Definition of Terms in Pythia Capital’s Living Systems Investment Framework

by | Aug 16, 2022 | High Impact Investing, Integrated Capital, living systems investing, sustainable investing

Summary of Pythia Capital’s Living Systems Investment Framework:

Our investment framework’s core foundation is based on the 12 permaculture principles, which are regenerative agriculture and sustainable living principles.

We use permaculture principles as the bridge to link ancient esoteric wisdom with advanced science, technology, and mathematics to explore, develop and finance exciting new innovations that lie at the “edge of chaos.”

Ancient and timeless “shamanic wisdom” reminds us how to reconnect with the sacredness and interconnections of all life.

It is no coincidence that new scientific technological, and mathematical advances such as chaos theory, nonlinear complex systems, quantum science, nonlinear mathematics and newly emergent blockchain technologies are also mirroring this theme of interconnectedness.

This awareness of how the sacred connects to advanced understanding of natural evolutionary intelligence is the essence of how we build and re-architect our global societies.

Our highly integrative and regenerative framework works across all industries.

Definition of Terms in Pythia Capital’s Living System Investment Framework:

Our investment framework’s core foundation is based on the 12 permaculture principles, which are regenerative agriculture and sustainable living principles. The term “permaculture” was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978. The word “permaculture” is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture and permanent culture. It is a systems design framework to design, build and maintain ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, creativity and resilience of natural ecosystems.

We use permaculture principles as the bridge to link ancient esoteric wisdom with advanced science, technology and mathematics to enhance our understanding of natural intelligence in order to explore, develop and finance exciting new innovations that lie at the “edge of chaos.”

Esoteric wisdom is a term used in modern times to describe the spiritual mysteries of ancient civilizations. Ancient esoteric wisdom reminds us how to reconnect with the sacredness and interconnections of all life. Esoteric wisdom has been around for thousands of years and has been passed down through many generations. Ancient wisdom keepers have always known that it is the illusion that we are separate from the universe and each other that is responsible for all our problems. However, they also realized that we all have our uniqueness as well and the key to embodying our highest potential is to raise our consciousness so our unique human essence in any point in the time space continuum can access and carry the spiritual essence and wisdom of the multi-dimensional part of us that is beyond space and time.

It is no coincidence that new advances in science, technology, and mathematics such as quantum science, nonlinear complex systems, chaos theory, nonlinear mathematics and even newly emergent blockchain technologies are also mirroring this theme of interconnectedness. This is not a small realization as all of our systems in society that we depend on to lead healthy, happy lives still only consider “the separateness” of how we understand classical newtonian physics including concepts of scarcity economics (win or lose, linear, zero-sum game economic paradigms). The negatives of using these outdated paradigms are very evident in the willful destruction of natural ecosystems with a money at all cost mentality, meta crises across across all essential areas in society, and the intense polarization of views across most important issues.

The connection between ancient esoteric wisdom and quantum science can be found in complexity theory, chaos theory and nonlinear mathematics. All these theories explore the interconnectedness as well as the uniqueness among all things. Each theory has diverse attributes that are highly synergistic when we explore, combine and integrate these ideas in new ways. These theories help us understand how we can make our lives more creative, interesting and productive by living in harmony with nature and understanding our place in it.

Quantum science is a branch of physics that deals with the study of atoms and their interactions. Quantum theory was first proposed by Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and Niels Bohr in the early 1900s. It is a way to understand the world that does not rely on classical Newtonian physics. It states that matter behaves in a way that is not possible to understand in terms of classical physics. The quantum world view is based on the idea that matter can exist in multiple states at once. For example, an electron can be both a wave and a particular at the same time. The quantum world view is a theory that says that we are all a unified field, quantumly entangled and that we live in a world where everything is connected to everything else and there is no such thing as absolute reality. Quantum theory states that the universe operates on the principles of probability, where the future and past are both possibilities until they happen. This is very different from the deterministic understandings of classical physics and how we view concepts of cause and effect. In a quantum world view we have to deal with uncertainty in a new way.

Complexity science is a new field of study that was born out of chaos theory. The two fields are closely related and can be seen as two sides of the same coin. Complexity science studies how complex systems can produce unpredictable outcomes. It is a branch of mathematics that attempts to understand the patterns of complex systems such as weather or traffic and how these patterns emerge. The term “chaos” was coined by Edward Lorenz, who studied weather patterns and found that tiny errors in measurements would unpredictably alter predictions about future events. The idea that small changes can have large effects is often called “the butterfly effect.” The concept of chaos theory has been applied to many different fields including economics, biology, and computer science.

Chaos theory provides an excellent example of how uncertainty can improve creative brainstorming. Creativity is the foundation of any successful business. It is a fundamental part of every aspect of our lives, from the products we buy to the people we date. But what exactly makes creativity so important? A key factor in creativity is uncertainty. When you’re faced with an uncertain situation, you are forced to think outside the box and come up with new ideas. The theory states that within chaos there exists order and within order there exists chaos. And so, while it may seem like chaotic situations would inhibit creativity, they actually provide unpredictable inspiration for new ideas and solutions.

Fringe thinkers and entrepreneurs tend to embrace chaos in highly innovative ways, especially when eclectic groups of them start working together. These groups tend to be self-organizing and decentralized (similar to what we see in natural ecosystems) and are forming all over the world in response to the uncertainty and chaos with all our collapsing interconnected systems. The technological tools we have today make this easier to accomplish. However, to work with these special entrepreneurs, business and financial strategies need to migrate away from zero-sum game frameworks to align with the wisdom of complex, living systems. We believe that this is not only less risky, but far more efficient and will result in project success rates that are higher than what you would normally expect with risky new ventures.

We can imagine a future where we no longer need to divide asset allocation into categories such as impact (or sustainable or regenerative) and other. All the fun, aliveness, vitality and creativity can only really follow the natural systems path. Natural living systems act as a guide for how to reboot our capitalistic system to regenerate all our collapsing systems so everyone can thrive. Though it may be hard to imagine now, the “winner take all” capitalistic system we have today is not the safer path for the world we are entering into. Ironically, embracing uncertainty, chaos, and risk in new ways (“the road less traveled”) is actually more logical and is the foundation of how we create the “new order in the chaos,” not some dystopian Orwellian version of these words we are so brainwashed with today (aka “new world order”).

The connection between ancient wisdom and mathematics is through geometry, what many people to as sacred geometry. Sacred geometry is a geometry that is considered to be the most fundamental form of geometry. It is believed to be the source of all other geometries and can be seen in nature, art, and architecture. Sacred geometry has been used to explain everything from the rise and fall of empires, to the natural world, as well as being a spiritual tool for meditative practices. The ancient Greeks are said to have been some of the first people who recognized this connection between geometry and nature.

The awareness of how the sacred connects to natural intelligence is the essence of how we build and re-architect our global societies. This framework is remarkable.

Our highly integrative and regenerative framework works across all industries.

Our framework helps us identify breakthrough solutions to complex, interrelated global problems such as the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. We use our living systems framework to examine needs in society in more holistic ways to mitigate negative unintended consequences with proposed solutions. We organize our interactions and processes both internally and externally to maximize creative solutions and deal more realistically with uncertainty. We use the framework to find more balanced business strategies, optimized investment structures, and natural ways to align interests of multiple stakeholders.

Our framework is far more revolutionary than the typical sustainable or impact investment strategies that are predominantly linear, zero-sum game processes similar to the traditional investment world. The solutions are iterative and the unintended consequences for society remain high. Our framework greatly limits the ability to greenwash or shape the narrative. There is a radical level of honesty using these principles, which, at first, can be very challenging. Our strategy more easily discerns what we know and what we do not know (“uncertainty”). Looking at complex interconnected problems with a linear lens leads to false certainty in both how we define the problems and what solutions we apply to the problems. And almost all our serious issues in society are complex and interrelated. We believe in asking provocative questions and do not shy away from controversy. Using organic living system principles encourages innovation and creativity, along with new perspectives, new beliefs, and new breakthrough science, technology and mathematics.

The following is a small story of primordial chaos. Hopefully, you can relate a bit and somehow find the beauty in the chaos even in these volatile and uncertain times.

In the beginning, there was only darkness. There was nothing but darkness and water. No life existed in this place. The water was filled with slime, and it flowed without any direction or purpose. Then, from the darkness came a light. This light shined through the water and created a swirl of colors in the dark abyss that would come to be known as creation. From this swirling light emerged a woman who would later become known as the mother of creation. She has no name at first, but she knew her purpose: to create life for her children so she could watch them grow and thrive on their own terms.