Everyone who is at least 10 years old has experienced a catastrophic event and the older one is the more events one has experienced. The baby boomers are the most celebrated and abundant generation with 78.2 million people living in 2005 that were born from 1946 to 1964 (UDHHS). They have experienced incredible travesties such as; the invention and use of the Hydrogen and Atomic bombs, Desert Storm, Vietnam War, Korean War, Cold War, Polio epidemic, Legionnaires disease, SARS, Anthrax and the terrorists attacks on 9/11 with many, many more. Respectively, the parents and grandparents of this generation endured many of these events including, WWI, WWII and the Great Depression. People have lived for thousands of years across the globe with generations whose lists of significant events are possibly longer and even more catastrophic in scope but a cataclysmic event is not a new notion for most; sadly, it is a reality and experienced by all of those old enough to acknowledge the magnitude of such an event. This is not a paper about the baby boomers, however, a civilization known as the Mayans and their calendar of past events, as well as future. Despite ample cynicism, research suggests the Mayan calendar will accurately predict the coming of a major event by the authoritative means of history, astronomy, and concurring prophecies the world over. First, allow for an explanation of where the Mayans historically have come from to make such claims of the future.
To understand our future we must first understand our past is a common saying among the intellectuals and the sage thinkers of the world. However, the wisdom in this saying is often overlooked for its simplicity, although it can be applied to all aspects of life. To illustrate this notion, one may open a book to an unintentional page and begin to read the remainder of the book; yet, the full understanding of the climax or the resolution will not be grasped by the reader with out using the foundation created by the introduction, as intended by the author. It is given that the book may be read and broadly understood, however, the author’s purpose in writing the book is to be read in its entirety. In this context, the history of the Mayans is going to be examined and explored to further understand their presumptuous claims of the future dates in December 2012.
These ancient peoples believed in gods that resided in the stars above (Rwahn, 2002) . The god Huehueteotl was believed to have given life its beginning and formed the first people on earth, who are said to be part god respectively (Rwahn, 2002) . In addition, other gods came down to the Earth to give science and wisdom to the people which notably included a science for the “Kings of the Earth” to join the gods. (Lipe, 2009) The “Holy city” of Teotihuacan Teotihuacan
The Mayans were informed, under the premises of sciences and wisdom, that there was a means to transcending humanity to reside in the stars to be a god amongst gods. They became an impressive ancient people, advanced in science, mathematics, and astronomy a like, using each area of study to further comprehend the past and predict the future. This can be exemplified by their accurate calculation of the solar year of 365.2420 days (Rhawn, 2002) (today’s “scientific” calculation is 365.2422[NASA]). This is also represented in their architecture at the Temple of Kuklukan
The Temple of Kuklukan
According to the Mayan Calendar 2012 online organization, the Mayans did not have one calendar but are known to have had used five calendars to follow cosmic occurrences, two of which reference December 21, 2012 with great significance. The two calendars, the Calendar Round, made up of both the Tzolkin and Haab, and the Long Count, both are constructed much the same but vary in duration of time. The Tzolkin is a 260-day count calendar. It is formed with two linking circular markers of time looking similar to two intersecting cogs, yet may be more easily interpreted in their function much the same way as the odometer in a car. However, rather than operating in increments of 10, such as the metric system, the Mayans used increments of 20 (some say in relation to the 20 appendages of the human body). With this being said the Mayans actually start with the number 13, as this may represent seven days and six moons. The first marker of time or number to tick on the odometer is one of the 13 “kin” or suns (days) rotating with a coinciding 20 “tun” or moons (months) thus compiling 260 unique days. The 260-day cycle is commonly associated with the human gestation system. The Tzolkin with its very natural and human approach to calendaring proved to be a well-designed tool in tracking time. Along with the Tzolkin, which only tracked 260 days before repeating, another cog was added to the clock of time, the Haab. The Haab is a 365 vague solar year. It has 18 months “moons” of 20 days each and a period of five additional days totaling 365 days. Combining the Tzolkin with the solar year of the Haab to now complete a 52 year Calendar Round or a lifetime as was the assumed average age of the time (Lipe, 2009). The Mayans then had means to tracking cycles of ones life, but what about many lives and cycles?
To answer this, it is believed they adopted a calendar from the ancient people know as the Olmec (Rwahn, 2002). This calendar then became known as the Long Count Calendar; it too places great emphasis on the coming year, as did the Olmec people. The Long Count was now able to track incredible cycles. Such as the coming of the “morning and evening star” which is the transit of Venus and its unusual processional cycle (Turner, 2009). In addition to the flattening of the Milky Way Galaxy against the horizon, which itself moves at a rate of one degree every 72 years is a phenomenal observation by people with incredible patience and diligence (Turner, 2009). With the tools to track universal observations the Mayans are said to believe the world has been destroyed four times before and the last of which occurred (with some debate) on August 11-13 3114 BCE (Turner, 2009). This then becomes a significant time only when the measurements of time are more fully understood. As previously stated the 13 “kin” or days is the smallest cycle of measurement followed by 20 “tun” or moons, together making 260 days. With 20 cycles of “tun”, a “katun” is then completed, resulting in 7200 days. Again, this cycle is repeated for 20 revolutions of a “katun” creating a “baktun”. Rather than the cycle continuing at this point in the series of 20 revolutions, 13 “baktun” equates to 5125 years, known amongst the Mayans as a “world”. In summation, August 11, 3114 BCE plus 13 “baktun” or 5125 years, ends its “world” cycle on December 21, 2012 (Turner, 2009) This gives much more meaning to the claim that the end of the world is coming.
With such a rich and ancient history, teeming with a cosmic blend of science and religion, the Mayans have eerie religious similarities to cultures through out the world, ancient and present. With a better understanding of the past of the Mayans, lending its credibility and authenticity, the future and 2012 may hold to be a significant time predicted by these ancient peoples. The Mayans created signs, symbols, edifices all of which have remained to now be studied. These claims of the future should not be regarded as myths but science and wisdom respectively. An ancient people, who expressed an advanced understanding of the cosmos, architecture, mathematics and science, the Mayans were educated peoples whom we should honorably if not, thankfully examine their history to understand our own, not too distant future.
In the year, 2012 there will be three universal events that the Mayans knew to come and anticipated them with great reverence. A total solar eclipse will appear in the sky on November 13, 2012, which is not an entirely uncommon sight to be seen as it’s seen on average seven times per decade (NASA). A more impressive and possibly more important to the Mayans is the transit of Venus on June 5 and 6th of 2012 (NASA, Turner, 2009). Venus crosses in front of the Sun in pairs 8 years apart but in intervals of 100 years, making the transit of Venus a twice in a lifetime event (NASA). The most awesome event to occur in 2012 with out a doubt will be the galactic alignment. This is the stroke of stars in space known as the Milky Way Galaxy leveling out to position itself in line with the horizon, an incredible spectacle only occurring once every 26,000 years (Turner, 2009)! This is a cosmic event, which is determined to take place on the winter solstice of December 2012 (Turner, 2009). The Mayans knew of each of these events, and calendared them far into the future. A common myth is the Mayans simply stopped making their calendar, however, with these three particular events occurring and the coming to an end of a “world” the Mayans discovered it with much research and credible evidence. To say these people “got lazy and quit” is an expression of the lazy and quitters themselves and disrespectful to the diligent souls who labored tirelessly to the end of the world to heed warning of a day to come.
Again, to understand the future coming universal stages being set, we look to past shows, in particular the transit of Venus. Venus has passed in front of the Sun six times according to the records of NASA since the invention of the telescope. What are interesting are the world events that occurred simultaneously. In 2004, the Sumatra Earthquake, which generated the largest tsunami, measured at its initial surge to be over 100+ feet, the largest recorded tsunami in history (Hart, 2000). The eruption of Krakatau in 1883 killed over 10,000 people (Hart, 2000). In 1518 the Aztecs faced their own demise as the priests, predicted the return of Quetzalcoatl, this god was said to be a bearded white man who brings civilization with him (Hart, 2000). By 1526, Cortez and 300 of his men had conquered the Aztec Empire who were unable to comprehend the actions of the “gods” (Hart, 2000). In sheer quantity and incredible swiftness, these catastrophes devastated the world’s population. The question arises, is this correlation or causation, mere coincidence or something more? The Mayans believed it to be true, true enough to implement it in every vein of their cultural body.
The Ancient Mayans were an amazingly thorough people; calendaring a world from beginning to end, studying things out of this world, and building monuments to commemorate their new found knowledge. There exists an island off the coast of Chile known as Isla Robinson Crusoe and to some, Apocalypse Island
“Ok, the ancient Mayans were a lot smarter than we thought, so what’s that mean to me? They had a lot of myths that are amusing and I watched the movie 2012 but really 2012 end of the world?” The research conducted has been verified in each field of the claims to be true of the coming events in 2012. Yet, the evidence of something monumental to come does not end with the Mayans findings alone, although the correlation is unprecedented. For thousands of years, people around the world have looked to the sky for guidance. Whether, to determine the planting and harvesting season, or just to see the weather to dress accordingly, we as people are affected by literal outside influences. Many believe the future is written in the stars, specifically concerning the zodiacs, or precession of constellations, a set of stars that revolve around the earth’s sky. 13 zodiacs have been arranged and revered with mythical magic and significance. Yes, 13, 12 are commonly known and even attribute to times or ages on earth (NASA). As mentioned by ZEITGEIST creator Peter Joseph points out the age of Taurus, the ram, as beings the era of Moses, a leader amongst thousands even today, seen with the many Jewish relations to the ram. Furthermore, Joseph states the following age, Pisces, the two fish, came into precession at the time of Jesus Christ. The symbol of who is often seen as a fish along with the common theme of fish and fishing through out the New Testament of the Bible. It is the current age we are entering that concerns us most however; this is as the band the Fifth Dimension puts it, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Aquarius is commonly referred to as the water giver. Now that the history is summed in brief, the future becomes more relevant and resounding.
The Ancient Mayans do claim 2012 to be the end of the “world” as in a measure of time but what does this mean? The Mayans have a glyph, a picture left to interpretation, depicting a dragon spewing not flames but water (Turner, 2009). As stated previously there are in fact 13 constellations, 12 have been in rotation and are most common, yet the 13th known as Ophiucus, has recently come into precession due to the wobble of the earth’s rotary motion (NASA). Ophiucus is strikingly interesting; it is illustrated as the snake handler, the serpent coming into rotation as the water giver comes of age, thus giving more curiosity to the validity of the claims of the Ancient Mayans.
The Mayans regard time as being cyclical contradictory to the Western view as being linear, an arrogant presumptuous claim of Westerners suggesting we have continually advanced since the day of the “cave men”. However, the Ancient Maya alone falsify these claims with their knowledge and sciences exemplified and mystifying scholars and researchers today. The Mayans concerned themselves with reoccurring events and noted them accordingly. The ancients believe, as evidence from the remains of glyphs, the earth has experienced four destructions: once from water, tigers, fire and a tempest. A fifth glyph is shown to be the cause of the next destruction set in 2012 is from movement (Turner, 2009). With much debate as to the meaning of this glyph, some speculate earthquakes, ironically the very morning I write this the worst recorded earthquake in history at 8.9 devastated Japan Chile
The Mayans are not alone in this prediction of the impending times. Research suggests that there may be an innate human knowledge of the events to come, an instinctive ability possessed by humans to predict future events. This source is particularly interesting as it is a new prophet however, not human but machine. Similar to the Da Vinci code, which applies mathematics to language in the Bible, halfpasthuman.com has what is known as web bots searching the internet for signs of the future. A seeming hoax and fraud to grasp the minds of the masses, interestingly it was designed not to control the masses’ minds but study them. Initially, the Web Bot Project, designed by Cliff High and George Ure for business use in an attempt to search for trends facilitated through the language of the internet in order to predict trends in the stock market. The Web Bot Project has claimed to have successfully predicted several events; the most notable being the terrorist attacks on 9/11. However, some say the prophecies themselves are too vague and are left up to interpretation, thus, questioning the validity of the Web Bots. As for 2012 the secret is not out entirely as there findings, admittedly may be skewed due to so much internet traffic on the subject, however findings do not seem to reveal optimistic findings. These perceptive internet gurus may have stumbled across the signs foreshadowing the same ending in the ancient Mayan story.
Other cultures and religions have told of a remarkably similar demise. The most famous is in the all-time best seller, the Bible. The Bible tells of three prophets and their visions of end times, the most controversial and complete is the book of Revelation, written by the Apostle John while exiled on the island of Patmos
The Bible gives further apocalyptic messages as read in the book of Luke who writes the words of Jesus Christ. In chapter 21 versus 10 states, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” Further, in verses 25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” Moreover, in versus 31 and 32 Jesus proclaims, “even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God kingdom of God
Another prophecy is a blend of both ancient texts and modern technology. Terrance McKenna has developed a software program known as Timewave Zero. With this program, McKenna believes to have successfully calendared the Chinese manuscript the I Ching. The Book of Changes, as it is interpreted in the English language, is commonly used as a divine oracle. When consulted, typically, the seeker will pose the question of uncertainty of the future or the changes to come followed by a facilitator who tosses three coins. If these coins land with more “heads” or “tails”, a “yang” (solid) line or a “yin” (broken) line is drawn, this continues for a total of 6 times. Once the one of 64 combinations is drawn with each line stacked one on top of the other, the facilitator then looks up the respective combination and reads the text, revealing the future to the seeker. It is these combinations, which repeat 64 times, that have been arranged that seem to coincide with the events of the last 4,000 years of recorded history, starting with the time of its creation during China New World
The end of the world is upon us all, some seek sanctuary is religious protectors, some are optimistic in the event of a great awakening which brings a higher level of consciousness making perhaps even time travel possible. It remains uncertain for the true significance of 2012, as it should. The author of our lives whether it is God, the universe, or ourselves, would never reveal the ending. However, the speculations and observations in so many different and independent, even contradictory in philosophy, sources point to 2012 to be a very interesting year. Many will search there souls, young and old, when they learn of 2012; some will call it a hoax like Y2K, others a prophetic destruction of the world, or the business savvy may call it the wake of a second great depression. The common thread that is woven through this fabric is one of uncertainty. The Ancient Mayans, popularized the year 2012 bringing the notion to national attention with the film 2012. The movie is not to be a prediction rather an artistic representation of the Ancient Mayans. At this current point in time, the end is uncertain and no hypothesis need be excused, as each is more plausible and controversial than the next. The known facts consist of events that are once in a blue moon, once in a lifetime, once in a generation, and once in 26,000 years.
We truly are apart of an incredible time, and maybe now is the time for us as humans who are consumed with celebrity stars; celebrities whom we honor for their acting abilities, to lift our heads out from this sea of life as we navigate our way through its quarrels and qualms and look to the stars to guide us. Give honor and respect to the celestial stars above that shine so brightly each night and the sun each day, to give us such wisdoms and wonders and continue to reveal their true nature each unique night. At the end of each night, during the coldest and darkest point of the night, the Sun will burst through and radiate its warmth and light over the entire world each and everyday. So as 2012 draws near, perhaps our cynicism should cease for a time whilst we contemplate this researchers suggestions as to the possibility of the predictions made by the Mayans. As well as considering the origins of the Mayans and respect their ancient history and cosmic prowess as well as the many prophecies around the world, then decide for yourself, fiction, fables and fairytales, or facts and the future foretold?
Despite the ample cynicism it seems, as research suggests, the Mayans had made a prediction of event(s) to come that were prominently displayed through out their history, astronomy and architecture remains. These along with the concurring prophecies from cultures around the world perhaps lend credibility to the ancients and their forecasting of the future dates of the year 2012.
