There is no benefit in destroying another human being or holding down their potentials. In fact mankind has stripped itself of progress, strength and prosperity by subduing their fellow humans. The rational approach is to nurture healthy relationships, healthy conduct and to reap the fruits of a multitude of amazing minds and skills. The rational approach is to rethink the irrational narratives of power and dominance, of winning and controlling, of conquering and oppressing.
©Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/3, shaping, where do we go from here & decisions
Highlights
What’s next?
Campaigns for our future
JULY – AUGUST
Preparations
& some specials
JULY
Over the next weeks, I will focus on preparing the release of 1 plus 39 plus 1 days of book 4/1, building: CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE. Find out more in the next section.
Apart from this and from recharging, I also want to find time to fill the playbook for change, to write more extensively about how we can bring about the changes we, our societies and our planet, so urgently need, and I might compile a first edition of MAKE IT HAPPEN stories (collaborations are welcome).
I haven’t decided on how much time I will spend on Bluesky. But if I’m there my focus is likely to be on making nature visible through photography (mostly bug watch, forests, ocean & wildflowers) discussing towns & cities ideas, and giving the accounts I will use for the CAM;PAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE period some introductions. In particular @digging-deeper-fof.bsky.social might see its first entries (fof stands for For Our Future).
In short, there is a lot of intriguing material waiting to be used and my biggest challenge will be to take enough time for myself and strengthen myself for the CAMPAIGNS weeks. Because I am in need of some recharging, I presently hesitate to announce a start date for the CAMPAIGNS but I’m positive there will be a Friday in July when it all begins.
If you would like to see more of my work sooner, please, consider joining me or consider supporting my projects financially. Both would help me to address more faster. Get in touch: contact@charlie-alice-raya.org or on Bluesky @charliealiceraya.bsky.social
COMING in JULY
CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE
Timing
book 4/1, building, campaigns
Chapter by chapter release
JULY
Launch first chapters, book 4/1, building
JULY
Start of free daily chapters via Substack
JULY (25 days hot)
Campaign ideas in daily chapters & on Bluesky
AUGUST
Showdown in daily chapters
AUGUST
day 1, final daily chapter
‘We failed to take action when action would have been a piece of cake compared to how much we need to redo and rethink now. We can’t afford divides, we can’t afford interests, we can’t afford screwing each other. But we can — for once get our priorities right, get rid of destructive narratives, and start over.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 4, building
We urgently need to address a whole range of issues which make us and our planet sick.
In order to come together, to rethink and reshape together, we can’t have enough impulses & ideas for campaigns and ways to take action.
In the playbook for change, you can find a number of tools (work in progress, contributors welcome).
The first part of my forth book is full of ideas for campaigns for our future. Therefore I decided to publish it early and chapter by chapter via a temporary Substack newsletter.
In addition I will open discussions on Bluesky and add all the material which didn’t make it into the story.
To join, stay up-to-date, ask questions, use one or all of these options:
Email
contact@charlie-alice-raya.org
On Bluesky
@campaign-ideas.bsky.social
@charliealiceraya.bsky.social
To receive updates and the campaign chapters of book 4/1, building, into your inbox, subscribe for free to my temporary newsletter Campaigns for our future on Substack (no pushing to pay) which will be particularly active in JULY 2025 and which will be deleted (including your data) a week after the final notes for this project, very likely at the end of August at the latest.
SHAPING
The latest books in the easy town books series which is all about rethinking- well, everything.
‘What’s more fun than to take a good look at the world and say: “OK, this sucks. Let’s try again.” I mean our project proposes a huge adventure: reshaping the world.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3, shaping
book 3
SHAPING
book 3/1
Arrivals & shaping
book 3/2
Entanglements & silence
book 3/3
Where do we go from here & decisions
‘True power — if you think about God — true power is in creation, not in destruction, oppression or tyranny. A true and powerful leader will create not destroy.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3, shaping
Everything is connected: our relationship to our bodies and to nature, our dealings in business and politics, the way we build and what we consume, how we communicate and how we act.
In the easy town books a group of thinkers, scientists, artists, business people and more plan, shape and eventually build a town which is run as an experiment to find out what kind of environment the human needs to thrive and to coexist with nature – or even better how humans can become part of the planet’s systems again.
Book 3, shaping, is the latest exploration, spanning the time between the project team’s reunion in London for the shaping phase of the project and the moment when unexpectedly an offer for a town site is made, an offer with a major catch.
In between the main characters face troubles and personal struggles, the teams ride on waves of inspiration until the silence from the world at large and consequently the lack of a site for the town wears down the team. During the winter break, the story gets rather personal and questions of belonging, family, love, grief come into focus. In the new year, a deadline for the project forces the teams to refocus and on a wave of defiance the teams accept the challenge.
The easy town story is full of rethinking a wide range of subjects, most with a connection to the town project, most relevant for the discussions we need to have to rethink and shape our world in ways that don’t make us sick and restore our planet.
The easy town story is my rethinking playground and I invite you to join me. We have no time to lose. This is our world and it doesn’t have to be in such a mess. We can rethink and shape it. Book 3, shaping, while having its dark moments, is a defiance booster and full of inspirations and discussions for us.
Get a copy of all three parts of book 3, shaping:
Where to buy my books?
The watcher is a reminder that humans will only progress if and when they strive to understand what it is they are doing, and when they ask themselves why they are doing it.
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 2/2, travelling
I boycott Amazon & Co and while I love & buy printed books, I’m still reluctant to have my books printed until we have set up a books station network, ripples publishing and pepper books to ensure a highly sustainable way of printing & trading books outside of the still common profit driven markets.
In the meantime you can get my e-books via this website.
Via the platform Patreon > (which is not updated yet)
Via an annual subscription to my Substack newsletter IT’S OUR WORLD, which will give you immediate access to all my published books, and later also to upcoming books.
If you are the owner of an independent bookshop, I’m happy to offer e-books via your website and list you on this website & mention you on Bluesky.
Find an overview of all books here: books by Charlie Alice Raya
Find out more about book stations here >
Find out more about ripples publishing & pepper books here >
About the author
If we tell people what is what, then WHAT will always remain WHAT and never evolve.
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/1, shaping
I am an explorer who loves to pick up any WHAT and give it a good spin in my playground: the easy town story.
I am a creator who loves to dig deeper and who creates visions of ideas we can test, ideas with the potential of giving us the kind of boosts that allow us to evolve and thrive.
I am Charlie Alice Raya, born in 1972, in the then divided city of Berlin.
Find out more here: About Charlie Alice Raya
get in touch
If you’d like to join a project, if you’d like to make a contribution, if you have a suggestion, if you’d like to support the projects, if you have any questions or concerns, please, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Presently, I read all emails personally. Write to: contact@charlie-alice-raya.org
This websites still has some gaps and I will continue to fill them over the next weeks and months.
You can also find me on Bluesky: @charliealiceraya.bsky.social
