Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age

by Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan

An informed, challenging, and engaging collection of essays on the new choices in lifestyles and community as we begin the countdown toward the year 2012. This fresh and thought-provoking anthology... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585427004
• ISBN13: 9781585427000
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Collection Of Interesting Essays

Toward 2012 OK. This book is for the very open minded. It will not appeal to everyone. Some of it did not appeal to me, initially. The reason? It's not because it's a New Age book (it is); it's not because it's about end-times (it is and it isn't). It's because it's just simply, in total, going to be way to far-out for most. Its advantage? Mayan end-times are little understood (it doesn't go into that though); it has several very interesting (and down-to-earth) essays of historical significance (Section III of the book titled "Art" has several, including one on Stanley Kubrick. Section V, "Engagement", has an essay on Abbie Hoffman of the NYSE infamy). There is a great intro by one of the editors, Daniel Pinchbeck. Let me quote his opening paragraph, "A long time ago, Karl Marx realized that modernity was based on successive revolutions in which `all that is solid melts into air,' as the force of capitalism reshapes society and tears apart ecosystems. In our time, this process of melting down and vaporizing has reached a new level of speed and violence. When we face the future, there seems to be nothing we can grasp with certainty. Not only our economic system and the future of our civilization, but the integrity of our environment and the continuity of the human species--along with most other species who share this planet with us--are immediately endangered. At such a threshold, everything is up for grabs, and all beliefs are open for questioning." In this intro he also let's us know why he wrote the original 2012 work "The Return of Quetzalcoatl" which was "to argue that personal and global change are inseparable" (a point I agree with) and to propose "that our Western knowledge system was severely limited because it denied the value of intuition, visionary and psychedelic experience." He also, in that work, "sought to assemble an alternative paradigm, encompassing older ways of knowing and mystical thought, without denying the validity of the modern scientific method." He goes on to state "that we might take indigenous people seriously in their prophetic views of this current era, since they preserved access to those dimensions of the psyche that our society has systematically suppressed." Although I'm not convinced we need to "take indigenous people seriously", we do need to understand and accept that these "dimensions of the psyche" are available to everyone (everyone has them) with or without the use of psychoactive drugs (these simply speed up or accelerate the process of bringing the experiences latent within each of us to the conscious forefront of our lives). The reason I'm quoting extensively from this book's introduction (which includes details above on his previous work) is to help explain the origins of the collection of essays that make up "Toward 2012". The book is broken up into six chapters and subsequent essays which I list below to peak (or not) the reviewers interest: I Initiation Meeting the Spirits,

a hint for readers...

For those who aren't quite satisfied with the content of the book, I must encourage any readers to visit the Reality Sandwich website. Most of the articles in the book appeared there first, and there are, in some cases, very long and interesting discussion threads accompanying each article - often involving the author of the piece. I personally enjoyed the book as is, but after going to the website and delving more into each article, I found that I was much more satisfied with the overall experience. Here's hoping that there will be more books from Daniel and his editorial team...it's refreshing to see so many viewpoints, and no one claiming that "this is the only true way!"

Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age

Very interesting set of essays from Reality Sandwich. Thought provoking. Found it less interesting than Pinchbeck's other books, but alot of data for accessing many websites. A good read.

Awesome new compilation of cutting edge philosophers

Toward 2012 brings together some of the best articles from the Reality Sandwich website, making it on of the most interesting and wide ranging books out there on the transformational times in which we live. Its not just a book its a flight manual. See you in the non-ordinary realities.

Nice find!

I saw this book in the "new non-fiction" section at Borders. With all the hoopla lately surrounding 2012, I figured I'd pick this up. Now, I knew about Dec. 21 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar before this, but had only seen video and snippets online (i.e. David Wilcock's Enigma 2012 which is pretty fascinating) First, let me say this book will NOT be sufficient for information specifically on 2012 and what may or may not happen (depending on who/what you read/see). It isn't designed to be. The second part of the title says it all: Perspectives on the next age. I've found there are pretty much two categories of 2012 believers: That the world is going to end (in some type of apocalypse) or that there will be a massive cosmic awakening of consciousness. If you fall in the latter, this book is for you. In other words, it discusses many ideas for those WANTING to change consciously/spiritually. 2012 in my opinion can be used like any religion, as a placebo. A placebo to change who you want to be hopefully for the better. So, for example, if you've never heard of Abbie Hoffman (like me) you'll be introduced to him and what he and others did in the 60's and 70's as kind of a mini-revolution of the mind through action. As well, it talks about all of the "typical" subjects that would be associated with 2012 like meditation, yogi's, dreams, shamanism, psychadelics, etc. I have a philosophy to "be open". This book is perfect for that type of philosophy. Just the right mix of "say what?" with "now that makes sense!"