An Esoteric Quest for Ancient, Arabic and Medieval Sicily

Join us on a Quest as we follow the golden thread of wisdom, the half-forgotten spiritual history of the West, in our tenth international conference on the Western Esoteric Tradition. Sicily is one of the most culturally intriguing and historically rich places in the world. Located at the center of the Mediterranean, mid-way between its Western and Eastern shores, at the point where Europe almost meets Africa, it has been swept by multiple waves of civilization and developed its own distinct and passionate culture. Known to the Ancient Greeks as Persephone’s Island, it was a vital part of Magna Graecia, where the philosophers Empedocles and Plato sought to implement wisdom in the aftermath of Pythagoras’ School beyond the straits in nearby Crotona. In the 10th and 11th century, Sicily became a brilliant center of Arabic culture as Palermo rose to become the jewel of the Islamic world with its poets, geographers and mosques. In the 12th century the incoming Norman impulse created the most tolerant, multicultural and radiant land of its time, a place where Catholics, Byzantines, Jews, and Muslims all co-existed and flourished. It was an island where esoteric knowledge flowed through ancient philosophers, Sufis, Neo-Platonic troubadours, Kabbalists, and seekers of The Grail.

Join scholars, artists, writers and historians as we explore these dimensions of Sicily. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the Muslim poets to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, ‘Stupor Mundi,’ this island’s cultural history is profound, powerful and unexpected. The latest in a highly regarded series of Quests produced in Europe and North Africa, this conference will take place on the beautiful small island of Ortigia, in Siracusa, a place filled with evocative traces of ancient, Islamic and medieval history.

To read more from Conference Director, Ralph White, please click HERE