Mutant futures in a deep time perspective is a course specifically designed to help people to explore personal and social futures within a much broader timeframe than what is normally done.

Our normal inclination is to plan our lives in one, two, five or even 10 year horizons. But what if a much deeper time perspective opened up emotional, conceptual and creative pathways we haven't seen?

Woven into the fabric of time

The deep time perspective is more than just a methodological or conceptual device. In fact we are woven into time in subtle and profound ways. We speak languages which have evolved for hundreds if not thousands of years. We eat foods which were bred over expansive periods in the Holocene. The complexity of the atoms in our body emerged in distant suns over 4 billion years ago. As a species we are roughly 200,000 to 300,000 years old.

By ESO/L. Calçada - ESO, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8424516

Deep time reflects our challenges

Part of the challenge in the present moment is that we experience multiple waves of crises that are existentially destabilizing. Many of these crises are pointing toward more profound shifts in our thinking and orientation and identity. Exploring deep time allows us to explore narratives that encompass more fundamental social shifts which are meaningful to us. Through deep time narratives we get new perspectives on the meaning of the Epic Times that we live in. These can point to how we personally want to reorient ourselves and our identities, as well as the new means and methods that we want to take up.

About Mutant Futures

The course is developed to support change makers, professionals and innovators in stepping up their creative impact in the world, their communities, organizations and in their lives. 

We live in Epic Times, with great challenges and transitions. Our capacity to align our sense of purpose to these societal changes is critical. We can find meaningful roles to play in these times, and  from this foundation we can forge new methods that can address our challenges and create change in new, more powerful ways. Find out about:  

Self Discovery and Alignment

Methodological Hybridity and Creativity

What selves is the future asking us to grow?

Answering the Call of Epic Times

Course elements

  • Seven live (2 hour) sessions and three optional mini sessions (on zoom) spaced across 9 weeks of learning provides in-person processes and support as well as cohort learning

  • In-depth course content, including videos, presentations and exercises, provide clarity and fluency in the ideas and methods

  • A learning community supports each learner's ability to share insights, get questions answered and connect meaningfully

  • Cohorts are limited to 15 people for maximum peer to peer and instructor-participant interaction

Content of sessions

  • Session 1 - Mutant futures in the deep time perspective

    This is an introduction to mutant futures in the deep time perspective. It provides an introduction to the key concepts and processes, provides a space for introduction and sharing with peer learning.

  • Session 2 - Exploring deep time through themes

    This session is an intensive workshop where participants explore deep time narratives through the social themes they want to work on. We use a number of processes and methods to help participants uncover and unpack the narratives and deep time dimensions in their chosen themes.

  • Session 3 - Crafting a deep time narrative

    We build on our deep time explorations by learning how to tell stories about the narratives we have uncovered. We develop story telling strategies and practice telling stories with each other.

  • Session 4 - Exploring the deep time narrative and selves connection

    Our deep time narrative and story telling has important things to say about who we are and can be. We explore the selves being called forth through this narrative, and our own inclinations and "weak signals of the self" to explore the possibilities in our becoming.

  • Session 5 - Exploring the selves and methods connection

    Selves create a boundary for what we consider possible and legitimate activity. In this session we explore how new selves create a new boundary and how this opens up new space for methodological creativity, hybridity and "mutant-cy".

  • Session 6 - Exploring the deep time narrative and methods connection

    When we explore a new context of change with an expanded awareness of its implications, it becomes clear that oftentimes the old methods to deal with an issue will not suffice. In this session we explore the what methods and means are being called forth by the narrative work participants have done.

  • Session 7 - Developing experiments

    In this session we take the insights about the methods being called forth and develop ideas for experiments that can be done that bring that idea into the present in a way that it can be tested and further iterated.

  • Flexible re-imaging mini-sessions

    Three mini sessions are offered across a 3 week period to support participants to do the re-imaging self work. Participants are often ready at different stages and can also need to try it more than once. This gives participants an opportunity do the re-imaging more flexibly.

What we do

  • We explore multiple selves, learn to grow our voice and power, and come from deep inner alignment with our purpose...

  • We explore the social changes and challenges that matter to us, what the future is asking of us, and how we want to mutate the future...

  • We experiment with and develop creative approaches and methods that will help create these futures...

Let a million ideas bloom

Each of us holds a gift for the world, even if we don't know what that is. Each of us is important, holding the potential to address our social challenges, run experiments and find solutions. There are myriad challenges, but as well millions upon millions of people who are and can find creative solutions to these challenges. What challenge is the future asking you to participate in?

Testimonials

Kieran Murrihy, Professional Futurist

“The MFP is a gem of a program. It’s wonderful to go on a journey of discovery with a group of people that are aware, intelligent and capable of encouraging each others fuller selves into the space. The frameworks and activities have enabled me to sharpen my understanding of where I can best add value in the world. They have also challenged me to consider how I show up more fully for my family and friends.”

Stephen Reimann, Senior Policy Maker

“The Mutants program gave me an opportunity to develop the skills, theories and understandings I acquired during my time completing the Swinburne Masters in Strategic Foresight. Expertly and gently guided by Jose, we worked coherently, challenging my biases and exploring my own personal narrative, within a safe and supportive environment, to develop my pitch to more clearly communicate my unique proposition and focus my own mutant foresight practice.”

Liz Landray, Municipal Community Development Officer

“The MFP provided me with a community of practice to continue and develop my futures knowledge base, practitioner skills and importantly to develop ongoing deep insight and self awareness of my practice.”

Heather Laurence, Futurist

“The MFP was both experimental and rooted in sound Foresight intention. It helped me to gain a deeper understanding into my Self and my Work and brought some clear insights that have catalysed ideas for future work and my journey in these times of great transistion and crisis.”

Mahesh Kandasamy

“The Mutants Futures Program has been a “game changer” for me. It has been a unique, deep and powerful learning experience that has enabled greater clarity of purpose and internal alignment. Unearthing certain personal narratives and metaphors embedded deeply in the unconscious was incredibly challenging and confrontational at times. However, the genuinely safe, inclusive and collaborative learning space created by fellow participants encouraged me to embark on a deeply reflective journey that has led to me identifying and securing work that is meaningful to me.”

Charmaine Sevil, Designer and Futurist

“I was deeply grateful to be part of this program. The mutant futures program itself is an emergent journey enacted through our own personal reflective rediscovery of the ‘authentic self’. Harnessed through enriching source material and practices, by focussing the lens to understand the interior of ones self. The discovery is the catalyst that drives our craft and professional pathways into our own ambitions of the future. The journey allows us to understand the weight of the past by looking back at our experiences travelled, the push of the future in having the encouragement to acknowledge our own true potential and the pull of the future is explored through personal metaphors and narratives that guide us into the future that we want to create and participate. This developmental program assists us to unearth our true value of contribution, enabling professional emergence and development within a supportive collaborative environment.”

Reanna Browne, Workforce Futures

“I have always held a deep belief in the adage that a learning journey can be best judged by how much it challenges and shifts how we see the world. With this as my yardstick, the Mutant Futures program has been one of the most powerful learning journey’s I have experienced to date. Among the plethora of practical insights around building my foresight craft, was the surfacing of the often unconscious dimensions of self. This program is an intimate voyage of self discovery and deep reflection and is delivered in poetic and reflective grace that asks you to challenge your conventional framing of self to better understand how this this framing underpins (consciously or otherwise) what we do, and do not do (and why) in the context of better understanding and developing our foresight/futures ‘craft’.”

Tara Nadun

“Thanks to the MFP, I found validation for the path that I had taken. It created the space for me to slow down, and to meet others who were on a similar journey. I am truly grateful for the people I met through the programme, for Jose’s gentle leadership, and the opportunity to play with combining emotional growth with entrepreneurial growth.”

Instructor(s)

Dr.

Jose Ramos

José Maria Ramos is director of the boutique foresight consultancy Action Foresight, is Senior Consulting Editor for the Journal of Futures Studies, and is Senior Adjunct Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He has taught and lectured on futures studies, public policy and social innovation at the National University of Singapore (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy), Swinburne University of Technology (Australia), Leuphana University (Germany), the University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia) and Victoria University (Australia). He has over 50 publications in journals, magazines and books spanning economic, cultural and political change, futures studies, public policy and social innovation. He has also co-founded numerous civil society organizations, a social forum, a maker lab, an advocacy group for commons governance, and a peer to peer leadership development group for mutant futurists. He holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature, a Masters degree in Strategic Foresight, and a Ph.D. in critical globalisation studies. He has a passion for the coupling of foresight and action, which has included both theoretical work through published articles, consulting work for federal, state and municipal governments, as well as citizen experiments in methodological innovation. He is originally from California of Mexican ancestry. Born in Oakland, he grew up in a very multi-cultural suburb of Los Angeles. After living in Japan and Taiwan, where he studied Japanese and Mandarin, he moved to Melbourne Australia to be with his wife, De Chantal. They have two children, son Ethan and daughter Rafaela. His other great passion is in considering who we are as planetary beings, which includes his ethnographic study of alternative globalizations, writings on planetary stigmergy, and research on cosmo-localization. This line of work connects him to the truth that we are all brothers and sisters inter-dependent with our planet and each other for our survival and wellbeing - our shared commons.

Course starts in

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Live Session Times

* There are 7 sessions in two time zones, please have a look at both for the session time that is best for you.  


Australasia / Pacific / Americas

Session 1 

São Paulo, Brazil          Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 8:30 pm BRT

New York, USA              Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 7:30 pm EDT

Mexico City, Mexico        Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 5:30 pm CST

San Francisco, USA         Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 4:30 pm PDT

Wellington, New Zealand    Tue, 2 Apr 2024 at 12:30 pm NZDT

Sydney, Australia          Tue, 2 Apr 2024 at 10:30 am AEDT

global times

Session 2

São Paulo, Brazil          Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 8:30 pm BRT

New York, USA              Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 7:30 pm EDT

Mexico City, Mexico        Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 5:30 pm CST

San Francisco, USA         Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 4:30 pm PDT

Wellington, New Zealand    Tue, 9 Apr 2024 at 11:30 am NZST

Sydney, Australia          Tue, 9 Apr 2024 at 9:30 am AEST

global times 

Session 3 

São Paulo, Brazil          Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 8:30 pm BRT

New York, USA              Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 7:30 pm EDT

Mexico City, Mexico        Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 5:30 pm CST

San Francisco, USA         Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 4:30 pm PDT

Wellington, New Zealand    Tue, 16 Apr 2024 at 11:30 am NZST

Sydney, Australia          Tue, 16 Apr 2024 at 9:30 am AEST

global times

Session 4 

São Paulo, Brazil          Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 8:30 pm BRT

New York, USA              Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 7:30 pm EDT

Mexico City, Mexico        Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 5:30 pm CST

San Francisco, USA         Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 4:30 pm PDT

Wellington, New Zealand    Tue, 23 Apr 2024 at 11:30 am NZST

Sydney, Australia          Tue, 23 Apr 2024 at 9:30 am AEST

global times

Session 5 

São Paulo, Brazil          Mon, 6 May 2024 at 8:30 pm BRT

New York, USA              Mon, 6 May 2024 at 7:30 pm EDT

Mexico City, Mexico        Mon, 6 May 2024 at 5:30 pm CST

San Francisco, USA         Mon, 6 May 2024 at 4:30 pm PDT

Wellington, New Zealand    Tue, 7 May 2024 at 11:30 am NZST

Sydney, Australia          Tue, 7 May 2024 at 9:30 am AEST

global times

*Sessions 6 and 7 will be set with the group upon discussion.

East Asia / Asia / Africa / EU

Session 1

Melbourne, Australia           Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 8:00 pm AEDT

Seoul, South Korea             Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 6:00 pm KST

Mumbai, India                  Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 2:30 pm IST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates    Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 1:00 pm GST

Berlin, Germany                Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 11:00 am CEST

Lagos, Nigeria                 Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 10:00 am WAT

global times

Session 2

Melbourne, Australia           Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 7:00 pm AEST

Seoul, South Korea             Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 6:00 pm KST

Mumbai, India                  Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 2:30 pm IST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates    Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 1:00 pm GST

Berlin, Germany                Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 11:00 am CEST

Lagos, Nigeria                 Mon, 8 Apr 2024 at 10:00 am WAT

global times 

Session 3

Melbourne, Australia           Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 7:00 pm AEST

Seoul, South Korea             Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 6:00 pm KST

Mumbai, India                  Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 2:30 pm IST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates    Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 1:00 pm GST

Berlin, Germany                Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 11:00 am CEST

Lagos, Nigeria                 Mon, 15 Apr 2024 at 10:00 am WAT

global times

Session 4

Melbourne, Australia           Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 7:00 pm AEST

Seoul, South Korea             Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 6:00 pm KST

Mumbai, India                  Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 2:30 pm IST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates    Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 1:00 pm GST

Berlin, Germany                Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 11:00 am CEST

Lagos, Nigeria                 Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 10:00 am WAT

global times

Session 5 

Melbourne, Australia           Mon, 6 May 2024 at 7:00 pm AEST

Seoul, South Korea             Mon, 6 May 2024 at 6:00 pm KST

Mumbai, India                  Mon, 6 May 2024 at 2:30 pm IST

Dubai, United Arab Emirates    Mon, 6 May 2024 at 1:00 pm GST

Berlin, Germany                Mon, 6 May 2024 at 11:00 am CEST

Lagos, Nigeria                 Mon, 6 May 2024 at 10:00 am WAT

global times

*Sessions 6 and 7 will be set with the group upon discussion.