why 2012?

In the Mayan calendar, one day is referred to as a Kin. 20 Kins make up a Uinal. 360 Kins make up a Tun. 20 Tuns make up a Katun. And finally, 20 Katuns (144,000 Kins) make up a Baktun.

Long Count dates in the archeological record are found to begin with the baktun place value and separated by dots. For example: 6.19.19.0.0 equals 6 baktuns, 19 katuns, 19 tuns, 0 uinals and 0 days. If all the values are added up, 6.19.19.0.0 indicates that a total of 1,007,640 days have elapsed since the Zero Date of 0.0.0.0.0.

The 13-baktun cycle, also known as the Mayan "Great Cycle", is completed 1,872,000 days after 0.0.0.0.0, and the cycle begins again. This period of time equals 5125.36 years.
So, how does this Long Count relate to our Gregorian calendar? J. Eric S. Thompson determined that 0.0.0.0.0 correponded to August 11th, 3114 B.C. in our Gregorian calendar. This means that the end date of 13.0.0.0.0, some 5125 years later, is December 21st, 2012 A.D.

The point of interest for Mayan astronomers seems to have been the projected end date in 2012 A.D., rather than the beginning date in 3114 B.C. The later Maya certainly attributed much mythological significance to the beginning date, relating it to the birth of their deities, but it now seems certain that the placement of the Long Count hinges upon its calculated end point. (Although there are still many Mayan scholars who dismiss this as mere coincidence.) This end point was considered to be the end of an Age. Why did the Mayan astronomers conclude December 21, 2012 to be the end of the current Age?

In Mayan creation and cosmos myths, "The Sacred Tree" is at the center of the entire corpus. The astronomical meaning of The Sacred Tree, as discovered through iconographic evidence, is the crossing point of the ecliptic with the band (Galactic Equator) of the Milky Way, which the Mayans considered to be the sacred doorway to the underworld. The ecliptic is the "plane" on which the planets of our solar system orbit on (with the exception of Neptune). The Galactic Equator is just as it is named, the imaginary line just like the equator of Earth. It can be seen as a dark ridge through the middle of the milky way (it's really just lots of gas and other molecules hindering light from stars on the other side reaching our eyes on Earth). The Mayans saw this dark ridge as a road to be traveled to the door to the underworld.

Okay, if you're still following, here's the fun part. The astronomical anomoly behind December 21st, 2012, is the fact that our sun will be in EXACT conjunction with the crossing point of the ecliptic and Galactic Equator. It is critical to understand that the winter solstice sun rarely conjuncts the Sacred Tree. In fact, this is an event that has been coming to resonance very slowly over thousands and thousands of years. What this might mean astrologically, how this might effect the "energy weather" on earth, must be treated as a separate topic.

**A convergence of other ideas now occurs here. For starters, in the book he co-authored with his brother Dennis (Invisible Landscape), Terence McKenna suggests that the position of the winter solstice sun within 3 degrees of the Galactic Center in the year 2012 may provide the eschatological end point for his theory of time known as Timewave Zero. His end date was chosen for historical reasons and was, apparently, only later discovered to correspond with the Mayan end date.

You should read more on McKenna's theory if you have any interest whatsoever: Novelty Theory.

***A third concept (and one that will be a stretch for the close-minded soul) has to do with two geophysical conditions that are changing: "zero point" and the "Schumann resonance".

Nearly fifty years ago, German physicist W. O. Schumann discovered that the Earth behaves like an enormous electric circuit. I won't go into too many details, but just know that there is a 'cavity 'defined by the surface of the Earth and the inner edge of the ionosphere 34 miles up, in which exists quasi standing electromagnetic waves. This background base frequency, or "heartbeat," (called the Schumann resonance) is measured at 7.8 cycles per second. However, this frequency has risen, and scientists have yet to figure out why. The current rate has been set at over 11 cycles.

And while the earth's "pulse" rate is rising, her magnetic field strength, on the other hand, is declining. Earth's geological record indicates magnetic reversals have occured quite often. And a flip of the magnetic poles will probably happen again very soon.

Supposedly when Earth's frequency reaches 13 cycles the magnetic field will be at a zero point (the lowest possible energy), and the earth's magnetic poles will shift.

But that's not all.

In 1961, by means of satellite instrumentation, astronomers discovered an abnormal nebula phenomenon. Normally a nebula is understood to be a vast cloud-like mass of gas or dust. However, this one appeared to have anomalous properties. This electro-magnetic cloud is known as the photon belt. 20 years later astronomers discovered that this nebula's location was coincident with the projected orbit of our solar system. However, it was difficult to predict when this would occur since the belt was oscillating randomly. Theories hold that when Earth does enter the photon belt (projected to be sometime after 2010), the orbit of our planet will start to slow down, and possibly reach a stand still.


"We are going into a dimensional consciousness change and though a physical preparation may help a little tiny bit at the beginning, as we pass through these changes, the only real help is who you are, what your character is, how much your heart is open and how well you are to love and to connect with God. So the most important thing is to work on your innerself." -Drunvalo Melchizedek