The colonialist ideology of systematized extractivism (exploiting human and ecological resources without replenishing them) first imposed on the entire world by Euro (those of European origin) imperialists^[1] and now perpetuated by many national governments and for-profit corporations, has severely hampered the ability of communities to take care of themselves. The implementers of this ideology have achieved this not only by severing most communities from the ecological resources (lands, rivers, forests, oceans, etc.) they relied on for millennia, but also by gradually (and not so gradually) eroding the sophisticated and regenerative Knowledge-Technologies-Practices (Knowtep)^[2] they painstakingly and systematically developed that was adapted to their specific ecological webs (ecowebs) (see Box 1).

It was the Knowtep of communities in every ecoweb across the world that enabled them to be ecosymbiotically self-reliant (see Box 2). And it is their ecosymbiotic self-reliance that protected each community from becoming dependent on outsiders for their wellbeing and survival, including having to rely on externally produced commodities and services for monetary sale. But now, after centuries of a globally imposed extractivist economic-legal-governance-education (ELGE) system, Communities need to overcome both the loss of their ecological resources (of their ecowebs) and the loss of their Knowtep. 

In collaboration with communities, FiveBecomings projects^[3] strive to restore and revitalize both, namely the communities’ ecowebs and their ecoweb-rooted Knowtep. But before the (re)establishment of ecosymbiotic self-reliance can take place, all members of a community need to once more understand and express (realize) their ecoselves (see Box 3).

Why?

Because centuries of being severed from their ecowebs, with concomitant assimilation by and into the mainstream extractivist ELGE system, has caused communities to lose not only their ecoweb-rooted Knowtep but also their sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and creativity, all of which are essential in rebuilding their willingness and capacity to once more take care of themselves and be the guardians of their own ecoweb-rooted wellbeing.  

Ākāś: the importance of the fifth sector in FiveBecomings

A FiveBecomings (Pañchabhūmi) project^[5] is spatially divided into five sectors (Establishings), each corresponding to one of the Five Great Evolvers, namely: 

• Earth (differentiation): non-food and food-based livelihoods and food security
• Water (cohesion): equitable ecoweb-rooted ELGE system (LivingConfluence^[6]) and resource access
• Fire (transformation): regenerative energy generation and waste processing
• Air (agitation): ecological wellbeing and health (ecological restoration and plant-based healthcare) 
• Ākāś (potential): creativity (culture) and personal evolution 

To optimize progressive ecoself-rooting of individuals and the community, the physical nature of and activities undertaken in each FiveBecomings sector are generally based on both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of each Great Evolver.^[7]

While the activities in the first four sectors (earth, water, fire, air) are predominantly related to livelihoods and the regenerative transformation and utilization of ecological resources to meet basic needs (i.e., externally focused activities), the Ākāś sector focuses on activities related to inner transformation and expression, namely creativity (art, music, performance) and personal evolution.

For beleaguered and marginalized members of communities, i.e., women and oppressed persons, inner transformation and expression, notably related to realizing the ecoself, is crucial to restoring a sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and creativity. How, specifically, is this achieved? In general, the community — on an individual and collective level — is guided through a process of introspection and relational (re-)discovery that involves deliberating and answering several queries, including:

• Who am I?
• What is my potential (what am I truly capable of if unencumbered by self-doubt, hunger, violence, ill-health, exploitation, and/or other forms of inequity)?
• What are my proclivities (e.g., tending to healing humans or tending to animals or tending to trees and plants?)?
• What is my role in my community (correlated with proclivities)?
• What is my connection to other humans and to the other living beings (and abiotic components) of my ecoweb? 

Such introspection and relational (re-)discovery is aided by guided local/ Indigenous Knowtep-based creative expression (through art, music, and/or performance), which enables a human being to explore complex questions and address lingering trauma (systems-caused and/or individual(s)-caused) in ways that are intuitive, comforting, encouraging, and healing. 

As we deconstruct, decolonize, rethink, and replace the hitherto — and still — dominating top-down ideologies and paradigms of ‘development,’ we must not underestimate and undervalue the crucial importance of personal evolution (Ākāś), i.e., understanding and expressing our ecoselves, and thus make the mistake of omitting its incorporation into how we 'help' the communities we work with.

We must ask ourselves: "Do we wish to perpetuate the entrenched colonialist ways of believing that we know what's best for those we are trying to 'help' and keeping them dependent on us and the extractivist 'system'? Or do we wish to facilitate ecosymbiotic self-reliance, so that the communities we work with can free themselves of dependence and oppression, and instead thrive with dignity through their own efforts? 

1. K. Mitra, 424 Years and Counting: the Global System of Corporate Extractivism, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh092024-010a (24 Sep., 2024) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/systems-reform/424-years-and-counting-the-global-system-of-corporate-extractivism-1-of-3).

2. K. Mitra, Ecosymbiotic Self-Reliance: Implementing FiveBecomings through Knowtep and Women’s Councils, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh052025-002 (6 May, 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/regenerative/human-ecoweb-integration/ecosymbiotic-self-reliance-implementing-fivebecomings-through-knowtep-and-womens-councils).

3. K. Mitra, Local-Global Benefits of Rural FiveBecomings Projects Designed for Community Self-Reliance, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh032025-022 (18 Mar., 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/ecoweb-rooted-framing/local-global-benefits-of-rural-fivebecomings-projects-designed-for-community-self-reliance-1-of-2).

4. K. Mitra, Ecoself: Restoring Our Wellbeing Rooted in Nature and Humanity, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh122024-001 (12 Dec., 2024) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/ecoweb-rooted-framing/ecoself-restoring-our-wellbeing-rooted-in-nature-and-humanity).

5. K. Mitra, Reestablishing Integrated Self-Reliant Wellbeing for Communities: Implementing FiveBecomings, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh012025-001 (9 Jan., 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/regenerative/human-ecoweb-integration/reestablishing-integrated-self-reliant-wellbeing-for-communities-implementing-fivebecomings).

6. K. Mitra, LivingConfluence: Community Wellbeing-Rooted Economics, Law, Governance, and Education (ELGE), Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh012025-002 (10 Jan., 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/extractivism-alternatives/livingconfluence-community-wellbeing-rooted-economics-law-governance-and-education-elge).

7. K. Mitra, FiveBecomings: A Reimagined Ancient Indigenous Framework for Ecoself-Rooted Wellbeing, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh122024-004 (15 Dec., 2024) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/ecoweb-rooted-framing/fivebecomings-a-reimagined-ancient-indigenous-framework-for-ecoself-rooted-wellbeing).