This book should not be immediately dismissed for showing an interest in 2012. Rightfully, the world has become cynical about marked, prophesized dates in the future and while Daniel Pinchbeck ultimately theorizes that 2012 will bring a "transformation of consciousness", his discussion is completely tangible, relevant and thought-provoking.
The Return of Quetzalcoatl would bring readers together from vastly different fields and backgrounds including fine arts, psychology, computer science, engineering, physics, metaphysics, philosophy, new age philosophy, hallucinogenic drug enthusiasts, and cultural analysts.
With an emphasis on technology and futurism, the book is ultimately about spiritual journey and the question of humanism in the face of a highly technological and uncertain world. What appeals to me about this book is the willingness to distinguish what constitutes a "will-to-ignorance" from the need to reach individual, creative solutions to the various issues outlined in the book. Believe me, the book is out-there, but its never so far-out that you cannot see a glimmer of your own life in it.
Pinchbeck, at the very least, entertains readers by interpreting the world in a completely different way. Be prepared to look into the future from the hindsights of Jungian psychology, a comparison of eastern and western philosophy and a reinterpretation of literatures. Despite the headiness of pseudo-spiritual matters, the book is highly grounded in the realities of resource scarcity, and a precarious world of religious and political power structures.
The book offerse perspectives on how to develop into "higher consciousness" in a different, changing world and offers an alternative view of "archaic revival" through "mythic structures and archetypes". With a wholly realistic world view, Pinchbeck acknowledges the reality and necessity of suffering as losses before gains (a view of history and human development). At the same time, the book puts a cliche spotlight on ancient knowledge which muddles his progressive case as he describes travelling the world to trip on various, indigeounous hallucinogens.
"God, as a psychic fact, reveals himself in our neuroses, our allergies, our failed love-affairs. 'God enters through the wound' he [Nietzsche] said."
Regardless of any truth or fallacy in the ideas of the book, it is VERY interesting for a critical reader who might be concerned with trends moving towards negative and destructive tendencies of thought. The Return of Quetzalcoatl in my view is an extreme esoteric voice which adds a needed perspective to remind readers of the immense power that they have. It tries to introduce and validate a completely different way of thinking which does not have to necessarily be adopted but considered.
"Technology, its poisonous by-products, weapons of mass destruction, and inhumane repercussions are projections of the human psyche, expressing our current stage of development. They express not only our consciousness, but our unconsciousness."
