Is 2012 The End Of The World?

2012 is expected to be one of those sacred cosmic mysteries that man is yet to unravel. Just like the mystery of Atlantis, UFO's and the Bermuda Triangle, the year 2012 is expected to be a new step in the evolution of mankind and a major cosmic shift of the earth. Just like the many premonitions and prophecies that have been made about earth and the destruction of civilization, I felt this too shall pass.

Roland Emmerich's (Directed, Independence Day and The Day after Tomorrow) film "2012" inspired me to dig further into this and the facts that I unearthed, has left me baffled, surprised, scared, and somewhat cynical. The Mayan calendar abruptly ends in the year 2012 at the end of the 13th  Bakhtun cycle then resets to zero, according to some experts it marks "Apocalypse", or end of the world!

Journalist Lawrence Joseph in "Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End" notes that "Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the alignment of 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,". The question is, did the Mayan Astronomers know this?

The calendar further says that the last cycle when the world ended was in 3114 BC. According to Terence McKenna, who conceived the idea of the 'Time Zero' or I-Ching in the early 1970s, the universe has a teleological attractor at the end of time that increases interconnectedness, eventually reaching a singularity of infinite complexity on December 21, 2012 - at which point anything and everything imaginable will occur instantaneously.

This view of McKenna seems to draw a parallel to the date, that the Mayan calendar suggests. However basing our beliefs on simply the Mayan calendar is not proof enough, but surprisingly parallels to this prophecy can also be seen in other cultures.

1.The Book of Revelation for example talks of the end of the world and we have come across a similar destruction in the Bible during the Flood that wiped out the entire life on earth during Noah's time.

2.The quatrains of Nostradamus: While these are clearly intended to be read in a pre-apocalyptic context, they do not specifically mention (or, consequently, date) the end of the world, but researchers say it refers to 2012 as the ill fated year.

3.The Hindu shastras say that we are living in the "Kali yug" which is the last cycle or age before we are completely wiped out as we return back to the "satya yug" or beginning of life.

So what exactly will happen in 2012?

There are several theories. NASA reports that there will be some changes in sun spots and that solar storms will peak in 2012. Sun spots are areas of intense magnetic energy and so a change in them can lead to changes on earth. Possible changes are, retreat of ice sheets, change in the magnetic energy of earth and melting down entire ice peaks at the poles.

There is also supposed to be a radiation mayhem on the surface of the earth. With earth losing magnetic energy and the greatest of them all will be the pole reversal leading to entire chaos, the earth rotating in the reverse direction leading to widespread destruction we are yet to fathom. These directly affect us as this will lead to what Dr Geryl calls the Nuclear Armageddon, when nuclear reactors and plants will destroy everything around them leaving no trace of life.

He also says that Polar reversals have happened thrice in the last hundred thousand years and early manuscripts have evidence of that. Modern science has still not been able to say why the earth has magnetism or how the magnetic field works. This much is for sure that with a tilt in its balance the earth can be destroyed in a matter of minutes.

The Mayan prophecy has a parallel in Egyptian folklore too. Herodotus talks of the secret labyrinth which was built as a safeguard for memories of their empire, It was the largest building ever built and is hidden somewhere in Egypt.

Hundreds of books have been written on this topic and though some people have decided to call it one of the pseudo-scientific researches of our generation, I urge the readers to actually try and read them and then choose to believe or disbelieve.The Orion Prophecy, Return to Quezacotl and Dr Jonathan Ellerby's works are some of the resources one can go through. However for those who might not have access to them, here is the site, you could look at: www.howtosurvive2012.com

Dr Jonathan Ellerby sees it as more than just a physical change and thinks the impending doom has given us time to rethink and reconsider our choices as we make our way towards that light. "The theme that I see is the message that the raising of consciousness is key to making this great transition a good one and not one of hellfire and brimstone. Let us not forget, at some level there is always choice. Regardless of what theory is right, what are you waiting for? Seek the truth of pure light consciousness—open hearted living—divine connection: today." Survivor groups have started to be built and locations are being scouted where one can survive and restart the civilization that is about to be cast in to oblivion. Dr. Ellerby believes that the clock is ticking and time is short.