can find the art performance that Andreas mentions here: https://youtu.be/lI_dWNA3qx8?si=LJ0UAaw86hCO-4y4

What if the deepest crisis of our time isn't primarily political, economic, or even ecological — but ontological? What if the frameworks we're using to understand and respond to reality are themselves part of the problem?In this reflection, transformation practitioner, healer, and former legal scholar Anna Grear introduces the concept of onto-justice — the idea that justice—real justice—requires an adequate account of what is actually here. Drawing on systems thinking, assemblage theory, rhizomatic thought, and the philosophy of Karen Barad, Anna explores what it means to open toward complexity rather than contract away from it — and why that opening is not merely intellectually interesting but urgently necessary.Along the way she introduces original theoretical concepts including the idea of 'ontic thickening' — the way certain patterns accrete material weight and gravitational pull over time — and 'intra-lapping', a way of holding apparently opposed structures (rhizomatic and arboreal, complex and causal) as mutually constitutive rather than competing.This is a reflection about fear, rigour, humility, and what feral wisdom might actually look like in practice.Topics include: ontology and justice · systems thinking · assemblage theory · Deleuze and Guattari · Karen Barad · complexity and politics · ontic thickening · embodied healing · chronic fatigue · new materialism · onto-justice

What happens when the box is already open? Anna Grear and Alex Andreou begin with Pandora — and find themselves moving through myth, politics, and the stories and frames shaping our world, now and in the past. Wide-ranging and exploratory, this conversation weaves between the archaic and the contemporary: the double-edged potential of the narratives we inherit, the political turbulence of our moment, the role of community and embodied connection in times of fracture, and what it might mean to stay with the trouble together, in all its messy complexities. Nothing is neatly resolved — and that's precisely the point.

In this inaugural conversation of the Feral Wisdoms collection of the Convexplorations podcast, Anna welcomes environmental humanities scholar Jana Norman for an exploration of our current collective crossroads. Together, they examine how we might navigate away from hierarchical, disembodied ways of being toward more relational, ecologically-grounded approaches to life and community.Drawing on insights from ancient Indigenous cycles, cellular intelligence, and the wisdom of natural patterns such as seagrass restoration, Anna and Jana explore what it means to 'loosen the grip' on rigid identities and defensive contractions. They discuss the art of staying present with discomfort, embracing multiplicity, and generating choicefulness in this pivotal moment of choosing between fear-based systems and regenerative ways of being. We collectively have reached an important inflection point in planetary and human histories. This conversation offers both philosophical depth and practical wisdom for anyone seeking to re-embed themselves in embodied, relational living during these challenging times.

This is a guided somatic journey. It takes around one hour to complete. It's likely to be consciousness altering, and best listened to lying down. It's perfect to use for going to sleep at night. Please don't listen to it while operating machinery or doing anything you need your wits about you for! You will be in control, of course, at all times. When you have had enough, you can just decide to sit up and get on with your day, or turn it off for sleep. If you go for the whole journey, please be aware that the final 15 minutes or so uses binaural beats in the theta range.Have fun. This is part of the Body as Guru collection. 

Travel with me through ancient entanglements... journeys that began long before human consciousness first stirred... intimacies written into the very cells of your body.Today, we're going to explore our own bodies as a meeting place where countless forms of life converge to create what you experience as... well, you.Where exactly do you end... and the world begin?