Mayan calender hints at apocolypse, set for 2012
Nicole LeFebvre
Source: http://media.www.pacepress.org

Seven years ago, there was mass preparation for Y2K, alleged by some to be the end of the world. Believers scurried to save water and canned foods just in case the new millennium brought the immense devastation theories speculated. Again, we are faced with the timeless question of whether our world will endor not.

The highly intelligent Ancient Mayan civilization developed an intricate calendar which anticipated the end of their Great Cycle of the Long Count-better known as the apocalypse-on Dec. 21, 2012.

Some scholars believe the last day of the Mayan great cycle coincides with the Earth's destruction. A multitude of Mayan-calendar researchers and enthusiasts alike do not find the end of the "Great Cycle of the Long Count" to be a bad thing. Daniel Pinchbeck, author of "2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl," further examines the word 'apocalypse,' as it is falsely used to describe only the end of the world.

"Apocalypse literally means uncovering or revealing. I think the process is already under way. We're on the verge of transitioning to a dispensation of consciousness that's more intuitive, mystical and shamanic," Pinchbeck told New York Times Magazine.

The Mayan calendar is not as linear as our modern view on the passage of time. Rather, these ancient people charted repeating cycles based on the moon, sun and other celestial bodies. The mathematical calculations of the Mayans are still very accurate to this day, which is quite remarkable when one considers their lack of technology or modern tools.

According to survive2012.com, the Long Count is made up of 13 Baktuns; the count keeps a continuous record of consecutive days and restarts about every 5,000 years, during which a new Baktun begins. Currently, we are in the 13th and final Baktun of the Mayan Long Count, calculated to reach completion in 2012.

Despite the proposed end to be less than five years away, the general populace does not appear to be overly concerned. "I don't like to believe that anyone can predict the future," sophomore psychology major Caitlin Bizub said.

The discussion surrounding 2012 is extremely varied. On the possibility of catastrophes in the close future, Bizub added, "The way our world is heading now, it could be possible that there will be a devastating event in four years time. Maybe civil or nuclear wars will break out, but I don't think everyone will simultaneously combust into thin air." Some fear an onset of world wars or a meteor striking, while others still find hope in the prospect of new knowledge brought on by the end of an era.

John Major Jenkins, author of "Maya Cosmogenesis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End Date," finds the end of the Long Count to convey hope rather than destruction. "Personally, I think it's about transformation and renewal. It's certainly nothing as simplistic as the end of the world," he told New York Times Magazine.

"A lot of people are talking about apocalypse right now, but there's a deeper meditation that can and should happen around the end date. At any end-beginning nexus - at the dawn of a new religion or a spiritual tradition - you have this amazing opening. Revelations come down. There's a fresh awareness of what it means to be alive in the full light of history," Jenkins further commented on the earth's demise.

Will the conclusion of the Mayan calendar cycle become another large-scale apocalypse scare? One will simply have to wait and see the amount of media coverage and its effect on the general public as the time draws near.

To Vishal Shah, senior finance major, the notion of the apocalypse is quite daunting. He hopes this to be nothing but the next hoax, or else, "I spent $160,000 on school for no reason," he said.