Charles Eisenstein

“Charles Eisenstein is the author of numerous essays and books, including Sacred Economics, Climate — A New Story, and The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible. His interviews, writing, and courses may be found at charleseisenstein.org.

Charles is a public speaker and author. His work covers a wide range of topics, including the history of human civilization, economics, spirituality, and the ecology movement. Key themes explored include anti-consumerism, interdependence, and how myth and narrative influence culture. According to Eisenstein, global culture is immersed in a destructive “story of separation”, and one of the main goals of his work is to present an alternative “story of interbeing”. Much of his work draws on ideas from Eastern philosophy and the spiritual teachings of various indigenous peoples. Eisenstein has been involved in the Occupy, New Economy, and permaculture movements. His work has also been popular with countercultural and New Age audiences. An advocate of the gift economy, he makes much of his work available for free on his website.

Born in 1967, Eisenstein graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. He lived in Taiwan for nine years, where he became fluent in Mandarin Chinese and worked as a translatorHe married there, had children, and later returned to the United States. He describes his late 20s through his mid 30s as “a long period of intensifying crisis”. During this time, he held short term positions as a construction worker, college instructor, and yoga teacher, but spent most of his time as a stay-at-home dad. He then spent four years writing The Ascent of Humanity, which was published in 2007 and became his first commercially successful book, launching his writing career. Eisenstein has four sons; one with his current wife, Stella, and three with his previous wife, Patsy.He currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Eisenstein has spoken at various conferences and events over the years. His events are held voluntarily, organized by others who invite him to speak. In accordance with his ideal of generosity and “living in the gift,” he generally charges people expenses but no fee, leaving it up to them to give him something if they want to.