2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl

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It's a hit!

Daniel Pinchbeck brings his personal expedition towards truth into such unexplained events as crop circles and psychedelics with the hope of findin... (show more)

Daniel Pinchbeck brings his personal expedition towards truth into such unexplained events as crop circles and psychedelics with the hope of finding a path for the world to take, and circumvent the systematic collapse that the world seems destined for. His journey takes him through shamanistic practice, subcultural phenomena, and even the metaphysical impact of using a calendar with little connection to the natural world.
At times the books feels absurd, or lacking connection to its overall theme, but with patience the writing folds back into itself providing evidence of its coherence. Many of the analogies and topics that are raised by Pinchbeck are not new, most having risen over the last sixty years, but his back to man's roots approach and personal experience adds interest and sincerity to such speculations. From the spiritual impact of physics to the yearning for wisdom 2012 is tightly packed with ideas that have been put on the back burner by modern science for too long.
This work is suggested for anyone looking for answers in the modern world. (show less)

 

 

by Bruce J Banning

No, it's a flop!

Daniel Pinchbeck feels sorry for his bohemian parents (prominent among the Beat Generation) who rejected conventional institutions and organized re... (show more)

Daniel Pinchbeck feels sorry for his bohemian parents (prominent among the Beat Generation) who rejected conventional institutions and organized religion and lived for their Art. He embarks on a spiritual quest after being moved by the "through a glass darkly" passage from Paul. Yet without explaining why (and perhaps without even understanding why), he too avoids religious traditions and disciplines to strike out on his own. He has the help of a few guidebooks: Crowley, Steiner, McKenna, and Chardin. He ends up surveying psychedelics, crop circles, alien abductions, Burning Man, and the nature of time, but there is very little here about Quetzalcoatl, either as deity, culture hero, or priesthood. He prefers to focus on the mathematical achievements of the Mayans and their calendar, and his hopes for the emergence of Chardin's noosphere in 2012. As he abandons his family and the drugs start taking their toll, the spiritual quest devolves into a selfish and sordid pursuit of sexual conquest. It is too bad that his blanket rejection of established traditions limits him to such mountains of dreck. Perhaps he should begin anew from his original starting point, the passage from I Cor 13:10: "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." But this time, perhaps Daniel will realize that there are generations of people who have dedicated their lives to this quest, and that they are very willing to share what they have learned. (show less)

 

 

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  One of the most captivating books I've ever read... on par with Lord of the Rings as far as "can't put it down" appeal. Aside from the talk of prophesies and such, this book is an observation on culture as it has developed.... I've been saying to students for years..."how long can our pace continue to accelerate as it has over the last 20 years?" Not only has technology completely changed what we focus our mind on when we wake every morning... from the advent of the auto... (show more)

  One of the most captivating books I've ever read... on par with Lord of the Rings as far as "can't put it down" appeal. Aside from the talk of prophesies and such, this book is an observation on culture as it has developed.... I've been saying to students for years..."how long can our pace continue to accelerate as it has over the last 20 years?" Not only has technology completely changed what we focus our mind on when we wake every morning... from the advent of the automobile, to radio and TV, to cell phones and the internet... but to a man (and woman)... everyone I know is busier and busier on a daily basis than ever before... all in pursuit of.... what? Really... the material culture that we have created for ourselves has us chasing our tails. 20 years ago, we didn't need cell phones. If you called and I wasn't home... you just had to wait until later. Although the internet has turned into this great convenience... now if we can't get online, we're up a creek... If we leave home without our phone, we're panicky.. We work all of these long hours to pay for, not only food, clothing and shelter, but the auto loan (we drive the car to work so we can pay for the car that drives us to work...) auto insurance, electricity, gas, the directv bill, the high speed internet bill, the cell phone bill, all of which makes for efficient tail chasing.

  Pinchbeck dares to look at what we would rather not see... from a lot of different angles. I have no doubt that humanity would be well served if more people would read this. You may not buy all of it. I don't. But there is much to consider, and we best start examining what we've turned our backs upon. (show less)

   

  by Kevin Kelley on Aug 31, 2009 at 10:54PM

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  This one creeped the crawlin' christ out of me. December 21st, 2012, 11:11 pm, portends a major shift in human evolution, back to living in synch with the natural processes of the cosmos and onward to a synthesis of spirit and all things material, but not before our planet feels some pain. Proof? Pinchbeck blazes a trail from West African to Anglo-neolithic to MesoAmerican shamanism and psychedelic spirit-questing, touching on crop circles and UFO abductions as the mythical vanguard of cosmic... (show more)

  This one creeped the crawlin' christ out of me. December 21st, 2012, 11:11 pm, portends a major shift in human evolution, back to living in synch with the natural processes of the cosmos and onward to a synthesis of spirit and all things material, but not before our planet feels some pain. Proof? Pinchbeck blazes a trail from West African to Anglo-neolithic to MesoAmerican shamanism and psychedelic spirit-questing, touching on crop circles and UFO abductions as the mythical vanguard of cosmic archetypes dramatizing our transformation from cyanobacteria to ubermenschen; paranormal research and quantum physics confirming psychic facts and pointing towards a "spiritual science"; ecological catastrophes, galactic alignments, and social upheaval leading us to realize that "our current civilization is not a machine built to last." Before reading this, I knew that, as Pinchbeck says, "there is a vast psychic domain -- a visionary reality -- available to us, if we have the courage to explore it." But this manages to weave in and out of indigenous, Eastern, crypto-Christian, mainstream, and fringe spirituality in a dazzling dance focused on Quetzalcoatl -- the winged Aztec serpent, creature of both earth and heaven, "what slithers, cunningly, in the dust and what soars, brightly, in the air" -- as symbol of the coming collapse of dualities: "Heaven and Earth, spirit and matter, light and dark, science and myth." (show less)

   

  by Benjamin Ortiz on Jun 18, 2009 at 04:11PM

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