What's 2012? The Hype, Predictions, and Prophecies, Explained

2012 Facts and Myths

By Bryan Mackintosh

The end is near. And it has a date.

That's what we've been told, at any rate. The cultural zeitgeist informs us that the ancient Mayans, when they were flipping through their calendars, jotted "doomsday" down on December 21, 2012, and circled it in red. Now, with 2012 coming into view, some folks are starting to panic – and profit. Turns out, the end of the world is big business.

A swarm of 2012-related books, television specials, and websites are competing for your attention, and things are just heating up. On November 13, a $200 million movie titled "2012" that's loaded with eye-melting special effects will roar into the box office – allowing its makers just enough time to reap and spend the film's DVD profits before the "real" end of the world hits.

But will we really see floodwaters sloshing over the Himalayas or Yellowstone National Park blow up? Will it be just another day? A time of spiritual enlightenment? And what did the Mayans really say? Turn the virtual page, dear reader, if you dare. We'll answer all your 2012 questions – and we won't spend $200 million to do it.

Did Mayans Think Dec. 21, 2012 Was the Apocalypse?

Short answer: No. But it's complicated.

December 21, 2012 is, some scholars believe, the last date on the Mayan's 5,125-year "long count" calendar – one of as many as 24 calendars the ultra-precise Mayans used to schedule everything from festivals and planting times to (one would assume) dental appointments. But, because most Mayan writings were destroyed by Spanish conquistadors way back when, there's very little to tell us just what the Mayans thought about that critical date: Was it of monumental significance or simply time to start another calendar?

We do know that the Mayans actually had some things scheduled after 2012 – Lord Pakal of Palenque was due to celebrate a coronation anniversary sometime in 4772, for instance – and frankly, not everyone's sure that that December 21, 2012 date is the one we should get all excited about. In fact, a number of modern-day Maya celebrated the beginning of the end of the calendar earlier this year – meaning they think the calendar's going to run out sometime next February. There's always been some uncertainty about the date, and while most scholars do believe 2012 corresponds with 5125 in the Mayan "long calendar", these Maya (led by group of elders) insist the "last year" began in February 2009, with the end of the calendar (presumably) coming 365 days later, which would be next February.

How Did 2012 Become Such a Big Deal?

As far as Alexandra Bruce, author of "2012: Science or Superstition" can figure, the first real link between 2012 and the end of the world was forged in 1966, when respected anthropologist Michael Coe published his book "The Maya." The date got some traction in the mid-1980s with holistic spiritualists, but it wasn't until a handful of charismatic seekers – author and teacher José Argüelles and metaphysical scholar Terence McKenna, to name two of them – came along that the prophecy really started gaining steam. Argüelles (among others) organized the worldwide Harmonic Convergence event in 1987 – the beginning of a 26-year countdown to 2012 — and McKenna was a veritable 2012 evangelist until his death in 2000, speaking to rapt audiences around the world.

In 1993, McKenna said that "the womb of the planet has reached its finite limits, and that the human species has now, without choice, begun the descent down the birth canal of collective transformation toward something right around the corner and nearly completely unimaginable."

Critics note, however, that McKenna received many of his insights while under the influence of hallucinogens, and Argüelles refers to himself (according to Bruce) as "Valum Votan," the reincarnation of an ancient Mayan king. Take for what you will.

So All the Hubbub Is for Nothing?

Well, not exactly. See, the December 21 date – which many folks do believe is accurate – mysteriously coincides with an incredibly rare astronomical phenomenon: the conjunction of the sun with the center of the visible Milky Way galaxy. For the Mayans, the Milky Way signified their "Sacred Tree," and such an alignment would've been very important indeed. Some scholars think it's just too outlandish a coincidence to dismiss. Many believe the Mayans would interpret the conjunction as the beginning of a "new age," the sun crossing from one side of the Sacred Tree to another. The sacred tree, according to Bruce, is (in Mayan mythology) the tree that holds the sky up.

The mainstream scientific community is, shall we say, skeptical, believing the Mayans would've had no way of knowing such a conjunction was set to take place. The Milky Way is visible only at night, says Vincent H. Malstrom (professor emeritus of geography at Dartmouth College), when the sun's long gone. The Maya were good at astronomy, but they weren't that good.

What Do Other Cultures Say About This Time?

If the Mayans did place serious significance on 2012, many 2012 proponents say they're not alone.

"We knew there was a very transformative time coming," says Sharron Rose, writer/director for the documentary "2012 The Odyssey." There were many cultures pointing to this time in general."

While no other culture tabs December 21 as the big day, Rose and her husband (and fellow holistic expert and filmmaker) Jay Weidner, say the Hindus, Incas, Tibetans, ancient Hebrews, and others suggested that the world would be due for a massive transformation around now. And most thought this transformation might be pretty positive.

According to "2012: Science or Superstition" by Bruce, traditional Hindus believe we're living in dark times indeed: According to "The Mahabharata," a Vedic text, the Kali Yuga, or "Age of Vice," where people "take vows only to break them soon after … people will for without reason destroy trees and gardens … people will become addicted to intoxicating drinks [and] Men will find their jobs stressful and will go to retreats to escape from work." Sounds horrible, doesn't it? But the good news is that, once we're done with the age of vice, we'll walk into a happier, more virtuous age – either the Dwapara Yuga, where we'll grow far taller and live far longer, or better yet, the Satya Yuga, where we won't die at all until we're good and ready to move on. Indeed, many cultures think we're heading into a veritable heaven on earth.

While traditional Hinduism teaches we've barely begun our cycle in the Kali Yuga, many 2012 proponents say its end is, cosmically speaking, right around the corner -- if it hasn't ended already

So 2012 Won't Be Painful, Then?

Folks like Rose and Weidner believe many cultures were pretty optimistic about this new age we're reputedly heading into. But that doesn't mean it'll be an easy transition – especially for decadent, consumer-loving Westerners. For many of us, Weidner says, this new beginning will feel an awful lot like the end of the world.

And indeed, Weidner says the world as we know it will end. We may be forced to give up lots of our material possessions, live off the land and commune with one another, instead of keeping in touch through Facebook. Much of what we think is important will reveal itself to be, well, rather silly. It could be an incredibly painful time for many of us.

"It's very close to stumbling into a room and there's blood and there's people screaming," Weidner says. "Then you discover, of course, it's just a woman having a baby."

Weidner readily admits he has little more idea of what the next age will look like than the rest of us. All he knows is it's going to be big and, at least initially, difficult. And others, of course, are decidedly more pessimistic.

But What, Exactly, Could Happen in 2012?

Some theories include:

Earth Crustal Displacement: Proponents believe the earth's crust—a layer of rock and dirt just a few miles thick—sometimes slips, sending whole continents careening into longitudes and latitudes their residents aren't prepared for. North Americans, for instance, might find themselves at the North Pole, while Antarctica is suddenly bathed in warmth.

Mass Extinction: We're about a million years overdue for a mass extinction, according to some theorists. Of course, many biologists will tell you we're already in the midst of a mass extinction, with as much as 50 percent of species on the chopping block over the next century.

Coronal Mass Ejection: Our sun is a fickle life source, and it occasionally jettisons a great deal of energy from its big, glowing self. Theoretically, it could suddenly spew enough energy to fry us all, but it's more likely to just spit enough plasma or whatnot to mess with our electronic infrastructure — which, considering every aspect of our daily lives is tied to said infrastructure, could be serious indeed.

Is That All That Might Happen in 2012?

Heavens no! Armageddon could take any number of forms, from some sort of disruption in our magnetosphere (wherein the poles could actually magnetically "flip," with unknown consequences) to the increased bombardment of gamma rays (again, with unknown consequences) to Yellowstone National Park's mammoth caldera suddenly blowing up (with obvious, catastrophic consequences) to a host of others.

And then there's the theory of Planet X – an as-of-yet undiscovered planet inhabited by advanced beings that swings into our orbit every 3,600 years or so. These beings, according to the works of Zecharia Sitchin, essentially bred us (infusing their superior DNA with our homo erectus ancestors) to become their slaves, and perhaps they'll slap us all into chains when 2012 comes around, and their planet gets close enough again.

Thankfully, scientists consider most of these possible doomsday scenarios rather unlikely. For instance, while geologists say that Yellowstone is undergoing an uptick in activity, there's no sign the place is going to blow just yet. Most dismiss phenomena like crustal displacement out of hand. And, as far as Planet X is concerned – well, they'll believe it when they see it.

What Do 'Real' Scientists Think Will Happen in 2012?

In the words of Bruce, "Academics appear to stand united in a wholesale pooh-poohing of the 2012 phenomenon." Most won't even deign to discuss 2012 theories, be they gamma rays or Planet X. And those who do are hardly complimentary.

"I must say that I worry seriously about the psychological damage that can be done by those expositors of bizarre theories," Dr. Anthony Aveni, professor of astronomy and anthropology at Colgate University, told the makers of the film "2012: Science or Superstition." "… I won't name them, but there are many, many books about the cataclysm and the apocalypse and I do have an interest in bringing words out of academe to a broader public, I think it's very important that we scientific investigators play a role in educating the public, giving our side of things."

That doesn't dissuade believers, of course. Science expresses skepticism on everything from ghosts to God to true love, and it doesn't stop legions of people from believing in them. Libraries could be filled with anecdotes of when science and mainstream thinking got it all wrong.

How Can I Prepare for 2012?

Rose, Weidner and other 2012 proponents believe that, whatever happens, we should prepare for massive changes in the way we live and relate to one another. Weidner believes that those who survive and thrive in this new era will be a strange combination of "survivalists and Zen Buddhists."

Many proponents suggest stocking up on everything from water to toilet paper. Weidner says we should start thinking about growing food in our own back yards. We need to learn to depend on people again – our friends, our family, our neighbors.

Most importantly, because our levels of understanding are likely to take an exponential leap forward, we should renew our acquaintance with spirituality – not necessarily connected with the major religions we know today, but more in tune with the natural cycles all around us. Gardening becomes not just a survival technique, but a way to reconnect with mother earth and the seasons that surround her. We need to meditate more – listen to the energy around us, rather than trying to talk over it all the time. We'll need to prepare for a time when our dormant psychic abilities suddenly leap to the forefront again. And, according to Weidner, we'll need to quickly wean ourselves from the unsustainable corporate, material world we've all grown so accustomed to.

So Should I Look Forward to 2012?

Perhaps. If you believe prevailing science, nothing untoward will likely happen that day. And if your thoughts swing to more of a spiritual bent, many 2012 proponents say 2012 should be a time we should welcome and embrace.

No matter what "2012" the movie tells us, ancient cultures say something very different – that we're heading into a time of promise and renewal. "We have to write a new story," Rose says. "It's time for a new story, one that's filled with magic and beauty, not all this horror."

And indeed, there's much of this coming age we can write ourselves, according to Weidner. The decisions we make on how to live our lives now will have a big impact on how we deal with our uncertain futures. There's no doubt the transition is coming, he says. The real question is, "What do we want to be when we get there?"