Will
the world end in 2012? No, it won't.
Will there
be a major cataclysm in 2012? Quite possibly.
Although
this book concentrates on a potential global catastrophe at a random date within
our immediate future, there are three powerful arguments for that date being Dec
21, 2012. I present them here, not as certainties, but as possibilities worth
considering.
2. The Mayan Calendar
The Maya
The
Maya civilisation inhabited a region encompassing southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize & western Honduras, and flourished between the third and tenth centuries AD, but by 1200 AD
their society had collapsed for reasons we can only guess at. When the Spanish
conquistadors arrived, descendants still occupied the area, and still spoke the
Mayan language, but were unaware of the cities their forefathers had created.
It
wasn't until the late 18th century that explorers first investigated
the dense Guatemalan rainforest and came across plazas, monoliths, temples and
pyramids, each decorated with pictures and hieroglyphs. The ancient Maya had been
keeping historical records - using a script which mixed ideographic and phonetic
elements. Some of their writing still exists on stelae (stone monuments) that
recount civil events and record their calendric and astronomical knowledge.
Spanish Conquest
Diego de Landa was a
Spanish priest who visited Mexico on a charitable mission, became the Franciscan
provincial of Yucatán in 1561 and is infamous for his destruction of priceless
Maya documents and artefacts.
Although Landa was
very interested in the Mayan culture, he abhorred certain aspects of their practices,
particularly human sacrifice. In July 1562, when evidence of human sacrifice was
found in a cave containing sacred Maya statues, a bout of religious self-righteousness
saw Landa order the destruction of five thousand idols. He decided that their
books were also the devil's work and saw to it that they were burned, with only
three books surviving. Consequently the majority of Mayan knowledge and history
was lost.
 This
is just a small portion of my online book, Survive 2012 - a look into possible
ways our world might end, and how to survive. Available in bookstores sometime
before 2012, fingers-crossed... |
Yet
despite his actions, we are also indebted to Landa for his acute and intelligent
opus on Mayan life and religion, Relación de las cosas de Yucatán (1566),
which remains the classical text on Mayan civilisation. This book, which was not
printed until 1864, provided a phonetic alphabet that made it possible to decipher
roughly one-third of the remaining Mayan hieroglyphs.
The
most important of the surviving books was what is now called the Dresden Codex,
named after the city where it was lodged. It is a strange book, inscribed with
hieroglyphs, which no one understood until 1880. At that time Ernst FØrstemann,
a German scholar who worked at the same Dresden library, managed to crack the
code of the Mayan calendar making it possible for other academics to translate
the many dated inscriptions found on buildings, stelae and other ancient Mayan
artefacts.
He discovered that the Codex contained
detailed astrological tables, which calculated the year to be 365.2420 days long,
more accurate than the Julian calendar that we use today. The tables were used
exclusively by the Mayan astronomers to predict the solstices and equinoxes, the
path of the planets in our solar system, the cycles of Venus and Mars, and other
celestial phenomena.
Other information we have today
has been gleaned from the Popol Vuh and Chilam Balam - books written just after
the Spanish arrived. The knowledge found in these books and codices, combined
with the uncovering of mysterious pyramids, demonstrate that the Maya had an intelligence
to rival the Greeks and Egyptians.
Mayan Calendar
The life of the Maya revolved around the concept
of time. Priests were consulted on civil, agricultural and religious matters,
and their advice would be derived from readings of the sacred calendars. Time
was of such importance that children were even named after the date on which they
were born.
Maya math uses only three symbols - a
shell-shaped glyph for zero, a dot for one and a bar for five to represent units
from zero to 19. For instance, the number 13 was represented as three dots and
two bars.
Zero was
an advanced concept in those days, something that the Romans were not aware of.
Yet the Maya were comfortable enough with it to use a shell as its symbol, a tangible
object representing an abstract concept. The Maya also used metrical calculation
and place numeration, which were very clever for a culture that didn't use the
wheel!
Although they had many calendars, they marked
the passage of time with three cycles that ran in parallel.
The
first is the scared calendar known as the Tzolkin. It combines the numbers from
1 through 13 with a sequence of 20 day-names. It works in a similar manner to
our named days of the week, and their date within each month. So you might have
5-Chikchan (like our Sunday the 5th) followed by 6-Kimi (as we would have Monday
the 6th). After 260 days the same number/name combination will re-occur, and the
calendar starts anew. Their use of the vigesimal (base 20) numbering system probably
relates to fingers and toes, whereas the 13 nicely fits the growth phase of the
moon which isn't visible when new and appears full for two days on end, thus appearing
to have a 13 day growth cycle. Alternatively, the length of the Tzolkin may be
related to the human gestation period of nine months (273 days). It has been suggested
that 260 days is the time between a woman suspecting her pregnancy (she doesn't
menstruate) and when she gives birth.
The second
is the agricultural calendar known as the Haab, or vague year. It consists of
18 months, each of 20 days. An addition of a five-day month (a period of apprehension
and bad luck named Uayeb) gives us 365 days, an approximation of a year. This
calendar's primary purpose was to keep track of the seasons, for seasonal and
solar events would occur on roughly the same day of each year. The Maya were aware
of the annual quarter day discrepancy, but it is not known if they ever did anything
about it.
These two independently running calendars
each begin again every 260 and 360+5 days. However, every 52 years they coincide:
"The Tzolkin and the Haab ran concurrently, like intermeshed
cog-wheels, and to return to any given date, 52 years, or 18,980 days, would have
to elapse (because both 365 x 52 and 260 x 73 = 18,980). In other words, the Tzolkin
would make 73 revolutions and the Haab 52, so that every 52 calendar years of
365 days one would return to the same date. A complete date in this 52-year cycle
might be, for example, 2 1k 0 Pop (2 1k being the position of the day in the Tzolkin,
0 Pop the position in the Haab). Fifty-two years would pass before another 2 1k
0 Pop date returned.
It was expected that the world
would end at the completion of a 52-year cycle. At this time, among the Mexica
in the Valley of Mexico, all fires were extinguished, pregnant women were locked
up lest they be turned into wild animals, children were pinched to keep them awake
so that they would not turn into mice, and all pottery was broken in preparation
for the end of the world. In the event the gods decided to grant man another 52
years of life on earth, however, a night time ceremony was held in which the populace
followed the priests through the darkness over a causeway to the top of an old
extinct volcano that rises abruptly from the floor of the basin of Mexico, known
today as the Hill of the Star, the hill above Ixtapalapa. There, with all eyes
on the stars, they awaited the passage of the Pleiades across the center of the
heavens, which would announce the continuation of the world for another 52 years.
When the precise moment came, a victim was quickly sacrificed by making a single
gash in his chest and extracting the still palpitating heart. In the gory cavity
the priests, with a fire drill, kindled a new flame that was quickly carried by
torches across the lake to the temple in Tenochititlan, and from there to all
temples and villages around the lake. This was known as the New Fire Ceremony
among the Mexica, and in some way this same completion and renewal of each 52-year
cycle was recognized by all Mesoamericans."[i]
This
is not unlike how the end of the last millennium may have felt for many Christians
or doomsday cult followers.
Our modern Western calendar
was first introduced in Europe in 1582. It was based upon the Gregorian calendar,
which calculated the Earth's orbit to take 365.25 days. This was 0.0003 of a
day per year too much, but still exceptionally accurate for scientists living
over 400 years ago.
The Mayan calendars were derived
from those of their predecessors, the Olmec, whose culture dates back at least
3,000 years. Without the instruments of 16th century Europe, these
Central American locals managed to calculate a solar year of 365.2420 days, just
0.0002 of a day short. More accurate than the Europeans, and much earlier.
The
Long Count
A Mayan date utilises three calendars. The third
calendar, known as the "long count", is a continuous record of days
that starts over every 5000 years or so. The current Long Count began in 3114
BC. And it will end very soon.
A typical Mayan date
looks like this:
12.18.16.2.6,
3 Cimi 4 Zotz
4 Zotz is
the Haab date.
3 Cimi is the Tzolkin date.
12.18.16.2.6
is the Long Count date.
The basic unit is the kin
(day), which is the last component of the Long Count. Going from right to left
the remaining components are:
- unial........1
unial = 20 kin = 20 days
- tun..........1 tun = 18
unial = 360 days = approx. 1 year
- katun.......1
katun = 20 tun = 7,200 days = approx. 20 years
- baktun.....1
baktun = 20 katun = 144,000 days = approx. 394 years
The kin, tun, and katun are numbered from 0 to 19.
The unial are numbered from 0 to 17.
The baktun are numbered from 1 to 13.
The
Long Count is a great cycle of 13 baktuns (roughly 5,126 years), where the use
of 13 may again represent the growth of the moon from new to full. The current
cycle began on 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 8 Cumku which correlates to Aug. 13, 3114 BC.
In
Mayan mythology each Long Count cycle is a world age in which the gods attempt
to create pious and subservient creatures.
The First
Age began with the creation of the Earth, and it had upon it vegetation and living
beings. Unfortunately, because they lacked speech, the birds and animals were
unable to pay homage to the gods and were destroyed. In the Second and Third Ages
the gods created humans of mud and then wood, but these also failed to please
and were wiped out. We are currently in the Fourth and Final Age, the age of the
modern, fully functional human. Is it possible that these Ages referred to evolutionary
change? If they did, then what might occur when the current age finishes on December
21, 2012?
Discuss Survive
2012 at our forumGive the author your thoughts, and discuss any 2012
ideas with others, at 2012 Forum |
Comments from Visitors
Yei Ozomahtli:
You should ayt least aknowledge that the Maya didn't invent the so called Tzolkin or the Long Count, it was the Olmeca people and your eurocentric prophesies has nothing to do with the ancient people of Mesoamerica, you are misguided implying such nonsense since you don't even know what you are talknig about. Leave the knowledge of the ancient Olmec out of your fibulations people, until you know what it is about. [Yei - my premise is simple... there have been global cataclysms before, and there will again. We don't know when, but it *might* be in 2012. Who gave the calendar to the Olmecs? - Rob Bast]
(09.02.2005, 17:34)
Angel Roig:
There are alot of speculation that the world will end in december 2012 ,but we will never know until we find out,scientist say that the gravitational pull will create disasters but we dont know where or how so we will see ,nature will take its course expect the unexpected.Mayans and nostradamus have it all set for us so we might take it in consideration or not and ignore it let see what happens you never know.
(21.02.2005, 21:53)
Mike:
Just because this is a new century does not mean the end has to be now. People in 1700 said 1800 would never come, people in 1800 said 1900 would be the end... and so on and so on. Maybe the Mayans stopped because they thought going as far as 2012 was far enough. I personally expect to live to see most of this century, seeing as in sixty years many people will be embarassed for even believing the Mayan Calendar theory... besides, there are historians and other websites which say the Mayans didn't do this to mark the end of the world. If people took this seriously, the world would have been buckling down and panicking from this information long ago.
(08.03.2005, 22:29)
Jack:
Yellowstone National Park in wyoming features a Supervolcano whose eruption is 40,000 years overdue. If it erupts, it will release energy equivolent to 5000 Hiroshima atom bombs per second, blowing out enough volcanic ash to block out the sun and to cause the first nuclear winter of human civilisation.
-
- And there have been some strange occurances at yellowstone lately...
(11.03.2005, 18:16)
Zane:
I think that somehow the ancient Mayan civilization may tie into the lost city of Atlantis. The early Greek philosopher Plato derived an ancient document from an unknown man in Egypt that had a map and information of an unknown island in the mid-atlantic. However, this evidence was destroyed due to the burning down of the library of Alexandria. Legend has it that the Atlantians developed technology so powerful (such as nuclear reactors) that they eventually destroyed themselves and the city of Atlantis sank into the depths of the ocean. However there were some survivors that escaped and made their way to North America, where they started to build advanced civilizations. This may explain why the Myans were able to calculate almost the exact time of a year, and many other things. Two years ago there was what looked to be an underwater road discovered in the Bermuda Triangle, which may have been one of the roads leading to Atlantis. Since then there have been dozens of other unexplainable phenomena in that area. Ofcourse, it IS the Bermuda Triangle. It sounds too far-fetched, but it is very interesting, and may tie into many other unexplainable phenomena around the world.
(20.03.2005, 17:43)
Will:
I am kind of confused about all of your comments. It really sounds like yall are very excited about the end of the world, its as if you cannot wait. I would think there would be more discussion here to disprove the theory. I think the prospect of the world ending is just plain exciting to most of you(nevermind the real consequences). I think you view this possible event as just something new, something interesting, and i'm not excluding myself, that is why i am here! but seriously, the world will not end in our lifetimes. like ellen said about the bill mahr comment, that would be supremely narcisistic. i think the theory likens to the golden age prospect and not the earths destruction. i know the destruction would be super cool, but cmon people grow up. the end of the mayan calendar symbolizes the ensument of a golden age and not the destruction of our way of life. is the golden age explanation that boring! [Will - dozens of other websites explain the "golden age". I don't want the world to end, I just want to prepare just in case - Rob Bast]
(05.04.2005, 22:09)
Malaclypse the Tertiary:
simple truth time:
-
- The survivors of Atlantis, equiped with flying ships and guns, came up from their underground labyrinth city and founded the Old Kingdom of Egypt approx. 3000 b.c. The Old Kingdom fell in 1500 b.c. and the royal families flew to China and founded the Shang Dynasty (1500 bc.) They were ousted violently around 800 b.c. and this time flew to central America to become the Olmecs. The families warred and battled for power. Eventually the reassembled as the Maya. Then around 600 a.d. a massive drought forced them to again move. This time they split into two groups. One went north to become the Tlinget Indians. The other went to Japan. 600 a.d. is the approximate time of the mythic arrival of Japan's first emperor.
- How do I know all of this? From art. Study the portraiture of the Japanese and compare it to Old Kingdom Egyptian faces. Compare the "tao-te" or "ogre-mask" of the Shang with the headresses of the Mayans. Compare! Compare! Compare! You'll see.
(07.04.2005, 16:08)
Brandi:
I want to comment on what Jack said, on the whole yellowstone thing...I heard about how they are expecting it to erupt at anytime...That volcano could have some what of a play, into the end of time...In my own opinion, I think it will have something to do with it...But time will tell...
-
- However, I'm not totally convinced that a calendar can predict a horrible catastrophe...It may very well happen...I'm not saying that the Mayan Calendar is rubbish...I just need more proof, and/or fact's that it could happen...
(08.04.2005, 13:38)
Virgo:
Catastrophies have been happening since the beginning of time on this planet, more so in the beginning when this Earth was young. It WAS a very violent place in the beginning. About 500,000 years ago 95% of life on earth was exterminated, mostly marine species. There is speculation that it was a meteorite or a gigantic volcanic eruption. These things will happen periodically, that is the only certaintity. I doubt that the Earth will end "all of a sudden". It will take decades if not hundreds of years before all life is killed. Most people think of Atlantis as being destroyed suddenly, whereas Edgar Cayce said it happened within hundreds of years, I believe about 300 years or so. I believe in cycles, and cycles reverse themselves. As in the beginning there was Earth and then animals and then humans, so I believe that humans will die first and then animals and then Earth will be left alone once again, this time to die slowly into a barren and lifeless body. I really think that is what happened to Mars and now Venus is at the stage of the young Earth, hot and liquid and gaseous. Some time in the future Venus will be the next Earth.
(08.04.2005, 16:29)
Virgo:
{{About 500,000 years ago 95% of life on earth was exterminated, mostly marine species.}}
-
- CORRECTION: Sorry, that was supposed to be the Permian extinction period, about 250 million years ago. According to an article in National Geographic, only 5% of the marine species survived and less than one third of the large land animal species survived, nearly all of the trees died. After this extinction came the age of the dinosaurs, probably evolved from the surviving synapsids of the Permian extinction at the end of the Paleozoic era. Sorry for the inaccurate info in my post, it pays to check your facts.
(08.04.2005, 18:08)
Anon:
I watched a program on the history channel about the Mayan Calendar and it stated, (if I am remembering correctly) that the Mayan Calendar ends on May 12, 2012 instead of December. Did anyone else happen to watch the program?
- [...edited by Rob]
(09.04.2005, 06:56)
shaka:
Something may go down 12/21/2012 at 11:11 p.m what will happen, we don't know. the event 2012 may result in a natural event. Or at that time, the planet Nibur will again neighbor with Earth's orbit which will lead to another visit from the "fallen angels." Only time will tell. It seems that everything in ancient history from the pyramids in Egypt, parts throughout Asia as well as central and south america all have a connection. why are there pyramids all over the world? why is gold the most sought material, who showed the Indians, the Native americans, the Asians, the original swastika(b-4 the Germans and Hitler ruined the image)? why in different ancient folklore tales about a great flood? this all seems to connect. when will we find out, is only a matter of time.
(22.04.2005, 20:45)
Lancep:
heres a thought. If the world ends in 2012, and the tribulation period in the bible is seven years, shouldn't the Antichrist rise to power this year??? And no i'm not a nut. I just felt like connecting these two nuggets of info.... Have a nice day! :)
(24.04.2005, 03:25)
Tim:
I have enjoyed reading the comments regarding the year 2012. With regards to the connection between worlds end in 2012 and the Antichrist appearing in 2005, I just want to say that I think your onto something. My studies have revealed that the 10 day tribulation may have began in 2001 which would be 2002 by Jewish reckoning at Rosh Hashanah. 2005 would place us 3 years in with regards to the comments in the bible that you shall have tribulation 10 days. Another 3/12 years into the 10 concept will be 2008 on Passover that will be the next sabbatical year. Elijah is expected to appear during a sabbatical Passover seder which would be mid-tribulation in regards to the rapture occurrence. Another 31/2 years would put us at the end of both the 10 year tribulation concept and the 7 years Rapture/Wedding concept and just in time for the festival to be fulfilled which is the Feast of Booths in the year 2012 for the millennial reign of Christ. It may just be a lot of coincidences but there sure could be something to think about too.
(24.04.2005, 11:30)
just_curious:
If you have already mentioned this elsewhere, I apologise.
- Will - Have you read David Icke's The biggest secret? If you have, did you formulate your theory before or after reading it? If you haven't, then we can almost be certain of something HUGE taking place on that faitfull year.
- b.t.w: Where is the exact spot you plan to go to in Western Africa once 2012 hits?
- Thanks for sharing your knowledge. One day many will look back on this site and remember it, whether something happened or otherwise
(08.05.2005, 12:21)
Josh:
I'd like to place a comment about this whole side conversation of yellowstone blowing it's top.. if i'm right yellowstone blew it's top 60,000 years ago didn't it? and it didn't destroy the world.. atleast not this world.. i live er.. 500 miles from yellowstone.. chances are that there will be a massive earthquake before there is a eruption. i am not sure what's going to happen.. if any 1 is please be sure to tell me ;)
(29.05.2005, 01:00)
JUAN JOSE GRISALES ZAPATA:
For Spanish conferences, will contact whith me in CARTAGO Colombia, JUAN JOSE GRISALES ZAPATA
- THIS THEME ITS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL PEOPLE. rest any years for have information, all people need actions for that days. juanjosgrisales@starmedia.com
(01.06.2005, 01:46)
Currymonstermark:
Fact; Earths magnetic field is lessening exponentially
- Fact; Weather patterns changing radically
- Fact: Fatal diseases (AIDs SARS etc) on increase
- Fact; Catastrophic astro-partical colision overdue
- Fact; Major supervolcanic eruption overdue
- Take out a loan amd go to Disneyworld folks.
(14.06.2005, 21:58)
sophie:
well is the world going to end sooner
(19.07.2005, 06:02)
Katie:
K for all those retards that I just read. It is Yosemite that is next supervolcano to explode. Yes Yellowstone erupted only a few tens of thousand of years ago. Irrelevant. Yosemite is the one to watch for. Hasn't anyone here seen the Discovery Science channel's documentary on Supervolcano's?? Not too mention that the last one erupted 600 thousand years ago and almost wiped out the human specie to a mere few thousand from over 300,000 spread all across africa. The magnetic poles flipping might have a correlation with the supervolcano...b/c that too has been occurring every 600 to 700 thousand years. Giving earth just enough unprotected radiation from the sun to set Yosemite a BlOW@! Enjoy....and seriously, take out a loan and go to disneyland already! Yay, party. If you hadnt realized..there are already signs that the earth's magnetic poles are flipping. Ready set...Enjoy it while you can man.
(21.07.2005, 15:20)
20 of 92 comments (part 2) [
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Script by Alex
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[i] Weaver, Muriel Porter. The Aztecs,
Maya, and their Predecessors. (1972) Seminar Press, p.103-4
Note
on massive spans of time
Although they are
not part of the Long Count, the Mayas had calculated larger time spans, some so
long that only modern day scientists would ever use them, and suggesting that
perhaps the ancient Maya were aware of something we have yet to discover for ourselves.
1
pictun = 20 baktun = 2,880,000 days = approx. 7885 years
1
calabtun = 20 pictun = 57,600,000 days = approx. 158,000 years
1
kinchiltun = 20 calabtun = 1,152,000,000 days = approx. 3 million years
1
alautun = 20 kinchiltun = 23,040,000,000 days = approx. 63 million years
Note
on Correlation This book uses a correlation
between the Gregorian and Maya calendars known as the Goodman-Martinez-Thompson
(GMT) correlation, which places the long count katun ending 11.16.0.0.0 13 Ahau
8 Xul on 14 November 1539 (Gregorian). Another less popular correlation has the
Long Count ending two days later on Dec 23, 2012, and for our purposes makes a
negligible difference. A further 50 or more different correlations have been calculated;
some by non-academics, usually based on disputing which similar astronomical events
occurred in which year. The GMT is generally accepted by academics because it
has been proven with carbon dating, and because it is still in use by modern day
Quich¾ Maya
