Apocalypse 2012

More than 1 million Web pages cite a panoply of "evidence" that the apocalypse is coming in 2012.

The basis for this growing phenomenon originates from the ancient Mayan calendar that ends in December of that year, the last cycle that they calculated with their sophisticated astronomical mathematics.

Some Mayan scholars contend that the Mayan calendar ends on the solstice that occurs on Dec. 21, 2012, at 11:11 a.m., which will supposedly coincide with an alignment of the sun with the center of the Milky Way galaxy, causing any number of imagined effects that defy reason.

Speculative doomsayers incorporate the prophecies of Nostradamus, the Revelations of John, and anything else that might vaguely support the notion.

The apocalypse of 2012 is also linked to a mythical planet called Nibiru, which is said to have an odd orbit. It supposedly enters the solar system only every 3,600 years and will interact with Earth to add to the other astronomical effects, which include bombardment by meteors.

There is no astronomical evidence for the existence of such a planet, although believers insist that the government and the scientific community are aware of it and are hiding it from the public.

David Morrison of NASA's Web site concluded that anger concerning alleged conspiracies about Nibiru came "from people who seem to want the world to end in 2012, who are upset to be told that this catastrophe will not happen."

The human psyche is a unique feature in that it allows us to conceptualize the future and cogitate the certainty of our own demise.

There is no guarantee that the world will not end tomorrow, the day after, or in 2012, and there is nothing we could do to prevent it or prepare for it anyway.

The future is a Rorschach and we project our hopes and our fears onto it.

Ignorance of how science works and distrust of authority fuel these apocalyptic visions with a collective consciousness of fear.

I would rather not know when the end will come and just continue unabated enjoying the Earth as if it and civilization will outlive me.

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[10/15/09] 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.

[via berknovice4now@chucks_angels]

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[8/6/12] Despite the cries of doomsayers, the Mayans themselves don't expect that the world will end. In fact, they believe it's a time of great celebration and luck when the planet lasts through a full Great Cycle. Think of it this way: To the Mayans, a Great Cycle is just a really long year. For them, worrying about Dec, 21, 2012, would be like us worrying every Dec. 31.

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