In July of 2015, Barbara Marx Hubbard (author, futurist, founder of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution, and 1984 Vice Presidential Nominee) hosted a conference call entitled, “Sacred Journey of the Conscious Evolutionary.” In the series (offered by the Shift Network) she recalled the Building the New World Conference which had just taken place at Radford University on May 28-31, 2015.
In this excerpt from the call, she describes meeting Joran Slane Oppelt (founder of Integral Church) after his presentation with Amy Edelstein, “A Brilliant Matrix: An Integral View of the World’s Religions” and discussing the future of integral spirituality and spiritual communities.
UPDATE: One-day passes to BTNW are now available for as low as $75.
Educators, scientists, economists, peace activists, and futurists from around the world will join Barbara Marx Hubbard, former Vice Presidential nominee and matriarch of the New Age movement, to present lectures and workshops at the “Building the New World” conference. BTNW will focus on the reality that humanity – and all life on Earth – is threatened in multiple interconnected ways and that we must quickly implement rational and novel solutions to meet these unprecedented challenges.
Hubbard’s “Wheel of Co-Creation” is the focus of the conference. The Wheel contains eleven interdependent sectors of society: (1) Education; (2) Communications; (3) Art; (4) Economics; (5) Peacebuilding; (6) Governance; (7) Health; (8) Environment; (9) Infrastructure; (10) Technology; and (11) Spirituality. BTNW organizers and over one hundred global co-sponsors contend that all these cultural categories need to be updated/upgraded in order for humanity to avoid a dystopian future.
Organizer Rev. Laura George, J.D., Executive Director of The Oracle Institute and builder of the Peace Pentagon, explains, “Futurists have been theorizing and opining for decades about the myriad challenges of the 21st Century. Now, BTNW is asking global thought-leaders to provide concrete and pragmatic solutions with the power to lead humanity into a more utopian future.”
Organizer Glen Martin, Ph.D., recipient of the Gusi International Peace Prize and Head of the Radford Peace Studies Department, adds, “BTNW will encourage attendees to reach beyond their particular area of interest or expertise and begin the process of synthesizing data across multiple disciplines. This emphasis on networking will underscore the need for real action via transformative and cross-platform solutions.”
The conference features a diverse and accomplished line-up of speakers, including: The Millennium Project Director Jerome C. Glenn, Huffington Post columnist Valerie Tarico, Ph.D., economist and futurist Robin Hanson Ph.D., “Peace Musician” Yuval Ron, best-selling author Charles Eisenstein, Shift Network Director of Peace Philip Hellmich, Indigenous Grandmother Mona Polacca, Federation of Damanhur Ambassador Shama Viola, Integral Church founder Joran Oppelt and PROUT Yogi Dada Maheshvarananda. Dozens of intentional communities also are participating in the conference.
BTNW will take place at Radford University in Virginia from May 28 to May 31, 2015. Cost is $375.00 (students $250), which includes a 4-day conference badge, all meals, and dorm room on the Radford campus. For more information and registration: www.BTNW.org.
Integral Church 