Mayan civilization and the Prophecy .

Mayan civilization and the Prophecy .

Who Were The Mayans?
The Mayan civilization thrived in Central and South America from around 3,000 BC. Their dynamic and intelligent culture survived for thousands of years but finally collapsed during an intense 200-year drought, not long before Christopher Columbus landed on America’s shores in the 15th century.

The Mayans are known for their advanced written language, as well as their art, architecture, maths and astronomy. They used a base 20 and base 5 numbering system and created the concept of zero by 36 BC.

This capacity for numbers produced highly accurate astronomical observations, charting the movements of the moon and other planets. That much was based on science. However, based on their own astrological interpretations, the resulting Mayan calendar was one of prophecies, and supporters of the 2012 theory point to seemingly accurate predictions to date. In response, critics argue that these predictions are far too general and open to interpretation.

So it’s difficult to say that any future predictions will come true without appearing a touch over-zealous…

What Is The 2012 Mayan Prophecy?
So what does the 2012 Mayan prophecy actually predict? Contrary to popular belief (we can blame the doomsday media for that), the Mayan Prophecy does not predict widespread death and destruction or the end of the world on December 21, 2012. You can stop losing sleep over that.

Firstly, neither Mayan technology nor our own more advanced technology enables us to predict such a catastrophe to the day. If we could do that, we would have saved more than 300,000 lives when the Asian earthquake and resulting tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004. The Mayans weren’t able to predict that catastrophe, and I guarantee they can’t predict the next one either.

Secondly, the Mayan prophecy marks the end of an astrological era, and this has nothing to do with real life events here on Earth. (I don’t recommend wasting your time reading your horoscopes either; this methodology has been rigorously scientifically analyzed in statistical studies. Every single one of them failed to show any correlation with real life. Horoscopes are just a bit of fun, if you ask me.)

But why December 21, 2012? That’s awfully specific in astronomical terms, isn’t it? This date is the beginning of the winter solstice so it’s a very significant time for Earth-bound sky gazers. The following three days are when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, when the days are at their shortest (if you live in the Northern hemisphere). This date has been chosen by many religions to mark new beginnings, and the Mayans didn’t miss the importance of this phase either. It’s no coincidence that a fella named Jesus Christ was said to be born at the end of the winter solstice too. A new beginning indeed.

As for the year, 2012 marks the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar because it’s the year we will finish our current 5,125-year cycle and enter the Age of Aquarius. It does not coincide with any physical Earthly destruction. It is based on astronomers (who, remember, have zero scientific or objective truth supporting their claims) making vague interpretations of what will happen when move through this sign of the Zodiac.

I really hope that 2012 worriers can see how silly this all is. I may as well pluck out the date of your death – oh, let’s say February 24, 2065 – and you believe me. Really?!

What gets my goat is that New Age folk have jumped on the bandwagon of the Mayan prophecy with no evidence in hand. It’s as if they want to stir up a bit of drama. The fact that they all disagree with each other is a bit of a giveaway. For instance, one New Ager will tell you the supervolcano beneath Yellow Stone National Park is going to erupt. Another will say the stock market will collapse (update: doh, that’s already happened, and it had nothing to do with Mayans). Ask another yet, and they’ll say nothing physical is going to happen, but we will enter a new phase of spiritual consciousness. Well that’s something I can actually relate to – our culture is no doubt constantly evolving. But that aint something that happens in a day. Like natural selection, it’s a continuous process.

Regardless, making such catch-all predictions will not help these wild-eyes believers save face when December 21, 2012 comes around and it’s just another day. We have a specific date to target now. Even Nostradamus was not that foolish…

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Responses

  1. Very interesting Shadow.I always thought that these interpretations people made/make about the doom and gloom, always distracted form the fact that Mayan were genius and methodical.

  2. Fascinating, Shadow. And I agree with whoever wrote the article. No need to worry about 21 st December 2012.

    Other than staying alive to see it slide quietly past that is.

  3. Shads, Intresting stuff. I am a bit confused however, astronomy is a science whear as astrology is a whimisical feel good thing for those so inclined to beleive it. So, what did you mean iin the fourth paragraph from the end? even if I substitute astrology for astronomy the paragraph does not make sense. There is no doubt the point of dooms day myth is explained quite clearly, i am just not sure what it is based on.

  4. Thanks for sharing, I have visited different Mayan ruins on different travels I have been on, I believe they were very intelligent and fascinating people. Thanks for sharing the article.