Looking for something for that mystically-minded, Buddhist-centric, shamanic, night tripping, archetype-oriented, mythically-curious writerly psychopomp in your life? This book would make an interesting choice.

I haven’t yet decided if Daniel Pinchbeck is a New World Man or just a drug-addled, dilettante cult leader. One thing’s for certain: he’s a very talented writer, which is rare in fringe culture. With prose like this, who cares if he believes himself to be the reincarnation of the Buddhist ruler Ashoka? Besides skeptics and historians, that is.

This is my favorite review from Amazon.com:


WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!

1. TEOTWAWKI is coming in 2012 because the ancient Mayan Calender [sic] prophesied thusly.

2. Secret messages in UK crop circles, which only the author can understand with the aid of his Super Secret Decoder Ring, confirm the TEOTWAWKI date in the Mayan Calender.

3. If the above is not enough to convince the reader that the TEOTWAWKI arrives on Dec 21st, 2012, the author brings out his final piece of credibility-building information in the closing pages. There he informs us matter-of-factly that he is the reincarnation of ancient emperor Ashoka. I quote from page 372:

“To make matters worse, along with the potentially reality-shifting reception of the Quetzacoatl transmission, I had accessed a hypothetical past life as an Indian emperor, fulfilling all New Age cliches.”

The author lost me with that final bit of nonsense. This may get him dates with airheaded New Age chicks, but it doesn’t work with the rest of us. Until that page I was working hard to remain credulous enough to keep reading page after page of silly New Age claims, all completely unverifiable.

If you know the author’s background, you know his “hobby.” My suspicion is that it has killed one too many brain cells.

As another reviewer said, Pinchbeck has “inherited Shirley Maclaine’s crown as the new Queen of the New Age Movement.”

If you’re a New Age stoner, you might like this book. If you aren’t, then avoid this pointless nonsense at all costs.

Good thing I already picked myself up a copy. Next stop, Scientology?

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Casey Rea was the Seven Days music editor from 2004 until 2007. He won the 2005 John D. Donoghue award for arts criticism from the Vermont Press Association.

17 replies on “Gift idea.”

  1. 2012 is a long time to wait…aren’t there any acidhead prophesies in 2007?ps. Joyce Johnson was quite a hottie from some old photos I’ve seen…wonder what she thinks of all this.

  2. My scrying mirror tells me that ’07 will be smooth sailing. Unless you’re Iraqi.I’ve wondered the same thing about J.J. Perhaps she’s still dreaming wistfully about Kerouac and can’t be bothered?

  3. My Mom’s a groovy lady and all, but I dunno if she’d be down with performing the required Scientology marriage ceremony, Casey. Hate to burst your bubble.

  5. It’s funny how reincarnated people are always the rebirth of some high and mighty shit like an Emperor. Who wants to be the reincarnation of a normal not famous person?

  7. I would love to be reincarnated as a cat. Particularly one of my cats. They sleep all day, don’t have a job, get high on catnip & eat more expensive food than I do. Must be nice…

  8. I’m with you on that one, man. And if you come back as an Egyptian cat (since we all know that time is non-local and non-linear) it’s just about as good as being an emperor, anyway.

  10. Cats – no way. I want to be reincarnated as a gay guys’ dog. Yeah, I want a couple of gay guys to pamper me and prove to me who the best daddy is…

  12. I read this book already and it rocks…Pinchbeck is a great writer and his commentary is fair and well connected to the topic, hitting it from many esoteric and interesting angles.This “favorite” review sucks, though is relavent to those who don’t get it or can’t keep up. Admittedly, the author’s use of high powered language fused with subjects which the reader likely has little or no previous knowledge and poor context in which to frame it in the first place, can be somewhat frusterating while seeming altogether rather contemptable.In other words reading level is more than 8th grade.

  13. I likw this book, too, and agree that Pinchbeck is an incredibly talented writer. I’m very much interested and clued into many of the topics he covers, so I personally have no problem keeping up.I included that non-pro Amazon customer review ’cause I thought it was funny, and illustrates the extremes of opinion Pinchbeck generates.Hail Eris!

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