A provocative examination of ancient prophecies and how they seem to align with the latest research in quantum physics—and whether both fields hint at an impending new age of consciousness.
Wilcock, whose popular online documentary The 2012 Enigma was the genesis for this book, has spent 30 years investigating connections found in writings left behind by prehistoric civilizations and how they relate to the physical universe. His research led him to the conclusion that ancient Egyptians, Mayans, Hindus and others have left clues that may reveal the secret behind the year 2012, and that the date itself is not indicative of an apocalyptic event, but the start of an epoch that may usher in a higher state of consciousness. Wilcock argues that this transition will be guided by a living energy field—and that this energy field, which he dubs “the source field,” is the fundamental building block of all space, time, energy, matter and biological life, and may be a crystallization of a united, symbiotic consciousness that we all have the ability to tap into. The author provides wide-ranging evidence to support this claim, citing dozens of scientific studies and first-person testimonies, and delves into the mystical connections between DNA, energy and light. He argues that the makeup of the entire universe is geometric in arrangement and motion, and that the year 2012 coincides with many natural astrological changes that could affect human intuitive abilities (namely through the activation of the pineal gland, an idea that is referenced by many ancient cultures). Much of Wilcock's scientific data is cutting-edge: For example, an idea like the holographic principle fits perfectly with his notion that time may actually exist in three dimensions. However, readers should be prepared for some fantastical discussion of alien intelligence, crop circles and time portals. At its core, Wilcock's theories rest on the idea that mankind can usher in this transcended age by expressing love and kindness toward each other and the world—a worthwhile endeavor regardless of one’s beliefs about 2012. Debatable, sure, but the author writes a narrative as fast-paced and scintillating as a sci-fi novel.
Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-525-95204-6
Page Count: 560
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.
A teacher and scholar of Buddhism offers a formally varied account of the available rewards of solitude.
“As Mother Ayahuasca takes me in her arms, I realize that last night I vomited up my attachment to Buddhism. In passing out, I died. In coming to, I was, so to speak, reborn. I no longer have to fight these battles, I repeat to myself. I am no longer a combatant in the dharma wars. It feels as if the course of my life has shifted onto another vector, like a train shunted off its familiar track onto a new trajectory.” Readers of Batchelor’s previous books (Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World, 2017, etc.) will recognize in this passage the culmination of his decadeslong shift away from the religious commitments of Buddhism toward an ecumenical and homegrown philosophy of life. Writing in a variety of modes—memoir, history, collage, essay, biography, and meditation instruction—the author doesn’t argue for his approach to solitude as much as offer it for contemplation. Essentially, Batchelor implies that if you read what Buddha said here and what Montaigne said there, and if you consider something the author has noticed, and if you reflect on your own experience, you have the possibility to improve the quality of your life. For introspective readers, it’s easy to hear in this approach a direct response to Pascal’s claim that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Batchelor wants to relieve us of this inability by offering his example of how to do just that. “Solitude is an art. Mental training is needed to refine and stabilize it,” he writes. “When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.” Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it.
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-300-25093-0
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A moving, heartfelt account of a hospice veteran.
Lessons about life from those preparing to die.
A longtime hospice chaplain, Egan (Fumbling: A Pilgrimage Tale of Love, Grief, and Spiritual Renewal on the Camino de Santiago, 2004) shares what she has learned through the stories of those nearing death. She notices that for every life, there are shared stories of heartbreak, pain, guilt, fear, and regret. “Every one of us will go through things that destroy our inner compass and pull meaning out from under us,” she writes. “Everyone who does not die young will go through some sort of spiritual crisis.” The author is also straightforward in noting that through her experiences with the brokenness of others, and in trying to assist in that brokenness, she has found healing for herself. Several years ago, during a C-section, Egan suffered a bad reaction to the anesthesia, leading to months of psychotic disorders and years of recovery. The experience left her with tremendous emotional pain and latent feelings of shame, regret, and anger. However, with each patient she helped, the author found herself better understanding her own past. Despite her role as a chaplain, Egan notes that she rarely discussed God or religious subjects with her patients. Mainly, when people could talk at all, they discussed their families, “because that is how we talk about God. That is how we talk about the meaning of our lives.” It is through families, Egan began to realize, that “we find meaning, and this is where our purpose becomes clear.” The author’s anecdotes are often thought-provoking combinations of sublime humor and tragic pathos. She is not afraid to point out times where she made mistakes, even downright failures, in the course of her work. However, the nature of her work means “living in the gray,” where right and wrong answers are often hard to identify.
A moving, heartfelt account of a hospice veteran.Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-59463-481-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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