2012 millenarianism is a present-day
cultural meme proposing that cataclysmic or transformative events
will occur in the year 2012. The forecast is
based primarily on what is claimed to be the end-date of the
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar,
which is presented as lasting 5,125 years and as terminating on
December 21 or 23, 2012, along with interpretations of assorted
legends, scriptures,
numerological
constructions and prophecies.
A New Age
interpretation of this transition posits that, during this time, the
planet and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or
spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a
newer sociopolitical age for the global community. Conversely, many
believers in 2012 millenarianism believe that it marks the beginning
of Armageddon.
The 2012 doomsday prediction idea has been disseminated in numerous
books and TV documentaries, and has spread around the world as an Internet meme
through websites and discussion groups.
Halexandria
Assorted legends, Ancient Civilizations,
Scriptures,
Numerological
constructions, Science and Prophecies listed below.
Frank Waters' book inspired further
speculation by
John Major Jenkins
in the mid-1980s, noting the correspondence of the December 21 date
with the winter
solstice in
2012. This date was in line with an idea he terms the
Galactic Alignment.
In the
Solar System,
the planets and the Sun share roughly the same plane of orbit, known
as the
plane of the ecliptic.
From our perspective on Earth, the
Zodiacal
constellations move along or near the ecliptic, and over time, appear
to recede counterclockwise by one degree every 72 years. This
movement is attributed to a slight wobble in the Earth's axis as it
spins. As a result, approximately every 2160 years, the
constellation visible on the early morning of the spring
equinox
changes. In Western astrological traditions, this signals the end of
one
astrological age
(currently the Age of Pisces) and the beginning of another (Age
of Aquarius). Over the course of
26,000 years, the
precession of the equinoxes
makes one full circuit around the ecliptic.
Just as the spring equinox in the northern
hemisphere is currently in the constellation of
Pisces, so the
winter solstice is currently in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
which happens to be the constellation intersected by the
galactic equator.
Every year for the last 2000 years or so, on
the winter solstice, the Earth, Sun and the galactic equator come
into alignment, and every year, precession pushes the Sun's position
a little way further through the
Milky Way's
band.
Jenkins suggests that the Maya based their
calendar on observations of the "dark
rift", a band of black dust clouds
in the Milky Way, which the Maya called the Xibalba be or
Black Road.
Jenkins claims that the Maya were aware of
where the
ecliptic
intersected the Black Road and gave this position in the sky a
special significance in their cosmology. According to the
hypothesis, the Sun precisely aligns with this intersection point at
the winter solstice of 2012. Jenkins claimed that the classical
Mayans anticipated this conjunction and celebrated it as the
harbinger of a profound spiritual transition for mankind. New Age
proponents of the galactic alignment hypothesis argue that, just as
astrology uses
the positions of stars and planets to make claims of future events,
the Mayans plotted their calendars with the objective of preparing
for significant world events.
Critics suggest that the alignment in
question takes place over a 36-year period, corresponding to the
diameter of the Sun, with the most precise convergence having
already occurred without incident in 1998. Also, Jenkins himself
notes that there is no concrete evidence that the Maya were aware of
precession.
Timewave Zero
Timewave Zero, which is part of
Novelty theory, is a
pseudoscientific
numerological
formula that purports to calculate the ebb and flow of "novelty",
defined as increase in the
universe's
interconnectedness, or
organized complexity,
over
time. According
to
Terence McKenna,
who conceived the idea in the early 1970s, the universe has a
teleological
attractor at the
end of time
that increases interconnectedness, eventually reaching a
singularity of
infinite complexity on December 21, 2012, at which point anything
and everything imaginable will occur instantaneously. This idea has
failed to gain any scientific credibility or recognition. McKenna
expressed "novelty" in a computer program, which purportedly
produces a waveform known as timewave zero or the
timewave.
I Ching
Based on McKenna's interpretation of the
King Wen sequence
of the
I Ching, the
graph appears to show great periods of novelty corresponding with
major shifts in humanity's biological and cultural evolution. He
believed the events of any given time are
recursively
related to the events of other times, and chose the
atomic bombing of Hiroshima
as the basis for calculating his end date of November, 2012. When he
discovered this date's proximity to the end of the 13th baktun, he
adjusted it so that the two dates matched.
Various ideas have been advanced giving
reasons why the
end of the world
might happen suddenly in 2012, although none resemble scientific
predictions. One idea involves a
geomagnetic reversal
(often incorrectly referred to as a
polar shift by
proponents of this hypothesis), which could be triggered by a
massive
solar flare,
one with energy equal to 100 billion
atomic bombs.
2012: The Polar Shift
Explained
This belief is supposedly supported by
observations that the Earth's
magnetic field
is weakening, which indicates an impending reversal of the north and
south magnetic poles. Scientists believe the Earth is overdue for a
geomagnetic reversal, and has been for a long time, even since the
time of the Mayans, because the last reversal was 780,000 years ago.
Critics, however, claim geomagnetic reversals take up to 5,000 years
to complete, and do not start on any particular date. Also, while
NASA expects a particularly strong solar maximum sometime between
2010 and 2012, there is no scientific evidence linking a solar
maximum to a geomagnetic reversal. A
solar maximum would be mostly notable for its effects on
satellite and cellular phone communications. See Also
Solar
Maximum.
Another apocalyptic idea circulating about 2012,
which has existed in various forms since 1995 and has changed dates at least
twice since then, is that a large planet, called
Nibiru, will
collide with or pass by Earth in that year. This idea has been ridiculed by
astronomers, who point out that such an object so close to Earth would be
visible to anyone looking up at the night sky.
(Could the 5 cycles of evolution coincide with
the 5 cycles in the Mayan and Hopi cultures and prophecies?)
The information above has given you the worse-case-scenario of events that
could happen and the end of life as we have come to know it. The data
(although inconclusive), can look bleak for the human race and life on this
planet. Maybe, just maybe we have other possibilities.
Many believe that the ending of this cycle
will correspond with a global "consciousness shift" and the
beginning of a
new age. The
date became the subject of speculation by
Frank Waters,
who devotes two chapters to its interpretation, including discussion
of an astrological chart for this date and its association with Hopi
prophecies in Mexico Mystique: The Coming Sixth Age of
Consciousness(1975). The significance of the year 2012 (but not
a specific day) was mentioned briefly by
José Argüelles
in The Transformative Vision, (1975) and later in The
Mayan Factor (1987), promoted at the 1987
Harmonic Convergence.
Author
Daniel Pinchbeck
popularized
New Age
concepts about this date, linking it to beliefs about
crop circles,
alien abduction,
and personal revelations based on the use of
entheogens and
mediumship in
his 2006 book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl. Pinchbeck
argues for a shift in consciousness rather than an apocalypse,
suggesting that
materialistic
attitudes, rather than the material world, are in jeopardy.
Semir Osmanagić,
the archaeologist responsible for promoting the
Bosnian pyramids,
referred to 2012 in the conclusion of his book
The World of the Maya. He suggests that "Advancement of DNA may
raise us to a higher level" and concludes, "When the 'heavens open'
and cosmic energy is allowed to flow throughout our tiny Planet,
will we be raised to a higher level by the vibrations".
We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendar and
prophecies. All the prophecies of the world are converging now. The
spiritual idea of this era is change.
The date specified in the Mayan calendar Winter Solstice in the year
2012 may not mark the end of the world.
“Humanity will continue,” “but in a different
way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the
opportunity to be more human.” *Stephen
Hawking
The "time of profound change," is a new paradigm
that integrates the archaic wisdom of ancient civilizations and
tribal cultures with the scientific method. As conscious agents of
evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological
principles to make a world that works for all.
Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 will
herald the birth of a regenerative planetary culture, where
collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and
spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile
materialism that has pushed our world to the brink. A new start; a
new age will be ushered in.
There could be some truth to facts that we have collected, but
it's just not enough information to support a conclusion, only a leap of
faith. There are still speculations and interpretations that may not be
accurate. Either the ancient civilizations had a remarkable insight into the
world of the future or they will be considered an incredulous source of
information for forecasts of events to come.
If it is a time of profound change, I think we could all live
with that. We most certainly need some changes. It could turn out that it
will be just another day.But, if the information turns out to be accurate we could be in
for one hell of a ride! Be prepared not only for this event on
December 21, 2012, but for any catastrophic event that might happen
in our future.
.jpg)
.gif)