Product Description

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 draws together some of today’s most celebrated visionaries, thinkers, and pioneers in the field of evolving consciousness— exploring topics from shamanism to urban homesteading, the legacy of Carlos Castaneda to Mayan predictions for the year 2012, and new paths in direct political action and human sexuality.

Toward 2012 highlights some of the most challenging, intelligent pieces published on the acclaimed website Reality Sandwich. It is coedited by Daniel Pinchbeck, the preeminent voice on 2012, and online pioneer Ken Jordan, and features original works from Stanislav Grof, John Major Jenkins, and Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky); interviews with Abbie Hoffman and artist Alex Grey; and a new introduction by Pinchbeck.

Here are ideas that trace the arc of our evolution in consciousness, lifestyles, and communities as we draw closer to a moment in time that portends ways of living that are different from anything we have expected or experienced.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #826206 in Books
• Published on: 2008-12-26
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In his introduction to this wide-ranging collection, author and "psychonaut" Pinchbeck (2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl) reaffirms his hypothesis that, based on Mayan predictions, "December 12, 2012 may usher in a new world age" necessitating a "rapid evolution of collective intelligence" in order to avoid cataclysm. A year ago, Pinchbeck and collaborator Jordan (an "online pioneer") launched the web journal Reality Sandwich to bring together the diverse range of voices exploring "current processes of spirtual and material transformation... usually outside the mainstream." This anthology culls 36 wide-ranging essays from the site covering everything from metaphics to geopolitics in sections on Community, Art, Sex and the Shamanic. Alberto Villodo describes the healing practices of "jaguar medicine"; John Major Jenkins looks at how hallucinogens explain Mayan astronomical discoveries; ST Frequency dresses down "pseudo-shaman" Carlos Castaneda, whose drug tourism threatens indigenous Mexican cultures. Closer to home, a writer who goes by Homegrown Evolution gives tips on how to grow guerilla gardens on vacant lots, and Ken Jordan writes an appreciation of Abbie Hoffman, the '60s activist who brought the NYSE to a halt by showering money on the "suits." Not every essay will connect, but anyone interested in the future or the fringe should find some thought-provoking reading among them.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Daniel Pinchbeck is the bestselling author of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl and Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Wired, The Village Voice, LA Weekly, ArtForum, Arthur, and many other publications. He is the editorial director of Reality Sandwich and a national columnist for Conscious Choice magazine.

KEN JORDAN has been an online pioneer since leading the 1995 launch of the web’s award-winning first multimedia music zine and digital music store, which later became a property of MTV. He has written for Wired, Index, Paris Review, and First Monday, among other publications. He is the publisher of Reality Sandwich.

Customer Reviews

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!"

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!"

Misleading
This book is just a collection of articles, with no dates attached so you have no idea when they were written. And most of them have absolutely nothing to do with 2012. Is he just cashing in on the attention 2012 is getting? Not that 2012 is not a serious topic, but there doesn't seem much relevance of the articles he chose, to 2012. It is just more a collection of seemingly unrelated sort of interesting articles, by sort of famous folks...