It would appear that the year 2012 has, for some reason, attracted a number of prophesy of doom, by various methods.
I don't want to cause worry, but the ways that the world are going to end, or change beyond recognition, next year include...
The Mayan Calendar predicts it
This goes along the lines that the ancient & reliable Maya Calender, in use since about 300AD, has no dates after 21st. December 2012, indicating that the Maya's knew that the world would end. This springs from comments in his book The Maya written by Michael D. Coe in 1966. He says that
This was often repeated by other experts after Coe, but there would appear to be no quoted source to this claim.there is a suggestion ... that Armageddon would overtake the degenerate peoples of the world and all creation on the final day of the 13th [b'ak'tun]. Thus ... our present universe [would] be annihilated [in December 2012] when the Great Cycle of the Long Count reaches completion."
The 21st. December is certainly a hugely significant date for the Mayans, as it marks the start of the 13th. b'ak'tuns (a period of time roughly corresponding to 395 years) &, in Maya myth the gods destroyed the third world that they made after this time. However the third world was always seen as not suitable for human inhabitation whereas this, the fourth world, was.
There would actually appear to be a cause for celebration & joy at the start of number 13, rather than fear & despair..
New Age Writers
Several 'New Age' authors picked up on the Mayan date & published books during the 1970s & 1980s that claimed all sorts of spiritual realignment of humans would result on this date. The most famous is probably José Argüelles who, in his book The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology stated that
He claimed that on August 13, 3113 BC the Earth began a passage through a "galactic synchronization beam" that emanated from the center of our galaxy, that it would pass through this beam during a period of 5200 tuns (Maya cycles of 360-days each), and that this beam would result in "total synchronization" and "galactic entrainment" of individuals "plugged into the Earth's electromagnetic battery" by 13.0.0.0.0 (December 21, 2012).
There would appear to be no scientific evidence as to the beam & little supporting evidence of any kind.
Galactic alignment
This is hard to explain in a few words....but I will try.
It goes along the line that over a year the sun passes through each of the zodiac constellations. However, because of the tilt of the earth, the sun appears to have not quite 'made the trip'. Indeed in 72 years it appears to be 1 degree behind the race. In 2,160 years it is one constellation behind. In 25,800 years (sometimes called a Great Year) the sun will have appeared to have gone backwards all 360 degrees, to be exactly back where it started.
Presently, the Sun's spring equinox position is in the constellation Pisces and is moving back into Aquarius. This signals the end of one astrological age (the Age of Pisces) and the beginning of another (the Age of Aquarius). This, it is claimed will result in great upheaval.
Serious astrologers say...so what, the sun & planets do what is expected & calculated that they will do & it has no significance. Also since the Sun is half a degree wide, it requires 36 years for it to precess across any single point & so 2012 has no special significance even if the move to a new constellation had any significance.
Timewave zero and the I Ching
This is a bizarre concept created by Terence McKenna in the 1970s. That he created the concept while consuming magic mushrooms says it all for me really. His conclusion was that the universe has a teleological attractor at the end of time that increases interconnectedness,eventually reaching a singularity of infinite complexity in 2012, at which point anything and everything imaginable will occur simultaneously.
Well, I have troubles believing anything that I don't understand at any level. When the theory is produced while under the influence of drink or drugs then I must admit to having difficulty taking it seriously. I certainly would not change my way of life based on it, that is for certain!
Geomagnetic reversal
This suggests that not only are the earths' magnetic poles reversing but this will be further triggered by a massive solar flare that will happen next year.
Scientists agree that there is a shift in the poles, but that it is a normal event that takes 7,000 years to complete anyway.
Also the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicts that the solar maximum will peak in May 2013, not 2012, and that it will be fairly weak, with a below-average number of sunspots.
Planet X/Nibiru
Some proponents of doomsday in 2012 claim that a planet called Planet X, or Nibiru, will collide with or pass by Earth in that year. This idea, which has appeared in various forms since 1995, initially predicted Doomsday in May, 2003, but proponents later abandoned that date after it passed without incident. The idea originated from claims of channeling of alien beings and has been widely ridiculed. Astronomers have calculated that such an object so close to Earth would be visible to anyone looking up at the night sky.
Just in case anyone is still overly worried about next year I would recommend that they take careful note of this page...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_da ... tic_events
It is a list of most of the famous predictions of the end of the world that failed to materialize & also a few that exist for dates after 2012.
It is an exceedingly long list, otherwise I would have repeated it here in full...I also note that the number of 'End of the World' years seems to have grown considerably over recent years!!
