iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I’m just thinking, it could also be called A Willow Shower 🙃

Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

If you’d like to support my work financially, you can buy my books on my website or on Patreon: charlie-alice-raya.org You can opt for a paid subscription on Substack: itsourworld.substack.com Or if you’d rather donate, see my photography website: #donate #substack #books #reads

charlie-alice-raya-photography.com

Support the Charlie Alice Raya projects – CHARLIE ALICE RAYA

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

You can read the previous chapters on my easy town books website: www.easy-town-books.com All support is very welcome. For more see 🧵 #writing #reads #books #booksky #supportThinkers #supportWriters #supportArtists #supportActivists

easy-town-books.com

easy town books – rethinking— well, everything

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

OFFLINE I’ll be off for a bit to work on the final week of CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE in book 4. See the 🧵 for more. It’s great to share my work with you, and I’m grateful for every like, repost & comment. If you’d like to get in touch, visit my website: charlie-alice-raya.org #writing #photography

Shallow water on the beach, rippling in the wind and reflecting the sunlight.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

Dear Jen, dear Richard, I’m sorry, but I need to drop out. It’s been a pleasure! Thank you! Until we meet again! Take care! @jenratcliffe.bsky.social @noswpod.bsky.social

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

And finally I love your description of the Musing Blackbird. It’s great to see it with your eyes. Thank you so much! Truly appreciated!

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

REST — I can so relate to that! ‘Rest is part of the regular cycle, not just enacting during recovery.’ 👍 ‘When was the last time you just sat on a bench and tried to think of nothing?’ Sadly, I don’t remember. ‘I’m practising a week of nothing moments. Whenever the whim takes me.’ 👏 🧵

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

Dear Jen, I listened to your substack two days ago & loved it. And just now I read some parts again. Here some of my favourite quotes: ‘There are many things in our world and in the wider natural one that we enjoy without enquiry as to their purpose.’ 💯🧵

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

#DailyNature & #photography Under the willow tree March 2026 : : : The old willow in the park wears her twigs like golden hair, letting it dance in the wind. #Berlin #trees #willows #nature

Large willow, shot taken from below a thick assembly of twigs , blowing in different directions.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I close the #TulipStudy with this image and add a #Reminder that All life is precious and so is living. For too long have we suffered systems which serve warmongers, billionaires & the power hungry. Time to refuse to be complicit. Time to choose to live. #photography #tulip #EndAllWars #mono

Mono (almost white) detail of a tulip, it looks like silk blowing in the wind.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/18 There is more, but much is better developed in my work. If a majority understands that we’re finally in something together, then we have a chance. I’ll be off bsky for a bit to focus on writing, but you’re welcome to contact me via email (see my website). Thank you for reading!

charlie-alice-raya.org

CHARLIE ALICE RAYA – explorer, creator, author, photographer

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/17 More dots Narratives & stories make our world. Many of them are shaped by fears (at the core). Rethinking our systems starts in the mind & is often impeded by traumata & forms of fanaticism. Also The systems we have create an environment that’s not adequate for us - hence my town experiment.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/16 How? My hope is that stories can help in many ways. If a person invents a story to address something that needs changing, then something happens in their mind. I also love the idea of international story marathons where we create story snippets where change happens … This is from day 16:

At midnight the open-air event A MILLION STORIES at Wembley closed with a world record of 1,639,447 story snippets with visions of how to shape a world where solitude has its place but loneliness can’t take root. ‘Boo-yah!’ Nona shouted into the night, high-fiving with her fellow writers. ‘I knew we could do it! I knew it! Let’s break this record!’ ‘What? Now? Can’t we enjoy this one for a bit?’ a friend asked. ‘Nope!’ Nona returned. ‘We don’t have any time to lose. Our world needs some major rethinks. Stories can help. Imagine authors, storytellers, creators from around the world bent their minds on shaping a world that thrives. Imagine the visions that can fill us and give us the courage and energy to say: ‘Oh, wow. I never expected to live in key moments. But I am. And I can be part of turning the key, of opening new doors, of getting us out of the horrors we inflicted upon each other and the planet.’ ‘Every writer on the planet?’ Nona nodded. ‘Everyone with a sliver of imagination. The more minds the better because change starts in the mind.’

© Charlie Alice Raya, book 4, building, 2025

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/15 To connect some dots. When we dig deeper, we find roots that might give us the hooks we need to get more people on board with rethinking. Fear might have led to divides, divides to competition, competition to extraction …

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/14 planet thrive. It was in a moment of bravado that I first used RETHINKING EVERYTHING. But later I realised that I couldn’t find anything that can’t do with a rethink. See quote from book 3, part 1

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/13 In 2012, due to a tragic event, I began to develop ideas for a town experiment & I used stories to test my ideas. In 2016, I stumbled into a story that took me on a 6 weeks trip. A week later I decided to write it, and today it is my playground to explore what it might take so that humans &

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/12 I can’t wrap my head around what happened to me after uni. It might be fair to assume that the traumata of the previous 3 decades caught up with me. Only I didn’t see it. While I zigzagged a lot, part of me continued to ask questions & to play with ideas for alternatives to our current systems.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/11 Since our political systems fail us & our planet, but also because it’s more effective, we need to put in the work to reach the minds of many to rethink— well, everything. Which brings me back to my story.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/10 Waking up as one potential path (see link). But maybe we need to be a lot more proactive, acknowledge that a U-turn can be traumatic and provide support. www.easy-town-books.com/waking-up-a-...

easy-town-books.com

waking up, a play in book 3, shaping – easy town books

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/9 I guess the gravity of what we’re asking of people who think meatballs give them more balls, and cars are cult is not apparent. I have been there. It’s asking to denounce what makes your life your life. It’s what happened to millions in East Germany, untreated to date, as far as I can tell.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/8 Been there. Done that. See links. There are parallels between the trauma of breaking with one’s faith and what can happen when we’re told that everything we thought we knew is damaging. www.easy-town-books.com/how-i-broke-... www.easy-town-books.com/on-fanaticis...

easy-town-books.com

How I broke with my faith, extract, book 3, shaping, part 1 – easy town books

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/7 If we talk roots, and I’m all for it, then we need to talk about what keeps people from acting in their own best interest. And that’s where it’s important to look into fanaticism. Someone who believes that what they do is right, will take opposition as a confirmation of their beliefs.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/6 It’s a good story to air & rewild the mind. When I wrote it, I let the questions & stories unfold, and made quite a few discoveries. With one I was confronted just yesterday: healing is an important factor. Because a traumatised person puts up irrational defences and you can’t get through.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/5 I recommend THE END OF ALL WARS which is in a way a thinking exercise, a digging deep into the roots of what got us into our mess. It might be a bit of a challenge for a scientist to read because the characters have no access to resources and can only rely on their minds. the-end-of-all-wars.net

the-end-of-all-wars.net

the end of all wars – views from around the universe

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/4 I think to get to the roots of our troubles, we need to ask what we are doing & why we are doing it. And I guess it’s paramount that we don’t leave thinking to a few but that we think together. Why? Because change starts in the mind. How? Stories which visualise what is possible when we rethink…

Quoted from book 2, travelling

Devery
Prince Salar drew Devery’s attention to the details of the
central fountain.
In the middle of the large round basin stood a jagged
natural rock, and a waterfall splashed down on one side.
The rock was surrounded by marble sculptures of human
hunters, mammals, reptiles, birds and fish; some jumping
out of the gushing water, others on the prowl, a few hiding.
Most creatures were hunting and being hunted.
Six of the human hunters were on the lookout for prey, their
spears and bows ready to strike; one closing in on a deer;
another aiming at a viper which was attacking a hare; two
searching the water; one scanning the sky; and another
climbing the rock to get to a bird’s nest, an eagle perched on
a rock nearby, its wings open; two of the human hunters
were defending the group against a water-spitting leopard
which was jumping towards them.
The most intriguing figure, however, was half-hidden in the
background.
On the edge of the basin sat an old man in a broad chair.
He was watching the hunting scenes with narrowed eyes
while stroking his long beard. On his armrest lay an open
notebook and a quill.
‘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,’
Prince Salar explained, and he added: ‘Otaon is an ancient
country. Our people go back to the times before time. Of
course, over the millennia, we were influenced by the
Medes, the Greek, the Persians, the Arabs and others. Even
the Mongols tried to leave their mark. But we are still older
than all of them, and hopefully wiser too.’
�

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/3 globalisation, I thought: No, I don’t want any part in this circus. This needs to be rethought. I wrote about Angst as a root cause of our misguided systems in my dissertation & picked it up again in book 2, travelling.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

/2 After wasting my youth as a religious fanatic (evangelical), I returned to school so that I could study. I wondered: if God isn’t the driving force on our planet, then what is? Economics seemed to be the answer. But when I wrote my dissertation submitted for diploma (FH) on free trade &

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I agree. But I think digging deeper will help. Allow me to take you on a journey. Towards the end of writing book 1, beginning, I noticed that I hadn’t written a word about climate change. But then, why would I? Climate change is a consequence not a root cause. Much of my work is about roots. 🧵

Quote from book 1, beginning

There was anger in Tom’s eyes when he said: ‘How is any
of this going to end hunger, war, illness, injustice, fanaticism,
terrorism, global warming?’
‘It’s half past nine. And that’s what you want to talk about
now? Alright. In short: With a single town, we can help to
rethink whatever needs rethinking. We can test ideas and
deliver tangible and reproducible results. War, hunger, global
warming and all the rest are consequences of inadequate
practices. By tackling root causes in our town experiment,
we might find adequate practices which in turn might
influence all of the above positively.
But who knows? Maybe we find out that there is no hope
for the planet as long as humans live on it. And even that
would be a result. All charities could close, governments
could go home, and everyone could do whatever they want.
No more worries. The world will end, no matter what we do.’
‘Do you think this is a good moment to be sarcastic?’
‘I’m not sarcastic. Not really. Because that might be the
result. Besides, it’s paramount to keep in mind that this
experiment will never provide ultimate answers. We need to
be careful not to come up with some ultimate truth or
salvation like so many movements and religions. No good
has ever come from having all the answers. To make sure
that we don’t start to take ourselves too seriously, we employ
whatever it takes to keep a level head, an open mind. That’s
why I need people like Jack Harris on board. People wh

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

CELEBRATING NATURE If we take a moment to see the beauty, strength & intricacy of this old tree, maybe we begin to grasp that trees aren’t easily replaceable. Let’s make the future of trees & forests our concern. They are amazing. When nature thrives, we thrive. #trees #nature #photography #mono

Black and white of two tall, old stone pines, looking from below at their impressive canopies.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

Gorgeous! Love Live Laugh Be I call spreading my arms whirling around taking it all in the magic the life the colours the shapes the sounds the smells the energies of nature.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

#DailyLichen & #DailyReminder that : Mutually beneficial relationships create worlds. Divides only hold us back. : #LICHEN A colony of algae or cyanobacteria living in a mutually beneficial relationship with multiple fungus species & along other bacteria. #fungifriends #OurFuture #strongertogether

A splash of orange sunburst lichen in a nest of white lichen on a branch.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

REFLECTIONS We can sink or we can swim. We can swim alone until exhaustion drowns us or we come together to build rafts. We can fight for the best position on the raft or we can try something new band together live. #reflections #climateAction #OurFuture #photography #water #light #blue #planet

Twinkling lights on the rippling blue surface of a lake.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

We are the architects of what we choose to build. Impediments: unresolved past, lack of visions, lack of narratives & stories that serve us, lack of imagination, lack of looking into the mirror & seeing what it is we are doing, lack of boldness to leave no issue unquestioned …

the-end-of-all-wars.net

the end of all wars – views from around the universe

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

CELEBRATING NATURE Often blossoms get all the attention when leaves have so much to offer, too: their shapes, textures, veins, colours. AND it’s the leaves which produce sugars as nourishment for the plant, and oxygen for all. #nature #leaves #photosynthesis #trees #spring #photography #climate

Young leaves on a branch illuminated by the sun.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I agree. WE CAN is also the awareness of the power we have if we use it together. Once the awareness, courage & rethinking is in motion, it might only be a few steps from can to will to are.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I’m presently considering a short story called: A world shaped by fear. I speculate that the fear humans experience is a critical root cause. It’s also used to manipulate, of course. I did a scene on Angst in book 2, travelling. 👇 Thank you for reading.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

If you’re interested in rethinking business practices, I highly recommend the dot story & website: www.dot-international.net Also relevant The Hub, rethinking the internet: www.hub-international.org book stations: www.book-stations.org

dot-international.net

dot. – A statement for the dignity and uniqueness of every human

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

Starting with book 3 is also a good entry point if you’re uncertain whether you’d be up for the whole ride. I boycott Amazon & Co, so my e-books are only available on my website & on Patreon. I use several websites to give each focus room & clarity. My overview page is: charlie-alice-raya.org

charlie-alice-raya.org

CHARLIE ALICE RAYA – explorer, creator, author, photographer

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

But eventually, the town emerges as an intriguing model on all counts: society, economy, environment and governance. I’m writing the first part of book 4 presently, where the team fight for a site for their town. You could start with the first draft chapters of book 4 which are available online 🧵

easy-town-books.com

easy town books – rethinking— well, everything

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

Much more in depth & complex are the easy town books. It’s my thinking playground. The overall story is simple: a town experiment is planned in several stages, the town is built, the town gets into trouble, and some of the main characters mess things up. 🧵

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

In the thinking & writing process, the story extended beyond ending wars & gives a good overview of where my main work might be headed.

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

I’m sorry to back out here & refer you to my extensive work which is about finding root causes, rethinking & testing alternatives. THE END OF ALL WARS is a quick entry point. It’s the story of thinkers who want to find the roots of war & end them. I used a fictional planet to stay focused. 🧵

the-end-of-all-wars.net

the end of all wars – views from around the universe

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Charlie Alice Raya @charlie-alice-raya.org · 26/03/2026

#TulipStudy and a #Reminder that WARS are a human invention, not human nature not a necessity. What is vital is that we come together & restore our planet. : : #EndAllWars #NoWars #EndGenocide #tulip #photography #bloomscroll #nature #OurFuture #rewilding #climate #EverythingIsConnected #mono

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