2012: Judgment Day or Disaster Movie Excuse?

2012 is anticpated to be a momentous year, the very first winter youth Olympic games is going to be held in January, the United States of America are going to hold a presidential election and the UK are going to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth. But if you happen to be looking towards 2013 don’t get your hopes up, considering that according to some forecasts, everything is due to end on December 21. For those who love Christmas, make the most of this season and the following, since according to the Mayan calendar, they’ll be your very last. Maybe.

Well before Europeans showed up in meso America the habitants utilized an elaborate mixture of calendars to record their days.  The Haab or solar calendar, both a timepiece and Mayan art form, was composed of eighteen 20 day months including a period of 5 days referred to as Wayeb to bring the total to 365.

The Tzolkin on the other hand was a cycle of 260 days, 13 times twenty.  No-one understands quite exactly why 260 days were picked, however it appears the numbers 13 along with twenty were both important to these earlier civilizations. There exists a possibility that it is based on the time period in between a woman’s first skipped period and the birth of  her child, and helped foresee when a baby might be born, however various other theories about crop planting and astrology observations may perhaps be equally accurate. Nearly all dates could be established by a combination of the Haab and Tzolin, the cycle would come along once every 52 years, which is roughly once in every life time.

To look at durations longer than 52 years the Mayans used another technique that we now call the Long Count calendar. This system is demonstrated in both Olmec and Aztec art and wasn’t invented by the Maya. Dates run forward from the mythical day zero, the date from the start of the current world. Just like all civilizations the base units were days, with 20 days in the uinal and 18 uinals in the tun (more or less a year). A K’atun consisted of 20 tuns and 20 of these a b’ak’tun. Once again the number 13 is important and numerous inscriptions in Mayan artwork exhibit the date changing at the conclusion of 13 b’ak’tuns and talked of incidents to occur on that particular date. This resulted in  a belief that the Mayans anticipated something substantial might occur around the last day of the 13th B’ak’tun. That day is actually calculated to be 21st or 23 December 2012. So what might we expect?

Well according to many scholars nothing whatsoever. There are several references to something going on about that time frame in inscriptions, however nothing genuinely concrete, therefore it really is surprising the amount of fuss 2012 seems to be generating. Many state there will a religious evolution, while some talk about a momentous galactic alignment, although this is based on the location of the galactic equator, and that can’t be identified, this does not appear extremely probable. But other people worry about planet Niburu.

Collision with planet X (or Niburu) was predicted since 2003, yet any planet close enough to be within collision with the Earth in 2012 would now become plainly visible to astronomers in the evening sky. Unfortunately this fictional collision is now confused in the press with the real and predicted approach of a giant asteroid known as Eros that is expected to pass the earth in 2012. Eros is bigger than the asteroid that we think wiped out the dinosaurs 65 millions years back but since it will never be nearer than seventy times the distance of the moon, it is unlikely to do any damage.

Looking at the Mayan calendar is a great reason to consider just how we calculate time and the reason why, to understand the solar cycles which still dominate our life and also to admire the art of an intriguing culture. As to getting ready for the end of the world, that still appears a little premature.

What Will Happen on 21 December 2012?

The end of the world 2012 scenario has come to the fore lately, but what is it all about? Will the world really end in this year, or are we looking at an elaborate hoax or Hollywood movie scenario? Being prepared though is a good option as nobody really knows what will happen. Which beggars the question: are you ready for 2012 and all that it entails?

Many people are preparing for 2012 like they did for the Y2K scare. Some individuals have started stocking up on essentials in the event that a whole host of natural disasters do occur in 2012. But will these bunkers really keep them safe? This really would depend. If the forces of nature are really going to be as horrible as people claim, it’s really debatable. The massive earthquakes that could occur as a result of the shift in the earth’s magnetic poles, for example, could rip apart any shelter.

Being prepared for any disaster is a good idea, of course. You should always have a first aid kit, emergency rations, and things like a flash light, radio, and blanket stored in an easy to access location. You should also go over disaster plans with your children. This will stand you in good stead though even if 2012 didn’t happen; you and your family would know what to do in the event of a “normal” natural disaster happening. NB! Check out this link: 2012 doomsday to learn more about 21 December 2012

If you do want to be prepared for 2012 though, learning all about it is a must. You can browse over to the 2012officialcountdown.com site for all the relevant advice and information on all things 2012. The guide on surviving the disaster and thriving after it is especially useful.

I hope you found this information useful. Good luck..