Exploring the Life and Insights of Joseph Chilton Pearce

Perhaps the greatest obstacle we each face is the open-ended nature of true intelligence and wisdom, as opposed to knowledge and imagination. Real development is not the accumulation of knowledge. He or she with the largest flash drive is not the most developed, the best human possible.

What does it mean to be a human being? What are the astonishing capacities that make being human unique in all the world, perhaps in all the worlds? What are the self-inflicted limitations that prevent those capacities from unfolding? Is there anything that can be done to take the lid off of our own, and our children’s, true development? Why, after millennia haven’t we become more than we are? Is it becoming even harder, with each new development, to discover, awaken and develop the miraculous gifts nature has hidden in each of us? Which side is winning; the dark or the light?

I’m inviting you to explore these and other themes for ten weeks, asking questions that are rarely asked, imagining opportunities that, for most, are unimaginable.

He changed my life…

The Life and Insights of Joseph Chilton Pearce, edited by Michael Mendizza, reveals how Pearce, a modern-day sage, endowed with the courage, strength, and perseverance to challenge conventional world views, offered humanity original and penetrating insights into our transcendent nature and vast creativity. Joe’s brilliant and original works represent a profound and important contribution toward healing our global dysfunction and ensuring the healthy development of future generations.

Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.,
Stem cell biologist, epigenetic science pioneer,
and author of The Biology of Belief, The Honeymoon Effect and many others.

OMG. I have given his books to countless people - Cosmic Egg, Magical Child are my two favorites. Cosmic Egg changed my worldview in college and it's always been with me.

Alison

One of the most important teachers in my life. I'm profoundly grateful I found his books when I was a young mom as they helped me find my way. I was lucky enough to hear a lecture of his in the 1980s and still find myself quoting wisdom from it to others--it was that memorable!

Nikoletta

Pearce was an inspirational figure, a small giant. He soared higher than I aspire, or most people can.

Dr. Gabor Maté

He was the most influential man in my life. His writings guided my parenting as well as my personal development. His wisdom will forever live in my heart as well as the lives of my children and students.

Tera

I still have my old water-soaked, tattered, well-underlined paperback of The Crack in the Cosmic Egg, one of the most enlightened and enlightening books I have read. It's a book you want to always have with you to cherish and read again.

Cheryl

Joe remains a giant. The Life and Insights of Joseph Chilton Pearce is priceless. Joe validated, enriched, and added practical substance to my lifelong quest to better understand the critical importance of play. Without Joe’s clear descriptions, that ‘play is learning,’ my explorations would have been less complete. Joe was inspiring, a role model and mentor.”

Stuart Brown, M.D.
Founder and President of the National Institute for Play

This man's book, Magical Child, became the cornerstone of my own attachment parenting commitment. I now teach in the California penal system, and this man's precious, courageous work is part of what our (EPP) curriculum brings to those incarcerated, most of who struggle with all sorts of devastating attachment disorders.

Suzanne

Reading his books, listening to him speak, or working with Joe impacted the lives of so many people who then went on in service to others- helping to create a powerful ripple of growth and transformation in the world.

Barbara

Joseph Chilton Pearce was my inspiration to entering the field of early childhood education. The Magical Child is one of my favorite books of all time. He changed my life forever.

Anjaneya

When I first found Pearce’s work, after training as a psychological researcher, I was enthralled. As I moved away from a rigid mindset, oriented toward material measurement and control, and back to an interdisciplinary perspective, where all truth exists, the seeds planted by Pearce are now bringing to fruition at EvolvedNest.org. I am forever grateful that he had the courage to share his wisdom and that Michael Mendizza has kept it alive.

Darcia Narvaez
Professor of Psychology Emerita, University of Notre Dame
and author Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality

I am proposing a ten-week exploration of Joe’s life and his collected insights. My personal goal is to use the descriptions he offered in each of his major books, to reveal how each of us can translate insight into a transformative experience, for ourselves, our children, and our communities. Please let me know if you would be interested in participating, which day of the week would be best.

We all know that humanity is facing an unprecedented, species survival crisis. As Krishnamurti described;

“We think the crisis is out there, in the world, in society. The crisis isn’t out there. The crisis is really inward, in the consciousness of each of us, and we are unwilling to face this.”

Joseph Chilton Pearce is unique. No other blends spirit, biology, insight, and human development into a coherent framework that can translate insight into a transformative experience for today’s children and parents, which I believe is the most critical generation in human history.

What he explored in all his writings was not abstract, academic. His descriptions were born from personal experiences that challenged, and fundamentally, how we perceive ourselves, our relationships to others, and the living earth.

I had the great privilege of interviewing Joe for more than fifteen years. This represents an incredible collection that archives the gifts of one of the most challenging individuals in recent history. We were passionate about many of the same interests. A generation apart, he was as close as a father. We shared openly our lives, our hopes, disappointments, passions, and concerns.

Two threads weave in and out of all Joe’s works, uniting them into a coherent whole. The first, are his descriptions of our astonishing capacities. The second, our self-inflicted limitations. There is a conflict between our innate and miraculous biological design, and culture, our intellectual construct, which has grown exponentially toxic, poisoning, limiting, and constraining nature’s agenda. Which side of this conflict prevails will soon determine our fate as a species and the living world.

Pre-Register Here

Ten 90 Minute Sessions

Beginning Sunday, March 6^th, 4 PM PST.

Note: We will post the video presentations prior to the class to limit each session to one hour, or more if needed.

• 30-60 Minute video interviews with Pearce.
• 30 Minute review and summary of each theme or chapter in the new book;
  The Life and Insights of Joseph Chilton Pearce.
• 30 Minute Discussion.
• 5 PM Pacific Standard Time.
• Flexible Scheduled on day of the week preferred by participants.
• Recorded for convenient viewing.
• Suggested readings, themes, and proposed questions will be posted to the series site one week prior to each session.
• Registration: $15 for individual sessions.
• Preregistration for all ten sessions $95.

Sessions:

A Saga of Spirit and Psyche
My journey with Joseph Chilton Pearce

The Crack in the Cosmic Egg (1971)

Magical Child (1977)

The Bond of Power (1981)

Evolution’s End (1992)

The Biology of Transcendence (2002)

Magical Parent – Magical Child with Michael Mendizza (2004)
The state-specific nature of optimum learning and performance.

The Death of Religion and the Rebirth of Spirit (2007)

Strange Loops and Gestures of Creation (2010)
The Heart-Mind Matrix (2012)

Optional Dialogue: Our Common Future: Translating insight into a transformative experience.

Let me know if you are interested in exploring together.

Pre-Register Here

Michael Mendizza