Home > Well of Wisdom > Mayan Countdown Monday, January 16, 2023 Update I originally wrote this article on the subject of "2012" on February 18, 2009 just prior to discovering Hollywood was about to release their own huge 2012 disaster blockbuster in November of 2009... My suggestion (as more and more 2012 "true believers" came crawling out of the woodworks each and every day) remained: breathe deeply, remain calm... this, too, shall pass... and December 22, 2012 - as the potential 2nd day of the beginning of a brand new age or eon (with each age lasting thousands of years) - probably won't feel a bit different than the day before. Mayan Countdown To December 21, 2012 What's Up With That? Yep... in case you're the one person who has somehow managed to miss it... a predictable quasi-panic surrounding the date of December 21, 2012 - connected to the calendar of the ancient Mayans - has begun and is rapidly picking up steam... Yep... with our planet now speeding closer and closer toward the date of December 21, 2012; wannabe doomsayers of all stripes and varieties - along with the able assistance of their book publishers and television producers - started cashing in years ago in their effort of "helping us out" and "gearing us up" for this potentially apocalyptic date that the ancient Mayans began counting down to thousands of years ago. Mostly lately a Wall Street Financial Planner is advising you to sign up with them, just in case the world doesn't end. So much information is out there that NASA felt it necessary to calm people's fears on YouTube. What Does It All Mean? It should go without saying that the various "expert" authors often violently disagree as to exactly what in the heck humankind is supposed to be expecting (or dreading) on December 21, 2012, when the Mayan's "Long Count" calendar (13.0.0.0.0 in the Long Count) allegedly marks the end of a 5,125 year era. Part of this theory regarding the potential end of the world is based on the Winter Solstice (December 21) in 2012, and our solar system's Sun being aligned with the center of the Milky Way. Another part of the concern over the year 2012 is that several different and independent prophetic traditions appear to be independently pointing toward this same general point in time. Western Tropical Astrology and the 12 Astrological Ages Enter into the fray, Western Tropical Astrology's concept of the 12 Astrological Ages that is based on the "precession (movement) of the equinoxes." Some believe that the Mayan 5,125-year Long Count actually measures the "precession of the equinoxes." Interestly enough, the mean "precession of the equinoxes" and Western Tropical Astrology's concept of 12 Astrological Ages also generally coincide with Plato's "Great Year" in Timaeus. The "Great Year" as conceptualized by Plato (429–347 BC) was thought to occur approximately every 26,000 years. In the writings of the Swiss psychiatrist Carl G Jung, Jung treated Plato's 12 "Great Months" as being generally synonymous with the 12 astrological ages of Western Tropical Astrology. (See Dr. Carl G. Jung and the Age of Aquarius) It's also interesting to note that the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes is however normally attributed to (post-Plato) Hipparchus (190 BC – 120 BC), and it's important to take note that (post-Plato) Hipparchus mistakenly believed that equinoxes were moving through the Greek Zodiac at a rate that meant a full cycle would take 36,000 years. The Age of Aquarius Presently the vernal equinox is in the constellation Pisces and is slowly approaching Aquarius. Western Tropical astrologers that buy into the concept of the 12 Astrological Ages (and not all do) typically believe that we are living in the final days of the age of Pisces, and that we will soon be entering the new age (or Platonic month) of Aquarius. In actuality, the various theories of when we actually enter (or entered) the age of Aquarius vary greatly, from the 1950s (Gret Baumann-Jung) to 2059 (Dane Rudhyar). Again... on the Winter Solstice (December 21) in 2012, our solar system's Sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way. Based on the mean precession of the equinoxes, this alignment is naturally enough occurring for the first time in 25,770 years. So maybe we should add to the mix, as to when the new astrological age of Aquarius will finally begin, the possible date of December 21, 2012 when our Sun aligns itself with the center of the Milky Way? Enter Nostradamus Getting back to the 2012 doomsayers... most lately, I've even seen attempts to get poor old Nostradamus, who never predicted the end of the world, somehow mixed up in the 2012 fray. Besides the fact that Nostradamus never predicted the end of the world, it might comfort you to know that, according to Nostradamus interpreter, David Ovason, the prophecies of Nostradamus continue on through at least the 27th century AD. In fact... Nostradamus, according to Ovason, also predicts in Quatrain IV:96 that the democracy of the United States of America will carry on through the year of 2589 AD. Other Doomsayers You can also bet that even the more extreme religious fundamentalists amongst us are likewise gearing up in order to put in their (ugly and deluded) 2 cents... The End of the World (As We Know It)? Is it the end of the world? Well, yes... and no... while according to several mystical traditions it marks the end of the world as we have come to know it... it also marks the beginning of a new world and a new age... My suggestion... breathe deeply, remain calm... this, too, shall pass... and December 22, 2012 won't feel a bit different than the day before. Well... I suppose - no matter how rational we consider ourselves to be - all of us will breathe a small sigh of relief. Interesting links: 2012: A Rational Look Scofield and Orr (a couple of rational guys that have been studying mystical Mayan stuff forever) address many of the most asked questions about 2012. Neil deGrasse Tyson: World Will (Not) End in 2012 - See this Neil deGrasse Tyson 2009 video addressing the issue. C'mon... even if NASA might lie to you, you know Neil won't... Interesting read: The Heavens Declare, Revised Edition: Astrological Ages and the Evolution of Consciousness [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback) Alice O Howell Ms. Howell revised and then re-released this fantastic book a few years ago. 2:01 PM PST, November 8, 2006 I wrote this book this year because of my deep concern with almost 1/4th of our nation believing in "the end times", the Rapture, etc. There are several prophecies besides the biblical, but these refer to the end of the Age of Pisces and the beginning of the Age of Aquarius! If Y2K had our knickers in a twist, the hysteria about 2012 will dwarf it! The second half of the book deals with the little-known other Ages all of which are based on an astronomical (not astrological) phenomenon known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. Each Age lasts 2000 +/- yrs w/an interface n there is religious, mythological, and archeological proof of an evolution of consciousness at work. For those of you sick of all this New Age stuff, just remember we have 2000 years of the Age of Aquarius to come! This is both fascinating and truly important. So do read the book! love Alice O Howell Home > Well of Wisdom > Mayan Countdown << or back to Weird and Wonderful