As promised: The Mayans

Is it possible that an ancient civilization had a way to predict the end of the earth? I don't think so, but there are many who swear by their 'foretelling'.

Of course, anyone who believes this is mistaken and hasn't done much research.

In a lengthy study of this Mesoamerican culture (six months in college and a week online to refresh), it is found that the Mayans had three to an infinite number of calendars to their disposal. They were used in harmony with each other to number the days in the year and the life cycles of existance- including harvesting, pregnancies, moon cycles, lunar cycles, venus cycles, among cycles of stars (they were very astronomically oriented) and even for 260 days when the sun is in an exact rotation through the sky.

It is true however; one calendar indeed stops at December 12, 2012. Though most people panic when they read that and do not continue on.

Please, please continue on.

This was only ONE of their very important calendars and does not mean that they decided all life stopped on that day and the world would explode for some sort of second coming thing.

The Mayans had a series of dates and time periods that, when added together, coincided perfectly to make up what they believed the future would look like. With mathematical guesses based off of the 'cycles' of the past, and how it matched up with the present, they were very good at 'guessing' the future. In fact, ninety two percent of their predictions came to pass. The other eight were considered close enough and this is where they took it too far and 'made it work' by planning wars to coincide with the dates they predicted them to happen. I thought that odd that they start a war because a calendar that they created told them to, but oh well. They also did human sacrifices at calendric intervals, so I don't put much stock in their ability to 'see' the future all that much.

Eerily, and much on the flip side, all of the natural disasters they have predicted from 2600 B.C. to this last year (2009) have come true. The next insane 'calamity' as they call it, is predicted for December 12, 2012.

Does this sound familiar for that planet alignment and possible disasters discussed yesterday? Why yes, yes it does. Is something terrible going to happen? I'm inclined to think that it will be on a smaller scale than all the hype out there about the end of days, but also that something fun may happen during that alignment. And by fun, I mean possibly world altering. And by world altering, I mean parts of it. I have faith and hope that many of us will survive these catastrophies. Just like those warned about Hurricane Katrina (yes that date was entered on the Mayan calendar), we have the modern instuments at out disposal to survive much of what may or may not happen.

I do want to point out that only this calendar of the Mayans ends on that date.

Remember that they were created to be interchanged and not used individually. That was not their purpose to have one calendar for everything. They were much more complicated than that.

Several others go on for future 'guessings', but their last predicted calamity has been etched in their stones and columns for this one date. It is hard to ignore that they seriously believed they needed to tell us futurians something important.

I like to believe that as their other calendars go on, so will life. I also like to believe that perhaps there will be no more natural calamities after this as the earth will enter a rebirth from the gravitational stress it will be put under and that we will have centuries of peaceful weather-with the occasional rain and snow storm. I like rain. This theory sounds nice.

So when you come to propaganda about all life ending in 2012 or with that alignment happening, please don't take it seriously. Earth will continue as long as God wants it to. Or as long as science stays on our side- whichever you prefer to believe. Science is on both sides of this debate, and a little less reassuring than the Holy Spirit can be, but I know a few of my precious friends are Aetiests, and I respect you decision to choose for yourself. I love you extremely/insanely, and, of course, expect the same respect for my decisions.

Just don't be offended if when I pray over my lunch and I offer a prayer that you are not food-poisoned either! ;) Again, I love you insanely and that is my way of showing it!

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