It seems like every year there is a different prediction for Armageddon - from those who drank the Kool-aid, to those who study the stars. The world was supposed to end on December 31, 1999. Oddly, its still kicking almost a decade later. So with this in mind, what exactly is so special about the next year on our Doomsday watch - 2012?
Those crazy Mayans
We like to think of ourselves as the pinnacle of human existence and ingenuity, you know because of how far we've come, but don't discredit our "primitive" predecessors - they could add without calculators! The ancient Mayans enjoyed 2,000 years in parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras before Spanish conquest in the 16th Century. They built pyramids, did complicated mathematics and were masters of astronomy - and they didn't even have to cheat with a telescope like Galileo!
So where does the 2012 prophecy come from? Well, the Mayans did not have a linear set of time the way we do. They believed that time was cyclical. They had two major calendars that worked in conjunction with one another - the Tzolk'in and the Haab'. The Tzolk'in calendar was 260 days in length and used to determine religious dates and ceremonies. The Haab' calendar was used to keep track of the seasons. Neither of these calendars had set dates or years attached to them so in order to figure out specific times past or future, they had another system called Long Count which is where the whole 2012 controversy comes in.
Party like its December 21, 2012!
Scholars maintain that the beginning of the Long Count calendar (on our calendar terms) was August 11, 3114 BCE. An entire cycle is said to take 5,126 years to complete - which would be an end date of December 21, 2012. Many believe that since the Mayan calendar ends there, that this date is the date of the end of the world. But little known fact - the Maya did have dates further in the future! Additionally, the Maya perceived a passing of an entire cycle as a great accomplishment and time of rejoicing - there is no recorded prophesy saying definitively that they believed the world was going to end.
Galactic Equinox
Another source of controversy in the 2012 debate is the fact that December 21, 2012 is, in astronomical terms, a very significant date in that it will be the first time in roughly 26,000 years that the Sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Obviously... this means the world will end. Oh, please!
Instead of doomsday, think about a shift in consciousness. Many New Age writers and others have begun embracing the idea of 2012 as a chance for rebirth as humans reconnect with the Earth (in much the same manner as the ancient Earth religions did). You can already see this sort of change occurring - from the Green movement to an increasing global consciousness!
So with that in mind, the next time
The National Enquirer says you only have six months left to live, follow up with your doctor. Besides, if it's any consolation, Nostradamus didn't think the world would end until 3797. Fact.
To read what our psychic Red thinks about 2012, check out Will the World Really End in 2012? and The Galactic Equinox.
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