Reality 2.0: Shamans, Psychedelics, and the Next Step in Evolution

by Daniel Pinchbeck

What is it that attracts shamans, mystics, and other visionaries to the realms of altered states? It is the understanding that some wisdom cannot be accessed through ordinary consciousness alone. On Reality 2.0, trailblazer of non-ordinary reality Daniel Pinchbeck shares a first-hand account of his quest for a "system upgrade" for human society. Listeners join this 21st-century explorer and philosopher-journalist for an intriguing investigation of: - Shamanic cultures from the Americas to the Amazon, and the urgent messages they have for Western society - The 2012 phenomenon and the possibility of a new realization of time and space for humankind - Crop circles: de-bunked hoax or legitimate transmissions from galactic intelligence? - The potential of plant medicines such as iboga and ayahuasca to help address the spiritual crisis of our postmodern world. Is our culture poised for the next leap in human evolution? How is technology changing us? Are we in the midst of a global "quickening" that will transform our individual and collective consciousness-and are heavy psychedelics required to participate? Pinchbeck explores these questions and more in this fascinating look at the issues most relevant to those curious about the future of our world.

110 pages, Audio CD

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Daniel Pinchbeck is an American author. His books include Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, and Notes from the Edge Times. He is a co-founder of the web magazine Reality Sandwich and of the website Evolver.net, and edited the North Atlantic Books publishing imprint Evolver Editions. He was featured in the 2010 documentary 2012: Time for Change, directed by Joao Amorim and produced by Mangusta Films. He is the founder of the think tank Center for Planetary Culture, which produced the Regenerative Society Wiki.

Reviews

[Marcus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let Reality 2.0 serve as a cautionary tale to all who might choose to embark on a journey of exploration that involves heavy use of psychedelic drugs and deep immersion in arcana. Here we have an intelligent and well-spoken person who starts off with an illuminating description of the psychedelic landscape then quickly devolves into what most would consider “the deep end.” In this case, the pool is filled with:

- Mayan prophecies, especially with regards to the year 2012
- Hopi Rain Dances and speculation on consciousness influencing atmospheric conditions
- Crop circles
- A demon that follows him around and opens drawers etc., and has to be expelled in a cleansing ceremony led by a witch
- His rejection of monogamy in favor of polyamory (no surprise there really)
- Marxism as a form of world communalism as a political philosophy that he seems to espouse but never fully elucidates
- Benevolent galactic influences. E.g. UFOs summoned through meditation

And to top it off, we get the authors own prophecy, which he reveals with some trepidation, that he himself is some type of savior of the world.

Take care. It could happen to you.

[Kay Mack]

How seriously you take crop circles correlates directly with how serious you'll take this book.

[Stephanie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t understand why anyone would give this less than five stars. Well narrated and supported by science. Super cool ideas.

[Kurt Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a pretty rough read. It's a sort of rambling narrative of one certain person's journey with psychedelics, tribal religions, and Spirit Science-y type musings.
Pretty much only tolerable if you've embraced the distinction between Truth and Useful Ways of Thinking.