Luminary: Daniel Pinchbeck

Luminary: Daniel Pinchbeck

Daniel Pinchbeck grew up in the New York counterculture of the 1970s and '80s. His father, Peter Pinchbeck, was an abstract painter, and his mother, Joyce Johnson, is a writer who participated in the Beat Generation. She was dating Jack Kerouac when On the Road hit the bestseller lists in 1957 (chronicled in her book, Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir). As a journalist, Daniel has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, etcetera. He is currently the editorial director of the Evolver Project.

In his late twenties, Daniel fell into a deep spiritual crisis that led him to the study of shamanism and psychedelic susbtances. His first book, Breaking Open the Head, recounted his initiation into several tribal cultures that use hallucinogens in their rituals. Over time, he became convinced of the legitimacy of the shamanic and mystical worldview held by indigenous peoples around the world. This led him to his book, 2012, a study of prophecy.

Websites:
www.realitysandwich.com
www.2012thebook.com
www.postmoderntimes.com