As many of you know, the year 2012 has lately become quite the hot topic of conversation. Speculation about this date often seems to focus on dire, doomsday warnings, usually with a religious, astrological or scientific slant. But is there really any reason to fear this year? And what is it about 2012 that makes it so significant? To understand this a little more, you need to take a look back at the Mayan culture.
Mayan Calendar
The Mayan culture developed around 1000 BC, but the time period in which they truly flourished was known as the Classic Period, from 300 AD until about 900 AD. Living primarily in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and parts of Central America, the Maya developed a complex society with centralized governments. During this time they built numerous temples and monuments, as well as creating art and writings. But even more notable a fact is that the Mayans were highly skilled mathematicians and astronomers. They formulated a system in which they could predict celestial events with great accuracy and also developed a system of calendars as a way to determine certain yearly events and record history.
One of the reasons 2012 has become such a year of interest has to do with the Mayan Long Count calendar. This calendar is a cycle that begins with a mythological creation date that corresponds with the Gregorian calendar date of August 11, 3114 B.C.E. and ends approximately 5,125 years later on the date December 21, 2012. Mayan inscriptions do not state any ideas of what will happen on this particular date, and many scholars believe the Maya would mark this day as one of celebration and renewal. However, other people have a variety of different theories and predictions, possibly because of certain astronomical events occurring on this date.
Galactic Alignment and Geomagnetic Reversal
The day of December 21, 2012, marking the end of the Mayan calendar, happens to fall on the day of winter solstice. But what's especially significant is that at the same time a rare astronomical alignment, known as a galactic alignment, will also be occurring. During a galactic alignment, the December solstice Sun aligns with the galactic equator, which is an imaginary line that divides the upper and lower portions of the Milky Way. Some believe that these events will raise the vibration of the earth and mark the time of a spiritual awakening for the earth's inhabitants.
Smaller groups of individuals have also brought up the possibility of a geomagnetic reversal of the earth's poles. This is often backed up by evidence that the earth's magnetic field has been weakening. However, although scientist have said the earth is overdue for a magnetic reversal, they also say that if it happened it would take thousands of years for the process to complete.
So What Should We Think?
As far as what the ancient Maya thought about the end of their Long Count calendar, most Mesoamerican scholars agree it would have been viewed as a time of celebration. In fact many scholars bristle at the fact that doomsday scenarios have been linked to this date. The advanced Mayan culture viewed time as a procession of cycles, and this cycle would very likely have been viewed as a time of renewal and greater enlightenment. Rather than getting caught up in a panic, we could all look at this time as an opportunity for spiritual growth and greater balance in our lives. We can also see it as a wake up call to treat the earth and each other with greater care and respect.
