2012 - The Return Of Quetzalcoatl [2]
2012 - The Year Of The Mayan Prophecy
In 2006 the counter culture aficionado, Daniel Pinchbeck, released his second book but first devoted to the subject of 2012. Daniel Pinchbeck has become something of a 2012 media favourite since the launch of the book, partly because of his background as a respected journalist. He has also drawn plentiful attention because of his links to the always controversial and inflammative subjects of drug use and alternative sexual thought paradigms.
In Daniel’s first book Breaking Open The Head - A Visionary Journey From Cynicism To Shamanism he boldly engaged with the neo-shamanic and indeed genuine archaic shamanistic communities of the world. It described the way in which a rather morbidly cynical ‘thirty something’ New Yorker managed to leave his materialist and nihilistic paradigm for something rather more cosmic. Rather more pleasant for that matter.
Although the book does not discuss 2012 in any depth, only briefly touching on the subject during chapter 32 whilst Pinchbeck is visiting a Mayan site, it does clarify just how a respectable journalist ended up cashing in his normality for the weirder life of a 2012 researcher and writer. The short version is that Pinchbeck took a great deal of very strong chemicals and had his head well and truly broken open. The realisation that the mind is perfectly capable of phasing out day to day reality, and then perceiving entire new landscapes with non-human beings capable of interacting with us, left him in a whole new place spiritually and philosophically.
Although the second book was originally released in the USA as 2012 The Return Of Quetzalcoatl the UK edition was released under the title 2012 - The Year Of The Mayan Prophecy. The name change was quite simply because practically nobody in the UK was aware of the 2012 subject, and even fewer would have any idea just what a Quetzalcoatl might be!!!
The book opens with an introduction of the issues that are to be tackled, mainly the current state of our modern global civilisation, such as peak-oil and biosphere issues. Rather we might say it examines the cracks, and the rot that has set in throughout what is actually now a post-modern, civilisation. It then moves on to Daniel’s own life from childhood onward, and an introduction to some of the people that have inspired him. To be honest I found the early part of the book very heavy going, mainly because the people that inspire Daniel are obscure, peculiar, and rather over wordy in their philosophical ramblings. On the other hand, perhaps I am just a moron unable to comprehend the gist of their esoteric thinking.
There are however plenty of gems even from the start. I enjoyed the discussions on scientific research into etheogens, and the analysis of military research into psychic abilities. Some of the thinkers he referred to were intelligible to me thankfully, and he produced some interesting references from them. The end of the first chapter has us brought up to speed a little regarding the God whose name is in the books original title. We find out something of his achievements and his enemies, as well as his considered nature. The links between Quetzalcoatl and that other 2012 writer, Jose Arguelles, father of the 13-month calendar are also touched on.
For the main part, this book is rather like a strange attractor, a hub of 2012 related people, books and thinking. It tends to skip around at times, slightly unpredictably, and refer to persons or topics that need to be investigated deeper. My advice would be to keep your PC connected to the net whilst reading; you are likely going to need to Google more than once during reading. There are far to many areas touched upon for me to list here, although its fair to say most anything, or anyone connected to the 2012 subject appears at least once!
Where this book holds its own as definitive on a 2012 related subject must surely be on the subjects of aliens and of crop-circles. Indeed, it becomes clear that these geometric cereal phenomena are of enormous interest to Daniel Pinchbeck. He travels extensively interviewing relevant speakers on the subject as well as bringing forth some interesting scientific and mathematical observations regarding these formations. Some of these formations are related to 2012 data, and seemingly, some of the apparent E.T. phenomena are tied up to the subject of changes in our time on a world scale. He also does a good job of bringing attention to the links between alien behaviour, fairies and shamanic experiences in indigenous communities. The book goes to pains to relate much of it back to crop circles.
Personally, though I appreciate why crop-circles interest people, and except they may well be very important messages to humanity, I actually find them boring. For me the book has too much information about them in it. For those familiar with Graham Hancock’s book Supernatural all I can say is remember how much Hancock talked about cave paintings, well that is how much Daniel Pinchbeck goes on about crop-circles. I am however in a small minority regarding this subject, so I feel most people will really enjoy the attention Daniel has lavished on this particular topic. Sales of crop-circle books and pictures speak for themselves.
The book takes us on a great tour of the modern alternative communities and various camps of metaphysical thought. Amongst these is the Santo Daime whom utilise the compound DMT for unification with spiritual forces. Pinchbeck has something of a love affair with the religion, and perhaps more so with one of its priestess’s. It is a very eye opening whistle-stop tour of just one of the groups that are currently tied up into the whole 2012 planetary shift business.
We are also taken through subjects more related to possible socio-psychological shifts everything from the way we think about work to the way we view our roles. He explores in some considerable depth sexual attitudes and the way we evaluate our more sensual relationships. Perhaps to honestly much of this is in the context of his own failing relationship, and his own desires. Still it is interesting to look through another’s eyes at this deep subject, and to be made to consider whether a change in society would mean change in such fundamentals as the way we view relationships and run them. Daniel also observes matters of sexual inequality in a rather non-politically correct manner.
There is much to be gleaned from this book, New Age thought, crop circles, and 2012 peer reviews, aliens, burning man, visions, etheogens, Buddhism and environmental collapse. It is not so much a book about 2012 as it is a book about the now flourishing counter-cultural revolution, and the rise of a new paradigm of thought. The round calendar of the Mayans and its 2012 end date merely are the hub upon which the books wheels spin. The most notable original data in it comes from Daniel’s own channelling of the God Quetzalcoatl whilst in an altered state of consciousness; I will not spoil it by telling you what he had to say about 2012.
For my part, I enjoyed the book even though I admit that at times it was a struggle to keep it flowing into my brain box. This is not an introduction to the 2012 subject however, and would be most appropriate for those who already understand just why the 2012 subject is being discussed. It would help to have fully comprehended the astronomic mechanics and cultural history behind the Meso-American calendar systems before reading. This book is rather like an intellectual joyride through post-modern culture, all the while sticking its finger up to ‘The Man’ out of the window whilst hollering, “2012 m**********r!!!”, as it speeds along.
Check out some of the now over 100 reviews on Amazon before buying this book to get a feel for the passion it ignites in people. It is on my recommended 2012 book list, and I hope you enjoy reading it despite its aforementioned flaws.
On a personal note Daniel seems like a nice and genuine man, I had the pleasure of talking to him over dinner after his 2002 launch of Breaking Open The Head in London. He is without doubt a very intelligent man that may at times be his undoing, simply because many of us are just perhaps not quite clever enough to follow his train of thinking at times. For a past article that perhaps gives away more of his thinking on 2012 topics such as ascension, I would recommend his interview in Fortean Times magazine by Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor. If however you would rather find out what he is doing currently then simply visit him over at the Reality Sandwich website.
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