Many people consider the whole thing to be just another delusionary doomsday to add to the long history of failed prophecies - and it has been a recurring phenomenon that people attach to a particular date and make it the focus of all their unresolved hopes and fears about life.
But at the risk of sounding deluded I must tell you that there has never been a prophecy like this one before - if prophecy is the right word for it.
Before you draw your conclusions about 2012 lets have a look at three separate categories -the various claims that are being made about the uniqueness of this date, the various global crises that are already unfolding, and the balancing information about the incredible amount of good things that are happening around the planet that should at least give us hope that a positive outcome is still possible.
The Claims
It's the end of the Mayan calendar - the Mayans were obsessed with recording time and had a great many calendars, perhaps more than any other culture we know of. The particular calendar that is supposed to end in 2012 is only one of many that the Mayans used, and some serious scholars believe it ends in 2011 - so although the most influencial source of these modern prophecies comes from the Mayan calendar it is not clear that this is the interpretation that the ancient Mayans intended.
It's the technological singularity - the pace of technological growth is such that it is hard to imagine what new technologies will be developed in the next decades. On the horizon are revolutionary sciences such as augmentation of human intelligence through genetic engineering and interfacing with robotic machines - control of health and longevity at a cellular level - and the ability to design organisms to our specifications - all of which are quite capable of causing immense change in the nature of human life on planet earth.
The planet will line up with the galactic core - It's true that the December solstice is roughly aligned with the center of the galaxy around this time. The best calculations suggest that the most accurate alignment may have already happened in about 2007, but because there is no 'exact center of the galaxy' this is not really an accurately measurable assertion.
It's the passing through the plane of the galaxy.
This appear scientifically correct although again it is a long slow event and not possible to nail down to a particular year let alone a day.
It's the sunspot cycle peaking - Solar Maximum - every ten years or so the sun spot cycle becomes more intense and yes as usual it is due soon.
It's the earth's magnetic field reversing - this happens every few million years and there are some signs that it is happening... but the evidence is not conclusive.
It's when Nostradamus predicted something would happen - Like most prophets his words are like dreams and it is possible to make them mean almost anything. He did seem to have mostly bad dreams though - possibly because of the toxic effects of the large quantities of nutmeg he consumed to inspire his visions.
It's when some celestial catastrophe will happen -No astronomical evidence shows this to be any more likely than usual.
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Part 2 - what is already happening now that should cause us serious concern.
New toxic chemicals in the environment - Since about 1930 over 80,000 new chemicals have contaminated the atmosphere. Most of these were never even tested for their toxicity in small doses, and certainly not in conjunction with the other chemicals already released into the environment. Many of these compounds have known toxicity, and most of them are now detectable throughout the water tables of the world and inside the bodies of humans living anywhere in the world.
Loss of Biological Diversity -
How many thousands of species disappear forever from the Earth each day because of human activities? They say it is happening faster than ever before and at this rate we are in danger of destroying both the rainforests and the oceans. The two greatest pools of bio-diversity on earth. The Earth seems to have an ability to compensate from the loss of any single part of its finely balanced system, but this is dependent on a sufficient number of interacting parts. It seems we may be reaching the point at which we are in danger of tearing the fabric of the biosphere so that the whole web of life - at least for the 'higher organisms' unravels.
Bee Colony Disorder -
You have probably hear in the news that there is a very serious problem for bee keepers around the world where whole hives suddenly die for no apparent reason. The problem is spreading rapidly. Without them most plants would not reproduce and we would not be able to fertilize enough of them to feed our global society.
Peak Oil -
Our society is founded on economic growth which depends on ever increasing oil production. Experts say that within the next few years we will not begin to decrease rather than increase the amount of oil that it is possible to produce each year.
Global Warming - It has perhaps not been settled yet whether it is anthropogenicand whether it is caused by carbon-dioxide levels is a matter of controversy still - but the facts of extreme weather and melting ice caps is quite disconcerting and possibly just the beginning of even greater instabilities.
Enough already - Im not even going to mention Plague-like diseases, Water Shortages, Rising Sea Levels, Economic Collapse, Ozone Hole, Genetic Engineering, Biological Weapons and Nuclear Weapons (use or accident) and quite a few other posible catastrophes.
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Information overload -
Technology is evolving so fast we are not able to integrate it. With advanced technology comes the ability to transform or destroy ourselves - but if we follow the patterns of the past as usual then there is little doubt that we will destroy ourselves.
The only alternative is to evolve into something greater than our past - to become truly human beings that can find their place in the world and live at peace with the plants and animals and other human beings here.
But what has this got to do with 2012?
Well the point that I'm trying to make is that it doesn't matter what prophecies you believe in something BIG is happening already, and the next few years will probably decide the general direction for human beings and most of the other creatures on earth.
If you accept that this is true then if you look inside yourself surely you must feel called to do something towards a positive outcome of this incredible crisis?
We are talking about something that would be more tragic than all the wars of history rolled into one -
it really would be the doomsday that has been prophesied.
Are we going to do something about it or not? Isn't this the thing that most people miss about the 2012 prophesies - it's not about prophesies and the future, it's about what we choose to do as we encounter the ultimate challenge and walk the line between incomparable disaster such as has never happened before or positive transformation of human society and culture - which would also be beyond our possible imagination.
If you are reading this then you are one of the most wealthy people on the planet. Unlike so many you can afford the time and you have the liberty and the access to advanced technology that belongs to only about 3% of the worlds population.
And with thiscomes ethical responsibility.
The One Earth online social networking community has been created for these times. It is hugely serendipitous that when we need it most this tool called the world wide web became available that allows us to communicate and network on a planetary scale more efficiently than we could have imagined in previous decades.
We invite you to join us in weaving the brightest possibilities for 2012,make a page about your visions and concerns, and come with us on this great adventure to see what magic and beauty we can weave into the unfolding story of the earth to unbind the angel that is hidden within the great mystery of the universe.
I have been known to describe myself as a poet, a
visual artist and I guess you could say a visionary... in the sense that I experience
everything as forms of a relationship ... with the Universe about the
ultimate nature of reality.
My art is very influenced by what is known as Sacred Geometry. Although I prefer to call it Sacred Patterns as I find the Universe to be obsessed with pattern making.
21 12
2012 is a key time because it is hard not to be aware
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