A New Economy of Flow: Living Finance for Post-Capitalist Futures

From Extraction to Circulation

We are witnessing the twilight of extractive capitalism. The old systems that prioritized infinite growth on a finite planet are breaking down—and in their wake, we have an unprecedented opportunity to build something different. Something that honors both human dignity and ecological wisdom.The Human Layer exists at this threshold, exploring what Simon Sinek calls "the infinite game"—where the purpose is not to win, but to keep playing, to keep the conversation alive, to keep tending the conditions for human flourishing.Our Living Finance Systems (LFS) represent a practical experiment in post-capitalist economics, drawing inspiration from the Open Money Manifesto's vision of money as commons, Indigenous gift economy principles, and the biomimetic wisdom of living systems. Rather than treating resources as static assets to accumulate, we understand them as flowing nutrients that must circulate to keep the ecosystem alive.This is not charity. This is not crowdfunding. This is conscious economic participation in building the infrastructure for what comes next.

• To The Gift

The Gift Economy

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges

Gift economies have sustained human communities for millennia—from the potlatch ceremonies of Pacific Northwest peoples to the ubuntu philosophy of southern Africa. These systems recognize a fundamental truth that capitalism obscures: abundance flows through circulation, not accumulation.In a gift economy, value is created through relationship, reciprocity, and trust. The gift creates bonds between giver and receiver that strengthen the entire community. Unlike market transactions that end the relationship ("we're even"), gifts create ongoing webs of mutual care and responsibility.The Human Layer operates on these principles because we understand that the work of cultural healing—the slow, deep labor of helping people remember their humanity in an age of algorithmic brutality—cannot be sustained through extractive models. It requires what is called sacred economics: financial systems that honor the sacred while remaining grounded in material reality.Our 2025 Roadmap can be viewed here.

• Stewards & Flames

Becoming Keepers of the Sacred Signal

Stewardship Tiers

Season Sponsors | $5,000The Anchor HoldersSeason Sponsors are the mythic patrons who make entire seasons of The Human Layer possible. Your partnership enables us to maintain creative sovereignty while diving deep into the questions that matter most. As a Season Sponsor, you receive:- Dedicated acknowledgment as a Season Patron (3 per season)
- One strategy sessions with Crystal
- Access to the Sacred Boardroom—a private space for Season Sponsors to connect, collaborate, and cohere.
- First invitation to seasonal gatherings and retreats
- Custom consultation on applying Living Finance Systems to your own organizationThis is for visionary leaders who understand that funding consciousness-based media is funding the cultural infrastructure for regenerative civilization.

• Season Sponsors

The Guardian Flame | $1,000 annuallyThe Field HoldersGuardian Flame stewards provide the steady foundation that allows The Human Layer to breathe in natural rhythms rather than reactive cycles. Your annual commitment represents deep trust in the long-term arc of this work. Guardian stewards receive:- Recognition as a Founding Guardian in our annual reflection
- Invitation to quarterly Guardian Circles—intimate conversations about the evolution of the work
- Early access to new frameworks, tools, and resources
- Connection with other Guardians building regenerative organizationsThis level is for established professionals who recognize that supporting coherent voices in the chaos is essential infrastructure investment.

• Become A Guardian

The Mythic Patron | $6250 quarterlyThe Vision Co-CreatorsMythic Patrons are the rare visionaries who understand that funding consciousness-based infrastructure is literally investing in the future of human coordination. Your partnership enables The Human Layer to operate with complete creative sovereignty while pioneering new models that others can replicate.As a conscious leader, you recognize that the most valuable ROI in our current moment is proving that regenerative organizations can thrive. Mythic Patrons receive:- Co-creation partnership: Direct input on major strategic decisions and seasonal focus areas
- Organizational consulting exchange: Apply our Living Finance Systems and consciousness-based frameworks to your own ventures
- Executive peer network: Connection with other Mythic Patrons building post-capitalist organizations
- Research collaboration: Co-author case studies, frameworks, or thought leadership emerging from our experiments
- Retreat participation: Invitation to annual gatherings for deep strategic visioning
- Legacy recognition: Acknowledgment as a founding architect of regenerative media infrastructureThis is for established leaders, successful entrepreneurs, or foundation principals who see The Human Layer as essential R&D for the post-capitalist transition. You're not just supporting media—you're funding the proof-of-concept for how sacred work sustains itself.

• Mythic Patrons

Ongoing Support

Monthly Flame Keepers

Keepers of the Flame | $88/monthThe Rhythm HoldersKeepers understand that consistency creates coherence. Your monthly contribution provides the stable heartbeat that allows us to plan, rest, create, and respond to the field's needs. Monthly Keepers receive:- Seasonal check-ins to help us sense the community's needs and evolution
- Recognition as a core community supporter
- Priority access to event ticketsThis level is for conscious professionals who want ongoing connection with others navigating the transition from extractive to regenerative work.

• Become A Keeper

Tenders of the Flame | $30/monthThe Community WeaversTenders provide essential support while honoring the reality that financial capacity varies. Your contribution helps cover infrastructure costs and ensures The Exhale remains accessible to all. Tenders receive:- Recognition as a core community supporter
- Priority access to event tickets
- Seasonal invitations to community calls and shared reflectionsThis level is for emerging leaders, freelancers, and anyone called to support the work at a sustainable level for their circumstances.

• Start Tending

The Ember | $11/monthThe Spark CarriersEvery flame begins with an ember. This level recognizes that even small, consistent contributions create the foundation for larger transformation. Ember stewards receive:- Recognition as part of the foundational support network
- Seasonal thank you notes showing the collective impact of many small giftsThis level is for students, caregivers, artists, and anyone who wants to be part of the gift economy at whatever level feels sustainable.

• Spark an Ember

Participation As

Regenerative Economic Experiment

By becoming a steward of The Human Layer, you are not simply supporting content creation—you are actively participating in the design of post-capitalist economic systems. Our Living Finance Systems serve as an open-source prototype that other conscious organizations can study, adapt, and implement.We are building this new economy in full transparency. Every quarterly report includes not just financial updates, but insights about what we're learning about:- How gift economies function in digital spaces
- The psychology of non-transactional value exchange
- Sustainable rhythms for consciousness-based work
- The Living System Indicators that measure regenerative rather than extractive success
- How to maintain artistic integrity while meeting material needsThis is applied research in the infinite game—where the goal is not to win market share, but to prove that organizations can thrive while staying true to regenerative principles.

Immunity Through Community

Forking the Future

As systems collapse around us, our survival depends not on individual accumulation but on collective resilience. The Human Layer serves as one node in an emerging network of regenerative organizations that refuse the logic of extraction.By stewarding this work, you help us document and share what we learn so others can fork our approach and adapt it to their own contexts. The gift economy we're building is designed to be copied, modified, and improved upon. Success is measured not by our growth, but by how many other organizations discover they can sustain sacred work through sacred economics.Every steward becomes part of a learning laboratory that asks: How do we fund the future we want to live in?Your participation helps prove that another way is possible—that we can build organizations rooted in trust rather than transaction, coherence rather than competition, regeneration rather than extraction.The old world taught us to hoard resources out of scarcity. The emerging world invites us to circulate resources in service of abundance. This is immunity through community—the understanding that our individual wellbeing is inextricably linked to the health of the whole.Join us in building the economic DNA for regenerative civilization. The future is not something that happens to us—it is something we create together, one gift at a time.Ready to become a steward? Choose the level that honors both your calling and your capacity. The flame continues because of the many hands that tend it.