Frequently asked questions
Not in the traditional sense. Earthseed started as a belief system in Octavia E. Butler's fiction — she wrote it for a character, not as a religion she wanted founded. We take that seriously. It's a set of ideas worth living with, not a church. There are no prophets here, no hierarchy, no doctrine enforced by anyone.
No. earthseed.online is an independent community project by readers. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for the estate of Octavia E. Butler or her publishers. We point people to her books and quote only the Earthseed verses with citation. The full text belongs in her novels.
It's the central idea of Earthseed: that change is the one constant in the universe. Everything changes — living things, matter, energy. God is not a person who watches over us. God is the force of Change itself: infinite, irresistible, inexorable, indifferent — and yet pliable. We don't worship God. We learn from God, and with forethought and work, we shape God. It's a way of looking at the world that puts responsibility in your hands.
No. This site is for anyone interested in Butler's ideas, whether they're exploring them for the first time, reading the books, or thinking about what it means to shape change. You don't need to adopt anything. Read, think, share what resonates. That's the point.
When AI helps on this site, it says so. It won't pretend to be Butler or her characters, and it won't write scripture. It can help you think, learn, and organize. Meaning is yours. We're exploring what a clearly labeled, local AI companion could look like — one that helps people work through the reading guide, reflect on change in their own lives, and plan. See the "?" phase for where that's heading.
No. No ads. No trackers. We don't sell or mine your data. The only thing we store is your theme preference (light or dark mode), saved in your browser's local storage. That's it. No cookies, no analytics, no third-party scripts.
There are people and groups around the world who practice Earthseed based on Butler's books. We're not speaking for them or trying to coordinate with them. This is a separate project — a home on the web for the ideas, written in our own voice. We follow the books at their best: Earthseed takes in people from every faith and none, and offers a direction, not contempt for where anyone came from.
Yes. Written content on this site is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Code is licensed AGPL-3.0. You can share, adapt, and build on it — just give attribution and share your changes under the same license. That's rather the point.
Read the books. Share what you find here. When we build the gathering tools (Phase 2), you'll be able to propose or join reading circles and meetups. For now, the best thing you can do is start a conversation with someone about Octavia E. Butler's ideas. That's how Earthseed started — with one person writing things down and sharing them.