2012: So ends the Mayan Calendar, as does the world?

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The Official Countdown

Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse?
Posted 3/27/2007 9:33 PM

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Special to USA TODAY
With humanity coming up fast on 2012, publishers are helping readers gear up and count down to this mysterious — some even call it apocalyptic — date that ancient Mayan societies were anticipating thousands of years ago.

Since November, at least three new books on 2012 have arrived in mainstream bookstores. A fourth is due this fall. Each arrives in the wake of the 2006 success of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, which has been selling thousands of copies a month since its release in May and counts more than 40,000 in print. The books also build on popular interest in the Maya, fueled in part by Mel Gibson's December 2006 film about Mayan civilization, Apocalpyto.

Authors disagree about what humankind should expect on Dec. 21, 2012, when the Maya's "Long Count" calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era.

Journalist Lawrence Joseph forecasts widespread catastrophe in Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End. Spiritual healer Andrew Smith predicts a restoration of a "true balance between Divine Feminine and Masculine" in The Revolution of 2012: Vol. 1, The Preparation. In 2012, Daniel Pinchbeck anticipates a "change in the nature of consciousness," assisted by indigenous insights and psychedelic drug use.

The buildup to 2012 echoes excitement and fear expressed on the eve of the new millennium, popularly known as Y2K, though on a smaller scale, says Lynn Garrett, senior religion editor at Publishers Weekly. She says publishers seem to be courting readers who believe humanity is creating its own ecological disasters and desperately needs ancient indigenous wisdom.

"The convergence I see here is the apocalyptic expectations, if you will, along with the fact that the environment is in the front of many people's minds these days," Garrett says. "Part of the appeal of these earth religions is that notion that we need to reconnect with the Earth in order to save ourselves."

But scholars are bristling at attempts to link the ancient Maya with trends in contemporary spirituality. Maya civilization, known for advanced writing, mathematics and astronomy, flourished for centuries in Mesoamerica, especially between A.D. 300 and 900. Its Long Count calendar, which was discontinued under Spanish colonization, tracks more than 5,000 years, then resets at year zero.

"For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, Fla. To render Dec. 21, 2012, as a doomsday or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."

Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the stars. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time," Joseph writes.

But scholars doubt the ancient Maya extrapolated great meaning from anticipating the alignment — if they were even aware of what the configuration would be.

Astronomers generally agree that "it would be impossible the Maya themselves would have known that," says Susan Milbrath, a Maya archaeoastronomer and a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. What's more, she says, "we have no record or knowledge that they would think the world would come to an end at that point."

University of Florida anthropologist Susan Gillespie says the 2012 phenomenon comes "from media and from other people making use of the Maya past to fulfill agendas that are really their own."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar

Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the stars. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time," Joseph writes (G. Jeffrey MacDonald. Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse? USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science...aya-2012_n.htm viewed 01/14/08).

One writer (probably Robert Bast who has his own "wiki") has stated this about the Mayans and the calendar:

Like the Aztec and Inca who came to power later, the Maya believed in a cyclical nature of time. The rituals and ceremonies were very closely associated with celestial/terrestrial cycles which they observed and inscribed as separate calendars. The Maya priest had the job of interpreting these cycles and giving a prophetic outlook on the future or past based on the number relations of all their calendars. They also had to determine if the "heavens" or celestial matters were appropriate for performing certain religious ceremonies (Mayan Civilization. http://2012wiki.com/index.php?title=Maya_civilization viewed 01/14/08).

On The History Channel, Steve Alten, author of Domain, stated:

The four prior cycles all ended in destruction. So when we talk about the Mayan doomsday prophecy, we're talking about the end of the fifth cycle, the very last day, which equates to December 21, 2012 (Mayan Doomsday Prophecy, Decoding the Past. Original air date 08/03/06).

The History Channel narration after the preceding comment immediately was:

This means the fifth and current cycles, like its predecessors, will also end in destruction (Mayan Doomsday Prophecy, Decoding the Past. Original air date 08/03/06).

The real name of the Calendar Stone was Cuauhtlixicalli (or literally, the "House of the Eagle," or "Eagle Bowl," or, closest to the real meaning of its name, "The Vessel of Time"). It was not a calendar in a restricted, modern sense, but a complex, sophisticated almanac for divination...the Aztecs believed that the world had been destroyed four times before... According to Aztec astronomer priests, our Fifth Sun, which began 5,106 years ago, is supposed to come to an end between December 21st and Christmas eve, 2012. (Joseph F, Stichin Z, eds. Discovering the mysteries of ancient America: lost history and legends, unearthed and explored. PublisherCareer Press, 2006 pp. 78, 79, 82)

There is zero scientific evidence that anything will happen, but there are numerous things that could easily threaten the human species in the year 2012, such as a geomagnetic reversal, asteroid strike or supernova. Or something more intimate, like a flu pandemic, or a nuclear war.

http://survive2012.com/index.php/2012possibilities.html


2012 Possibilities


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http://survive2012.com/imagesb/spacer.gif 2012 Possibilities

As 2012 approaches we have a growing list of what "experts" feel might occur. Despite the sincerity and long-winded explanations, it's all just guesswork. There is no scientific evidence that anything untoward will happen in 2012. All we have to suggest that 2012 will be any different to 2011 or 2013 is that the Mayan Long Count calendar ends on Dec 21, 2012. The Mayans themselves had almost nothing to say about what the end of the calendar held for humankind, and this suggests that they merely inherited the calendar from an earlier culture. In deciding which of the many possible calamities are more likely to wipe us out in 2012, the possibility of an ancient culture predicting such for 2012 must be taken into consideration.
Here's my list of possibilities, ranked on 3 criteria; the relative odds of happening this century, of happening in 2012, and of the ancients being able to predict such a thing. Regarding aliens and a religious apocalypse, while I don't believe in these things personally, they are on the list due to the billions of folk that do believe in them


1. Asteroid/Meteor/Comet - ancient, advanced civilisations have one distinct advantage over us - they may have observed the skies for longer, and may have spotted an orbit that will culminate in a collision with Earth in 2012. This is easily the most predictable disaster for 2012. With recent discussion of "dark comets", we have become aware of the possibility of our planet being struck with little or no warning.

Possibility this century	9
Possibility in 2012	8
Could Ancients Predict It?	10
TOTAL	27

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2. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from our Sun - a CME was behind the solar storm of 1859. It occurred in September of that year, causing the failure of telegraph systems across North America and Europe. Accompanying the storm were auroras that are normally only seen in the Arctic and Antarctic, but were visible as far south as the Caribbean. Typically we would expect a storm of 1859's magnitude cause power blackouts and wreck satellites. But do we really know how big they can get? In 2009 NASA told us to be wary of solar storms, and warned of the dangers to America's ancient overloaded power grid. Being without power for a few months, in the developed world, is a lot more serious than most people realise.

Possibility this century	10
Possibility in 2012	8
Could Ancients Predict It?	6
TOTAL	24

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3. Magnetic Pole Shift - pole reversals have been happening on average once every 400,000 years, with the most recent one being 730,000 years ago - so we are well overdue. Not only do we not know much about reversals, scientists are still unsure about how our magnetic field is generated. Long thought to be a by-product of the movements of liquid iron in our planet's core, recent studies are suggesting that our salty oceans might be the cause. Scientists suggest a geomagnetic reversal takes thousands of years and does no harm. They are wrong - it could just as easily happen overnight. No mechanism is known for the cause of the magnetic poles swapping places. Our magnetic field is known to be rapidly declining (10% in the last 150 years), and the magnetic North pole is moving around at an accelerating pace - it has been predicted it will move from Canada to Siberia in the next 50 years. These changes could be indicating an imminent reversal.

Possibility this century	8
Possibility in 2012	7
Could Ancients Predict It?	7
TOTAL	22

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4. Explosion from the black hole at the center of our galaxy - in 1983 Dr Paul LaViolette described the dangers of a Galactic core explosion. He explained that it would generate a cosmic ray superwave, and it would be signalled by a gamma ray burst (see below). He also warned us that a gravity wave might travel ahead of the superwave. If seems likely that the 2004 tsunami was caused by a gravity wave, because the accompanying GRB arrived just 21 hours later, and was the brightest ever observed, 100 times brighter than any other seen in recorded history. This gravity wave did not come from our galactic center, but if it had, perhaps the effects would have been much worse.

Possibility this century	8
Possibility in 2012	7
Could Ancients Predict It?	6
TOTAL	21

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5. Religious Apocalypse - or rapture, or "judgement day". Most religions predict such a day. Conspiracy theorists suggest that many world leaders have apocalyptic beliefs, and may even be attempting to cause Biblical prophecy to be fulfilled in 2012 via their actions. If it helps, the Bible says “But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.” But then again, maybe God changed his mind since the Bible was written, and told some people the date of the apocalypse? Maybe he told the ancient Mayans? Possibilities could be argued ad infinitum

Possibility this century	6
Possibility in 2012	6
Could Ancients Predict It?	8
TOTAL	20

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6. Alien Invasion - no evidence, but plenty of believers! Tied in with this are recent crop circles that have 2012 and Mayan themes. If aliens are the creators of crop circles, then one would expect the circles to be a warning of sorts.

Possibility this century	7
Possibility in 2012	6
Could Ancients Predict It?	7
TOTAL	20

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7. Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) - a 2004 study told us that a GRB from a distance of just one kiloparsec could destroy half of Earth's ozone layer. It suggests that historical mass extinctions may have been caused by GRBs. NASA explains how "gamma-ray radiation from a relatively nearby star explosion, hitting the Earth for only ten seconds, could deplete up to half of the atmosphere's protective ozone layer. Recovery could take at least five years. With the ozone layer damaged, ultraviolet radiation from the Sun could kill much of the life on land and near the surface of oceans and lakes, and disrupt the food chain."

Possibility this century	7
Possibility in 2012	7
Could Ancients Predict It?	5
TOTAL	19

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8. Crustal Displacement - a physical pole shift. The mechanism is not understood, and most theories are just wild guesses. However it seems quite likely we had one 12,000 years ago, and what goes around, comes around. Charles Hapgood provided substantial evidence for a pole shift at that time, and Allan and Delair have added to it in their book Cataclysm!: Compelling Evidence of a Cosmic Catastrophe in 9500 B.C. Take into account that Albert Einstein endorsed Hapgood's ideas, and we have something to worry about.

Possibility this century	6
Possibility in 2012	6
Could Ancients Predict It?	6
TOTAL	18

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9. Cosmic Rays - scientists have yet to work out where most high-energy cosmic rays come from. Either an increase striking our atmosphere, or a weakening of our shields, will let in more cosmic rays. They are already zipping through your body every second, and they could end up being our silent killers. As one example of their danger, airlines do not let pregnant women work on their inter-continental routes, because of the increased exposure to cosmic rays at those heights.

Possibility this century	8
Possibility in 2012	6
Could Ancients Predict It?	3
TOTAL	17

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10. Flu Pandemic - it might not be swine flu, but flu researchers say a deadly pandemic is not a case of if, but when. Our generation is generally unaware of how bad the pandemic of 1918 was - it killed 50 million people. It was the number one cause of death amongst soldiers in WW1. Being killed by the enemy came second.

Possibility this century	10
Possibility in 2012	6
Could Ancients Predict It?	1
TOTAL	17

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11. Nuclear War / WW3 / Biological War - although the Cold War is over, and less bunkers are being built, the threat is still very real. Tensions between the Koreas, and India & Pakistan are worrisome, as are the huge bunkers that the Russians have built. The Yamantau complex is large enough to protect 60,000 people!

Possibility this century	10
Possibility in 2012	5
Could Ancients Predict It?	2
TOTAL	17

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12. Supervolcano - these are real, they have caused great catastrophes in the past, and we have no idea when the next eruption will be. Some believe Yellowstone could explode again soon, as it has been exhibiting signs of unrest, with earthquake swarms, ground deformation and considerable heat and gas emissions. It it did erupt, expect half of the USA to be wiped out, and major variations in global climate for many years. For more information, watch documentaries by the BBC and Discovery Channel.

Possibility this century	7
Possibility in 2012	4
Could Ancients Predict It?	5
TOTAL	16

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13. Rise of the Machines - somewhere between Terminator and I Robot is an easy prediction: robots one day will have the capacity to rule the world. Are we stupid enough to allow it to happen?

Possibility this century	10
Possibility in 2012	2
Could Ancients Predict It?	2
TOTAL	14

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14. Global Warming - it will only take an increase of a couple of degrees to make life very difficult for most humans. Luckily for us, it is unlikely to wipe us out as early as 2012.

Possibility this century	9
Possibility in 2012	3
Could Ancients Predict It?	2
TOTAL	14

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15. Time Travel Error - someone from the future ventures into our past and causes a conflict in the time-space continuum... if it causes us harm in 2012, maybe someone managed to zip back in time and warn the ancients of it?

Possibility this century	6
Possibility in 2012	3
Could Ancients Predict It?	4
TOTAL	13

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16. Nanotechnology - while this might have health concerns when used in everyday products (ie sunscreen), the doomsday risk is when self-replicating little thingies are developed. Search for "grey goo". Fortunately 2012 seems too soon for some mad scientist to let the goo loose.

Possibility this century	9
Possibility in 2012	2
Could Ancients Predict It?	1
TOTAL	12

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17. Nearby Supernova - experts say that no supernova candidates are close enough to harm us. But how many supernovas have they observed? This is where, after the fact, scientists proclaim "but of course!"

Possibility this century	5
Possibility in 2012	4
Could Ancients Predict It?	3
TOTAL	12

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18. Genetic Modification - we blindly take vaccinations, and we might be sheep when it comes to "gene therapy" as well. Our desire to live longer might just be our undoing.

Possibility this century	8
Possibility in 2012	3
Could Ancients Predict It?	1
TOTAL	12

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19. Nuclear Accident - nothing is foolproof. We've had such accidents in the past, and a bigger accident is totally possible. Hard for the ancients to predict, though.

Possibility this century	8
Possibility in 2012	2
Could Ancients Predict It?	1
TOTAL	11

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20. Ice Age - right now the buzz is about "global warming", yet a mere thirty years ago we were worried about an impending Ice Age. There is evidence that parts of our climate system work more like a switch than a dial, and if a certain level of temperature is reached, it may cause what is known as "abrupt climate change". See the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" for how it might work.

Possibility this century	6
Possibility in 2012	1
Could Ancients Predict It?	2
TOTAL	9

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21. Solar System Falls Apart (butterfly effect) - to the best of our knowledge, everything is OK for a long, long time. However simulations have shown how Mercury could cause Earth and Mars to collide a few billion years from now. But throw a stray comet or Planet X into the mix, and our solar system could turn into a catastrophic pinball machine any old time.

Possibility this century	0
Possibility in 2012	0
Could Ancients Predict It?	4
TOTAL	4

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22. Large Hadron Collider - scientists tinkering with something they think they understand the risks of, but what if there's a 0.000001% chance their black hole calculations are wrong? Is it worth the risk? Originally we were told by CERN scientists that it was impossible for a black hole (that might gobble up the entire planet) to be created by the LHC, because it "would decay before it had the chance to do any damage". This has recently been updated to "the growth of black holes to catastrophic size does not seem possible.”

Possibility this century	1
Possibility in 2012	1
Could Ancients Predict It?	0
TOTAL	2

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Notes:

• The odds are relative. It is the author's opinion that the odds of any of the above occuring in 2012 is about 10%, and that's just a big guess / gut feeling.
• The odds are not of such a phenomenon being real, but the odds of them happening if they are real. The author does not have any evidence that aliens exist, but if they were to exist, figures an invasion in 2012 is reasonably high.

Don't forget...

http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/

looks awesome btw

The movie?

Yeah, the movie. You're discussing book releases, it seems appropriate that a movie release would fit in this thread.

Ok, so, like, you know... Fox News (god that place again) has a Scientist on, who is a Mayan expert.

He said that this idea of the destruction of the world is a "WESTERN IDEA". Funny, it seems that most people think that "western thinking is wrong" on most everything else.

Basically, the ONLY thing that MIGHT happen, we might have increased solar flares... we might have a bit extra radiation from the sun.

The SUN will line up with the galactic center.

But... like the "alignments of the planets" a few years back, nothing bad will come of the whole thing.

Yes. I just saw a clip of the movie. lol

My take?

Total Bullshit.

On my Bullshit Meter, this is a pegging....

Just like the Y2K nonsense in my opinion. But just to hedge my bet I plan on being extra nice to Ms. Luke on December 20th, 2012, as that probably is my most likely course of demise.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Luke

Just like the Y2K nonsense in my opinion. But just to hedge my bet I plan on being extra nice to Ms. Luke on December 20th, 2012, as that probably is my most likely course of demise.:D

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I won't say Y2K was total nonsense. Remember I work in the IT/Security field, and during that time we were scrambling to make sure military and government systems were going to work. Entire OS's were changed out, computer systems were changed, and a lot of circuit cards were removed and replaced with new core roms.

Lots of things happened to make sure something BAD didn't happen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick Donaldson

I won't say Y2K was total nonsense. Remember I work in the IT/Security field, and during that time we were scrambling to make sure military and government systems were going to work. Entire OS's were changed out, computer systems were changed, and a lot of circuit cards were removed and replaced with new core roms.

Lots of things happened to make sure something BAD didn't happen.

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I'll second that. I also worked in IT and we had to remediate many systems. It was serious business.

Without calendars, this wouldn't be a problem.

In fact, just because one day is different from another doesn't mean the day is going to be "different" from any other.

I'll be laughing, once again, at the idiots who believe that some disaster is going to occur on 21 Dec 2012

There are plenty of famous dates.

Remember California was supposed to fall off the map in 1984 I think. Or Hally's comet or whatever. It's always some time in the future and nothing ever comes of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Malsua

There are plenty of famous dates.

Remember California was supposed to fall off the map in 1984 I think. Or Hally's comet or whatever. It's always some time in the future and nothing ever comes of it.

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Right... there's an issue. It's "Always some time into the future"... like Y2K was at least 6-7 years before the year 2000 when the hype started (and didn't STOP).

2012... good God, I've been hearing this for probably 20 years now.

EVERY time there is a rollover, going from a 99 year to a 00 year, there's major hype about that as well.

Since we created a numbered calendar system - we have created kooks that decide something bad is going to have based on a date.

On the other hand, there are famous dates that people PLAN things to occur. 19 April is one of those.