Can we consciously create a different future, or are we trapped in the systems and stories of the past?In this conversation with futurist Sohail Inayatullah, we explore how humanity might move towards a more conscious, cooperative and life-affirming future.Sohail introduces two powerful tools from futures studies: the Futures Triangle, which helps us understand the pull of the future, the push of the present and the weight of the past, and Causal Layered Analysis, which reveals how our deepest stories and worldviews shape the systems we live in.We explore five major transformations that Sohail sees as essential: planetary governance, renewable energy, a new relationship with animals and nature, gender partnership, and a shift towards a more spiritual understanding of life.We also discuss whether change can emerge through small communities or requires transforming existing institutions, the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, and the influence of Indian philosopher P. R. Sarkar on Sohail’s understanding of social evolution.Throughout our conversation, we return to a question at the heart of the Third Attractor: How can we become conscious participants in shaping the future while remaining grounded in the deeper movement of life?A rich and practical conversation about imagination, systems change, consciousness and our capacity to create a future worth living in. Sohail Inayatullah is an internationally recognized futurist, political scientist, and one of the leading thinkers in the field of futures studies. He holds the UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia, is a professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan, and co-founder of Metafuture.He is best known for developing Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), a method that explores the deeper worldviews, myths, and assumptions that shape how we understand the present and imagine the future. His work combines political science, philosophy, macrohistory, and transformative foresight.For more than three decades, Sohail has worked with governments, organizations, and communities around the world, helping them move beyond conventional predictions to imagine and consciously create alternative and preferred futures. Central to his work is the understanding that transforming our future also requires transforming the stories and assumptions through which we see the world.https://www.metafuture.org/Daniela Bomatter is a Swiss-born evolutionary practitioner, facilitator, and former technology executive whose life bridges the worlds of systems transformation, spiritual awakening, and human development. After a successful career in software engineering and leadership, including serving as CEO of SwissEnergy at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, she left public life in 2016 to dedicate herself fully to the path of spiritual realization and conscious evolution. For seventeen years, she studied and worked closely with spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen, becoming a senior practitioner and teacher of Evolutionary Enlightenment.Daniela is the co-founder of Manifest Nirvana (https://www.manifest-nirvana.com) and lives in Tiruvannamalai, South India, where she leads retreats, online programs, and global dialogues exploring the intersection of awakening, culture, and collective transformation. She is the creator of the “Co-Creating the Third Attractor” Podcast (https://3da.manifest-nirvana.com ) , a integral inquiry into the future of human civilization, and the author of The Viratya Myth Begins (https://www.viratya.com). Through her writing, teaching, and conversations, Daniela invites people to discover a way of being that embraces both timeless presence and evolutionary becoming, holding the paradoxes of our age with depth, responsibility, and wonder.
