2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl is the acclaimed metaphysical epic that binds together the cosmological phenomena of our time, ranging from crop circles to quantum theory to the resurgence of psychedelic drugs, to support the contention of the Mayan calendar that the year 2012 portends a global shift–in consciousness, culture, and way of living–of unprecedented consequence.

The Classical Maya developed a highly sophisticated civilization in the Yucatan and Guatemala that vanished 1,000 years ago. They were extraordinary architects and astronomers, and developed methods of timekeeping that are far more precise than our Western calendar system. Although we destroyed most of their scrolls, our archaeologists have discovered that the Maya looked toward the year 2012–specifically the date December 21, 2012–as the end of a “Great Cycle” of 5,125 years on their Long Count calendar. According to the Mayan creation myth, the Popol Vuh, such cycles end with the destruction of the old way of life and the inception of a new world. Many scholars agree that the Classic Maya pointed to this time, around the year 2012, as the juncture between one world age and the next.

We are currently in the throes of an ecological crisis, brought about by human activity, which threatens us with disaster if we do not immediately change our ways. Basic resources such as fuel, water, and food are becoming scarce around the world. Many scientists have predicted cataclysm due to climate change and pollution that could lead to the extinction of the human species in a short span of time. On the other hand, we are also experiencing a massive leap in human consciousness. Our world is now meshed together through communications technology and social networks that act as a “global brain.” We can transmit new ideas and transformative practices instantly across the world.

In 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, I proposed that what happens in “2012” depends on what humanity decides to make of it. We might see global famines and wars and increasing misery, or we might decide to institute a new planetary culture based on empathy, alternative economic systems, sustainable design, and an equitable sharing of wealth. According to the prophecies held by the Maya and other indigenous cultures, we may integrate modern scientific knowledge with Eastern spiritual wisdom and indigenous shamanism, leading to a new understanding of the physical and psychic cosmos. Rather than “doomsday,” 2012 could be a time of positive transformation and the opening to a new way of life.

One of the deepest questions we can ask is: What happens after we die? For the past centuries, with the rise of scientific materialism, the prevailing answer to this has been: nothing.

Our conscious self-awareness is simply an accident of evolution, arising from the increasing complexity of the physical brain. There can be no awareness outside of the brain. However, scientific discoveries of the twentieth century, particularly in physics, flipped this over, supporting what mystics have said throughout time: Consciousness is the underlying reality, the “ontological primitive,” and the physical universe is a transitory expression of this indivisible, instinctive consciousness.

This revolution in scientific thought gives us reasonable grounds to reconsider a great deal of evidence pointing toward an afterlife. This includes children who spontaneously recall their past lives, mediums able to bring information from the deceased, Indo-Tibetan death meditation practices, and near-death experiences.

In Afterlife: Is There Consciousness After Death?, New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pinchbeck (Breaking Open the Head, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl) builds the philosophical foundation for a new understanding and acceptance of our existence as souls and spirits within a larger continuum of consciousness, connecting contemporary scientific knowledge with ancient esoteric and shamanic wisdom traditions.

Changing our relationship to the afterlife will also transform our relationship to this world. As the worldview of monistic or analytic idealism displaces the obsolete model of reductive materialism, the values of our civilization will also change profoundly. Hence, on every level, this is a subject of primary importance for humanity’s future.

Are we being observed and visited by alien beings from another world or perhaps another space-time dimension? Thousands upon thousands of accounts of UFOs and alien abductions suggest that something is happening that we do not yet understand. Recently, even mainstream media organizations like the New York Times and the Washington Post have started to report on the bizarre sightings made by military pilots around the world. Are we moving toward a deeper level of Disclosure? And if so, what will be disclosed? How can we best understand this phenomenon?

Considered one of the foremost authors on esoteric, occult, and shamanic topics, Daniel Pinchbeck (Breaking Open the Head, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, How Soon Is Now) turns his attention to the question of aliens in The Occult Control System. Following thinkers like Patrick Harpur, Carl Jung, Rudolf Steiner, John Lamb Lash, and Laura Knight-Jadczyk, he proposes that the unfolding alien narrative is part of an occult or hyper-dimensional control system designed to keep humanity locked into a certain frequency of consciousness and being. As we awaken to our situation, we can find the tools to break out of this intricately designed prison and access our true potential.