December 2012

[C.Harlan]

2012 in Mayan Mythology

In recent years, there's been much talk about an approaching date on the Mayan Calendar. Famously, the Mayan long-count calendar is supposedly set to end and reset in the year two-thousand and twelve (2012), which, according to some (loose) interperetations of Mayan myths, corresponds with an end of the current creation and the beginning of the next. This has led to laregly unfounded speculation, and in some cases fears, of an apocalyptic event before the end of 2012, as well as media capitalization of the supposed event with many books and films being released on the subject.

This article will attempt to very briefly explain how the long-count calendar works, what the Maya believed and what the 2012 date actually means to them.

Understanding Long-Count dates

The Mayan long-count calendar uses 5 divisions of numbers to indicate a date. The numbers are all base-20, except the second (or second-from-right) number which rolls over at 18.

Long-Count Date Mayan unit of time Number of days 0.0.0.0.1 1 k'in 1 days 0.0.0.1.0 1 winal 20 days 0.0.1.0.0 1 tun 360 days 0.1.0.0.0 1 k'atun 7,200 days 1.0.0.0.0 1 b'ak'tun 144,000 days

Each unit of time is equal to twenty of the previous unit, except for the tun, which is equal to eighteen winal.

According to the most widely-accepted calculations, the Mayan calendar begins on August 11, 3114 BCE. The 12th b'ak'tun is nearing completion, with the date 12.19.19.17.19 calculated to be December 20, 2012 CE. On December 21, 2012 CE, the date will be "13.0.0.0.0".

Creation myths

According to Mayan myth, the gods have attempted previous versions of creation, and human beings are currently the third version of their creation.

The creator gods Gucumatz (or Kukulkán, better known by the Aztec name Quetzalcoatl) and Tepeu wanted to create a people that would resemble them and praise them. With the help of the storm god Huracán, they began creating life, beginning with animals. The first version of humanity was made from mud, but these people could not move or speak, and they easily crumbled. After this failed, the creators summoned other gods, and remade mankind out of wood. The wooden men were able to move and speak, but they were soulless creatures who quickly forgot about the gods. For their third attempt, the gods created men out of maize (which was the primary source of food for the Maya).

The previous version of creation, according to Mayan myth, is beleived to have ended on its thirteenth b'ak'tun — that is, 13.0.0.0.0 or August 11, 3114 BCE. At this point the current creation began, and the long-count calendar reset to 0.0.0.0.1 the next day.

Thus, the significance of the arrival of the thirteenth b'ak'tun in this round of the long-count calendar is that the previous creation ended on its thirteenth b'ak'tun.

However, there seems to be no evidence that the Mayans themselves believed that the current version of creation would come to an end at its thirteenth b'ak'tun. A five-numeral count will reset after the thirteenth b'ak'tun, but this is celebrated as the completion of a cycle, and was not seen as a doomsday event by Mayan culture.

Mayan dates beyond 2012

Further demostrating Maya belief in the continuation of this creation is that Mayan artifacts mark future commemorations, and some of these occur beyond the thirteenth b'ak'tun in 2012.

In fact, there is evidence that the Maya expected to add another numeral to its calendar when the b'ak'tun count is complete. The unit piktun is said to be the next value, although scholars disagree on whether a piktun should be considered to be 13 or 20 b'ak'tun, and there are Mayan dates scheduled beyond a completed piktun. (Most Mayanists generally go by the convention that all five-numeral dates roll over at 13 b'ak'tun, while larger dates count 20 b'ak'tun.) If there are 20 b'ak'tun in a piktun, he first piktun would appear on the Mayan long-count calendar on October 13, 4772 CE, well beyond 2012. If there are only 13, then December 21, 2012 would become 1.0.0.0.0.1, marking the completion of the first piktun since the calendar's beginning date.

The word piktun is not an original Mayan word, but evidence of higher orders is found in Mayan relics. In fact there are an additional three units, kalabtun, k'inchiltun, and alautun, all higher than the piktun. The names of all of the units above the b'ak'tun were created by scholars in the absence of knowledge of Mayan words for them.

Since the age of the Mayan civilization occured within a single piktun, however, there was no need to use more than five digits in their calendar for most uses. This alone may be the cause for confusion about the supposed end of the long-count calendar.

Some interperetations of Mayan dates also suggest that the 3114 BCE date of creation is incorrect, and that the 13-b'ak'tun (or 5,125 solar year) calendar has completed before. One inscription, for example, puts the creation date at

13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0. By this date, the calendar won't end until 4.134105 × 10²⁸ years into the future, a span of time three quintillion times the scientifically-accepted age of the universe. By that time, the sun will have long-since devoured the Earth and been destroyed itself, and the universe may have drifted apart, condensed or otherwise reconfigured itself in some unrecognizable way. If you're concerned about the fate of mankind, there are more pressing issues than the end of the Mayan calendar.

No cause for alarm

There are a number of new-age theories surrounding 2012, which predict anything from galactic alignment and solar flares, to alien invasion, to global consciousness. However, these predictions are not based in or accepted by science, or even the so-called predictions of the Maya themselves. They are at best misinterperetations of science and myths, and at worst total fabrications. There is simply no evidence that December 2012 will be any more important than the average month, other than the Y2K-like hysteria that has developed since.

What do you think will happen?

Edited August 16, 2012 by C.Harlan

[Fawzo]

People will be standing in Times Square on Jan 1, 2013 watching the ball drop and time will roll on and on.

[Brother Kaman]

I think it is silly to believe that ancient people were far more advanced than we are to be able to predict much of anything except perhaps the moon phases. People need to get a grip.

[Atwater Vitki]

I personally believe that ancient man was more advanced in one area...he was closer to nature, energies and the "gods" per se. Modern man has too much technology and does not have to rely on Self the way our ancients did. Law, peaceful living (in some areas of the world) have brought about a much safer world in which to live.

I believe that Dec 21, 2012 will be the end of a cycle of exoteric response to the world and a far greater understanding of the esoteric relationships between mankind and the natural world. We will begin to "remember".

I think the things brought up here, as well as those topics by Nestingwave will begin to show the world a "different" way to live. The correlation between a cataclysmic or Apocalyptic end will be Spiritual more-so than physical.

Blessings Be,

[Cornelius]

Newly discovered Mayan calendar goes way past 2012

By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

Updated 5/10/2012 7:23 PM

Newly discovered wall writings found in Guatemala show the famed Maya culture's obsession with cycles of time. But they also show calendars that go well beyond 2012, the year when the vanished civilization, according to popular culture, expected the end of the world.

"So much for the supposed end of the world," says archaeologist William Saturno of Boston University, lead author of a study in the journal Science, which reported the discovery on Thursday.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/story/2012-05-08/maya-apocalypse-calendar-2012/54879760/1

[Atwater Vitki]

A common lay observation of the calendar was how fully it filled the stone...perfectly spaced...as leading even those with no real technical knowledge of the Mayans to ponder.....I mean heck 10,000 years from now they dig up one of our calendars, are they going to say..."silly ancients, they only believed in 12 months being all there is!"

Hrodebert...thanks for the Don Piraro...he's one of my fav cartoonists...and "Bizzaro" being one of his favs to draw and post. BTW, he does have numerous other accomplishments for as young as he is, quite the phenom in the art world.

Blessings Be,

[Zequatanil]

I personally believe that ancient man was more advanced in one area...he was closer to nature, energies and the "gods" per se. Modern man has too much technology and does not have to rely on Self the way our ancients did. Law, peaceful living (in some areas of the world) have brought about a much safer world in which to live.

I believe that Dec 21, 2012 will be the end of a cycle of exoteric response to the world and a far greater understanding of the esoteric relationships between mankind and the natural world. We will begin to "remember".

I think the things brought up here, as well as those topics by Nestingwave will begin to show the world a "different" way to live. The correlation between a cataclysmic or Apocalyptic end will be Spiritual more-so than physical.

Blessings Be,

Thank you for saying what I could never have! As for N estingwave--Thanks!!

peace and blessings,

S

[emalpaiz]

To be honest, I do not know what is going to happen on December 21, 2012. I do not know what is going to happen tomorrow. I know what happened yesterday, because the past has substance, but no relity. I do not know what is goin to happen in the future, for the future has neither substance nor reality. We should learn to live in the here and now, for only in the here and now is there reality and substance. Let us enjoy our present moment.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage.

Edited August 19, 2012 by emalpaiz

[Ex Nihilo]

While I don't know what will happen definitively, if anything, on December 21, 2012, I believe that the world is lurching toward some great sea change. I feel it in my bones, as do most people I speak to. As a planet, I think we are coming to the realization that the road we've been travelling is leading to a spiritual and evolutionary cul-de-sac. I think some day, sooner rather than later, big BIG changes will be on the horizon. What they will be and how they will affect us, I don't know. But one thing is for sure, we won't (can't) continue to live as we have been. It may be an end, it may also be a new beginning...For my part I hope we are standing on threshold of a new age...the messianic age...the age of aquarius...something like that.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Rev'd Rattlesnake

[Zequatanil]

While I don't know what will happen definitively, if anything, on December 21, 2012, I believe that the world is lurching toward some great sea change. I feel it in my bones, as do most people I speak to. As a planet, I think we are coming to the realization that the road we've been travelling is leading to a spiritual and evolutionary cul-de-sac. I think some day, sooner rather than later, big BIG changes will be on the horizon. What they will be and how they will affect us, I don't know. But one thing is for sure, we won't (can't) continue to live as we have been. It may be an end, it may also be a new beginning...For my part I hope we are standing on threshold of a new age...the messianic age...the age of aquarius...something like that.

It is about time for a change!You are absolutely . One can feel something is afoot . I suppose we don`t have long to wait--It is rather an exciting prospect either way we shall be amazed or disappointed.

blessings and peace,

S

[Zequatanil]

This is an interesting site--there are a few interesting articles there--insights for a number of shamans.

http://www.maya12-21-2012.com/2012shamans.html

blessings and peace,

S

[emalpaiz]

I agree that the world needs a change, but that change is not coming by some magic power. We have to start changing ourselves. We can start those changes in our own communities. Let us continue to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. There are a lot of things we can do. I support a special refuge for animals where they are treated with love and compassion, another friend of the Moriviví Hermitage is dedicated to feeding homeless people, another friend has retired and now dedicates herself to do all kinds of volunteer work. These are not big heroic things, but they improve the quality of our lives around us. The change in the world has to begin in each and everyone of us. Every new day is the beginning of that New Spiritual Age that we all hope for, but we have to make a small effort of loving kindness to make it happen.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

[Atwater Vitki]

I support a special refuge for animals where they are treated with love and compassion

BIG doggie slobbers and kitty purrs to you Bro Luis! That is such a selfless, yet rewarding thing to do!

Every time we kick back with our lap full of fur, we enjoy the bond created by loving and compassionate exchange between species....if they can love Hu-mans after what other people have done to them...there's one of the "proofs" I know that tells me "Creator" is out there, somewhere in some capacity even if we aren't fully cognizant of "what" that Supreme/Creator/energy/"being"/?? may be.

[Zequatanil]

Yes--sooooo true but I seem to think that they are very aware.

My mom swears these days that someone`s spirit from her the past is present in Sylvester--she strongly feels it is her father. Who am I not to believe her, especially when you see them together and how that kitty behaves.

blessings and peace,

S

[Sean]

God has a plan. I try not to live in the past or future as those can be potential reasons to stress...I try to live right here, or as Ram Dass said "be here now"...there's a reason it's called the present.

[nestingwave]

Blessed is he who does not expect anything -- for he shall never be disappointed.

However -- my innermost life intention is for peace on earth and goodwill toward men -- the end of war and poverty -- and the creation of a thriving Galactic Civilization where two seemingly contrary things exist at the same moment: 1) the understanding of Universal Oneness. 2) the understanding of total Individual personal sovereignty.

These two seemingly contrary things are resolved through the recognition that each human being is a totally uinique (one-of-a-kind) expression -- snowflake -- aspect -- personality -- point of view and yet exists in the One Universal Source Field where each and everything and each and every person is totally entertwined and fully interconnected -- and yet totally distinct and unique.

This understanding of the Universe brings a richness and respect for individual human rights -- liberty -- freedom -- and great appreciation for our undeniable interconnectivity.

Such an understanding and acknowledgement makes it common behavior to do unto others as you would have them do unto you because of the recognition that I AM you and you ARE me.

We are differing aspects of each other emerging from the very SAME SOURCE. If I kill you --- I am killing part of myself --- murder is really suicide -- if I bless you -- I am blessing the further extension of myself because the reality is that ALL IS ONE MIND ONE THOUGHT ONE PURPOSE and yet there is an infinite variety of expressions pointing toward that infinite ONE.

This is a totally New Paradigm -- a very different view of the nature of reality -- and an entirely new way of thinking which many of us see emerging in the immediate future. December 21st 2012? This is not a unique "date" but a significant "marker" indicating a process which has already long begun -- and it accelerates until fulfilled. This is physically due to our solar system having entered an entirely new and highly energetic region of space which is converging into direct alignment with the black holes at our Galactic core. These intense (and never before experienced) radiations are changing our physical matter (carbon 12 into carbon 7) including our DNA/consciousness which results in a punctuated equilibrium of rapid consciousness expansion.

And -- somewhere along the line we meet up with our Galactic neighbors. Things really take off and accelerate from there. Many of us feel that landmark disclosure -- and the long hidden information which goes along with it -- to be very near.

This is only the very beginning of our larger functioning in the Multiverse -- and our acceptance (and taking on) of our true responsibility -- and our intended reason for manifesting corporal 3D existence here in the first place.

No -- this is NOT political "collectivism" -- but just the opposite -- it is the full acknowledgement of the value of the individual creative expression and the full appreciation of it -- coupled with a genuine understanding. of the prime nature of reality -- which is complete ONENESS and FULL ENERGETIC INTERCONNECTIVITY.

Some of you already have no problem talking to animals. Think about that. We are moving into telepathic communication.

It is the way advanced Galactic Civilizations throughout the Multiverse already function and interact. This is where we too are headed.

namaste.

Edited August 29, 2012 by nestingwave