Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Birth 2012 and Beyond: Humanity's Great Shift to the Age of Conscious Evolution

Birth 2012 and Beyond: Humanity's Great Shift to the Age of Conscious Evolution
reviewed on + 4 more book reviews


Barbara Marx Hubbard's book presents her vision of a possible future for humanity - one based on collaboration, heart coherence, and care for the planet and all the beings on it through realizing our Oneness. The first part of the book provides many details of her life and the development of her vision and a loose outline how she envisions the organization of this global shift in various arenas, while the last part of the book shares 12 short essays from others new thinkers, like Michael Beckwith, Ervin Lazslo and Jack Canfield. Her message is hopeful, however Hubbard's writing is geared towards a specific reader - well-educated and comfortable with lengthy and somewhat scientific explanations. She includes many acronyms that she has coined and in many places, Chapter 4 in particular, the book reads like an infomercial in that it teases us with ideas without providing details, referring one instead to another book or film or course to purchase--and many of these materials are written by her. I would have much preferred more meat to be included about what these leaders and new movements are actually working towards and accomplishing and how individuals can concretely get involved. Much of what is in this book can be found for free at Hubbard's website and by listening online to events presented by the Shift Network. However if you are new to Hubbard and the ideas of Oneness, heart coherence or shift in consciousness, then her book provides an introduction to these concepts and more as well as a number of references to other writers and groups whose work you may find interesting. Also, if you are interested in a more scientific and less spiritual focus on the idea of a global shift or elevation of consciousness, then Hubbard may be the writer for you.