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2012: A Rational Look

Excitement builds as we approach the "end date" of the Mayan calendar, December 21st, 2012.  As authors of works on both Western and Mayan astrology, we (Scofield and Orr) are often asked for our opinion of what will happen in 2012.

The simple answer is that no one really knows.

There some things we do know, however.  The following are some questions and answers related to our simple premise:  The Mayan Calendar is a kind of astrology.
  1. What is astrology?  
    We define astrology as a mapping technique for dynamic systems that display emergent properties (climate and weather, collective behaviors, individual personality). Astrology uses solar system dynamics as a symbolic model for the behavior of dynamic systems. At present, no specific causal connections other than gravity, light, and solar radiation are known to link the solar system with dynamic systems on Earth. Astrology is difficult to test using reductionist science and therefore rigorously derived statistical evidence is scarce, though it does exist. Astrological systems were originally developed in Mesopotamia, India, China and Mesoamerica.  
  2. Is the Mayan Calendar a kind of astrology?  
    Yes.  The Long Count (commonly referred to as the Mayan Calendar) and the tzolkin (260-day calendar) are a kind of astrology, that is, they are a means of mapping dynamic systems. Both the Long Count and the tzolkin are based on day counts that resonate with a number of planetary cycles. Unfortunately, this position is not recognized by most in the New Age or academic communities.
  3. What did the Maya say about 2012?  
    We do not know of any traditional Mayan prophecy for the year 2012. The books of Chilam Balam are authentic Maya prophecy books but they refer only to a component of the Long Count which is called by archaeologists the Short Count. (See articles on this subject on this site.)  
  4. Is the Mayan Calendar related to precession?  
    While there is no existing archaeological or historical proof that the 5,125-year Long Count measures the precession of the equinoxes, we suspect that it does for the following reasons: (a) it is very close to 1/5 of the 25,700 year period, and the mythology of the Five Suns and the Popol Vuh suggest that world ages cycled in groups of five; (b) the winter solstice point is now passing over the galactic equator (which was exact in 1999) and near the dark band in the Milky Way. This cycle appears to have had mythological significance in regard to human origins, and suggests that the end date of the Long Count, i.e. 2012, was computed in advance and the start date computed afterwards; (c) There is some evidence that other ancient civilizations (e.g., Egyptian, Andean, Hindu) were aware of precession and it would be logical to assume that a civilization that watched the sky over long periods (like the Maya, who measured cycles with great precision) would  have noticed this slow movement.
  5. What will happen in 2012?  
    We make no specific predictions for 2012. We do think that it is interesting that Western civilization is now facing unprecedented crises due to overpopulation and climate change and these appear to be accelerating. It may be reasonable to view the decade or two before and after 2012 as a time characterized by unprecedented global crises. Western astrology points to a series of major outer planet alignments and positioning on the Cardinal points (equinoxes and solstices) occurring roughly between 2008 and 2016, with particular intensity in 2010.
We have posted some articles and book reviews on this web site (in PDF format) that further explore the above ideas:  


2012: A Less Rational Look

For a more speculative and light-hearted view of what may happen in 2012, please see:

The Top 13 Things That Will Happen on 12.21.2012