“Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom — poets, visionaries — realists of a larger reality”
An Embassy from and for the Future
Summary of the Experience
By standing in the future, leaders bridge time to create visions and pathways for their lives and organisations so they can flourish in the uncertainty of these transition years. Whilst we harness the imagination to time travel, this program is entirely pragmatic in its lessons for today.
Take Aways
- Gain new knowledge and insights about the future, expanding your understanding of what’s possible.
- Discover new visions and stories for the future of civilization, as well as your personal direction and purpose.
- Learn techniques to expand your imagination and consciousness, unlocking new ways of thinking and creating.
- Build meaningful connections with new friends and potential partners.
- Content: We will be creating a short film, accompanied by a podcaster. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to be part of this project.
- Additionally, you will co create with us the Embassy of the Future Manifesto—a vision for the future of civilization.
- Join the Embassy of the Future as a diplomat of time, and continue the journey with us through the launch of the Council—a space to collaborate, innovate, and shape the future together.
The Hearth at the Heart of Civilization
“Listen and you will realize that we are made not from cells or atoms. We are made from stories.”
“The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”
Expresso Shots of the Imagination
Facilitators
Welcome to Broughton Sanctuary
The retreat will be held here at the 3000-acre Broughton Sanctuary, just outside Skipton, at the foothills of The Yorkshire Dales, one of the most picturesque parts of the country. Established in 1097, Broughton Hall is a house of transformation, home to the Tempest family for over 900 years, and enjoys a rich history stretching back over the millennium.
The Sanctuary is also home to one of Britain’s most exciting nature recovery projects, a heartfelt commitment to address one of our deepest contemporary crises, based upon an extensive tree-planting and rewilding programme. This year in 2025, we welcome beavers to the Sanctuary alongside our native cattle and Iron Age pigs. Subscribe to our Rewilding Broughton Youtube channel to learn more.
Avalon, our state-of-the-art wellbeing retreat centre is the beating heart of the Sanctuary. With extensive indoor and outdoor resources the building exists to serve the inner voyage of mind, body, spirit. During your stay you may unwind in the state-of-the-art biophilic designed Pool Suite; including a clear 20-metre pool, steam room and sauna, plus hydromassage pool. Beyond the building itself, the Sanctuary grounds offer a chance to return to source, from meditation labyrinths, wild swimming reservoirs, a cosmic garden and much more.
We have a large variety of rooms available, whether in Broughton Hall itself, or throughout our eclectic collection of 20 stunning Retreat Houses, including converted barns, former coachhouses and gatehouses.
Broughton Sanctuary is easily accessible by plane, car and public transport. View location.
- 3 miles from Skipton Railway Station
- 24 miles from Leeds Bradford Airport
- 55 miles from Manchester Airport
Tickets range from £1600 in a Retreat House, to £3200 in our historic home, Broughton Hall.
Please note: the images below are examples of the type of room you will be booking, all rooms are subject to availability.
Broughton Hall, our Historic Home
Example Broughton Hall Premium, Ensuite
Couple/Double Occupancy
Example Broughton Hall Standard, Shared Bathroom
Couple/Double Occupancy
Example Broughton Hall Deluxe, Ensuite
Single Occupancy
Example Broughton Hall Premium, Ensuite
Single Occupancy
Example Broughton Hall Standard, Double Shared Bathroom
Single Occupancy
Example Broughton Hall Standard, Single Room
Single Occupancy
Example Retreat House
Example Retreat House Deluxe, Ensuite
Couble/Double Occupancy
Example Retreat House Deluxe, Ensuite
Single Occupancy
Example Retreat House Deluxe, Shared Bathroom
Single Occupancy
Example Retreat House
Example Retreat House Superior, Private Shower/Bathroom
Single Occupancy
Example Retreat House
Example Retreat House Superior, Shared Bathroom
Single Occupancy
Example Retreat House, Single Bedroom
Single Occupancy
Example Retreat House
Example Retreat House Standard, Shared Bathroom
Single Occupancy
We are curating a diverse and eclectic mix of visionaries for this journey together. If our ethos and one of the 8 visions of the future resonate with you, please apply on this very simple form. If you have been extended an invitation it would also be useful if you can fill it out.
For any questions, please contact benjamin@benjaminjamesbutler.com
Further Information - Scenarios
- Economics: The USA is the last advanced nation to abandon GDP as its primary measure of wellbeing and growth in 2029. Politicians no longer just parrot ‘growth’ but look at an array of measures. What influence does it have on your business model? What would the world look like if we introduced Bitcoin as the de facto currency and prices begin to consistently fall and buying power rise.
- Ecology: Norway becomes the first country in the world to ban trash. Nuclear fusion and other abundant energy sources mean low cost, no pollution, globally-accessible energy for everyone everywhere.
- Decentralised governance systems, including local energy, currency and food supply, gain traction as people lose trust in centralised governance and nation states lose their grip on their populations.What does an ecological civilization really look like?
- Technology: The first country in the world is run by AI. What does the post Singularity world look like? How is AI and quantum computing used? How do we prepare for that future?
- International affairs. Geopolitics: In 2034, President RJK Junior announces the closure of all its remaining overseas military bases. What might happen in the run up to that? What would a genuinely multi-polar world look like? Is this the dawn of Eurasia and how will the USA fit into this?
- Architecture & Urban Development: The cities of the future require imagination to truly thrive. As technology advances and global challenges evolve, architects and urban planners will be tasked with reimagining the ways in which our urban environments are structured. By merging diverse sciences, including environmental sustainability, digital technology, and social equity, we can create cities that not only function efficiently but also serve as hubs for innovation, culture, and human connection. What will cities look like when they are built to adapt to the complexities of climate change, demographic shifts, and technological progress? How can we design urban spaces that are truly in tune with the needs of people and the planet?
- First contact (and consciousness): The Pope, the Presidents of the United States and China, and the United Nations Secretary General hold a summit to discuss strategy for engaging with a potential civilisational crisis. If we have contact with another civilization surely we will explore consciousness further. We might explore the future of civilization using maps of consciousness and worldviews, harnessing the work of macro historians and sense makers.
