Microbiological Dark Matter

MICROANIMISM II: Approximation

The relationship between humans/human culture and microbes is unlike any other on the planet. Join this class and leverage your understanding of what we know we don’t know, to palpate the edges of what we don’t know we don’t know…

This course leverages skill developed and information gathered in ‘Thinking Like a Plague’ to examine the edges of the microbial world that are currently inaccessible to measurement by the scientific method. For example, where TLAP defined the biological purpose and process of decomposition, MDM discusses what we can truly hope to understand regarding the epistemology of decay. Where TLAP describes how deep-sea microbes thrive, and how the smalls respond to the non-consensual messes produced by human activity, MDM discusses the implications of a human/microbial relationship driven by the dogma of capitalism. Where TLAP explains the microbiological nature of the foundations for biological life, MDM embraces the power of rarity and the subtle/not-subtle influence of the communities of smalls that exist on the boundaries of our understanding. Throughout, we continue our ritual practice in observing, honoring, and building relationship with the invisible ancient ones.

CURRICULUM

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define the vagaries of microbial time
    • Discuss how the smalls relate to human time
    • Describe how the smalls are able to embrace such temporal diversity
    • Understand why that’s useful for us, as humans, to explore
    • Conceptualize how this knowledge impacts our interactions with the smalls

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define decomposition as a balance between entropy and maintenance
    • Discuss the microbial mechanisms in place for mediation of decay
    • Describe how the smalls make all death productive
    • Understand the inherent divinity of bloat
    • Conceptualize our own daily decay

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define ‘the rare biosphere’ and the importance of rarity in the microbial world
    • Discuss the benefits of abundance and low-density lifestyles
    • Describe a microbial situation in which cheats do not prosper
    • Understand the impact and sensitivity of rarity
    • Conceptualize the expansive and limitless diversity associated with our own bodies

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define how erosion differs from decomposition
    • Discuss how eroding things are still alive
    • Describe the dualism of erosion
    • Understand how erosion sits with decay and the impulses behind those spaces
    • Conceptualize turnover in the human microbial body

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define capitalism from a microbial perspective
    • Discuss examples of how capitalism has impacted the microbial world
    • Describe how humans try to manipulate and justify manipulation of the smalls
    • Understand why that wont work
    • Conceptualize a world of curiosity vs. manipulation

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define dualism as the great complement of/the great conflict between
    • Discuss viruses as a delineation of life
    • Describe the two motifs: pathogen and host
    • Understand the soul/body distinction in relation to the smalls
    • Conceptualize the dualism of Life vs. the smalls

  • Guest lecturer :)

  • By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

    • Define ‘The Beginning’ in microbial terms
    • Discuss the need for aggression when building new things
    • Describe the roles of aggression in life
    • Understand how the smalls are inherently aggressive creators
    • Conceptualize the birth of our microbial bodies

Investment


OPEN ENROLLMENT // $250 (INCLUDES TAX)

Access to the course // eight pre-recorded lessons to watch anytime

Private Discord server // community conversation and questions moderated by Siv

Additional resources // recommended reading/viewing, additional content

To register, send your payment via Paypal or Venmo (both @sivwatkins) or the donation page, indicating very clearly which course you are paying for. Once you’ve paid, I’ll email you more info as soon as I can - I don’t have any automated replies set up, so it make take a couple days.

Email siv@microanimism.com with any questions.

The Teacher

The course leader for this module is Dr. Siv Watkins. Siv is an academically trained microbiologist (she holds a Ph.D in environmental microbiology), a trained ritualist, and the founder of Microanimism. Learn more about Siv.

 

“Dr. Watkins is a person of high integrity, genuine humility, depth of knowledge, and a cultivated sense of sarcasm. Her wisdom and embodied understanding of the smalls as they relate to human culture and life on earth are highly recommended.”

— Daniel Foor, PH.D

 

FAQs

  • If you register for the guided course, lessons will be released every week on Saturdays. You will also be invited to participate in weekly video calls, during which you will receive additional teaching from Siv and have the opportunity to ask her questions and expand upon your personal learning. Guided courses are offered periodically.

    If you register for the open enrollment course, lessons will be released immediately, all at the same time, and there are no live calls.

    For both calls, you’ll have access to the lessons until the end of time.

  • To my knowledge, this course is completely unique. It focuses specifically on microbial animism and within this scope incorporates aspects of biology and science as well as ritual practices and ancestral relationships.

  • Welcome. While this is largely a woo-free zone, it can be difficult to wrap your head around alternative frameworks of relationship with not-human people if you’ve been trained academically in the hard sciences. I totally get it. This is not a dogmatic program and you can take what is helpful and leave anything that doesn’t resonate. Thanks for your curiosity.

  • Welcome. To paraphrase The Exorcist, “it doesn’t matter that you don’t believe in the Devil, he believes in you”. This course is not going to try and convince you that robust scientific research is worthy of your attention and trust, it kind of assumes you’re already there. That said, I hope that our discussions could help foster a deeper appreciation of the processes behind the structure that is Science with a capital ‘S’, and we will indeed also cover the shortcomings inherent therein. Thanks for your curiosity.

  • You’ll get a full refund if you let me know within 5 days of registration.

  • I strongly recommend that you complete either the live or open-enrollment version of TLAP before you register for MDM.

  • Check out the testimonials page.

  • Email me.