“I did not write half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed”
― Marco Polo, on his deathbed
“Six miles from Urfa, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey, Klaus Schmidt has made one of the most startling archaeological discoveries of our time: massive carved stones about 11,000 years old, crafted and arranged by prehistoric people who had not yet developed metal tools or even pottery. The megaliths predate Stonehenge by some 6,000 years. The place is called Gobekli Tepe, and Schmidt, a German archaeologist who has been working here more than a decade, is convinced it's the site of the world's oldest temple.”
I am truly excited to be heading off to Turkey shortly for the Horasis Global Meeting in the ancient city of Gaziantep. My travels - as well as living overseas for most of my adult life - have given me such rich experiences and expanded my lens far wider than had I spent my time in the UK or USA. To be honest, when I attend events in the Western world I am still surprised by the narrowness of perspective. Its almost as if they have not realised that much is happening outside the West: in fact the economy of BRICS is larger than the G7 now in PPP terms. This is what has galvanised my friend Hugh Peyman to write “America as Number 3”.
The Conference
“The theme of the Horasis Global Meeting is to consider how to have a positive impact on Innovation, Sustainability and Reconstruction. The meeting will draw together some of the world’s best known business leaders as well as government officials and representatives of international organizations. More than 300 of the most senior members of the Horasis Visions Community will gather for an unparalleled experience advancing solutions to the critical challenges facing corporations and societies today.”
Please let me know if you are in Turkey - perhaps we can meet. I am moderating a panel on a subject about which I am especially passionate.
23 Oct 10.00-11.30 The Call of Gaia: Creating an Ecological Society
“We are slipping into ecological catastrophe as we break our planetary boundaries, with record ocean temperatures, unprecedented wildfires around the world, and biodiversity collapse with the onset of the Sixth Extinction. How can we reverse this process and regenerate through cutting edge thinking on economics, finance, law, technology, ecology and philosophy? Can we seize upon the opportunity and create an ecological society? What would an advanced 2050 Gaian society look like?”
I usually like to follow my deeper intuition on things. And so I am intrigued why I felt so powerfully that I needed to be in Turkey at this conference. I am also excited by the people I will meet, as well as the friends who I invited to the gathering myself. Turkey is at an important place on the New Silk Roads and its importance will likely rise as we move to a multi-polar world. Its part of NATO but it also gets invited to attend the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, and there has been talk about it joining BRICS.
But even more than global geopolitics and geo-economics, I am fascinated by the history and ancient culture/s.
A Time Traveling Pilgrimage
After several days of attending panels, meeting fascinating people and exchanging ideas at the Horasis Global Meeting, a small group of us are co-creating a pilgrimage to explore our ancient roots - by visiting the City of the Prophets and a number of sacred sites - and the emergence of a new civilization.
In our small group we are joined by
Sheri Herndon, an experienced futurist who is fascinated by architecting the new civilization.
Sujith Ravindran an author and pilgrimage guide who coaches conscious leadership
Lewis Levent Ozcan a British Turkish film maker who has filmed at some of these sites…
..and myself Benjamin J Butler, futurist , writer and vision guide.
I think that is it always good to remind ourselves that Western Europe and the US were not always the powerful centres of the world that they are today. If one wants to imagine new futures, then it is important to look back into history for inspiration and to expand the imagination. This paragraph in the Dawn of Everything always struck me:
“In the Middle Ages, most people in other parts of the world who actually knew anything about northern Europe at all considered it an obscure and uninviting backwater full of religious fanatics who, aside from occasional attacks on their neighbours (‘the Crusades’), were largely irrelevant to global trade and world politics. European intellectuals of that time were just rediscovering Aristotle and the ancient world, and had very little idea what people were thinking and arguing about anywhere else.”
― David Graeber, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
Exploring the time of the Byzantine Empire when Constantinople was a powerful centre seems fascinating to me. As well as exploring the roots of the Abrahamic religions in Sanliurfa, the City of the Prophets.
I believe if we ask some powerful questions as we explore these sites, we will get some deep answers.
Gaziantep
Gaziantep boasts a long and storied history, with evidence of human habitation dating back thousands of years: some suggest it might be the oldest city on earth. It has been influenced by the many civilisations: Hittites, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and many others. This rich historical tapestry is evident in its architecture, museums, and archaeological sites. Yet the city was struck by a deadly earthquake this year and it is also a place of many refugee sites. The author Ann D’Silva - who is attending the conference - reminded me to visit these sites. She believes the way Turkey has handled it is also a good sign of hope.
City of Prophets (Sanliurfa/Urfa)
“With a history spanning over 12,000 years, Urfa is a city from stories and legends. Situated in south-eastern Turkey, Urfa, also known as Edessa in antiquity, has been part of the Hellenistic, Persian and Roman civilizations by turns. The city was a seat of Syrian culture – and Syrian Christianity – before falling to the Arabs in the 7th Century CE. Since then, it was occupied by the Crusaders and taken over by the Ottoman Empire, before becoming part of modern Turkey and taking the formal name of Şanlıurfa (the Great Urfa).”
https://www.farawayworlds.com/stories/reasons-to-visit-urfa-turkey
And of course I am delighted to be heading to the sacred sites of Gobeckli Tepe and probably other newly emerging sites such as Karan Tepe.
“No, the problem at Göbekli Tepe is the pristine, sudden appearance, like Athena springing full-grown and fully armed from the brow of Zeus, of what appears to be an already seasoned civilization so accomplished that it “invents” both agriculture and monumental architecture at the apparent moment of its birth.”
―Graham Hancock,Magicians of the Gods: The Forgotten Wisdom of Earth's Lost Civilization
I will be excited to share my insights here - and in a book I am writing. Yes the infamous book which I have been working on for so long: I have gone through quite a rites of passage on it, but it seems to be flowing very well now.
What’s Next
After Turkey I am due to be going straight from the airport to the Eden Project in Devon to speak at Anthropy, a new conference and community focused on creating a vision for the future of Britain. I am speaking about the future of Britain in the context of international relatinons and geopolitics I believe.
I am also due to launch a series of Vision Walks in Snowdonia so I have to do more reconnaissance in the mountains and fix some dates. Its likely the first big one will be starting on the 13th April 2024 for 8 days. And tapping into my Celtic and Welsh heritage we are also organising a workshop in Snowdonia on the ancient Celtic stories and Merlin: a complete passion project!
Then I will have to formulate some more plans for 2024. It’s going to be a chaotic year with the possibility of a constitutional crisis around the US elections, geopolitical tension and international war, as well as more economic uncertainty. But the intensity of the unraveling of the old order will mean huge opportunities for the artisans of the future to get to work and build the new civilization. Wherever I look I see people with good hearts working on noble pursuits. I continue to be optimistic about the future.